Hugh Hefner’s After Dark: Speaking Out in America

Hugh Hefner’s two pioneering cable shows, Playboy’s Penthouse (1959-1960) and Playboy After Dark (1969 -1970) dealt with racial integration, free speech, and the environment. Among the programs’ guests were James Brown, Lenny Bruce, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr., Moms Mabley, Pete Seeger, and Sarah Vaughan. In addition to performance clips of these and other artists, filmmaker Brigitte Berman speaks with Joan Baez, Tony Bennett, Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Maher, Smokey Robinson, Linda Ronstadt and others about the significance of these shows and the influence they had on the celebrities themselves. Brigitte Berman will attend.