American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story (2017) s01e06 Episode Script
Rebel with a Cause: Civil Liberties and Government Crackdowns
1 [Hugh Hefner.]
The year was 1963.
The first James Bond film Dr.
No was a hit in the theaters Here's a little song you can all join in with It's very simple and I hope it's new, yeah [Hugh Hefner.]
Coca-Cola introduced a new calorie-free soda called Tab and a little-known band from Liverpool named the Beatles had shot up to the top of the charts in the UK.
But on November 22nd of that year, the assassination of John F.
Kennedy changed everything.
While the country was still in shock, I was in the midst of a trial, facing jail time on obscenity charges for publishing nude pictures of actress Jayne Mansfield in the pages of Playboy magazine.
After weeks of arguments, it was finally time to hear the verdict.
[Judge.]
Bailiff I know what pornography is and I know what obscenity is, and it certainly isn't Playboy and never has been.
But again, we were questioning the traditional values, and that context, I think, is what got us into the most trouble.
Defendant, please rise.
On the counts of publishing and distributing an obscene publication, the jury has been unable to reach a verdict.
Mr.
Hefner, you are free to go.
All right I been a-hopin' and a-prayin' For such a long time [Hugh Hefner.]
The jury was deadlocked 7 to 5 in favor of acquittal and all charges against me were dropped.
Ain't it a good thing? Ain't it a good thing? [Hugh Hefner.]
I felt relieved and like I'd won a major victory for free speech.
Oh, ain't it a good thing? [Hugh Hefner.]
My fight was finally over, but world events were about to reshape the country and Playboy.
[woman.]
Every little movement Every little thing you do Is it sleight of hand That commands my heart to love you? Every little movement Every little movement [Hugh Hefner.]
With the obscenity case behind us, Playboy spent the next two years getting back to business, publishing centerfolds next to articles promoting social justice.
But by 1965, there was one issue that overshadowed all the others.
[male newscaster.]
This is the hot spot in the Cold War and this year saw it getting hotter.
The Eastern world It is exploding Violence flaring [Hugh Hefner.]
America had been locked in conflict in Vietnam since the mid '50s, but every year, our involvement in the war kept increasing.
In 1963, there were 16,000 troops in Vietnam.
By '65, there were 125,000.
Oh you don't believe We're on the eve of destruction [David Eisenbach.]
Vietnam starts off with, uh, oh, we're just gonna be contained, and military advisors here that'll support the government at this resistance to tyranny, and then it escalated and escalated, and more and more, uh, kids are being sent over to Vietnam, and more and more kids are dying.
Can't you feel the fears I'm feeling today? [Hugh Hefner.]
With more casualties every day, demonstrators took to the streets and young men began burning their draft cards.
Take a look around you, boy It's bound to scare you, boy, and you tell me [Hugh Hefner.]
Never before had an American war been protested so openly, and I knew the voices of these young radicals belonged in Playboy.
We're on the eve of destruction [sighing.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
So I hired a new assistant editor [Steppenwolf.]
We'll call you when you're six years old [Hugh Hefner.]
a popular young journalist who had written politically-charged pieces for The Village Voice named Arthur Kretchmer.
[Steppenwolf.]
To train your brain for 18 years I was hired with a bunch of other hip, connected, intelligent young people.
Some of us were smoking dope.
Some of us were emphatically against the Vietnam War.
I think all of our editors were a little bit to the left, but Arthur represented his generation and he was well connected with that world.
[Spectorsky.]
Next we have a piece for our attire section.
No man, no matter how fashion-conscious, enjoys having to spend days or even weeks breaking in a new pair of shoes.
Jesus Christ.
I'm sorry, did you have something to contribute? Yeah.
Who cares? Seriously, who gives a shit? There's a war going on out there, and we're sitting around here bickering about how many days it takes to break in a pair of goddamn shoes.
Last month, 100,000 Americans demonstrated in cities across the country.
Last week, a man stood in front of the Pentagon, doused himself in kerosene, and set himself on fire.
And what the hell are we doing about it? What the hell is Playboy saying about it? Nothing.
[Spectorsky.]
In case you haven't noticed, you're no longer working at The Village Voice.
Let them cover those types of stories.
No, I think we should have something to say about it.
If it matters to us, it matters to our readers.
Bring in an article.
If it's good, I'll run it.
Shall I continue? Mm-hmm.
For our humor section, a fresh slate of party jokes.
[Arthur Kretchmer.]
Spectorsky and I developed conflict, and Spectorsky hated the word "political" and hated politics.
I really did represent something that he wasn't ready for.
[The Flying Burrito Brothers.]
There is a man A tall man Follows no [Hugh Hefner.]
Soon Kretchmer pushed us to take a stance on the Vietnam War.
[The Flying Burrito Brothers.]
Out in a storm Can he stay warm [Hugh Hefner.]
But he didn't stop there.
[Kretchmer.]
Britain recently abolished the death penalty.
If we're supposed to be the freest country in the world, why are we one of the few western nations that hasn't banned capital punishment? [The Flying Burrito Brothers.]
Can't he move on? Tell him it's all right [Hugh Hefner.]
We called for the abolition of the death penalty, arguing not only that it was barbaric but that it was disproportionately used against poor people.
[The Flying Burrito Brothers.]
There is a man [Hugh Hefner.]
We published pieces promoting access to contraception and safe and inexpensive abortions for women.
[The Flying Burrito Brothers.]
Can his new wife Live out her life [Hugh Hefner.]
Playboy has always had a strong editorial point of view, and it's reflected in everything we do.
While the magazine was a magazine of entertainment for men, the real intention and message ran much deeper.
[The Flying Burrito Brothers.]
It's all right Say it's all right [Hugh Hefner.]
Fighting for change energized the entire office, and soon, letters began pouring in from readers, letting us know that they also wanted to be part of the debate.
[Steppenwolf.]
Staring at the boob tube Turning on the big knob Trying to find some life in the [Hugh Hefner.]
So I created The Playboy Forum to open a dialogue.
[Steppenwolf.]
Gonna deal with Mary Jane [Hugh Hefner.]
