Playboy After Dark [Morada Vision – $39.98]
In 1959, Hugh Hefner needed a way to expand his burgeoning Playboy empire. The magazine, while successful, was still tagged as an unacceptable social pariah. Hoping to clean up his pornographer’s profile, Hefner got a local Chicago TV station to produce his “classy” variety show, Playboy’s Penthouse. Sadly, sponsors were hard to find, and after a short run, it was cancelled. Fast forward eight years, and suddenly it’s the sexual revolution. Hefner sensed a chance to retake the airwaves and created Playboy After Dark. Lasting only one season, it too became a cultural icon, a glamorized look at debauchery as a debonair lifestyle. With a three disc set of six episodes finally hitting store shelves, new generations can see just how corny – and creative – these antiestablishment shows really were.