Playboy After Dark: Collection Two
Morada Vision

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If Playboy magazine was a guidebook for the urbane and sybaritic lifestyle Hugh Hefner aggressively promoted in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Playboy's television programs of those eras were top-flight documentaries, camera-led expeditions into the natural habitat of a hip cadre few could join. This new collection of legendary Playboy After Dark and Playboy's Penthouse episodes brings the public into Hef's fantasy world and high-rise pad, overflowing with drinks, dames and conversation. One groovy, luau-themed 1970 episode features grass skirts and fire-juggling dancers. From the opening credits -- one version is a first-person trip through luxury cars and elevators reminiscent of a serious and stylish Get Smart intro -- to the parties, filled with martini glasses and passed hors d'oeuvres, everything is calm, collected and cool. And Hef is always in control, engaging in conversations that provide segues to a wisecracking comedy routine or maybe a candid musical performance. It is late-night programming liberated from the couch.

This new three-disc collection covers a wide expanse of the post-War pop culture landscape, from movie stars to comedians like George Carlin. But music is a big focus. Early black-and-white episodes in 1959 and 1960 include crooners Tony Bennett and Sarah Vaughn, and a later show features the Modern Jazz Quartet. Of course, while Hef has a well-known passion for jazz, he doesn't let trends or style escape his notice. Later discs include a Smokey Robinson & the Miracles medley, Johnny Mathis singing tracks from Hair and footage of Deep Purple performing "Hush." A long sought-after later episode contains a surreal set by the Grateful Dead, preceded by a chat between Hef and Jerry Garcia. The contrast couldn't be stronger -- the tux-clad host rapping with a bushy-faced San Francisco musician burrowed in a mountainous poncho -- but it works and the rare early footage of the band is priceless. It's an unlikely conversation, but during Hef's show, anything seems possible.

There aren't many extras on the DVD, though there is a song directory on each disc so you can skip directly to the music. But the one true bonus feature is a gem. The amazing feature The Most, a 1962 documentary about Hef, shows the Playboy founder marveling at the empire he has created, pipe in hand. Vivacious and quick-witted, Hef lives up to the "work hard, play hard" motto he espouses in the doc, which flips between candid chats with Playboy staff, party footage and scenes of Hef conducting business. At one point, he brings up F. Scott Fitzgerald as an influence. After viewing this doc, it's hard to miss some of the parallels.

by Carl Shay