''Penthouse'' is a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione. It combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictures of women that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore pornographic pictures of women. Although Guccione was American, the magazine was founded in 1965 in the United Kingdom. Beginning in September 1969, it was sold in the United States as well. ''Penthouse'' has been owned by Penthouse Global Media Inc. since 2016. The assets of Penthouse Global Media were bought out by WGCZ Ltd. (the owners of XVideos) in June 2018 after winning a bankruptcy auction bid. The magazine's centerfold models are known as ''Penthouse'' Pets, and customarily wear a distinctive necklace in the form of a stylized key which incorporates both the Mars and Venus symbols in its design.

Bob Guccione

At the height of its success, Guccione, who died in 2010, was considered one of the richest men in the United States. In 1982 he was listed in the Forbes 400 ranking of wealthiest people. An April 2002 '' New York Times'' article reported Guccione as saying that ''Penthouse'' grossed $3.5 billion to $4 billion over the 30-year life of the company.

Publication history

''Penthouse'' magazine began publication in 1965, in the UK and in North America in 1969, an attempt to compete with

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...

's '' Playboy''. Guccione offered editorial content that was more sensational than that of ''Playboy'', and the magazine's writing was far more investigative than Hefner's upscale emphasis, with stories about government cover-ups and scandals. Writers such as Seymour Hersh
Craig S. Karpel

James Dale Davidson James Dale Davidson is an American private investor and investment writer, co-writer of the newsletter ''Strategic Investment'', and co-author with William Rees-Mogg of ''Blood in the Streets: Investment Profits in a World Gone Mad'' (1987), ''The ...

, and

Ernest Volkman Ernest Volkman (born December 31, 1940, in Huntington, New York) is an American author, investigative reporter, and journalist who writes about war, espionage, and the criminal underworld. Volkman, a 1959 graduate of Whitman High School in his ...

exposed numerous scandals and corruption at the highest levels of the United States Government. Contributors to the magazine included such writers as

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer. He garnered acclaim across various media, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. His first novel, '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'', was published in 1953; de ...

, Howard Blum, Victor Bockris, T. C. Boyle,

Alexander Cockburn Alexander Claud Cockburn ( ; 6 June 1941 – 21 July 2012) was a Scottish-born Irish-American political journalist and writer. Cockburn was brought up by British parents in Ireland, but lived and worked in the United States from 1972. Together ...

, Harry Crews, Cameron Crowe, Don DeLillo, Alan Dershowitz, Edward Jay Epstein
Joe Flaherty

Chet Flippo Chester White "Chet" Flippo (October 21, 1943 – June 19, 2013) was an American music journalist and biographer. Biography Born in Fort Worth, Texas, he graduated from Sam Houston State University in 1965, serving thereafter in the U.S. Navy ...

, Albert Goldman,

Anthony Haden-Guest Anthony Haden-Guest (born 2 February 1937) is a British-American writer, reporter, cartoonist, art critic, poet, and socialite who lives in New York City and London. He is a frequent contributor to major magazines and has had several books publi ...

, John Hawkes, Nat Hentoff, Warren Hinckle,

Abbie Hoffman Abbot Howard "Abbie" Hoffman (November 30, 1936 – April 12, 1989) was an American political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party ("Yippies") and was a member of the Chicago Seven. He was also a leading proponen ...

, Nicholas von Hoffman, Michael Korda, Paul Krassner, Michael Ledeen,

Anthony Lewis Anthony Lewis (March 27, 1927 – March 25, 2013) was an American public intellectual and journalist. He was twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and was a columnist for ''The New York Times''. He is credited with creating the field of legal jour ...

Peter Manso

Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and non-fiction. Her novels '' Bla ...

, James Purdy, Philip Roth, Harrison E. Salisbury, Gail Sheehy,

Robert Sherrill Robert Glenn Sherrill (December 24, 1924 – August 19, 2014) was an American investigative journalist and longtime contributor to ''The Nation'', '' Texas Observer'', and many other magazines over the years including ''Playboy'', the '' New Repub ...

