HUGH HEFNERS PERSONAL VALET - MARK HOPKINS - TELLS US WHAT IT WAS REALLY LIKE TO BE HEFNERS VALET! - The Bunny Chronicles | The History of Hugh Hefner | The Empire He Built

Speaker 1: Hi, my name is Karina Harney. Playboys Playment of the Year 1992.  Speaker 2: And I'm Echo Johnson, Miss January 1993. Welcome to the Bunny Chronicles. Let's go Showtime. All right, welcome back to this show, everybody. We've got Miss Kathy St George in the studio with me again today. Yes, hello there, She is here. Yeah, thank you so much. Our guest co-host for the next couple of shows filling in, And we thought it's a fun little addition for our audience out there to have some rotating playmates. Some of our fellow playmate sisters come in and host the show. Give her a chance to meet all of us out there. Yeah, and introduce yourself again. Tell me your month and year, My name is Cathy St George.  Speaker 1: I was Miss August 1982, and I was on the cover of October 1981.  Speaker 2: Okay all right. So we have a really, really fun guest today. I'm really grateful to Mark for coming on the show. A little bit of background Mark was a started out the mansion as a butler when he was 23 in the fall of 78 and then took over as Hef's personal valet for three and a half years Now. When we say valet, that does not mean driving him around solely. That means he was there for him for anything and everything that he needed, from the time he got up in the morning throughout the day, And if that included driving around, I assume that would be part of it as well.  Speaker 1: Did you ever have to throw some of the girls out of the bed in the morning?  Speaker 3: No, I would not have lasted three and a half years to talk to that.  Speaker 2: So Mark left in the spring of 82, like I said, he was there for a total of three and a half years. So, Mark, introduce yourself, say hello to the audience and thank you for being here.  Speaker 3: Well, hi guys. Yeah, mark Hopkins here, and I'm pleased to be here. My years at the mansion were a good time until they weren't, and that's what makes for an interesting story.  Speaker 2: It can't be all perfect, No absolutely.  Speaker 3: But no, I'm glad to hear. What would you like to know?  Speaker 2: So typically we like to ask how did one even come to secure a position as such, and specifically when, excuse me, i had to put my drink down? when speaking to the Playboy Mansion staff, it's always an interesting question of how did you come to be at the mansion, so what did that look like for you? We've had some funny answers, anywhere from Classifieds to Craigslist So how did you come into that position?  Speaker 3: Well, it's really a simple story. A miracle happened.  Speaker 2: Oh, okay, i'll take it. I'll take it.  Speaker 3: I'll try and compress this a bit, but I grew up in Ohio and I was going to my freshman year at Ohio University And I ran out of money so that I couldn't go to my sophomore year. So my sister had moved out to California to try and be an actress and moved to Santa Monica And I said, well, i'll go out to California and see what that's all about, stay a couple of weeks and then go back. And so I got here and I never went back. So I was going to Santa Monica College working in a market right at the top of Santa Monica Pier And a guy came in and we hit it off. We became friends And his name was Ken Allward. Ken was a butler at the mansion And I didn't believe him for the longest time.  Speaker 2: Right, really. So He brought me Too good to be true.  Speaker 3: Yeah. He said okay, fine. And the next day he came into the store and he had a pack of matches from the mansion and a Polaroid of himself there. I can prove it to you.  Speaker 3: And a notepad And I go holy crap, you are a Ken butler. And so we hit it off And a couple of weeks later she said you know, i think you would fit right up there. And he brought me an application And I filled it out and went up for an interview and my mind was blown When I got there. You know, walking up that back through the back gates for the first time was just. I said this is impossible. How did I land here? And a couple of workers were moving a coffin across the driveway and there were just workers everywhere doing all kinds of things.  Speaker 3: It happened. I found out later And it was approaching Halloween and they were right.  Speaker 2: Yeah, the coffins. Yeah, i was going to ask, it had to be around.  Speaker 1: Halloween, because that could be really spooky if it wasn't Halloween Yeah.  Speaker 2: Why the hell is there a coffin being built? Yeah, yeah.  Speaker 3: But I was lucky enough to get the job and started the following Monday and got my little, you know butler vest. And that's how it all started. It was, just like I said, honestly, pure luck. And if that wasn't enough, i was getting evicted from my apartment in Santa Monica because I had a dog in. The new landlord didn't allow dogs and I wouldn't get rid of my dog, and so I was walking him up the bike path just north of the pier and this guy was moving his furniture out And I said, oh, you hold in that place for me, just joking.  Speaker 3: And he said do you want it? So in a period of three weeks I went from a job that I just couldn't tolerate anymore to a butler at the Playboy Mansion and went from an apartment I was being evicted from to Beach Pet. I mean, it's 14, 15 oceanfront walk. Oh, wow, it's not there anymore. But I had brushed, i had to sweep sand off, sure, sure, Oh my, it was a great. It may have even been just within two weeks, yeah, yeah. So that's why I say actually a couple of miracles happened and got me on that path.  