Hugh Hefner's former personal butler has shed a light on the dark side of the Playboy Mansion in a new memoir, revealing some of the strict rules bunnies had to follow.
Stefan Tetenbaum's memoirs have been revealed in new book The Dark Secrets of Playboy, which expose the orgies and wild parties held inside the infamous building.
He claims there was frequent hiring of prostitutes, as well as shedding light on the supposed mistreatment of girlfriends and Playmates.
Stefan also revealed there was a manual of strict rules that everyone should follow.
"I waded into the manual; page after page, rule after rule, how to run the house smoothly, no seams showing, no problems caused," explains Tetenbaum.
"How to serve, what type of decorum to maintain, how to become the ‘Shadow’. Serve, serve, serve was the underlying theme.
"Just like the butlers of old, all the way down, serve, but not be seen, serve and do not question, look sharp but don’t look that close or you’ll soon be looking at your walking papers."
Never speak to his 'girlfriends'
A rule that was perhaps not included in the manual but was something house staff had clearly learnt from their time working for Hefner was that they were forbidden to speak to any of his 'girlfriends'.
In the book, Tetenbaum explains how head butler Jon had warned him that the Playboy boss was "very jealous".
He was told: "Mr Hefner is very jealous of his girls. Don’t be caught having intimate conversations with any of them.
"Just do what they ask of you and make yourself scarce and don’t forget – there’s always somebody watching."
His ash tray must always be within reach
The head butler also instructed Tetenbaum on how to keep Hefner happy.
He said: ‘"See this ashtray? Hefner must be in reach of this at all times, and his pipe and his tobacco.'
"Jon reached under the bar and brought up a handful of black match books. Carefully he arranged them in a full sunburst around the ashtray, Hefner’s name facing up.
"Then he placed the black pipe and two unopened packets of Mixture 79 smoking tobacco.
"Hefner’s name must be facing up, don’t forget. Hefner gets very upset if everything isn’t done to his specifications."
Playboy Club Bunny Manual
It wasn’t just Hefner’s staff that had strict rules to follow, Playmates were also required to live by the magazine tycoon’s high standards.
By the 1960s, the Playboy boss had opened his first Playboy members club in Chicago, with parties attended by celebrities including the Beatles.
Spanning a number of floors, the club consisted of a jazz-fuelled bar, living room and VIP dining room.
Serving drinks and entertaining guests, Hefner’s infamous Playboy bunnies would swan around the venue on long shifts.
Perfect hair, nails, make-up and costume
In a new podcast, ‘Power: Hugh Hefner’, host Amy Rose Spiegel described how the early Playboy bunnies working in these clubs had to do a lot more than simply look attractive for the paying attendees.
It was explained that the bunnies went through a rigorous training programme designed by Hugh’s brother Keith, which was spelled out in the Playboy Club Bunny Manual.
The manual stated that “the bunny’s hair, nails, shoes, make-up and costume must be bunny perfect”.
Daily baths and 'good deodorant'
Reading from the manual, Amy continued: “Good grooming starts with a daily bath and good deodorant. Regular use of body lotion will keep your skin soft and pretty.”
No dancing with club's members
Despite the modern reputation for sordid parties where bunnies interact raucously with guests, the initial manual prohibited bunnies from dancing with the club’s guests in “close physical contact”.
Forbidden from removing heels
Developing the bunnies’ distinctive image from an early stage, the podcast also related that Hefner formed strict dress code standards from the very beginning.
Jackie Nett, who worked in one of the clubs during the 1960s, recalled: “You’re hired for your looks, you make your tip off your looks – if your service is bad, you become very ugly very quickly.
“You had to be able to walk around in a corset and three inch heels for eight hours.
"You don’t take your shoes off. Because if you take your shoes off and your foot swells, you can’t get your shoes back on.”
Hair cuts needed to be to his liking
The tycoon's ex-girlfriend Holly Madison has remembered "cultish rules" and "disturbing orgies" being a part of her life in the iconic property.
Holly, who lived with the magazine mogul between 2001 and 2008, said: “I got to a point where I kind of broke under that pressure and being made to feel like I needed to look exactly like everybody else.”
In attempt to reclaim some of her individually, Holly decided to get her long blonde locks cut. This apparently didn’t go down well with Hef, who wasn’t keen on her new look.
Holly recalled: “I came back with short hair and he flipped out on me. He was screaming at me and said it made me look old, hard and cheap.”
Her story is backed up by Hefner’s former associate Jonathan Baker.
He said: “I remember when she cut her hair. He was very unhappy about it. Yup, his world.”
No red lipstick
Ex-bunny Bridget Marquardt, 48, has similar recollections too.
She said: “She came down with red lipstick one time and he flipped out, said he hated red lipstick on girls and [told her] that she needed to take it off right away.
“It was very frustrating to live with every day. All of the drama that was going on and the tension. I could definitely see that [Holly] was getting depressed and sad and her demeanour was starting to change.”
Strict 9pm curfew
Holly says she learned to cope in the disturbing environment, which she described as a "life sentence" with “cultish” rules.
She claims girlfriends of the mansion had to stick to a strict 9pm curfew.
No saving money
Bunnies were given $1,000 (around £725) to spend on clothes per week – but apparently had this income reduced if managers got wind they were saving too much.
No dating
Holly claims she wasn’t permitted to date anyone else and was offered free plastic surgery so she could tailor herself to Hefner’s tastes.
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