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The Bunny Years 50 minutes. The BBC’s truncated version of the above, screened on BBC1 in 1999. Actually has interviews and footage with a couple of London Bunnies that the above does not. Why not show the complete documentary? This is the BBC, they like to do things their way. The BBC version is narrated by Honor Blackman. The BBC co-produced the original. Secret History: Bunny Girls 55 minutes. Channel 4 (UK) screened in 1999. Excellent footage and interviews with British Bunnies. Two of the ladies still have their Bunny costumes and adorn them once more for the program. The program is good-humoured and insightful, although most of the Bunnies are stark-raving mad! The best people often are. Read about this program. A Bunny Girl’s Tale (1998) - Excellent short (14 minutes) film written and directed by Sarah Miles and shown on Channel 4 (UK) in 1999. This is part documentary and part fantasy (and a little eerie in places). It features interviews with former British Bunnies, archive footage, plus lots of attractive girls in very good copies of the Bunny costume made especially for this film. It even features PJ Harvey Bunnied-up!
Kathleen Bascombe, one of the six original London Bunnies, features alongside her daughter Lisa, who followed in her mother’s Bunny-steps by becoming a Bunny at the ill-fated Playboy Casino on Rodos. Let’s hope the proposed London Casino is a success. If it opens at all! Come on Playboy, conquer the world again, get the Bunny Army on the move!
A&E’s Hugh Hefner. This is an excellent, perhaps the best biography of Playboy and Hefner, which includes the usual Bunny footage featured in documentaries. David Lynch’s Hugh Hefner: Once Upon A Time (1992). This is another good bio of Playboy and Hefner with the ubiquitous Bunny footage. The Ultimate Playboy 55 minutes. BBC1. Jonathan Ross interviews Hefner. This includes some Bunny footage, i.e. the usual footage featured in documentaries. Ruby Wax 35 minutes. BBC1. The delightfully rude Ruby Wax interviews Hefner and the seven blondes! Ruby Bunnies-up (ersatz costume) for the opening titles and there is a brief flash of a Bunny or two in a 30 second sweep over Playboy's history before Ruby fights the blondes and Hefner for camera attention (as she does in all her shows). Hefner, as he usually does, comes out of this interview as a charming, intelligent man who can take a joke at his own expense. It's refreshing to see him answer unusual questions other than the standard ones he is always asked (and receive the same polished, highly scripted responses). The Money Program 30 minutes. BBC2’s ‘The Money Program’ on Playboy, 'The Bunny Business,' includes an interview with Gloria Steinem castigating her Bunny experiences, again. Contains Bunny footage featured on almost every other documentary. High Stakes BBC1 series on gambling. Program Two - Easy Money profiles the Playboy versus Ladbrokes gaming war. Excellent footage of London Bunnies plus reminiscences from the key players: UK Number One Victor Lownes and the then Ladbrokes casino chief. It is interesting that the Casino war still rankles with both men (they are filmed separately). Lownes displays his usual mixture of charm and arrogance while the Ladbrokes boss seems a gloating fool. This man began a sequence of events that saw: Playboy lose it’s gaming license; Bunnies disappear from Britain; Playboy Enterprises lose a goldmine of profits and thus set off the decade of despond for Playboy. Ladbrokes should be ashamed! Thus ends the party political broadcast on behalf of the Bunny party. Irony of ironies Playboy planned to re-open a new London Casino with Ladbrokes this year before the Hilton Group sold off Ladbrokes to Bingo giants Gala. Bingo and Bunnies? House? Hutch!
Father, Dear Father British Sit-Com of the late Sixties / early Seventies. In the episode "We Can't Afford A Carriage" (broadcast 1969) one of the daughters becomes a Bunny Girl to fund the purchase of a car, to the horror of her father. The actress playing the Bunny Mother is former London Bunny (and Monty Python regular) Carol Cleveland. Filmed in a cheap ersatz studio set mock-up of Playboy Club with poor imitation Bunny costumes. For more details view the entry on the TV Tome website.
The Phyllis Diller Show Hugh Hefner is interviewed on her show. Playmate Gwen Wong is one of four fabulous Bunnies accompanying Hefner on the show. The Man Show The end of series highlights show was broadcast from the Playboy Mansion. Highlight clips featured recent Playmates wearing the Bunny costume. Some of the Playmate Bunnies appearing: Victoria Fuller, Jessica Lee, and Kelly Monaco. Doggy Fizzle Bunny-costumed Holly Madison and Bridget Marquadt show convicted drug-trafficker, petty hood and all-round slimebag 'Snoop Doggy Dog' around the Playboy Mansion. Modern 'celebrity' culture, isn't it marvellous? Pass the body bag, erm I mean sick bag. American Casino Episode 5: The executives of the casino attend a pajama party at the Playboy Mansion. Playmate Bunnies appearing (in costume) at the party: Stacy Fuson, Lauren Michele Hill, Stephanie Heinrich, Nicole Wood, Marketa Janska, and Audra Lynn.
