Mr. Playboy

Steven Watts

Description

Spans from Hefner's childhood to the launch of Playboy magazine and the expansion of the Playboy empire to the present

Puts Hefner's life and work into the cultural context of American life from the mid-twentieth-century onwards

Contains over 50 B/W and color photos, including an actual fold-out centerfold

Acknowledgments.

Introduction: The Boy Next Door.

PART I BEGINNINGS.

1 A Boy at Play.

2 Boot Camp, College, and Kinsey.

3 The Tie That Binds.

PART II ASCENT.

4 How to Win Friends and Titillate People.

5 Hedonism, Inc..

6 The Pursuit of Happiness.

7 An Abundant Life.

8 Living the Fantasy.

PART III TRIUMPH.

9 The Philosopher King.

10 The Happiness Explosion.

11 Make Love, Not War.

12 What Do Women Want?

13 Down the Rabbit Hole.

14 Disneyland for Adults.

PART IV MALAISE.

15 A Hutch Divided.

16 The Dark Decade.

17 The Party’s Over.

18 Strange Bedfellows.

PART V RESURGENCE.

19 The Bride Wore Clothes.

20 All in the Family.

21 Back in the Game.

Epilogue: Playboy Nation.

Notes.

Index.

Sujets

• Biography
• Business
• Autobiography
• Esquire
• Hugh Hefner
• Playboy

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 23 mars 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780470501375
• Langue: English

Extrait

Table of Contents
 
Title Page
Copyright Page
Epigraph
Acknowledgements
Introduction
 
PART I - BEGINNINGS
 
Chapter 1 - A Boy at Play
 
I
II
III
 
Chapter 2 - Boot Camp, College, and Kinsey
 
I
II
III
 
Chapter 3 - The Tie That Binds
 
I
II
III
 
PART II - ASCENT
Chapter 4 - How to Win Friends and Titillate People
 
I
II
III
 
Chapter 5 - Hedonism, Inc.
 
I
II
 
Chapter 6 - The Pursuit of Happiness
 
I
II
 
Chapter 7 - An Abundant Life
 
I
II
III
 
Chapter 8 - Living the Fantasy
 
I
II
III
 
PART III - TRIUMPH
Chapter 9 - The Philosopher King
 
I
II
III
 
Chapter 10 - The Happiness Explosion
 
I
II
III
 
Chapter 11 - Make Love, Not War
 
I
II
III
 
Chapter 12 - What Do Women Want?
 
I
II
III
 
Chapter 13 - Down the Rabbit Hole
 
I
II
 
Chapter 14 - Disneyland for Adults
 
I
II
III
 
PART IV - MALAISE
Chapter 15 - A Hutch Divided
 
I
II
III
 
Chapter 16 - The Dark Decade
 
I
II
III
 
Chapter 17 - The Party’s Over
 
I
II
III
 
Chapter 18 - Strange Bedfellows
 
I
II
III
 
PART V - RESURGENCE
Chapter 19 - The Bride Wore Clothes
 
I
II
III
 
Chapter 20 - All in the Family
 
I
II
III
 
Chapter 21 - Back in the Game
 
I
II
III
 
EPILOGUE
NOTES
INDEX
Photos

Copyright © 2008 by Steven Watts. All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions .
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Watts, Steven, date.
Mr. Playboy : Hugh Hefner and the American dream / Steven Watts.
p. cm.
Includes index.
eISBN : 978-0-470-50137-5
1. Hefner, Hugh M. (Hugh Marston), 1926- 2. Journalists—United States—
Biography. I. Title.
PN4874.H454W38 2008
070.5092—dc22
[B] 2008009572

 
Epigraph
The American citizen lives in a world where fantasy is more real than reality. . . . We risk being the first people in history to have been able to make their illusions so vivid, so persuasive, so “realistic” that they can live in them.
—Daniel Boorstin, The Image

 
  Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—T. S. Eliot, Four Quartets

 
  Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.
—John Berger, Ways of Seeing

 
  The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. . . . So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end.
—F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