The forum became an interchange of ideas between myself and readers [Steppenwolf.]
Obnoxious Joe comes on the screen [Hugh Hefner.]
covering sex, marriage, religion, police, economics anything relevant to social change.
(Christine Hefner) By having a conversation with millions of men and women through The Playboy Forum, I think clearly was a major contributor to people feeling comfortable and not feeling so alone.
[Hugh Hefner.]
Of course, a lot of people only wanted to talk about Vietnam.
Many of our loyal readers were now serving overseas, eager to voice their opinions and share their experiences from the front lines.
[Steppenwolf.]
Well it's evil, wicked When Time magazine was still promoting the war in Vietnam, The Playboy Forum gave real soldiers a chance to say what their reality was in Vietnam, and it was this place to put actual testimony about what was going on.
Abortion is still illegal.
The Chicago Women's Liberation Union are speaking out about it and so should we.
[Hugh Hefner.]
But then I took it one step further, beyond the pages of the magazine, and created The Playboy Foundation an organization dedicated to fighting censorship and funding civil rights groups.
[Christie Hefner.]
Hef had said that The Playboy Foundation was intended to put his money where his mouth was for issues that were not just relevant to Playboy but were relevant to a broader philosophy of what makes for a just society.
[Hugh Hefner.]
We donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Kinsey Institute, an organization whose research on sex and sexuality had inspired the founding of the magazine.
We involved ourselves in landmark civil rights cases such as Roe v.
Wade and continued to support the African-American struggle for freedom.
When I left before [Hugh Hefner.]
Across the country, the civil rights movement was making significant progress, and just a year earlier, Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for his work.
It was an incredible moment for the civil rights movement, one we wanted to celebrate.
So, in January of 1965, we published an interview with Dr.
King, the longest one he ever granted.
But I keep coming back [Jesse Jackson.]
When Playboy interviewed Dr.
King, it was a serious breakthrough because it was a chance for another market.
I mean, those days you didn't have cable television.
We didn't have much access.
[Cooper Hefner.]
MLK Jr.
's voice was perfectly suited for Playboy.
If you take a step back and look at all the other pieces of what makes Playboy Playboy, I can't think of another magazine or media company where the conversation would have been more appropriate.
[Hugh Hefner.]
In his interview with Playboy, King emphasized how far we'd come, but he also explained how far we had to go.
[Martin Luther King Jr.
.]
With a nonviolent movement, the end is to convert the opponent and to bring about a society where all men will live together as brothers and every man will respect the dignity and worth of human personality.
[Hugh Hefner.]
So, just months after being featured in the magazine, King led a march of 25,000 Americans, black and white, on a 54-mile journey from Selma, Alabama, to the state's capital, to show their support for a new voting rights bill in the face of ruthless opposition.
[people shouting and screaming.]
After being attacked with nightsticks and teargas, Dr.
King and protesters arrived in Montgomery.
We are standing before the forces of power in the State of Alabama, saying we ain't gonna let nobody turn us around.
[cheers and applause.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
What we saw in the news shocked the entire nation.
[Eisenbach.]
There's no question that the power of the media was a major force because it allowed the civil rights protestors to get their message out by generating images of oppression that were compelling because they were so violent.
[Hugh Hefner.]
After considerable public pressure, President Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices based on race.
This bill will strike down restrictions to voting in all elections.
[applause.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
America was beginning to see we needed change.
With progress being made throughout the country, I wanted to break the color barrier in all aspects of our magazine.
Hi.
Hi.
If you could just slip this on.
And when you come to see me baby You don't have to bring no note You gotta have sweet sweet lovin' [Hugh Hefner.]
In March of 1965, we published the first ever African-American Playmate of the month, Jennifer Jackson.
I said baby [Hugh Hefner.]
We found Jenny working part-time in our Chicago Playboy Club.
She was a Bunny alongside her twin sister, Jan, while studying at a Chicago Teachers' College and doing some freelance modeling on the side.
When Playboy published its first African-American Playmate, it was a really important comment on race relations at the time.
This was an important acknowledgment of black women and their sexuality and their beauty.
Sweet lovin' And that's all you need Oh yeah [Hugh Hefner.]
Reader responses to Jennifer's centerfold were mostly positive, but we still got some backlash, which convinced me there was still a lot of work to be done.
I need it by 2 p.
m.
Thank you.
Uh, Spec.
[Hugh Hefner.]
As Playboy became more political, I continued to personally oversee every page of the magazine to make sure it was as good as it could be.
[Hugh Hefner.]
I am by nature a perfectionist, anyway.
I think the difference between good and excellent is detail, and I was consumed with every kind of detail related to the company.
[Hugh Hefner.]
Soon, there didn't seem to be enough hours in the day, so I relied on a little orange pill, Dexedrine.
[Richard Rosenzweig.]
Dexedrine is an upper.
It keeps you awake.
It was originally formulated as a drug to help you lose weight, but it has this other quality that gives you pep and keeps you going.
One, two, three, four Fortune has me well in hand [Hugh Hefner.]
I never tried hard drugs.
I didn't believe in them.
But Dexedrine was completely legal and my doctor kept prescribing it, so I told myself it was a harmless little pill.
And brought you to my bed [Hugh Hefner.]
But pretty soon, I couldn't live without it.
Everybody loves me baby Page 37, the robe is not The colors here are confusing.
Page 29 [Kretchmer.]
Dexedrine helped Hefner write very long, very dense memos and engage in very long meetings.
We used to go to meetings at 4:00 in the afternoon.
They would last until 6:00 the next morning.
To offend you Now [Hugh Hefner.]
I would take them as I needed them, but the work could often go for 24 or 30 or more hours, so it was possible in that timeframe to use 20, 25 pills.
I don't think I would have created the Playboy empire without it.
Because everybody loves me baby He became very dependent on Dexedrine.
Scrap it.
[Rosenzweig.]
If he was taking the drug, that let him work for two days or even more Everybody loves me baby [Rosenzweig.]
And then, he was so exhausted that he'd crash.