The Odd Couple In episode "One for the Bunny" (Season 4, Episode 22, 1974) Felix's fiancé Gloria (Janis Hansen) becomes a Bunny, much to his consternation. In real life Janis had worked as a Bunny. Burke’s Law In "Who Killed the Grand Piano?" (Season 2, Episode 63, 1965) our own Bunny Marianna refuses Burke entry to the Hollywood Playboy Club to investigate a case because he is not a keyholder. Episode features several other real Bunnies including Playmate Bunny Joyce Nizzari (one of the two Chicago Door Bunnies on opening night). For more details view the entry on the TV Tome website. Cheers Episode "King of the Hill" (Season 3, Episode 15, 1985) features a softball game with "Bunnies". But the women are actually Playmates. Reference is made to the Playboy Club but no Bunnies appear. Las Vegas In episode "Wagers of Sin" (Season 4, Episode 11, 2007) Vanessa Marcil's character makes a bet. The forfeit if she loses is to dress as a Playboy Bunny. She doesn't but the Bunny costume she does wear comes a close sexy second. A&E Playboy 50th Anniversary Tribute A two-hour tribute to fifty years of Playboy. Featured interviews and footage from the celebration party hosted at the Playboy Mansion in 2003, with current Playmate Bunnies, and clips from Playboy's archive. Pink Lady & Jeff Strange variety show from 1980 developed to help promote Japanese singing duo Pink Lady in the US. This series is considered one of the candidates for worst TV show of all time. Despite (or perhaps because of) this the whole series is available on DVD. In Episode 3, Mie and Kei visit the Playboy Mansion in LA to audition as Bunnies. They wear ersatz Bunny costumes. But this skit also features five Playmates wearing the official Bunny costumes. The Playmates are Karen Morton, Jeana Tomasino, Sondra Theodore, Rosanne Katon, and Janis Schmitt (who was actually a Bunny in the St Louis Playboy Club). For more information on the show and Pink Lady visit this website dedicated to the duo: www.pinkladyamerica.com.
The Sharon Osborne Show When Sharon interviewed Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion a few Playmates and Playboy models were present in Bunny costumes. Blue Peter Long-running British children's TV show. In an episode from the early Seventies the two male presenters, John Noakes and Peter Purves, take part in the annual Waiters and Waitresses Race through Battersea park in London. This race was an annual charity event which featured waiting staff running through the park along a set course with loaded trays. The rules were that the participants would run the course in paired teams at staggered start times. Participating, as happened most years, were two Bunnies from the London Playboy Club in full Bunny costumes. The two male Blue Peter presenters could not wait to start so they could pursue the Bunnies around the park! It was innocent and played for laughs, in the spirit of the event itself.
Sykes UK Seventies sit-com. Hattie Jacques appears Bunnied-up in one of Eric's day dreams. Smash 2001 US TV pilot. Pauley Perrette appears in a green Bunny costume. The Simpsons Hugh Hefner guest stars in 'Krusty Gets Kancelled'. Bart visits the Mansion and passes a lab where Bunnies are conducting experiments. "Smart Bunnies, Hef!" Lorraine Kelly Does LA UK breakfast TV segment. Host Lorraine visits the Playboy Mansion to interview Hugh Hefner for her British TV Breakfast Show. Holly Madison, in a black Bunny outfit, gives Lorraine a guided tour of the Mansion grounds and the Grotto. Bronx Bunny Show UK made puppet comedy show for an adult audience, featuring US celebrity guests. The charming if geeky Bronx and foul-mouthed (and minded!) Teddy visit the Playboy Mansion to interview Hugh Hefner. Holly Madison answers the main door in her black Bunny outfit. Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In One episode featured Goldie Hawn in a real Bunny costume provided by the Hollywood Playboy Club. Kim and Aggie Clean Up America The two "Grime Ministers" (a pun so bad I'm surprised I didn't think of it) of British TV pay a visit to the Playboy Mansion to see if there is "a need for any British Bunny Girls." Holly Madison, again in her black Bunny costume answers the door and politely declines their offer.
The Benny Hill Show also featured ersatz Bunnies in different sketches. In one sketch Benny even Bunnied-up himself as a Bunny Boy in a Playgirl Club! One female keyholder swipes his tail whilst he is serving to use as a powder-puff to re-apply some make-up. Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Show 508, Season 4, Episode 123, 2002) Hugh Hefner appears in this episode as a guest accompanied by Playmates Ava Fabian and Victoria Fuller in Bunny costume. There are also the countless worldwide documentaries, newsreel features and reports, telethons, game shows, comedy sketch shows etc., etc.
MUSIC VIDEOS
BOOKS Coming some time never: Bunny-related books and magazines. This will not include newspaper reports/articles of Bunnies. There have been more Bunny newspaper stories than there were uncounted ballot papers in Florida!
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American
Playboy A documentary about Hugh Hefner
and the Playboy Empire. Available on DVD. Features the usual Bunny
footage / historical synopsis.
American
Dreams In one episode Farah Fath appears
as Playboy Bunny. She is a member of the USO Tour show entertaining the
troops in Vietnam. Apocryphal Now? - Whilst Bunnies did fly to Vietnam to
entertain troops the Bunny costume used is apocryphal. This is one of the
military Bunny uniforms Playboy recently designed for their "Operation Playmate"
promotion. When Bunnies and Playmates entertained the troops in Vietnam
it was nothing like the depiction in Francis Ford Coppola's
Apocalypse Now. Costume inaccuracy aside, this
is a truer depiction of a USO show.
Three
Sisters In one episode there is a fictitious
Bunny reunion, with gorgeous Playboy Playmate
Lexx
(Season 4, Episode 4.12) 'Bad Carrot' with Patricia Zintelli in an ersatz
Bunny costume.
