Treat Williams Delivered the Performance of a Lifetime in 1979’s ‘Hair’

Many people woke up today to the tragic news that beloved stage and screen actor Treat Williams has died at age 71 after a motorcycle accident. And with as many groundbreaking roles he has played, how does one even go about addressing his legacy? To me, it’s best if we go back to the early days of his career and look at his performance in the 1979 movie adaptation of Hair. 

Based on the 1968 Broadway musical of the same name, the movie quickly became known as one of the best movie musicals to ever exist – and Williams was at the heart of it all. The actor portrays the anti-war, free-loving hippie George Berger who leads a tight tribe of like-minded folks in New York City during the height of the Vietnam War. When he meets recent draftee Claude Bukowski (John Savage) and New Jersey debutant Sheila Franklin (Beverly D’Angelo), he adopts somewhat of a mentorship role for the two, exposing them to the beliefs and practices of the tribe – which obviously involves tons of sex, drugs, and rule-breaking. 

Through the movie, Williams shows off his dreamy vocals on musical numbers such as “I Got Life” and “Flesh Failures” and amps up his charm to a new level, both of which he had already perfected in his 8-year run as Danny Zuko in Grease on Broadway. However, his most memorable portion of the movie is the very ending which sees him sneaking onto a military base disguised as Claude to give the young soldier and Sheila a moment to reconnect before he is shipped to war. In a twisted turn of events, the company of soldiers is called for attendance and George pretends to be Claude. As the roll call continues, he finds out, too late, that they are boarding a plane to be shipped out to the war-torn country. Caught up in the moment, George continues his act and boards the plane, which inevitably leads him to his death. As the scene plays on, Williams nails the task by balancing a soulless look in his eyes – conveying that the poor character has accepted his fate – with body language and a voice laced with pure fear, confusion, and anxiety (a 180 from his performance shown in the earlier bits of the movie).

In the scene, the troop of soldiers is shown in a wide shot marching in unison while they make their way to the plane. Williams’s George marches along with them and for a brief moment is indistinguishable from the group until he opens his mouth to sing, “I believe in God and I believe that God believes in Claude.” He raises his hand to touch his heart as he emotionally belts, “That’s me, that’s me, that’s me.” While he sings, the camera hauntingly zooms in on his face which is slowly covered in shadows as he boards the dark plane. When Claude discovers what happened, he chases the plan while yelling his friend’s name, and then the scene cuts to show Berger’s grave and reveal that he died while overseas. 

The ending of the musical has long been a source of discussion as it is entirely different from the musical’s ending; but taken on its own, it is moving and dangerously effective. The movie went on to gather award attention and become critically acclaimed among movie critics, many of whom praised Williams’s performance. Film Authority called the movie a “showcase for the charisma of a young, of the moment cast and specifically Williams [who] …  captures the rebellious spirit of the sixties with elan,” and Philadelphia Daily News called the cast a “powerhouse” with Williams “stealing the scene.” Robert Ebert praised the movie – later adding it to their list of best films of 1979 – and called Williams’s “I Got Life” musical number “one of the movie’s best scenes.” The movie went on to be nominated for two Golden Globes awards, Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and New Star of the Year for Williams.

Over forty years later, Hair holds up to be a valuable watch – handling the divisive subject with grace and giving Williams the opportunity to showcase the best of his talents. To this date, there’s no doubt that the actor was the best fit for the role, despite the existence of the original Broadway cast and the abundance of other budding musical artists during the same year. So, if there’s any movie to revisit in memory of Williams’s bright legacy – let it be this one.

How to Stream Treat Williams’s 1979 Musical Hair

Currently, Hair is streaming for free on The Roku Channel, Tubi and Pluto, as well as with a subscription to fuboTV, Paramount Plus, Apple TV, MGM Plus, and Amazon Prime channels for Paramount Plus and MGM Plus.