When he would awaken, he would be a bit of a grouch.
What did I do to offend you? Yeah! (laughing) [knocking on door.]
[Spectorsky.]
Hef.
I'll be done with the new notes on the mansion piece in ten minutes.
Then I'm gonna go over the Zwerin article.
Tell everyone else to go over what they're working on, too.
I'm seeing too many errors.
I've already sent them home.
What? You sent them home? They need to be with their families.
But they're working, Spec.
It's after midnight.
What, so people can't work late now? Three nights in a row? No, Hef, they can't.
They can't keep their eyes open.
That's fine.
Just means more work for you and me.
You cannot keep doing this.
Oh, is it my fault if the articles are shit? The articles are fine.
The problem is you.
You've been up for three days.
You're a wreck.
You are killing yourself.
I'm fine.
You're not fine.
If you want to leave, then leave.
Maybe I'm the only one around here who still remembers what it takes to put out a good magazine, but I am not going to be lectured by you.
Do you even hear yourself? Get out! [Kretchmer.]
When Hef became addicted, Hefner was accurately described as self-centered, demanding, obsessive.
Monstrous, even, you could say.
Really difficult to deal with.
[Hugh Hefner.]
My staff had reached a breaking point, and it was clear that I needed to make some changes.
[Hugh Hefner.]
When I stopped taking the Dexedrine, it took the better part of a year for my own body to kick in and give me back what I'd previously gotten from the drug.
If you start using an artificial stimulus for it, then the body starts depending on that, and it needs more of it, and, you know, they do all those jokes about get high on life, but it's true.
[Hugh Hefner.]
While I was regaining my health, Playboy was getting bigger every month and the effects of our hard work could be seen in every aspect of the company.
Oh my love [Hugh Hefner.]
We had 15 clubs operating within the United States, including locations in Los Angeles and Miami, and international locations in Montreal, Manila, and Jamaica.
[Hugh Hefner.]
Originally, when we started off the first one in Chicago back in '59, we had no notion it would be so successful.
So many times You're gonna be lonely So many times you're gonna be blue [Hugh Hefner.]
By the end of the 1960s, the magazine was selling an average of 5.
5 million issues per month and Playboy's profits had climbed to $80 million a year.
I decided the time had come to make a big statement and establish ourselves as an American institution.
So I purchased the 37-floor Palmolive Building on Michigan Ave.
for $2.
7 million and put our name across it in nine-foot letters.
She asked me maybe If I could share her sorrow [Hugh Hefner.]
Not only was it one of Chicago's most iconic buildings, but as a kid, I'd looked out my window and seen the spotlight on top light up the city.
When Hefner puts Playboy in big, bright shining letters on the Palmolive Building in Chicago, the Playboy brand becomes part of the skyline.
The argument is over, right? The empire is now here, and there's really nothing you can do about it.
The promised land Hang on 'til then As best as you can Stand on this one, the mark here that we've placed.
Yeah, that's the one.
Perfect.
Holding the pipe? Yes.
[Hugh Hefner.]
As for me, after years of fighting to prove ourselves, I ended up on the cover of one of the most respected publications, Time magazine.
[Eisenbach.]
To make it onto the cover of Time magazine in '67 was huge.
This is the recognition of the establishment that you are a player, right? Presidents are on the cover, dictators are on the cover, right? That's who makes the cover of Time magazine.
He had arrived.
[Hugh Hefner.]
Being on the cover of Time validated everything I'd been doing for the last 15 years.
Here we have panels along this wall, similar to what we use in the clubs.
It should look nice.
This is the bar.
Made it L-shaped so we can have people along both sides and not miss anything.
Glasses here.
Uh, Bobbie, we're in a meeting.
[Walter Cronkite.]
Police have issued an all-points bulletin for a well-dressed young white man seen running from the scene.
Dr.
King was standing on the balcony of his second-floor hotel room tonight when, according to a companion, a shot was fired from across the street.
In the friend's words, the bullet exploded in his face.
[Hugh Hefner.]
April 4th, 1968, was a day I will never forget.
[Cronkite.]
in the civil rights movement were on the scene almost immediately.
They rushed the 39-year-old Negro leader to a hospital, where he died of a bullet wound in the neck.
[Dick Cavett.]
The death of Martin Luther King, that just seemed to stop time.
It was horrible, it was unimaginable, but you didn't need to imagine it.
And people were really saying, "What kind of world are we in? What kind of people are we? Who's gonna stop this sort of thing?" [Hugh Hefner.]
As riots broke out across the country, leaders tried desperately to calm the nation.
[Robert F.
Kennedy.]
What we need in the United States is not division.
What we need in the United States is not hatred.
[Hugh Hefner.]
And no speech did more to bring the country together than Robert F.
Kennedy's but is love and wisdom and compassion toward one another.
[Hugh Hefner.]
who'd experienced his own brother's assassination just under five years earlier.
within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.
[cheers and applause.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
Martin Luther King Jr.
was laid to rest in Atlanta, Georgia.
Over 100,000 people attended the funeral procession.
[Cooper Hefner.]
The big piece which I think resonated with my dad was that Dr.
King had died for something that was a lot more than just him, that he'd given his life for change and that change was the challenge of finding a way to live in a world where people could make their own choices freely.
[Hugh Hefner.]
I knew what a blow his death was for the civil rights movement and the country as a whole, and I wanted to figure out the best way to honor his memory.
"A promised land of true equality.
" [Hugh Hefner.]
Weeks before his assassination, Playboy received an essay from Dr.
King called A Testament of Hope, a work that would tragically become his final written words.
"In his final published statement, "the civil rights leader points the way out "of America's racial turmoil into the promised land of equality.
" That's better, but add "fallen" before "civil rights leader" and add "true" before equality.
[Hugh Hefner.]
We knew that publishing his passionate words was the best way we could honor his legacy.
But soon, another tragedy rocked the nation.
[men shouting.]
[Man.]
If there's a doctor in the house, I want to see him right here.
Everybody else, please stay back.
[onlookers talking.]
[man.]
Oh, no! [Jackson.]
Before we could adjust in any measure to Dr.
