Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time (1992)

Early in the 1990s, Hefner and others are interviewed on camera about Hefner's childhood and youth, the beginnings of Playboy and its later empire, what those enterprises meant to society, ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Heath

Writers:

Michael Gross, Gary H. Grossman,

Stars:

Hugh M. Hefner, Barbi Benton, Monique St. Pierre

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh M. Hefner	...	Himself
Barbi Benton	...	Herself
Monique St. Pierre	...	Herself
Dorothy Stratten	...	Herself (archive footage)
Michelle Urry	...	Herself
Susan Brownmiller	...	Herself
Keith Hefner	...	Himself
James Coburn	...	Himself - Host
Spiro Agnew	...	Himself (archive footage)
Lenny Bruce	...	Himself (archive footage)
William F. Buckley	...	Himself
Tony Curtis	...	Himself
Sammy Davis Jr.	...	Himself (archive footage)
Robert Dornan	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jules Feiffer	...	Himself

Storyline

Early in the 1990s, Hefner and others are interviewed on camera about Hefner's childhood and youth, the beginnings of Playboy and its later empire, what those enterprises meant to society, troubles with pundits, censors, and the government, and two crises within Hefner's world, the arrest and prosecution of a close associate and the murder of a model. Susan Brownmiller provides the basic critique of Hefner's businesses (women are objects); Hefner says he wanted to break repression, question traditional values, and present the healthy, wholesome, and real eroticism of the girl next door. By 1992, Hefner is extolling the virtues of marriage, children, and family life.

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Plot Keywords:

1990s | 1960s | controversy | pipe | nudity | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alta Loma Entertainment, Lynch/Frost Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Expanded from an episode of the documentary television series American Chronicles.

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Connections

Edited from American Chronicles (1990)

User Reviews

If you don't already know the story...

This is a great documentary on how the man became The Man. If you don't know how Playboy got started or you do and just don't know about the man who got it started, this is worth checking out. And if you do know, it's still worth checking out because this tells all, and you're sure to learn something you didn't know