Although Downing explicitly rejected Hugh Hefner's request to invite Hepburn to shoot a sexy photo, he gladly accepted Hugh Hefner's invitation to dinner, because he really wanted to meet the legendary "world's No. 1 playboy".

There is no doubt that Hugh Hefner is now a multimillionaire, and the most visible manifestation of his wealth is the 'Playboy Mansion': a huge neo-Gothic building with Picasso, Monet and even Johann Hiffner. Lennon's painting, if you don't understand that the whole floor of the bedroom is a sofa bed, ignore some erotic props, this is a luxurious palace with the temperament of the 70s of the last century,

Hugh Hefner in 1974 was just 48 years old, so he looked very mentally strong, not at all like the 89-year-old and old man that Downing saw in later generations. ”

Seeing Downing's puzzled look, Hugh Hefner explained: "It seems that there are only two American men who openly associate and live with multiple women at the same time, and you did this before me, so I have always regarded you as my idol." ”

Although Downing understood Hugh Hefner's meaning, he really couldn't defend this reason, because his villa in Okinawa had not been concealed at all, at least it was an open secret in Okinawa, but in his heart he did not position himself as the same person as Hugh Hefner, so he reluctantly defended: "Well, I heard that you have reached the achievement of a thousand people, so I don't think I can compare with you." ”

Hugh Hefner shook his head and said, "Those are all rumors, and so far, they have only been more than two hundred. ”

Tang Ning was speechless for his answer, and felt that he could not continue this topic, so he changed the topic and asked, "I want to know." How did you get Monroe's picture in the first place? ”

"At that time, Monroe had just made her debut as a model, but she was threatened to publish her photo, so she felt that it was better to make her own decisions than to be coerced, so she sold the photo to me, after all, there were few people who were willing to buy this kind of photo publicly." Hugh Hefner replied with a nonchalant shrug.

However, Tang Ning did not give up teasing him: "But now there are more places to accept this kind of photo." ”

Hugh Hefner scoffed, "That's right. It's a lot, but the grades of those people are too low. Stuff like lofts is all the rage now, and I'm even starting to be criticized for being too conservative with my Playboy, OHMOD! It's the funniest joke I've ever heard this year! ”

Although Hugh Hefner was just laughing at himself, Downing could hear the helplessness in his tone, because since the popularity of Playboy, Hugh Hefner's magazine advocating "enjoying life" has become a symbol of rebellion and pleasure because it happens to be integrated with the economic recovery after World War II, the confused mentality of young people, the popularity of rock 'n' roll, and the flood of white goods. Even Hugh Hefner came up with the famous slogan of the three major inventions: "The three great inventions of civilization are fire, the wheel, and Playboy""

In the thirties and forties, the slogan of American teenagers was: "Grow up to be as rich as Rockefeller"; 60s. The slogan became: "When you grow up, be as happy as Hefner." "Playboy" was pushed to the forefront of the wave by the radical cultural movement of the time, and became a banner of the wave movement at that time.

As Hefner's idea of emancipation became more mainstream, it paved the way for new entrants while making Playboy a success. Adult magazines have sprung up, reaching directly into the market share that was originally exclusive to Playboy, and these competitors are in a more open and explicit manner, most notably "Penthouse" and "Hustler" (I can't even introduce this hustler, it's full of sensitive words)

In the face of fierce competition, Playboy, a pioneer in the past, continues to feature decades-old playmate features, interviews, classic art introductions, and soft-in every issue. In the midst of such a competition, Playboy has been criticized as 'conservative'. Even Hefner himself couldn't help but laugh. But. As he watched the magazine's sales plummet, he couldn't laugh anymore. In 1972, 7 million copies were sold per month, however, by 1974, only 4.8 million copies were sold per month. Advertising revenue has plummeted.

"Although they are making money now. But don't worry, they won't be able to make money for long, and you don't just expect this to make money, for example, aren't your Playboy clubs and clothing brands still doing well? ”

Downing was comforting Hugh Hefner, but he was telling the truth. Since February 1960, Hefner has opened the first Playboy Club in Chicago. Bunny-style waitresses and hot dancing have made the club chain the most successful nightclub chain in American history, like mushrooms after a rain, from coast to coast.

And Hugh Hefner has his own unique views on clothing design, the most obvious example is the bunny girl, the seductive outfit that fascinates all men in the world, is designed by him, and Hef, who is extremely cautious about the details of the design, will personally adjust the bunny girl's clothing style, Hef has always been very cautious, and he has made a big improvement himself: with collars and sleeves, Hugh told The Independent, "Before that, the bunny girl's outfit was too similar to **, and this kind of decoration made the elegance a lot more." ”

Hearing Downing's words, Hugh Hefner laughed happily and said, "Mr. Downing, in fact, I have invited you today to discuss something very important with you, that is, the Playboy Club you just mentioned, I think it should be a good idea given the current prosperity of Tokyo and the Japanese people's hobby in this regard." ”

Hugh Hefner's statement surprised Downing a little, but if you think about it, this is indeed a good idea, the Japanese now have a lot of money in their pockets, and their interest in this aspect is simply nature, and there is no other perverted thing in this regard than Japan, so if you really open a playboy club in Tokyo, you will definitely make money.

So Downing and Hugh Hefner quickly negotiated to open two Playboy Clubs in Tokyo and Guam, with the investment being one and a half, with Hugh Hefner sending someone to train waiters and Downing taking care of dealing with local specific matters. (To be continued.) )