  When an interviewer asked my mother whether she was proud of me, she answered, “Oh, yes, but I would have been just as happy if he’d been a missionary.” Later, I told her, “But Mom, I was!”
—Hugh Hefner, interview with the author
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have accumulated many debts in completing this book over the last few years, and it is a pleasure to acknowledge them. First, I would like to thank all of the (male) acquaintances, associates, and even strangers who have rushed forward over the past few years offering to assist me with research, carry my luggage, double-check my sources, take dictation, or wash my rental car when I visited the Playboy Mansion. This outpouring of selflessness, generosity, and friendship has revived my faith in human nature.
Several colleagues in the Department of History at the University of Missouri—Carol Anderson, Robert Collins, Catherine Rymph, Jonathan Sperber, and John Wigger—read the manuscript and forwarded many valuable comments and suggestions. Patty Eggleston, Sandy Kietzman, Melinda Lockwood, Jenny Morton, and Nancy Taube, departmental staff members all, provided various kinds of support and encouragement. A number of talented and discerning friends, including Armando Favazza, Cindy Sheltmire, Dick and Anne Stewart, Donald Tennant, Daniel Watts, Steve Weinberg, and, especially, Patricia Ward Kelly, looked over the manuscript and offered an array of useful observations. Mary Jane Edele and Catherine Damme helped ease my burden during the early going by digging up articles and transcribing interviews.
At John Wiley & Sons, my editor, Eric Nelson, expertly guided the manuscript toward its final form, while Rachel Meyers and Ellen Wright skillfully orchestrated its production. My agent and friend,
Ron Goldfarb, did his usual superb job of negotiating contracts, bolstering my spirits, and providing a sounding board on various occasions. He has my enduring gratitude for all he has done to boost my career as an author.
The librarians of Ellis Library at the University of Missouri deployed their expertise to help me gain access to various materials. At Playboy Enterprises, Inc., in Chicago, Lee Froehlich and Jessica Riddle helped me navigate the company archives. During my research trips to the Playboy Mansion, the mansion’s staff treated me with great forbearance and kindness as I ransacked the files, pored through the scrapbooks, strolled the grounds, and took up more than my fair share of time at the copy machine. Among the many individuals who deserve my thanks, I note especially Steve Martinez, Norma Maister, Elayne Lodge, Joyce Nizzari, Trudy King, Amanda Warren, Alicia Boote, John Cailotto, Elizabeth Kanski, Bob Colin, Jenny Lewis, Dick Rosenzweig, and Mary O’Connor. A batch of new friends, including Elizabeth Granli, Ron McCabe, Jeremy Arnold, Lindsey Vuolo, Amber Campisi, Tiffany Fallon, and, especially, Alison Reynolds and Joel Berliner, provided enlightening conversation and companionship. Many thanks go to that intrepid band of raconteurs on Monday evenings who taught me much about old movies, bad jokes, and sharp repartee: Keith Hefner, Ray Anthony, Bill Shepard, Chuck McCann, Richard Bann, Ron Borst, Mark Cantor, Peter Vieira, Robert Culp, Johnny Crawford, and Kevin Burns.
Hugh Hefner, of course, deserves my profuse thanks. When I first approached him about this project, he graciously agreed to cooperate. He not only provided unprecedented access to his massive files chronicling the history of Playboy and his career, but gave me an opportunity to get an inside look at his life. He also kindly consented to sit for a battery of interviews, which eventually totaled nearly forty hours. He accepted the stricture that I maintain editorial control over the book, and while, ultimately, he took issue with some of my arguments and conclusions, he honored the agreement. For all of these things, and more, Mr. Hefner has my profound appreciation.
Two people deserve my greatest thanks. My wife, Patti Watts, reacted with remarkable good humor to my dubious proposal for doing research at the Playboy Mansion, offering only the admonition usually given to children at the toy store: “You can look, but don’t touch.” Subsequently, during innumerable conversations about Playboy, American society, men and women, sexuality, and many other subjects, she has shared a wealth of insights and ideas that have enriched the book. My daughter, Olivia Claire Watts, arrived unexpectedly during the middle of this undertaking. After causing her doddering father an initial bout of terror, she has proved to be an inexhaustible source of affection, amusement, edification, and wonder. She has caused me to think harder about all of this, and the book is for her.
INTRODUCTION
The Boy Next Door
M ention of Hugh Hefner instantly evokes a host of images that dance through the imagination: visions of voluptuous women and uninhibited sex, mansion parties and celebrity entertainers, grotto hot tubs and round beds, smoking jackets and sleek sports cars. Such mental pictures, of course, stem from Hefner’s role as founder and publisher of Playboy magazine. Over the last fifty years, Playboy ’s monthly array of hedonistic messages, which Hefner has supported with a publicity-drenched lifestyle, has made him an impresar