A harsh opinion, but it's not mine. Rather, it's the opinion of Tony Hendra (Ian Faith in "Spinal Tap"), who is credited as a writer on all of the 26 Season-One episodes of Hugh Hefner's PAD that were broadcast in 1969.
Hendra published that opinion in the "LIVES" column of The New York Times Magazine (issue of Sunday 4th July 2004). The column, titled "The Personal is Political," is mostly about Hendra's friendship with the late actress Diana Sands, whom he met at one of PAD's post-show parties. Sands -- then 34/35 yrs. old -- already had some very impressive Broadway credentials to her name, and asked Hendra if he would rework one of her stage shows into a movie script. As Hendra writes, "I leapt at the opportunity to write something weightier than intros for a talent-free egomaniac." (I wonder, to whom could he possibly be referring? LOL)
As for the show, I'm curious why it didn't last longer (some say it was unable to get picked up for syndication in "conservative" parts of the country). But be that as it may, Playboy was still in its "cool" phase in 1970 when the show ceased production. The monthly magazine was still scoring A-List interviews, and the Playboy "lifestyle" was still being promoted in movies like Diamonds Are Forever (1971). A far, far cry from today.
