Hugh M Hefner Editor and Publisher (3 results)

Magazine. 156p., 8.5x11 inches, articles, reviews, interviews, events, ads, photos, lightly-used magazine in staple pictorial wraps.

54 pp. Illustrated. Folio, publisher's illustrated wrappers. First edition. Slight use and darkening to the edges of the (white) wrappers; otherwise very nice.

Magazine. Condition: Very Good+. (Vol. 1, Nos. 1-8; Vol. 2, Nos. 1-4). [all issues in at least VG condition, many better than that; occasional bumping to upper or lower corners of a few issues, last issue in volume has some wear and slight creasing along right edge of front cover; the cream-colored binder (with "SHOW BUSINESS ILLUSTRATED" and "SBI" embossed in gold on the front cover and spine, respectively) is lightly soiled but in generally excellent condition]. (B&W & color photographs, cartoons, illustrations) A complete run (all twelve issues) of "Playboy" publisher Hugh Hefner's short-lived effort to spin off his magazine's showbiz features into a regular publication devoted to covering "the entire spectrum of show business," which it regarded as "an industry, a triumph of communication, a world-wide style and, not least of all, the common denominator of a new world-wide culture." Ambitious indeed, with stated intentions of covering everything from movies, TV and theatre to circuses and classical-music concerts; it bit off a lot, and in the end couldn't manage to chew it all: it ended its run, per an ad in the final issue, by being "incorporated into" "Show" magazine, Huntington Hartford's large-format publication with similar coverage, which had begun its run at almost the same time (October 1961); perhaps a case of survival of the fittest. (Although "Show," too, had a troubled publication history, and petered out by the mid-1970s.) Format-wise, SBI very much evoked the "Playboy" look and feel, utilizing similar typography, graphic layout, and features (there's even a jokes page) -- except, of course, without the nekkid ladies (although a regular feature was "Show Business Beauty," a no-nudity look at what amounted to a Starlet of the Month; most of these ladies' careers never amounted to much, although in its closing months both Senta Berger and Ursula Andress were highlighted). The magazine began as a bi-weekly, with the intention of providing "a handy, continuing guide to the current appearances, performances, and programs that are worth your valuable time and money," and maintained that publication schedule through its 9th issue (Jan. 23, 1962), before going monthly in February 1962, in what was probably a doomed attempt to salvage the enterprise. In its even dozen issues, though, it certainly presented a rich smorgasbord of quality arts/music/theatre/TV coverage. Here are just some of the dozens of articles and features of worthy and lasting value presented during its 7-month lifespan: a 2-part profile of Jack Paar, by Roger Kahn; a "Mister Magoo Looks at Show Business" cartoon feature; "A History of Jazz" by John S. Wilson (which appeared intermittently, in 5 parts); a 7-part serialized edition of the book "Little Me" by "Belle Poitrine" (Patrick Dennis); an article about JFK's "Presidential Preferences" in the arts; interviews with Mae West, Federico Fellini, Rod Serling, and others; a play, "The Explainers," written and illustrated by Jules Feiffer; a feature about the cinematic vision of Ingmar Bergman; a photo feature on Ernie Kovacs; a profile of comedian Dick Gregory, by Nat Hentoff; a 3-part profile of Judy Garland (rather weirdly referred to as "America's apparently indestructible girlfriend"), by James Goode; a feature on the 1927 opening of the Roxy Theatre in New York, with a colorful 2-page illustration by Andy Warhol; a review of "The Bullwinkle Show," by Jules Feiffer; "Three Faces of Fonda," a joint profile (with cover photo) of Henry, Jane and Peter; "Tallulah's Almanac; being a sampling of the wit and wisdom of the irrepressible Miss Bankhead"; the "Owl Awards," presented to the "Best of" just about everything during 1961 (there's a trivia-quiz question for you!); a 3-part autobiographical feature by David Susskind; "Confessions of a Celluloid-Eater," a posthumously-published piece by Gene Fowler; a cover story on Brigitte Bardot's "farewell to films"; a profile of comedian Bob Newhart, then in the midst of his first TV series; a feature on designer Saul Bass; a "New.