King's assassination, April 4th, 1968, Robert Kennedy killed June the 5th in Los Angeles.
It just left us pained and hurt, as if all hope had been lost.
We were numb.
[Hugh Hefner.]
Soon, that grief turned to anger.
[Strawbs.]
In the early dawn the Bishop's men Shivered in the damp Who prayed that wives and families Might see them once again [Eisenbach.]
In the summer of '68, the fear and anxiety of the long hot summer, you had all of the issues and all of the anger that had been building up.
It turns into absolute mayhem.
[Strawbs.]
The ground mist hid the patrol's approach As they drew close enough to show [Hugh Hefner.]
It was a time of revolution and some of it was violent.
It was a time of questioning old mores and values.
[Strawbs.]
Of pure white sand It was questioning a lot of the fundamental views that people saw were hurtful.
[Strawbs.]
At evensong both camps reviewed Their sad depleted ranks [Hugh Hefner.]
To make matters worse, by the summer of 1968, the Vietnam War was spiraling out of control.
[Strawbs.]
Gave God their grateful thanks [President Johnson.]
Even while the search for peace was going on, North Vietnam rushed their preparations for a savage assault on the people, the government, and the allies of South Vietnam.
[Hugh Hefner.]
The North Vietnamese launched their most brutal campaign yet against American troops, a series of surprise bomb attacks that would come to be known as the Tet Offensive.
[male newscaster.]
The Viet Cong simultaneously attacked just about every major city and town in South Vietnam, and it was a new war.
[Hugh Hefner.]
After over a decade of war, nearly 20,000 American soldiers had been killed and it seemed there was no end in sight.
Just hoping to stay alive from day to day.
Everybody just wants to go back home and go to school.
That's about it.
[reporter.]
Have you lost any friends? Quite a few.
We lost one the other day.
This whole thing stinks, really.
[gunfire.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
But as strongly as Playboy opposed the war in the pages of the magazine, we knew many of our readers were stationed overseas, and we wanted to do what we could to help.
[The Grass Roots.]
One, two, three, four sha la la la la la [Hugh Hefner.]
We teamed up with the USO, sending our 1965 Playmate of the Year, Jo Collins, to visit the soldiers.
[Merv Griffin.]
Miss Jo Collins, ladies and gentlemen.
[cheers and applause.]
So, Lieutenant Jack Price of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam sent a letter to Hugh Hefner, saying that him and his company wanted to chip in $150 to have the Playmate of the Year deliver a lifetime subscription, so we flew over to Saigon and delivered it.
Isn't that a sweet story? [applause.]
[The Grass Roots.]
Two, three, four Sha la la la la la live for today [Hugh Hefner.]
It was a uniquely Playboy way to build morale, and while it wasn't going to bring them home, I hoped it could at least brighten the mood of the men fighting for our country, even momentarily.
[The Grass Roots.]
Sha la la la la la live for today Live for today [Hugh Hefner.]
Also, we thought it would be fun to have two floors and see how that opens up the space.
[Hugh Hefner.]
1968 had been a year of chaos.
It was clear that Americans had grown disheartened by what they were seeing on TV, so I came up with an idea that could help lift the mood a little bringing Playboy back to television.
My last TV show, Playboy's Penthouse, had lasted two seasons and brought together some of the best names in jazz and culture, but Playboy had changed throughout the past decade and I wanted a new generation to experience the lifestyle for themselves.
On this new show, I would invite guests from all walks of life that could appeal to our younger audience.
But I knew if I wanted to get the biggest names, I couldn't stay in Chicago, so I set my sights on Los Angeles.
What can you see with your ear on ground Try to lift up your feet, girl And take a look around oh let me see you [Hugh Hefner.]
For years, Hollywood had been synonymous with the film industry, but the city was also becoming a major culture center for art, music, and now television.
Yeah, your mind is [Hugh Hefner.]
Shows like Laugh-In, The Smothers Brothers, and The Carol Burnett Show represented a changing culture, and I knew Playboy would fit right in.
Hey [Hugh Hefner.]
In 1969, we signed a deal to film 26 episodes of a new show at CBS Television City.
We'd call it Playboy After Dark.
[director.]
All right, stand by.
Quiet.
Shh! Playboy After Dark.
Airdate TBA.
Take one.
Hi, I'm Hugh Hefner, your host on a weekly series of swinging parties called Playboy After Dark.
The great names of show business will perform, and I hope you'll be able to be part of the scene.
[Hugh Hefner.]
As soon as I arrived in Los Angeles, we immediately started shooting.
[announcer.]
It's nighttime fun and games on Playboy After Dark, and the action is wild.
[Brett Ratner.]
Hef always believed in and always knew the power of the television.
He had a real understanding of youth culture and pop culture.
[laughter.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
It seemed like the pent-up energy everyone had shared over the last few years was ready to explode into something new and different.
[laughter.]
Who gets the espresso? [squeals and laughter.]
[both screaming.]
He had people from all walks of life on the show, whether they were entertainers or thinkers.
He mixed all kinds of people and it was just an interesting show.
[Rex Reed.]
First, I want to say that I'm gonna come back on this show often, because it's the first show I've ever been on in my life where I can plug a book and get zonked all at the same time.
[laughter.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
This generation was tuning in.
We even paid tribute to the psychedelic drug culture, inviting bands like The Grateful Dead to appear show.
Boogie down until the end [Jason Buhrmester.]
The magazine had a core DNA to it that could adapt to culture, could adapt to, you know, an America that had changed rapidly for years and still be relevant and find new ways to be relevant.
And I think that's what helped Playboy endure for so long.
[Hugh Hefner.]
Playboy After Dark became an instant success and gave our readers a weekly opportunity to forget about the problems of their daily life, but I had no idea what the show was about to give me.
Because on that very set, among the dozens of beautiful women and celebrity guests, I was about to meet the love of my life.
[woman.]
Every little movement Every motion of your hips I feel the compulsion To pull you to my sweet lips Is it a black magic spell You put me under? This miracle moment Never let it end Every little movement Is beyond improvement You are the magician I've been wishing for forever Every little movement Every little movement
The year was 1963.
