Penthouse's impact on OFM

[Gretchen Edgren]

Well, back in 1971, Playboy started showing pubic hair on Playmates because 
of Penthouse, and at one point Arthur Kretchmer hired his old (Articles 
Editor) boss, Jim Goode, away from Penthouse, thereby exorcising that 
particular (ghostly?) presence. There was a considerable feeling on the 
Playboy staff at the time that we had to move left to counteract the then 
increasing competition from Penthouse. OFM went back toward the center 
about the time of the infamous popcorn cover, but that more or less 
coincided with the high point of its circulation. I could look up these 
dates, but so could you (in The Playboy Book, about which I have probably 
forgotten more than I wrote in the first place)!

gretchen