Hefner: Unauthorized

Odd that this film has 'Unauthorised' in it's title as there is nothing here that could rile the Playboy organisation. The rise of Hefner seems accurately portrayed , and the man himself is shown as eccentric at times but always driven by his vision of fulfilling his philosophy. Batibkoff is effective in the lead. Picture has nudity but not a lot, despite abundant opportunities from the attrative females in the cast. Kelly Cornwell is an eyeful as the secretary who became an early pin-up favorite under the nom-de-nude Janet Pilgrim. Strangest idea is that the story is narrated by Wagner as Bobbie Arnstein, a Hefner friend and associate who died , a suicide, in 1975, at the end of a drugs scandal that threatened the Playboy Empire. Even though she dies it doesn't prevent her from carrying on the story. Plot goes up to Hefner's happy marriage to Kimberley Conrad, which, sadly, did not last. So, if you are a Hefner fan, you probably already know the details, but it is a breezy tale of a remarkable man, and is colorfully told.