The first James Bond film Dr.
No was a hit in the theaters Here's a little song you can all join in with It's very simple and I hope it's new, yeah [Hugh Hefner.]
Coca-Cola introduced a new calorie-free soda called Tab and a little-known band from Liverpool named the Beatles had shot up to the top of the charts in the UK.
But on November 22nd of that year, the assassination of John F.
Kennedy changed everything.
While the country was still in shock, I was in the midst of a trial, facing jail time on obscenity charges for publishing nude pictures of actress Jayne Mansfield in the pages of Playboy magazine.
After weeks of arguments, it was finally time to hear the verdict.
[Judge.]
Bailiff I know what pornography is and I know what obscenity is, and it certainly isn't Playboy and never has been.
But again, we were questioning the traditional values, and that context, I think, is what got us into the most trouble.
Defendant, please rise.
On the counts of publishing and distributing an obscene publication, the jury has been unable to reach a verdict.
Mr.
Hefner, you are free to go.
All right I been a-hopin' and a-prayin' For such a long time [Hugh Hefner.]
The jury was deadlocked 7 to 5 in favor of acquittal and all charges against me were dropped.
Ain't it a good thing? Ain't it a good thing? [Hugh Hefner.]
I felt relieved and like I'd won a major victory for free speech.
Oh, ain't it a good thing? [Hugh Hefner.]
My fight was finally over, but world events were about to reshape the country and Playboy.
[woman.]
Every little movement Every little thing you do Is it sleight of hand That commands my heart to love you? Every little movement Every little movement [Hugh Hefner.]
With the obscenity case behind us, Playboy spent the next two years getting back to business, publishing centerfolds next to articles promoting social justice.
But by 1965, there was one issue that overshadowed all the others.
[male newscaster.]
This is the hot spot in the Cold War and this year saw it getting hotter.
The Eastern world It is exploding Violence flaring [Hugh Hefner.]
America had been locked in conflict in Vietnam since the mid '50s, but every year, our involvement in the war kept increasing.
In 1963, there were 16,000 troops in Vietnam.
By '65, there were 125,000.
Oh you don't believe We're on the eve of destruction [David Eisenbach.]
Vietnam starts off with, uh, oh, we're just gonna be contained, and military advisors here that'll support the government at this resistance to tyranny, and then it escalated and escalated, and more and more, uh, kids are being sent over to Vietnam, and more and more kids are dying.
Can't you feel the fears I'm feeling today? [Hugh Hefner.]
With more casualties every day, demonstrators took to the streets and young men began burning their draft cards.
Take a look around you, boy It's bound to scare you, boy, and you tell me [Hugh Hefner.]
Never before had an American war been protested so openly, and I knew the voices of these young radicals belonged in Playboy.
We're on the eve of destruction [sighing.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
So I hired a new assistant editor [Steppenwolf.]
We'll call you when you're six years old [Hugh Hefner.]
a popular young journalist who had written politically-charged pieces for The Village Voice named Arthur Kretchmer.
[Steppenwolf.]
To train your brain for 18 years I was hired with a bunch of other hip, connected, intelligent young people.
Some of us were smoking dope.
Some of us were emphatically against the Vietnam War.
I think all of our editors were a little bit to the left, but Arthur represented his generation and he was well connected with that world.
[Spectorsky.]
Next we have a piece for our attire section.
No man, no matter how fashion-conscious, enjoys having to spend days or even weeks breaking in a new pair of shoes.
Jesus Christ.
I'm sorry, did you have something to contribute? Yeah.
Who cares? Seriously, who gives a shit? There's a war going on out there, and we're sitting around here bickering about how many days it takes to break in a pair of goddamn shoes.
Last month, 100,000 Americans demonstrated in cities across the country.
Last week, a man stood in front of the Pentagon, doused himself in kerosene, and set himself on fire.
And what the hell are we doing about it? What the hell is Playboy saying about it? Nothing.
[Spectorsky.]
In case you haven't noticed, you're no longer working at The Village Voice.
Let them cover those types of stories.
No, I think we should have something to say about it.
If it matters to us, it matters to our readers.
Bring in an article.
If it's good, I'll run it.
Shall I continue? Mm-hmm.
For our humor section, a fresh slate of party jokes.
[Arthur Kretchmer.]
Spectorsky and I developed conflict, and Spectorsky hated the word "political" and hated politics.
I really did represent something that he wasn't ready for.
[The Flying Burrito Brothers.]
There is a man A tall man Follows no [Hugh Hefner.]
Soon Kretchmer pushed us to take a stance on the Vietnam War.
[The Flying Burrito Brothers.]
Out in a storm Can he stay warm [Hugh Hefner.]
But he didn't stop there.
[Kretchmer.]
Britain recently abolished the death penalty.
If we're supposed to be the freest country in the world, why are we one of the few western nations that hasn't banned capital punishment? [The Flying Burrito Brothers.]
Can't he move on? Tell him it's all right [Hugh Hefner.]
We called for the abolition of the death penalty, arguing not only that it was barbaric but that it was disproportionately used against poor people.
[The Flying Burrito Brothers.]
There is a man [Hugh Hefner.]
We published pieces promoting access to contraception and safe and inexpensive abortions for women.
[The Flying Burrito Brothers.]
Can his new wife Live out her life [Hugh Hefner.]
Playboy has always had a strong editorial point of view, and it's reflected in everything we do.
While the magazine was a magazine of entertainment for men, the real intention and message ran much deeper.
[The Flying Burrito Brothers.]
It's all right Say it's all right [Hugh Hefner.]
Fighting for change energized the entire office, and soon, letters began pouring in from readers, letting us know that they also wanted to be part of the debate.
[Steppenwolf.]
Staring at the boob tube Turning on the big knob Trying to find some life in the [Hugh Hefner.]
So I created The Playboy Forum to open a dialogue.
[Steppenwolf.]
Gonna deal with Mary Jane [Hugh Hefner.]
The forum became an interchange of ideas between myself and readers [Steppenwolf.]