, Mickey Spillane,

Ben Stein Benjamin Jeremy Stein (born November 25, 1944) is an American writer, lawyer, actor, comedian, and commentator on political and economic issues. He began his career as a speechwriter for U.S. presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford before ente ...

, Harry Stein, Tad Szulc
Jerry Tallmer

Studs Terkel Louis "Studs" Terkel (May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008) was an American writer, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for '' The Good War'' and is best remembered for his oral his ...

, Nick Tosches, Gore Vidal, Irving Wallace, and Ruth Westheimer (Dr. Ruth). The magazine was founded on humble beginnings. Due to Guccione's lack of resources, he personally photographed most of the models for the magazine's early issues.Anthony Haden-Gues
"Boom and Bust"
''The Observer'', February 1, 2004 Without professional training, Guccione applied his knowledge of painting to his photography, establishing the diffused, soft focus look that would become one of the trademarks of the magazine's pictorials. Guccione would sometimes take several days to complete a shoot. As the magazine grew more successful, Guccione openly embraced a life of luxury; his former mansion is said to be the largest private residence in Manhattan at . However, in contrast to

, who threw wild parties at his Playboy Mansions, life at Guccione's mansion was remarkably sedate, even during the hedonistic 1970s. He reportedly once had his bodyguards eject a local radio personality who had been hired as a DJ and jumped into the swimming pool naked."The Twilight of Bob Guccione"
from '' Rolling Stone'' The magazine's pictorials offered more sexually explicit content than was commonly seen in most openly sold men's magazines of the era; it was the first to show female

pubic hair Pubic hair is terminal body hair that is found in the genital area of adolescent and adult humans. The hair is located on and around the sex organs and sometimes at the top of the inside of the thighs. In the pubic region around the pubis bon ...

, followed by full-frontal nudity and then the exposed vulva and

anus The anus (Latin, 'ring' or 'circle') is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, the residual semi-solid waste that remains after food digestion, which, d ...

. ''Penthouse'' has also, over the years, featured a number of authorized and unauthorized photos of celebrities such as

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

and Vanessa Williams. In both cases, the photos were taken earlier in their careers and sold to ''Penthouse'' only after Madonna and Williams became famous. In the late 1990s, as poor business decisions were made and publishing control was gradually slipping away from Guccione, in a desperate attempt to boost sales,the magazine began to show more "fetish" content such as urination, bondage and " facials". Thus began the downward spiral of the magazine. Gone was the artistic and unique, soft focus lens erotic photography and the investigative journalism that brought the magazine to success and respect. Prominent companies no longer wanted their products featured in Penthouse and quickly had their advertising removed. On January 15, 2016, a press release emanating from then-owner FriendFinder Networks announced that Penthouse would shutter its print operations and move to all digital. However, managing director

Kelly Holland Kelly Holland is the former CEO and owner of Penthouse Global Media Inc., as well as a director and producer. Career A former mainstream documentarian, Holland directed her first adult film in 1994 under an exclusive contract with Vivid Entertai ...

quickly disavowed the decision and pledged to keep the print version of the magazine alive.

Financial history

In 1982, Guccione was listed in the Forbes 400 ranking of wealthiest people, with a reported $400 million net worth. An April 2002 ''New York Times'' article quoted Guccione as saying that ''Penthouse'' grossed $3.5 billion to $4 billion over the 30-year life of the company, with a net income of almost $500 million. In an effort to raise cash and to reduce debt, ''Penthouse'' sold its portfolio of several automotive magazine titles in 1999, for $33 million cash to Peterson Automotive, the national automotive-publishing group. While these titles were successful, it is widely reported that the science and health magazines '' Omni'' and ''Longevity'' cost ''Penthouse'' almost $100 million, contributing to its eventual financial troubles.

Bankruptcy

On August 12, 2003, General Media, the parent company of the magazine, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Immediately upon filing, Cerberus Capital Management entered into a $5 million debtor-in-possession credit line with General Media to provide General Media working capital. In October 2003, it was announced that ''Penthouse'' magazine was being put up for sale as part of a deal with its creditors. On November 13, 2004, Guccione resigned as chairman and CEO of Penthouse International, the parent of General Media. ''Penthouse'' filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

protection on September 17, 2013. The magazine's owner

FriendFinder Friend Finder Networks (formerly Various, Inc.) is an American internet company founded in 1996 by Andrew Conru. Its corporate headquarters are located in Boca Raton, Florida, with additional offices in California, New York, and Taiwan. The com ...

