Photo courtesy of the Playboy archive.

​When Hugh Hefner accepted Steven Watts‘ request for an interview, the University of Missouri history professor got years of unfettered access to the archives, social circle and mind of America’s favorite dirty old man. The result, Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream, is a riveting look at Hefner’s evolution as an individual and, more importantly, the impact of his magazine and viewpoint on America over the last 50-plus years. Watts will talk about his book on Thursday at the Central Branch of the Kansas City Public Library.

Here, he dishes with us.

The Pitch: What do you want people to get out of this book?



Steven Watts: I think there’s a temptation with a book like this one to see it as a celebrity-type book, one of these tell-all type books that’s only after sort of the sensationalist aspects of a topic. On the one hand, God knows there are a lot of really flashy stories about Hefner. But what I would like to underline is that I think it’s a serious book about a serious topic. And I think Hefner and Playboy really have played an important cultural role in our modern history.

How did this project change your opinion of Hugh Hefner?

Oh, gosh, that’s a good question. Actually, I’m trying to remember what my opinion was before. I can hardly remember. I think before I started this I just had just the most general kind of impressions of Hefner that had come through in popular culture — of course editor of Playboy, and sort of this member of the beautiful people, sort of celebrity class. Other than that, not a whole lot.

When I started to do the project and started to look into his career and his activities more deeply, I think I came to see him as an important cultural figure in the post WWII period, primarily — as you know from reading the book — from his role in the sexual revolution, but also because of his role in sort of advancing this consumer ideal in the post-war world. So I think in general, I think I came to see him as a lot more important, rather than merely a celebrity, after I spent a good deal of time studying him.