Obnoxious Joe comes on the screen [Hugh Hefner.]
covering sex, marriage, religion, police, economics anything relevant to social change.
(Christine Hefner) By having a conversation with millions of men and women through The Playboy Forum, I think clearly was a major contributor to people feeling comfortable and not feeling so alone.
[Hugh Hefner.]
Of course, a lot of people only wanted to talk about Vietnam.
Many of our loyal readers were now serving overseas, eager to voice their opinions and share their experiences from the front lines.
[Steppenwolf.]
Well it's evil, wicked When Time magazine was still promoting the war in Vietnam, The Playboy Forum gave real soldiers a chance to say what their reality was in Vietnam, and it was this place to put actual testimony about what was going on.
Abortion is still illegal.
The Chicago Women's Liberation Union are speaking out about it and so should we.
[Hugh Hefner.]
But then I took it one step further, beyond the pages of the magazine, and created The Playboy Foundation an organization dedicated to fighting censorship and funding civil rights groups.
[Christie Hefner.]
Hef had said that The Playboy Foundation was intended to put his money where his mouth was for issues that were not just relevant to Playboy but were relevant to a broader philosophy of what makes for a just society.
[Hugh Hefner.]
We donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Kinsey Institute, an organization whose research on sex and sexuality had inspired the founding of the magazine.
We involved ourselves in landmark civil rights cases such as Roe v.
Wade and continued to support the African-American struggle for freedom.
When I left before [Hugh Hefner.]
Across the country, the civil rights movement was making significant progress, and just a year earlier, Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for his work.
It was an incredible moment for the civil rights movement, one we wanted to celebrate.
So, in January of 1965, we published an interview with Dr.
King, the longest one he ever granted.
But I keep coming back [Jesse Jackson.]
When Playboy interviewed Dr.
King, it was a serious breakthrough because it was a chance for another market.
I mean, those days you didn't have cable television.
We didn't have much access.
[Cooper Hefner.]
MLK Jr.
's voice was perfectly suited for Playboy.
If you take a step back and look at all the other pieces of what makes Playboy Playboy, I can't think of another magazine or media company where the conversation would have been more appropriate.
[Hugh Hefner.]
In his interview with Playboy, King emphasized how far we'd come, but he also explained how far we had to go.
[Martin Luther King Jr.
.]
With a nonviolent movement, the end is to convert the opponent and to bring about a society where all men will live together as brothers and every man will respect the dignity and worth of human personality.
[Hugh Hefner.]
So, just months after being featured in the magazine, King led a march of 25,000 Americans, black and white, on a 54-mile journey from Selma, Alabama, to the state's capital, to show their support for a new voting rights bill in the face of ruthless opposition.
[people shouting and screaming.]
After being attacked with nightsticks and teargas, Dr.
King and protesters arrived in Montgomery.
We are standing before the forces of power in the State of Alabama, saying we ain't gonna let nobody turn us around.
[cheers and applause.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
What we saw in the news shocked the entire nation.
[Eisenbach.]
There's no question that the power of the media was a major force because it allowed the civil rights protestors to get their message out by generating images of oppression that were compelling because they were so violent.
[Hugh Hefner.]
After considerable public pressure, President Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices based on race.
This bill will strike down restrictions to voting in all elections.
[applause.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
America was beginning to see we needed change.
With progress being made throughout the country, I wanted to break the color barrier in all aspects of our magazine.
Hi.
Hi.
If you could just slip this on.
And when you come to see me baby You don't have to bring no note You gotta have sweet sweet lovin' [Hugh Hefner.]
In March of 1965, we published the first ever African-American Playmate of the month, Jennifer Jackson.
I said baby [Hugh Hefner.]
We found Jenny working part-time in our Chicago Playboy Club.
She was a Bunny alongside her twin sister, Jan, while studying at a Chicago Teachers' College and doing some freelance modeling on the side.
When Playboy published its first African-American Playmate, it was a really important comment on race relations at the time.
This was an important acknowledgment of black women and their sexuality and their beauty.
Sweet lovin' And that's all you need Oh yeah [Hugh Hefner.]
Reader responses to Jennifer's centerfold were mostly positive, but we still got some backlash, which convinced me there was still a lot of work to be done.
I need it by 2 p.
m.
Thank you.
Uh, Spec.
[Hugh Hefner.]
As Playboy became more political, I continued to personally oversee every page of the magazine to make sure it was as good as it could be.
[Hugh Hefner.]
I am by nature a perfectionist, anyway.
I think the difference between good and excellent is detail, and I was consumed with every kind of detail related to the company.
[Hugh Hefner.]
Soon, there didn't seem to be enough hours in the day, so I relied on a little orange pill, Dexedrine.
[Richard Rosenzweig.]
Dexedrine is an upper.
It keeps you awake.
It was originally formulated as a drug to help you lose weight, but it has this other quality that gives you pep and keeps you going.
One, two, three, four Fortune has me well in hand [Hugh Hefner.]
I never tried hard drugs.
I didn't believe in them.
But Dexedrine was completely legal and my doctor kept prescribing it, so I told myself it was a harmless little pill.
And brought you to my bed [Hugh Hefner.]
But pretty soon, I couldn't live without it.
Everybody loves me baby Page 37, the robe is not The colors here are confusing.
Page 29 [Kretchmer.]
Dexedrine helped Hefner write very long, very dense memos and engage in very long meetings.
We used to go to meetings at 4:00 in the afternoon.
They would last until 6:00 the next morning.
To offend you Now [Hugh Hefner.]
I would take them as I needed them, but the work could often go for 24 or 30 or more hours, so it was possible in that timeframe to use 20, 25 pills.
I don't think I would have created the Playboy empire without it.
Because everybody loves me baby He became very dependent on Dexedrine.
Scrap it.
[Rosenzweig.]
If he was taking the drug, that let him work for two days or even more Everybody loves me baby [Rosenzweig.]
And then, he was so exhausted that he'd crash.
When he would awaken, he would be a bit of a grouch.
What did I do to offend you? Yeah! (laughing) [knocking on door.]
