1946. Veronica Lake prepares for her role as Joyce Harwood in The Blue Dahlia. A caption on the back of the photo reads:
HARVEST TIME.
Two V’s get together as Victor Honig, Paramount Studio tonsorialist (he’s a super-barber) bobs Veronica Lake’s famous over-one-eye hair to prepare her for her latest screen role in “THE BLUE DAHLIA”. Veronica allowed her hair to grow long after her war time sacrifice, made when safety groups in industry urged her to trim her locks so that sister riveters and ship builders would follow her example. The safety men didn’t want Mama and Miss America to get their long tresses wound in lathes and drill presses.
An article by John Sciacca in the 17 April 1970 edition of Desert Sun contains a brief biography of Victor Honig:
J. Victor Honig, who has been cutting movie stars hair since 1940, won his title in competition with over 1,000 barber contestants from various parts of the world at the International Barbers’ Conference held at Grand Central Palace, New York City [in 1947] when he was Paramount Studios chief barber. His clientele included such movie greats as Ray Milland, Bing Crosby, Ronald Reagan, Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. … Victor was born in Hungary 70 years ago and came to the United States in 1921 after having studied barbering in Kolsvar, where he catered to the more elite society of that city. His first job in America was at Englerts Barber Shop in New York City. After a few years he went to the City Athletic club where he managed the barber shop for 12 years. The vice president of Paramount Studios, a member of the club, liked Victor’s work so much that he persuaded him to come to Hollywood where he worked for the studios for about 23 years. … Victor cried when Paramount ordered him to cut Veronica Lake’s hair from long to short. Miss Lake made famous the long over-the-eye hair style which was her “trademark.”