's current common stock was wiped out and was no longer traded on the open market. In August 2013, FriendFinder's stock was delisted from

Nasdaq The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...

because it consistently failed to trade for more than $1. As of 2015, General Media Communications, Inc. publishes entertainment magazines and operates as a subsidiary of FriendFinder Networks Inc.

Ownership change

In February 2016, Penthouse Global Media – a new company headed by Penthouse Entertainment managing director Kelly Holland – acquired the ''Penthouse'' brand from FriendFinder Networks. Penthouse Global Media filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whe ...

on January 11, 2018 to address debt-related issues. All assets of Penthouse Global Media, Inc. were bought out by WGCZ Ltd., operators of Xvideos, on June 4, 2018 after winning a bankruptcy auction for US$11.2 million; other companies, such as MindGeek, also participated in the auction.

Awards and recognition

The magazine's editorial content was praised and recognized by those in the academic field. In 1975, for example, Guccione was honored by Brandeis University for focusing "his editorial attention on such critical issues of our day as the welfare of the Vietnam veteran and problems of criminality in modern society". In 2013, director Barry Avrich made a film about Guccione's life entitled '' Filthy Gorgeous: The Bob Guccione Story''. It was produced by

Jeremy Frommer Jeremy Frommer is an American financier and entrepreneur based in New Jersey. His career includes over two decades on Wall Street, working as a hedge fund and portfolio manager, and on the sell-side of the financial industry, building and selling ...

and

Rick Schwartz Rick Schwartz is an American film and television producer and financier based in New York, whose credits include ''The Departed'', '' Black Swan'', ''Gangs of New York'', ''Machete'', '' The Others'', and '' Lip Sync Battle''. He has contribut ...

, who have since created a premier website inspired by Bob Guccione as an extension of the film called Filthy Gorgeous Media.

Publishing milestones

Traci Lords and Vanessa Williams

The September 1984 issue of ''Penthouse'' magazine would eventually become controversial because of its centerfold, Traci Lords. Lords posed nude for this issue at the beginning of her career as an adult film star. It was later revealed that Lords was underage throughout most of her career in pornography and was only 15 when she posed for ''Penthouse''.Lords, Traci Elizabeth. ''Traci Lords: Underneath It All''. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. The same issue also caused controversy with nude pictures of Vanessa Williams that caused her to be stripped of her

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

crown.

Move from softcore to hardcore pictorials and back

In 1998, ''Penthouse'' decided to change its format and began featuring sexually explicit pictures (i.e., actual oral, vaginal, and anal penetration), beginning with photos from the famed ''Stolen Honeymoon'' sex tape featuring Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. It also began to regularly feature pictorials of female models urinating, which, until then, had been considered a defining limit of illegal obscenity as distinguished from legal pornography. A different approach to restoring sales was attempted by the UK version of the magazine in 1997. Under the editorship of Tom Hilditch, the magazine was rebranded as PH.UK and relaunched as middle-shelf "adult magazine for grown-ups". Fashion photographers (such as Corinne Day of ''

The Face The face is a part of the body, the front of the head. Face may also refer to: Film * ''The Magician'' (1958 film) or ''The Face'' * ''The Face'' (1996 film), an American television film * ''Face'' (1997 film), a British crime drama by Antonia ...

'' magazine) were hired to produce images that merged sex and fashion. The magazine's editorial content included celebrity interviews and tackled issues of sexual politics. The experiment attracted a great deal of press interest, but failed to generate a significant increase in sales. PH.UK closed in late 1998. The new owners significantly softened the content of the magazine starting with the January 2005 issue. ''Penthouse'' no longer showed male genitalia, real or simulated male-female sex, or any form of explicit hardcore content (it does still feature female-female simulated sex on occasion, however). While this change allowed the return of a limited number of mainstream advertisers to the magazine, it has not significantly raised the number of subscribers; total circulation is still below 350,000. Some of ''Penthouse''s secondary publications, such as ''Girls of Penthouse'', continue to feature occasional images of explicit sex, either classic sets from the 1990s issues or stills of adult video shoots staged by the company's Digital Media division.