[Spectorsky.]
Hef.
I'll be done with the new notes on the mansion piece in ten minutes.
Then I'm gonna go over the Zwerin article.
Tell everyone else to go over what they're working on, too.
I'm seeing too many errors.
I've already sent them home.
What? You sent them home? They need to be with their families.
But they're working, Spec.
It's after midnight.
What, so people can't work late now? Three nights in a row? No, Hef, they can't.
They can't keep their eyes open.
That's fine.
Just means more work for you and me.
You cannot keep doing this.
Oh, is it my fault if the articles are shit? The articles are fine.
The problem is you.
You've been up for three days.
You're a wreck.
You are killing yourself.
I'm fine.
You're not fine.
If you want to leave, then leave.
Maybe I'm the only one around here who still remembers what it takes to put out a good magazine, but I am not going to be lectured by you.
Do you even hear yourself? Get out! [Kretchmer.]
When Hef became addicted, Hefner was accurately described as self-centered, demanding, obsessive.
Monstrous, even, you could say.
Really difficult to deal with.
[Hugh Hefner.]
My staff had reached a breaking point, and it was clear that I needed to make some changes.
[Hugh Hefner.]
When I stopped taking the Dexedrine, it took the better part of a year for my own body to kick in and give me back what I'd previously gotten from the drug.
If you start using an artificial stimulus for it, then the body starts depending on that, and it needs more of it, and, you know, they do all those jokes about get high on life, but it's true.
[Hugh Hefner.]
While I was regaining my health, Playboy was getting bigger every month and the effects of our hard work could be seen in every aspect of the company.
Oh my love [Hugh Hefner.]
We had 15 clubs operating within the United States, including locations in Los Angeles and Miami, and international locations in Montreal, Manila, and Jamaica.
[Hugh Hefner.]
Originally, when we started off the first one in Chicago back in '59, we had no notion it would be so successful.
So many times You're gonna be lonely So many times you're gonna be blue [Hugh Hefner.]
By the end of the 1960s, the magazine was selling an average of 5.
5 million issues per month and Playboy's profits had climbed to $80 million a year.
I decided the time had come to make a big statement and establish ourselves as an American institution.
So I purchased the 37-floor Palmolive Building on Michigan Ave.
for $2.
7 million and put our name across it in nine-foot letters.
She asked me maybe If I could share her sorrow [Hugh Hefner.]
Not only was it one of Chicago's most iconic buildings, but as a kid, I'd looked out my window and seen the spotlight on top light up the city.
When Hefner puts Playboy in big, bright shining letters on the Palmolive Building in Chicago, the Playboy brand becomes part of the skyline.
The argument is over, right? The empire is now here, and there's really nothing you can do about it.
The promised land Hang on 'til then As best as you can Stand on this one, the mark here that we've placed.
Yeah, that's the one.
Perfect.
Holding the pipe? Yes.
[Hugh Hefner.]
As for me, after years of fighting to prove ourselves, I ended up on the cover of one of the most respected publications, Time magazine.
[Eisenbach.]
To make it onto the cover of Time magazine in '67 was huge.
This is the recognition of the establishment that you are a player, right? Presidents are on the cover, dictators are on the cover, right? That's who makes the cover of Time magazine.
He had arrived.
[Hugh Hefner.]
Being on the cover of Time validated everything I'd been doing for the last 15 years.
Here we have panels along this wall, similar to what we use in the clubs.
It should look nice.
This is the bar.
Made it L-shaped so we can have people along both sides and not miss anything.
Glasses here.
Uh, Bobbie, we're in a meeting.
[Walter Cronkite.]
Police have issued an all-points bulletin for a well-dressed young white man seen running from the scene.
Dr.
King was standing on the balcony of his second-floor hotel room tonight when, according to a companion, a shot was fired from across the street.
In the friend's words, the bullet exploded in his face.
[Hugh Hefner.]
April 4th, 1968, was a day I will never forget.
[Cronkite.]
in the civil rights movement were on the scene almost immediately.
They rushed the 39-year-old Negro leader to a hospital, where he died of a bullet wound in the neck.
[Dick Cavett.]
The death of Martin Luther King, that just seemed to stop time.
It was horrible, it was unimaginable, but you didn't need to imagine it.
And people were really saying, "What kind of world are we in? What kind of people are we? Who's gonna stop this sort of thing?" [Hugh Hefner.]
As riots broke out across the country, leaders tried desperately to calm the nation.
[Robert F.
Kennedy.]
What we need in the United States is not division.
What we need in the United States is not hatred.
[Hugh Hefner.]
And no speech did more to bring the country together than Robert F.
Kennedy's but is love and wisdom and compassion toward one another.
[Hugh Hefner.]
who'd experienced his own brother's assassination just under five years earlier.
within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.
[cheers and applause.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
Martin Luther King Jr.
was laid to rest in Atlanta, Georgia.
Over 100,000 people attended the funeral procession.
[Cooper Hefner.]
The big piece which I think resonated with my dad was that Dr.
King had died for something that was a lot more than just him, that he'd given his life for change and that change was the challenge of finding a way to live in a world where people could make their own choices freely.
[Hugh Hefner.]
I knew what a blow his death was for the civil rights movement and the country as a whole, and I wanted to figure out the best way to honor his memory.
"A promised land of true equality.
" [Hugh Hefner.]
Weeks before his assassination, Playboy received an essay from Dr.
King called A Testament of Hope, a work that would tragically become his final written words.
"In his final published statement, "the civil rights leader points the way out "of America's racial turmoil into the promised land of equality.
" That's better, but add "fallen" before "civil rights leader" and add "true" before equality.
[Hugh Hefner.]
We knew that publishing his passionate words was the best way we could honor his legacy.
But soon, another tragedy rocked the nation.
[men shouting.]
[Man.]
If there's a doctor in the house, I want to see him right here.
Everybody else, please stay back.
[onlookers talking.]
[man.]
Oh, no! [Jackson.]
Before we could adjust in any measure to Dr.
King's assassination, April 4th, 1968, Robert Kennedy killed June the 5th in Los Angeles.
