Penthouse magazine
September 1970
Time to step back to September, 1970, where the number one single in the U.S.A. is 'War' by Edwin Starr. Let's take a look at the latest issue of Penthouse magazine.
This seems apropos in light of the fact that on September 4 and 5, 2023, the A & E channel will be airing a two-part series, titled 'Secrets of Penthouse', about the magazine and Editor Bob Guccione:
In his Editorial for the September, 1970 issue, Guccione expresses glee at the magazine's success, which had been publishing in North America for one year. Guccione noted that circulation and advertising were up, which boded well for the future. And he was right.
This issue is only 98 pages in length, but of course the magazine was to grow in size with the passage of time. The advertising includes record club memberships, Lee corduroy slacks and jackets ($11 and $12 each, respectively) and the ill-fated Ford Pinto.......
Among the Letters to the Editor is one from a G.I. serving in Vietnam, where large numbers of Americans were continuing to face injury and death while 'Vietnamization' proceeded.Max Gunther provides an article about government surveillance.......1970s paranoia in the dawning stages !We have a portfolio featuring Pet of the Month Tina McDowell, a shapely 20 year-old who works as a greeter at the Penthouse Club.
This issue goes Highbrow with a 'Penthouse Symposium' interview with up-and-coming writers, among them D. Keith Mano (1942 - 2016), whose 1973 sci-fi novel 'The Bridge' I reviewed here.
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