Hugh Hefner's Influence

I was 14 when I first saw Playboy After Dark. 1969. My teenage hopes for seeing something radically forbidden on TV were quickly dashed. No orgies. Not even nudity. My slowly emerging adult brain said to me Come on. That’s not going to happen. Get real.

Ah, but something else kept me watching. Sure, prurient anticipation played its part. The same kind of anticipation at play as when I watched I Dream of Genie, thinking maybe, just maybe, Barbara Eden might inadvertently pop out of her top, ala Janet Jackson’s famous Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction” decades later.

I think it was the cool vibe of the show that drew me in. It was casual. Improvisational. Very Chicago. A party. In fact, the first episodes were shot in Chicago at the Channel 7 studios at 190 North State Street circa 1969. (They later moved the show, along with everything else Playboy, to Los Angeles in 70s.)

Remember ever seeing this? (Tina Turner sings. And a ton more. There’s even an improv game at around 32 minutes in.)

You can read a lot about the show elsewhere. Hugh Hefner gets credit for showcasing many African-American stars on Playboy After Dark. And, at the time, it was revolutionary to depict, on national television, interracial hobnobbing and people just hanging together enjoying life. Early Woke, you might say. Positive Woke. As in Awakened. Open. Inclusive. Creative.

Many years later, the vision of Playboy After Dark lingered. And as I found myself working in television, and teaching improvisation at Players Workshop of Second City, I frequently imagined putting a similar kind of show on TV myself, with me in the host position. I managed to produce one for cable access Channel 19, a very very loose production, and a ton of fun. Ben’s House Party. But no one saw it. And then, around 2000 I landed at WYCC and got to create, host and produce an arts-based show called Ben Around Town. It was a weekly half-hour focused on Chicago musicians, artists, creatives of all stripes. The perfect doorway to my dream of making a show like Playboy After Dark. And here it is for your viewing pleasure. (Click above to watch entire show.)

Actual slate from the WYCC production. For all the credits, go to the full clip above and watch the end.

It was a one-off. To me, it was like this: Instead of my usual adventures going to the amazing characters and creatives all over the metropolitan area, this was a chance to have them come to me!

Many thanks to all the people who helped pull this together. Tim Tobias and Lorraine Denham did much of the legwork, bringing in most of the musical talent, and guests. Tim passed away in 2006, way too young. I’m so glad I got to work with these folks.

I don’t have regrets, though sometimes I do wish it had been my fate to host a show like this for years and years. But, hey — I did get to do it the way I did it. Tell me what you think. I see a lot to love in this 30-minute romp. Actor Joe Forbrich (the neighbor) steals the show. Fantastic!