Other ventures

Film

In 1976, Guccione used about US $17.5 million of his personal fortune to finance the controversial historical epic

pornographic film Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, sex films, and 18+ films are films that present sexually explicit subject matter in order to arouse and satisfy the viewer. Pornographic films present sexual fantasies and usually include eroticall ...

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

'', with Malcolm McDowell in the title role and a supporting cast including

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...

, John Gielgud, Teresa Ann Savoy, and

Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic ...

. The film, which was eventually released in late 1979, was produced in Italy (made at the Dear Studios in Rome) and was directed by Tinto Brass. In 2001, ''Penthouse Presents'' began running on Hot Choice.

Other publications

Guccione also created the magazines '' Omni'', ''

Viva Viva may refer to: Companies and organisations * Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator * Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia * Viva Air Dominicana * VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company * ...

'', and ''Longevity''. Later Guccione started '' Penthouse Forum'', which predominantly featured erotic writing and stories. In 1993, ''Penthouse'' published an adult comic book spin-off entitled '' Penthouse Comix'', featuring sexually explicit stories. After an initial success, ''Penthouse Comix'' expanded into a line of four illustrated magazines with the addition of ''Penthouse Max'', ''Penthouse Men's Adventure Comix'' and ''Omni Comix''. ''Penthouse Variations'' is a monthly magazine containing ostensibly reader-generated

erotic stories Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of eros (passionate, romantic or sexual relationships) intended to arouse similar feelings in readers. This contrasts erotica, which focuses more specifically on sexual feelin ...

(primarily) and some pictures and reviews. It is a spin-off magazine from ''Penthouse Letters''. It was initially published in 1978. ''Variations'' focuses on "kinkier" topics of

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

, such as

bondage Bondage may refer to: Restraints *Physical restraints **Bondage (BDSM), use of restraint for erotic stimulation ***Self-bondage, use of restraints on oneself for erotic pleasure Social and economic practices *Serfdom, feudal enslavement of peasan ...

, fetish clothing,

exhibitionism Exhibitionism is the act of exposing in a public or semi-public context one's intimate parts – for example, the breasts, genitals or buttocks. The practice may arise from a desire or compulsion to expose themselves in such a manner to group ...

, voyeurism, foot fetishism, water sports, female dominance, bisexual exploration, transsexualism and

sadomasochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...

, among others.

Home video

In 1991, Penthouse Video had signed a deal with

A*Vision Entertainment Warner Music Vision (also known as Warner Vision) was a music video company formed in 1990 by Warner Music International to make music videos from artists and bands on Warner Bros. Records, Maverick Records, Sire Records, Atlantic Records, Elektra ...

to release videos designed for an adult audience.

Casinos

In 1970, the Penthouse Club in London, England operated a casino. However, the next year the casino license was revoked by the gaming authorities. In 1972, Penthouse opened the Penthouse Adriatic Club casino on the island of Krk in Yugoslavia (now Croatia) at a cost of $45 million. However, the casino filed for bankruptcy the following year and was closed. In 1978, Penthouse began construction of the Penthouse Boardwalk Hotel and Casino in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

. However, Penthouse was unable to raise additional funding and construction stopped in 1980. The project sat idle until Donald Trump acquired the site in 1993.

Auto racing

''Penthouse'' sponsors the "1X" car of driver

Randy Hannagan Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolf, Randolph, as well as Bertrand and Andrew, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of the ...

in the World of Outlaws sprint car series. The magazine previously sponsored cars in the Formula One circuit from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Teams included Hesketh Racing and RAM Racing.

3D HD porn channel

January 2011, ''Penthouse'' announced the first 3D HD porn channel, which will be available in second quarter 2011. They shoot using dual lenses, and it will consist of available Penthouse HD Channel lineup covering over 30 platforms in more than 15 countries.

