Playboy Celebrates Premiere of NBC's The Playboy Club With 1960s-Themed October Issue

CHICAGO, Sept. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate the premiere of NBC's highly-anticipated new series The Playboy Club, which airs on September 19, Playboy is turning back the clock with a 1961-themed October issue (on newsstands and i.Playboy.com Friday, September 16; features are also available at www.playboy. com/60sbunnies).  The issue features The Playboy Club's Laura Benanti on the cover, a pictorial with the original Playboy Club Bunnies from the 1960s, imagery from the famed Clubs, and a 1961 newsstand price – just 60 cents.

Laura, who plays Bunny Mother Carol-Lynne on The Playboy Club, appears on the cover of the October issue as well as in a pictorial and interview inside the magazine.  The stunning cover is inspired by Playboy's iconic April 1963 cover featuring Playboy Bunny Kelly Collins, who worked at the original Club in Chicago.  In her interview, Laura talks about the drama that will unfold on the show, saying, "There's a major love triangle between me, Maureen [Amber Heard] and Nick [Eddie Cibrian]…My character says a lot of sassy, snappy things."  The Tony Award-winning actress adds that she enjoyed donning the famous costume.  "It's sexy and adorable and somehow makes every woman look beautiful," she says.

Newsstand copies of this collector's edition will retail for just 60 cents, the same price Playboy sold for in 1961 (The Playboy Club on NBC is set in 1961).  The special issue will also take readers back in time with retro features, including a 10-page pictorial with original Playboy Bunnies from the 1960s and a "Welcome to the Club" special advertising section sponsored by Seagram's 7 Crown.  The six-page insider's guide includes an exclusive look at the original Playboy Clubs and Bunnies and offers readers the chance to win a trip for two to Las Vegas to celebrate New Year's Eve at the Playboy Club at the Palms Casino Resort via the "Lucky 7 Las Vegas Sweepstakes."

The October issue celebrates one of the most successful nightclub chains in history.  The original Playboy Club opened in Chicago on February 29, 1960.  The Playboy Clubs, together with the hotel, casino and resort facilities, eventually included 40 properties in 25 states and seven countries, and the Clubs sold nearly 2.5 million membership keys in their tenure.  The famous venues, which were home to the iconic Playboy Bunnies, allowed key holders to enjoy performances by some of the era's biggest names in entertainment, including: Steve Allen, Ann Margaret, the Count Basie Orchestra, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, George Carlin, Ray Charles, Bill Cosby, Dizzy Gillespie, Bob Hope, Peggy Lee, Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Ginger Rogers, the Smothers Brothers, Mel Torme and Muddy Waters.  

The original Bunny Costume was created for female staff at the first Playboy Club in Chicago and started as a modified one-piece swimsuit.  It went on to become the first uniform to be issued a service mark registration by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  Before they launched their careers, actresses Lauren Hutton, Julie Cobb, Lynne Moody, Susan Sullivan, Jackie Zeman, Maria Richwine and Barbara Bosson all worked as Bunnies, as did rock star Deborah Harry.  

A resurgence of the Clubs began in 2006 with the opening of the Playboy Club at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.  Since that time, Clubs have opened in London, Cancun and Macao.

For embeddable clips and full episodes from The Playboy Club, please visit NBC.com's official show site:  http://www.nbc.com/shows/.  For artwork and a complete press kit from the show please visit the NBC Universal Media village website at http://www.nbcumv.com/mediavillage/.

About Playboy Enterprises, Inc.

Playboy is one of the most recognized and popular consumer brands in the world. Playboy Enterprises, Inc. is a media and lifestyle company that markets the brand through a wide range of media properties and licensing initiatives. The company publishes Playboy magazine in the United States and abroad and creates content for distribution via television networks, websites, mobile platforms and radio. Through licensing agreements, the Playboy brand appears on a wide range of consumer products in more than 150 countries as well as retail stores and entertainment venues.

SOURCE Playboy Enterprises, Inc.