American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story

Hugh Hefner convinces his new subscription manager to pose as the magazine's first centerfold and "the girl next door" becomes Playboy's formula for success.

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♪

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♪ That commands my heart to love you? ♪

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Oh, oh! What was the name of that car company

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Yeah, okay, you're doing nudie magazines,

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would have to change to something else,

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The only question was, would it sell?

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nearly 80% of the 70, 000 issues we printed

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"May I congratulate you on your initial issue

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- Just back to back. - Good.

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No. There's nothing good here.

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If Playboy was going to last I had to find another hook,

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♪ And let the sunshine in, come on right away ♪

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♪ Brighten up my day ♪

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I made Ray my associate editor.

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Playboy moved into its own offices.

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we needed someone to take care of the subscription requests

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She chickened out and I didn't.

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His name was Auguste Comte Spectorsky,

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♪ To this little lullaby ♪

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He spent the majority of his time in that office.

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to set up living quarters somewhere else,

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[Hefner] For almost a year,

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He just has this gift of life.

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Meanwhile, I'm at the front, here.

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to be what everyone now thinks of as a playboy.

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But times were changing.

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I wanted to turn the magazine into a guide

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I don't want to follow trends.

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[Hefner] Tajiri translated his slick photographic style

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was that we managed to mix the lifestyle

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♪ Talk to me, baby, whisper in my ear ♪

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with Art Paul turning it into a game,

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♪ Jingle all the way ♪

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♪ I like the sleigh ride ♪

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[Christie Hefner] My father wasn't around a lot

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[Hefner] I knew I should have been home with my family

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It's better than the centerfold.

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Hefner was very unhappy with the quality and the caliber.

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♪ And keep my heart from yearning inside ♪

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... so I came up with an alias, Janet Pilgrim,

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♪ If you'll only take a second chance with your heart ♪

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♪ Then you'll see ♪

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