"Playboy After Dark" lasted for 50 episodes in 1969-70. I lived in small-town Midwest during that period and no stations there would dare have touched this show, so I have discovered it in the past few years. Watching it is a nostalgic experience and it is interesting for the musical acts and other celebrity guests.
The standard formula has Hugh Hefner throwing a party for his guests. The show featured numerous musical acts (Fleetwood Mac, Sonny and Cher, The Grass Roots, Lesley Gore, Lou Rawls, and many others), comedians, beautiful women, and other celebrity guests. Some of the acts are just horrible (especially the comedians), some of the music is pretty good (although not always live), novelty acts like hypnotists and magicians are featured, and there are always famous faces around for star-gazers.
Among the guests are Don Adams (who was never funny), Peter Lawford, Rowan and Martin, Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate, Frank Sinatra, Gig Young, Meredith MacRae, Sammy Davis, Jr., Rich Little, and many, many others. The disappointing thing is that these entertainers were only sporadically entertaining, with many of the comedy sketches and music numbers falling terribly flat. In particular, Bill Cosby and Don Adams are far more irritating than funny.
I found myself being transported back in time to my early teenage years by watching this show from 1969-70, so on those terms the show is watchable. However, anyone under 60 should be prepared for a strange experience. Unless you like bad comedy routines, cringe-inducing lounge singers, inane dialogue, and card tricks by Milton Berle, you may want to watch something else.