Wine and spirits

In January 2015, ''Penthouse'' announced its entry into the wine and spirits industry. The line of products were to debut at the 2015 Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas. Called ''Libido Libations'', the spirits line is distributed by

Prestige Imports LLC Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.) Prestige may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films * ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...

and produced by

The Melchers Group BV ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

. The wine offerings are the result of a partnership with California vintner John Crossland and Randal Tomich of the Australian winery Tomich Wines.

Legal disputes

Editorial lawsuit

In March 1975, ''Penthouse'' published an article headlined "La Costa: The Hundred-Million-Dollar Resort with Criminal Clientele", written by Jeff Gerth and Lowell Bergman. The article indicated that the La Costa Resort and Spa in

Carlsbad, California Carlsbad is a coastal city in the North County region of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is south of downtown Los Angeles and north of downtown San Diego. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 114,746. ...

, was developed by

Mervyn Adelson Mervyn Lee Adelson (October 23, 1929 – September 8, 2015) was an American real estate developer and television producer who co-founded Lorimar Television. Early life Adelson was born to a Jewish family in Los Angeles on October 23, 1929 to Nat ...

and

Irwin Molasky Irwin Molasky (February 22, 1927 – July 4, 2020) was an American real estate developer and philanthropist from Las Vegas, Nevada. He was the Chairman of The Molasky Group of Companies. Early life Irwin Molasky was born to a Jewish family on Fe ...

using loans from the Teamsters Pension Fund and that the resort was a playground for organized crime figures. The owners, along with two officials of the resort, Morris B. Moe Dalitz and Allard Roen, filed a libel lawsuit for $522 million against the magazine and the writers. In 1982, a jury absolved the magazine of any liability against the lawsuit from the owners. The plaintiffs appealed, but in December 1985, before a new trial could begin, the two sides settled. ''Penthouse'' issued a statement that they did not mean to imply that Adelson and Molaskey are or were members of organized crime. In turn the plaintiffs issued a statement lauding ''Penthouse'' publisher Guccione and his magazine for their "personal and professional awards". Total litigation costs were estimated to exceed $20 million.

''Guccione v. Penthouse Media Group''

In 2006, Guccione sued Penthouse Media Group for fraud, breach of contract, and conspiracy, among other charges. Some of the people named in the case included Marc Bell, Jason Galanis, Dr. Fernando Molina, Charles Samel, and Daniel C. Stanton.

National rampage protests

In December 1984, a group of radical feminists began a civil disobedience campaign against ''Penthouse'' which they called a National Rampage. Led by Melissa Farley and

Nikki Craft Nikki Craft (born 1949) is an American radical feminist activist and writer. Activism 1970s In 1975, Craft presented the Rockwell International board of directors with "...naked doll splashed with blood-colored paint" to protest their B-1 bom ...

, they went into stores selling copies of the magazine and ripped them up, and they also burned an effigy of Bob Guccione in front of a bookstore in Madison, Wisconsin. In late 1985 the group began to focus on the printer of ''Penthouse'',

Meredith Corporation Meredith Corporation was an American media conglomerate based in Des Moines, Iowa, that owned magazines, television stations, websites, and radio stations. Its publications had a readership of more than 120 million and paid circulation of more ...

. They bought shares in the company and attended their annual stockholder's meeting. The women were not allowed to speak, but they removed their coats, revealing images from a ''Penthouse'' shoot about

Japanese rope bondage means "tight binding," while literally means "the beauty of tight binding." is a Japanese style of bondage or BDSM which involves tying a person up using simple yet visually intricate patterns, usually with several pieces of thin rope (often ...

—among which two poses were construed by Farley to evoke dead bodies—ironed onto

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

shirts.Pdf.
/ref>

International versions

As of 2015: * Australia edition * Bulgarian edition (discontinued) * Dutch edition * German edition * Greek edition * Hong Kong edition (discontinued) * Hungarian edition * New Zealand edition * Portuguese edition * Russian Edition * Spanish edition * Thai edition * United Kingdom edition * United States edition

References

External links

* {{official
Cover archive at Galactic Central
Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom Men's magazines published in the United Kingdom Online magazines published in the United Kingdom Defunct magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1965 Magazines disestablished in 2016 Online magazines with defunct print editions Obscenity controversies in literature Pornographic men's magazines Sexual revolution