It just left us pained and hurt, as if all hope had been lost.
We were numb.
[Hugh Hefner.]
Soon, that grief turned to anger.
[Strawbs.]
In the early dawn the Bishop's men Shivered in the damp Who prayed that wives and families Might see them once again [Eisenbach.]
In the summer of '68, the fear and anxiety of the long hot summer, you had all of the issues and all of the anger that had been building up.
It turns into absolute mayhem.
[Strawbs.]
The ground mist hid the patrol's approach As they drew close enough to show [Hugh Hefner.]
It was a time of revolution and some of it was violent.
It was a time of questioning old mores and values.
[Strawbs.]
Of pure white sand It was questioning a lot of the fundamental views that people saw were hurtful.
[Strawbs.]
At evensong both camps reviewed Their sad depleted ranks [Hugh Hefner.]
To make matters worse, by the summer of 1968, the Vietnam War was spiraling out of control.
[Strawbs.]
Gave God their grateful thanks [President Johnson.]
Even while the search for peace was going on, North Vietnam rushed their preparations for a savage assault on the people, the government, and the allies of South Vietnam.
[Hugh Hefner.]
The North Vietnamese launched their most brutal campaign yet against American troops, a series of surprise bomb attacks that would come to be known as the Tet Offensive.
[male newscaster.]
The Viet Cong simultaneously attacked just about every major city and town in South Vietnam, and it was a new war.
[Hugh Hefner.]
After over a decade of war, nearly 20,000 American soldiers had been killed and it seemed there was no end in sight.
Just hoping to stay alive from day to day.
Everybody just wants to go back home and go to school.
That's about it.
[reporter.]
Have you lost any friends? Quite a few.
We lost one the other day.
This whole thing stinks, really.
[gunfire.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
But as strongly as Playboy opposed the war in the pages of the magazine, we knew many of our readers were stationed overseas, and we wanted to do what we could to help.
[The Grass Roots.]
One, two, three, four sha la la la la la [Hugh Hefner.]
We teamed up with the USO, sending our 1965 Playmate of the Year, Jo Collins, to visit the soldiers.
[Merv Griffin.]
Miss Jo Collins, ladies and gentlemen.
[cheers and applause.]
So, Lieutenant Jack Price of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam sent a letter to Hugh Hefner, saying that him and his company wanted to chip in $150 to have the Playmate of the Year deliver a lifetime subscription, so we flew over to Saigon and delivered it.
Isn't that a sweet story? [applause.]
[The Grass Roots.]
Two, three, four Sha la la la la la live for today [Hugh Hefner.]
It was a uniquely Playboy way to build morale, and while it wasn't going to bring them home, I hoped it could at least brighten the mood of the men fighting for our country, even momentarily.
[The Grass Roots.]
Sha la la la la la live for today Live for today [Hugh Hefner.]
Also, we thought it would be fun to have two floors and see how that opens up the space.
[Hugh Hefner.]
1968 had been a year of chaos.
It was clear that Americans had grown disheartened by what they were seeing on TV, so I came up with an idea that could help lift the mood a little bringing Playboy back to television.
My last TV show, Playboy's Penthouse, had lasted two seasons and brought together some of the best names in jazz and culture, but Playboy had changed throughout the past decade and I wanted a new generation to experience the lifestyle for themselves.
On this new show, I would invite guests from all walks of life that could appeal to our younger audience.
But I knew if I wanted to get the biggest names, I couldn't stay in Chicago, so I set my sights on Los Angeles.
What can you see with your ear on ground Try to lift up your feet, girl And take a look around oh let me see you [Hugh Hefner.]
For years, Hollywood had been synonymous with the film industry, but the city was also becoming a major culture center for art, music, and now television.
Yeah, your mind is [Hugh Hefner.]
Shows like Laugh-In, The Smothers Brothers, and The Carol Burnett Show represented a changing culture, and I knew Playboy would fit right in.
Hey [Hugh Hefner.]
In 1969, we signed a deal to film 26 episodes of a new show at CBS Television City.
We'd call it Playboy After Dark.
[director.]
All right, stand by.
Quiet.
Shh! Playboy After Dark.
Airdate TBA.
Take one.
Hi, I'm Hugh Hefner, your host on a weekly series of swinging parties called Playboy After Dark.
The great names of show business will perform, and I hope you'll be able to be part of the scene.
[Hugh Hefner.]
As soon as I arrived in Los Angeles, we immediately started shooting.
[announcer.]
It's nighttime fun and games on Playboy After Dark, and the action is wild.
[Brett Ratner.]
Hef always believed in and always knew the power of the television.
He had a real understanding of youth culture and pop culture.
[laughter.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
It seemed like the pent-up energy everyone had shared over the last few years was ready to explode into something new and different.
[laughter.]
Who gets the espresso? [squeals and laughter.]
[both screaming.]
He had people from all walks of life on the show, whether they were entertainers or thinkers.
He mixed all kinds of people and it was just an interesting show.
[Rex Reed.]
First, I want to say that I'm gonna come back on this show often, because it's the first show I've ever been on in my life where I can plug a book and get zonked all at the same time.
[laughter.]
[Hugh Hefner.]
This generation was tuning in.
We even paid tribute to the psychedelic drug culture, inviting bands like The Grateful Dead to appear show.
Boogie down until the end [Jason Buhrmester.]
The magazine had a core DNA to it that could adapt to culture, could adapt to, you know, an America that had changed rapidly for years and still be relevant and find new ways to be relevant.
And I think that's what helped Playboy endure for so long.
[Hugh Hefner.]
Playboy After Dark became an instant success and gave our readers a weekly opportunity to forget about the problems of their daily life, but I had no idea what the show was about to give me.
Because on that very set, among the dozens of beautiful women and celebrity guests, I was about to meet the love of my life.
[woman.]
Every little movement Every motion of your hips I feel the compulsion To pull you to my sweet lips Is it a black magic spell You put me under? This miracle moment Never let it end Every little movement Is beyond improvement You are the magician I've been wishing for forever Every little movement Every little movement