Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel

Documentary on the life of Hugh Hefner. founder of the Playboy empire. After graduating from Northwestern University, the young Hef set his sights on producing a men's magazine. After getting rights to the photo of emerging star Marilyn Monroe for the first edition, they managed to sell 52,000 copies. They soon had a hit on their hands and by 1955, circulation had hit 5 million. Throughout his life, Hef was a supporter of social causes whether that be the repressive sexual laws in the United States or the civil rights movement. By the 1960s he was being smeared as a smut merchant (something that went on for decades and was particularly prevalent during the Reagan administration in the 1980s) and blasted by the emerging women's movement as objectifying women. On his televising show, Playboy After Dark, he frequently had left-wing entertainers and featured many African-Americans who would otherwise never have had a television outlet. For over two decades, his Playboy clubs were the 'in' place to be. His magazine continues to espouse the Playboy Philosophy and challenged the powers that be on a wide range of issues.