''Playboy's Penthouse'' is an American variety/talk

television show A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

hosted by ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'' founder and then-editor/publisher

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. Hefner extended the ''Playboy ...

. It was first broadcast on October 24, 1959 and ran in syndication for two seasons.

Development

The show was designed as a way to spread ''

'' magazine's influence beyond the printed page and to help non-readers get to know Hefner. The show, initially recorded at

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

's Chicago station WBKB, was set up as if it were a party at Hefner's own apartment, with many

Playboy Playmates A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...

and bunnies in attendance. Celebrity guests would engage in conversation with Hefner and then perform, as well. The theme was written by

Cy Coleman Cy Coleman (born Seymour Kaufman; June 14, 1929 – November 18, 2004) was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist. Life and career Coleman was born Seymour Kaufman in New York City, to Ashkenazi, Eastern European Jewish parents, an ...

. The first season ran slightly more than one year with a second season starting on September 9, 1961 with

Jack E. Leonard Jack E. Leonard (born Leonard Lebitsky; April 24, 1910 – May 10, 1973) was an Americans, American comedian and actor who made frequent appearances on television variety show, variety and game shows. Biography Leonard was born Leonard Leb ...

Anita O'Day Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self-proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appe ...

, Buddy Greco, and

George Wein George Wein (October 3, 1925 – September 13, 2021) was an American jazz promoter, pianist, and producer.

. After the second season's planned programs were completed,

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician. At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which t ...

was booked to play a Chicago nightclub and expressed a desire to appear on the show. Hefner was unable to book additional production time at the WBKB Studios on State Street, but was able to strike a deal with

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

WBBM-TV WBBM-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, serving as the market's CBS network outlet. Owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division, the station maintains studios on West Washington St ...

to reconstruct the ''Playboy's Penthouse'' set at their McClurg Court studios and tape an additional five programs there in November and December 1960, the Davis guest appearance being the first segment taped. In Chicago, the WBBM-TV tapings were shown on WBKB as part of the continuous second season run.

Legacy

In 1969, Hefner launched a show in a very similar style, '' Playboy After Dark'' which was taped in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Episodes of ''Playboy's Penthouse'' were included in the DVD release of ''Playboy After Dark'' in 2006 and footage from the show was used on Hefner's non-scripted program, ''

The Girls Next Door ''The Girls Next Door'' (also known as ''The Girls of the Playboy Mansion'') is a reality television series which focused on the lives of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends who lived with him at the Playboy Mansion. The series was created by executive ...

''. The concept was revived in the late 1980s by

Worldvision Enterprises Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. was an American television program and home video distributor established in 1954 as ABC Film Syndication, the domestic and overseas program distribution arm of the ABC Television Network. They primarily licensed ...

as ''After Hours'', but it did not last long. The TBS television show ''

American Dad! ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker (producer), Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the r ...

'' parodied the show in the Season 16 episode "Rabbit Ears".

References

External links

* {{Playboy Television series by Playboy Enterprises 1959 American television series debuts 1961 American television series endings First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Television shows based on magazines 1950s American variety television series 1960s American variety television series 1950s American television talk shows 1960s American television talk shows Black-and-white American television shows American English-language television shows Playboy TV original programming Television shows set in Chicago