The 60s were a turbulent era for Americans. There was the endless Vietnam War, the senseless murders of Jack Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Bob Kennedy. There were the Beatles, the civil rights march on Washington, the music and drugs riot at Woodstock and the first Moon landing.

An unforgettable 60s musical brought rock and roll, along with drastic social changes to Broadway. When "Hair" moved up from a little playhouse downtown to the Biltmore on Broadway in April 1968, it marked a new era in American music, drama and social values. The show's name indicates a defiance of all previous traditions. Hair style symbolized the young generation's defiance of the styles and mores of their parents and just about all authorit.

As a traditional guy already past my 20s at that time, I wanted to forget the whole idea of "Hair", but it has to be considered a landmark in Broadway theater, because it depicted a critical time of music and political thought in American history. "Hair" ran for several years, was made into a movie and has had numerous revivals since. Now that I'm a doddering old guy, I like it even less. But, hey, I can't argue with success, and the many revivals since remind me I'm not allowed to forget it.

My favorite Broadway programs of the 60s include several musicals. Yes, "Hair" advocates and the lousy music you love, I enjoy the kind of old sentimental stories, accompanied by music that is pleasant on the ears, rather than meant to shock and offend. My personal favorite is 1964's "Funny Girl". Although it had many memorable musical numbers, the real-life dramatic early 20s story line of the poor Brooklyn girl, Fanny Brice, who rose to Broadway stardom, was just as enjoyable as the music.

Another significant contribution to Broadway was the rise to stardom of young Barbra Streisand, who was original Fanny, and again in the movie version. She brought her own special blend of superb singing and acting to the role, and launched a successful career that, fortunately for her millions of fans, is still flourishing.

I've seen many stage versions of Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple", as well as all the episodes of the TV series based on the original 1965 Broadway hit. However, I must confess that my all-time favorite is the 1968 movie, starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Matthau, as the slovenly sportswriter, was in the Broadway original, too, and his hapless, clean-freak roomie then was played by Art Carney, of "Honeymooners" fame. The

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