10 Great Musical Performances From 'Playboy After Dark'

While most people only know Hugh Hefner for his iconic Playboy Magazine and fondness for women young enough to be his granddaughter, he also broke some ground in television.

At his prime, Hefner was this young, hip entrepreneur who obviously knew how to have a good time while surrounded by pretty women. And that image was the focus for the short-lived syndicated television series "Playboy After Dark."

"Playboy After Dark" followed the same format of Hefner's early series "Playboy's Penthouse," which aired in 1959-1960. The idea was to create a show that would give the audience a sense they were just hanging out at Hef's apartment for an hour. There were celebrity guests, lots of live music and plenty of gorgeous, lanky women.

Though the show only produced 52 episodes over two seasons, "Playboy After Dark" featured a crazy number of live performances by the best musicians of the day. Everyone from the Grateful Dead to Harry Nilsson made an appearance and while it's difficult to carve the list down to a few favorites, here's a look at ten "Playboy After Dark" performances you'll love:


SAMMY DAVIS JR., BILL COSBY AND JERRY LEWIS

While Hugh Hefner loved the hip counterculture, he also had a soft spot for traditional Hollywood. That's best illustrated in this clip, which has Davis singing, a shout-out to Robert Culp, appearances by Peter Lawford and Bill Cosby. And Jerry Lewis being....well, Jerry Lewis.

LINDA RONSTADT

Ronstadt made a couple of appearances on the show, but my favorite, an acoustic guitar version of "Long, Long Time," isn't available. So instead here's the equally impressive "Living Like A Fool." What an amazingly pure and powerful voice.



THE IKE AND TINA TURNER REVUE

Just an explosive live version of "Let Me Take You Higher," complete with those dance moves that reportedly inspired a young Michael Jackson.



THREE DOG NIGHT

In 1969 Three Dog Night was just kicking off their incredible run of hit singles, but they were already one of rock's hottest concert acts. The audience in this clip is just crazy - everyone from Soupy Sales to James Brown and Richard Pryor.



FLEETWOOD MAC

If you wonder what Fleetwood Mac sounded like in its pre-Buckingham/Nicks years, this blues-heavy version of "Rattlesnake Shake" will give you a good idea. And there's a bonus appearance by Arte Johnson.



JOE COCKER

A great performance of "Hitchcock Railway" by Cocker, who in 1969 was still a few years away from the "too stoned to stand up and sing" phase of his career.



B.B. KING

Is there anything better this blues master performing "The Thrill Is Gone?"



JAMES BROWN

The clip isn't the best quality, but it's a chance to see Brown talk about his life a bit and sing two songs: the ballad "If I Ruled The World" and the percussive "I'm Black And I'm Proud."



THE GRASS ROOTS

I've always had a soft spot for Sixties pop-rock and when The Grass Roots made this appearance, "Midnight Confessions" was a top five hit. It's a good example of how "Playboy After Dark" booked a wide range of musicians, from hip underground to the most commercial rock around in the late Sixties.



HARRY NILSSON

Besides Nilsson's performances of "Good Old Desk" and "Together," there is some close-up magic and an appearance by director Otto Preminger. At the time Preminger was directing the film "Skidoo," which included some Nilsson songs on the film's soundtrack.