Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream

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As an unhappy young man with fond memories of his high-school popularity, Hefner synthesized these personal interests into the legendary 1953 "homemade" first issue of Playboy. He shows Hefner's personal dichotomies—the pleasure seeker and the workaholic, the consort of countless Playmates and the genuine romantic, the family man and the Gatsby-like host of lavish parties at his Chicago and Los Angeles mansions who enjoys well-publicized affairs with numerous Playmates, the fan of life's simple pleasures who hobnobs with the Hollywood elite. He is the author of four books, including The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century and The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life. Ray Porter has garnered two Audie nominations as well as several Earphones Awards and enthusiastic reviews for his sparkling narration of audiobooks. He also succeeds in identifying and exploring raging personal paradoxes—hedonist and workaholic, libertine and romantic, provocateur and traditionalist—while resisting the urge to attempt reconciliation.

Watts convincingly argues that Hefner anticipated a number of distinct trends that transformed American society, including postwar consumerism, feminism (whose adherents, generally speaking, castigated Hef) and, of course, the′60s sexual revolution. Voice actor Porter effortlessly captures the full swing of events that led America to surpass the Soviet Union in the race to be the first country to orbit moon.Kaya naman ng makita niya ang babae na nag-iisang umiinom, hindi na siya nagdalawang isip na lapitan ito. Playboy, historian and biographer Steven Watts argues that, in the process of becoming fabulously wealthy and famous, Hefner has profoundly altered American life and values.

However perhaps the most striking message is that Playboy was devised at the start of an age where consumerism became king and love unfortunately became a part of that. He is the author of four books, including The People′s Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century and The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life.He shows Hefner′s personal dichotomies–the pleasure seeker and the workaholic, the consort of countless Playmates and the genuine romantic, the family man and the Gatsby–like host of lavish parties at his Chicago and Los Angeles mansions who enjoys well–publicized affairs with numerous Playmates, the fan of life′s simple pleasures who hobnobs with the Hollywood elite.

But Watts, a history professor prone to interpreting American Dreamers (he has written stellar works on Henry Ford and Walt Disney), is wise to draw a narrow bead on Hef qua Hef, dividing his life into tidy quadrants of postwar influence and iconography: as sexual liberator, avatar of consumerism, pop–culture purveyor, lightning rod for feminist ire. We can all make up our own minds about this, but with numerous wives and "playmates" it is hard to say if absolute contentment is his. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Hefner described the magazine as "a pleasure–primer styled to the masculine taste," and it took off.He reveals that Hefner, from the beginning, believed he could overturn social norms and take America with him. They were also reviewed in scholarly journals such as the Journal of American History and American Quarterly. He also has appeared in a variety of programs on CBS, NBC, CNBC, NPR, Fox, Fox News, C-Span, Bloomberg News, MSNBC, BBC, and Irish National Radio. Critics sought to ban Playboy, with many accusing it of contributing to a moral degradation of society. Granted unprecedented access to the man and his enterprise, Watts traces Hef's life and career from his Midwestern, Methodist upbringing and the first publication of Playboy in 1953 through the turbulent sixties, self-indulgent seventies, reactionary eighties, and traditionalist nineties up to the present.

The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Playboy , historian and biographer Steven Watts argues that, in the process of becoming fabulously wealthy and famous, Hefner has profoundly altered American life and values.

Hefner resembles a chameleon in Watt′s mostly sympathetic portrait, variously appearing as a prescient social critic, an early supporter of civil rights, a generous Gatsby figure and a cranky, obsessive sex addict. Read through our tips, hints, and information on collecting books signed or inscribed by the author or illustrator. Watts′s judicious exploration of the feats and foibles of Henry Ford provides a timely and compelling model of how to cut through the hype and tell the real story. Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. The implicit claim of Watts′s admirable book is almost inarguable that it′s impossible to understand twentieth–century America without knowing the story of Henry Ford.