Ep 3. Hugh Hefner/Libby Titus

Hugh Hefner, the iconic founder of Playboy magazine, hosts Season 3 Episode 3 of Saturday Night Live. The episode premiered on October 15, 1977, and features musical guest Libby Titus.

The cold open finds Hefner working on his memoirs, interrupted by the arrival of Bill Murray as a bumbling pledge seeking entrance to the Playboy Mansion. This sketch sets the tone for the episode, which is heavy on Hefner’s Playboy persona and light on political satire.

The monologue sees Hefner discussing his admiration for comedians and sharing stories of comics who got their start in his Playboy clubs, including Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby. He then introduces the show’s first skit, a parody of his magazine that imagines what the centerfold would look like if the subjects were not traditionally attractive. This segment features Hefner himself dressed in his iconic silk robe, surrounded by a variety of bizarre and unconventional models.

The subsequent sketches are similarly focused on the Playboy lifestyle, including a game show called “What’s Your Perversion?”, a live commercial for a Playboy-branded cologne, and several skits set at the Playboy Mansion. One notable sketch features Jane Curtin and Gilda Radner as women attending a party at the Mansion, bemused by the clichéd antics of the male guests and the repeated offer of quaaludes.

In between the sketches, musical guest Libby Titus performs several songs, including “Mama Said” and “Lady-O”. Her performances are understated, with a focus on her soulful voice and the backing musicians.

One notable sketch that departs from the Playboy theme is a parody of a telethon hosted by Dan Aykroyd to raise money for the “National, Interstate, Department and Retail Store Number One Testicular Cancer Foundation”. The skit features Aykroyd as a flamboyant host, John Belushi as a celebrity guest who arrives late and drunk, and a number of comedic jabs at the audience’s expectations for telethons and celebrities.

The episode ends with a final sketch set at the Mansion, where Hefner invites his guests to watch a movie together. The film in question is a cheesy sci-fi parody, imagined as a cross between Star Wars and a softcore porn film. The sketch features a variety of colorful aliens and scantily clad women, and ends with Hefner breaking character and addressing the audience directly to thank them for watching.

Overall, Season 3 Episode 3 of Saturday Night Live is a lighthearted, cheesy tribute to the Playboy brand, with several moments of comedic brilliance sprinkled throughout. While it may not be the most politically relevant episode in the series’ history, it is a fascinating snapshot of a particular moment in American pop culture, one in which Playboy and its founder were still considered titans of the entertainment industry.