American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story

This is exceptional! Without a doubt, one of the most captivating "documentaries" I've seen.

It splices original footage of Hugh, relevant people from the time, interviews with celebrities and significant historical events in with an acted story to really bring the story to life

And WHAT a story! High wasn't just an incredibly successful man, he pushed for all sorts of societal changes, most notably civil rights (!!) in the 60s, and was a marketing and brand genius.

The Playboy bunny costume was the first licensed uniform ever and the Bunny logo is said to be one of the most iconic of all time.

Find this and watch it!

You're welcome 🐰

I got bored one night and was looking through Amazon Prime when I found this. I thought it was going to be a straight-on documentary, but it mixes actual interviews with Hefner and others, and dramatizations of the events in Playboy history. If you want to know the history of how one man created an empire, this will entertain and inform you.

Playboy is that iconic brand that has always remained in my mind synonymous with porn. I have never read the magazine nor was it ever available at my home, I only had exposure to the brand through the internet and that too very rarely. So, I was surprised to find such an inspiring story of the life of Huge Hefner. I have to say that this series/documentary was an eye opener and well made, not revolutionary but still intriguing. Worth a watch just to understand the cultural impact playboy has had on society.

Fascinating and riveting. As much as this presentation covers it still just scratches the surface, so there are any number of things that are not touched on, but what there is gives us an overview of his superlative career. There is a bit of hagiography going on so we see Hef only in the best light. There are things here that have expanded my knowledge and corrected some misunderstandings. Watching this I realize how deeply influenced I have been by Hugh Hefner and his empire. Sex IS good. War IS bad. We are all human under the skin: all races, nationalities, religions, sexes and sexual orientations. It isn't such a bad idea to let loose and enjoy life once in a while and have a good time.

I liked the structure, the mix of documentary footage and dramatizations slipping from one to the other as two different ways to tell the story

I realized how much I used to really love the illustrations in the magazine. Some of the best artwork and artists ever, in the past.

So from reading previous reviews on here, I for one would like to champion it as an enlightening story. It depicts playboy through the decades and how it changes in order to remain relevant, yes some of it is pandering, however, the reminder of what society was like then and now is enough to enjoy the events of history. It is actually sobering to to see what life was like back in the 50's and how far we have progressed to the present day, it is not quite what Happy Days portrayed IMHO.

So watch it, it is rewarding, enjoyable and informative in a slightly biased way. Hugh is what he was, in his time he was relevant, he seams old fashioned and antiquated now, but that is evolution. For what he was and what he believed in you have to appreciate what he tried and did achieve.