Speaker 2: Yeah, that seems to be the general consensus with the butlers in terms of how did you become hired as a butler and it was through another butler.  Speaker 1: Yes, usually Yeah.  Speaker 2: That was a hard position to fall into. So once you did just like you said, it was like awesome, i'm here, like this is the end. This is actually real, because same had Brian Olaya tell me that, oh yeah, you're full of shit. You're not a butler at the mansion, so general consensus, So that's amazing. And what you said about walking up for the first time that's always something that I like to ask our guest, whether you're a playmate or a staff or whatnot because the property, the grounds, is what was just absolutely spectacular about that place and anybody. For the first time you go up there, you're just like wow, i know.  Speaker 1: Is this real? I know.  Speaker 2: Where am?  Speaker 1: I, in fact, the grounds were my favorite part, absolutely The grounds. It was just like being in Shangri-La, you know.  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, and Kathy actually told me yesterday I didn't realize that on top of the zoo license it was also deemed a national force because the amount of redwoods that were on that property It's amazing what that place had.  Speaker 3: It's a funny little story about the. We're just riffing, right, yeah, okay, well, the zoo. You just reminded me of a funny story. There was always a legend about a ghost at the mansion. This is Letts the original owner, and I never saw her and I don't really believe in that kind of thing.  Speaker 3: But one time I had to go down into the front basement. There was a front basement and a rear basement when we weren't connected, but the front basement was lit well in the front. But then there were all these big closets and stuff and it was kind of dark And I was down there alone it's a little spooky And I heard what I thought was a thump in the back And so, okay, that's weird, probably nothing. But then I heard like a, what sounded like a clawing and a thump And I'm going, holy crap, what is that? And so I really honestly was nervous. So I picked up something that I could use to hit whatever it was And it was something And I walked back and it was dark And all of a sudden this black, furry head came at me And it was a freaking goat And apparently, and I hightailed it out of there And I went to the animal people and I said there's a beast in the basement. Yeah, the zoo inspector is coming up this afternoon and we had one too many animals there.  Speaker 2: And so they had to take the goat down in the basement. That is a cool story.  Speaker 1: The goat was on the way I was hiding.  Speaker 3: Oh funny I heard the crap out of me.  Speaker 2: I don't recall ever seeing goats at the mansion, but that was in the late 70s or 79, right 80. Yeah.  Speaker 1: And mom and papa dogs who remember. They were always in the front there And I think you came after that There was always these two big sheep dogs, mom and papa dogs Oh, they were there.  Speaker 2: Yeah, they were old, old, old when I came in And aggressive, yes.  Speaker 3: Back to the first time. I walked up to the gate they ran out at me and they were not, you know, all happy and greeting me And I thought they were coming at me. I didn't like my soft parts off and Jopie Astrow Jopie Astrow, who was a security guard at the time, he was the chief came out and said God damn it, mom and papa, get off, get back here. And that's uncle Joe. Yeah, he saved me from mama and papa.  Speaker 1: Well, they were security. At least they felt like they were hanging out with security. They were going to be security. You know their job.  Speaker 2: Absolutely right. Yeah, no doubt. So you were a butler. Were you a day butler? Were you a night butler? What did your shifts look like and your duties? and talk about that a little bit.  Speaker 3: Yeah, so when you first start I'm sure it was that way always they rotate you through the shifts so you get a feel for all of them. So it started in the mornings, so you get a sense of, okay, this is how I have to, you know, restock the bedrooms and go out and service the bathhouse and the sauna, and pick up the plastic glasses and cups out there and the tennis courts, and you just and it's the daytime, it's when most people are sober Yeah, the guests and everybody's here. Yeah, right, they're getting ready to go out on their shoots. Yeah, most of the time.  Speaker 2: Yeah, most of the time.  Speaker 3: But it was a calmer time. You know, it wasn't crazy mansion. And then the second shift. the second shift was heading into okay, work is done, You know, let's get dinner ready and everything. The guests would just pop in people who had carte blanche, who didn't need to be there for a party. They could just go up and order lunch and they wouldn't even need to see half.  Speaker 2: That was the 24 hour list. I was on that.  Speaker 3: A special person, yeah.  Speaker 2: Not everybody was Yeah.  Speaker 3: No, they weren't, And so that's when that happened. And then there was the night shift and that graveyard from 10 to 6.30 in the morning, and so I worked them all and really appreciated little things about all of them, but the night shift is where it happens.  Speaker 2: Yeah.  Speaker 3: And that was by far. although your body never acclimates itself to work in that graveyard shift mine never did, you know, it's just hard to sleep in the day? Yeah, for sure pushing people and they're making noise. You know they're having fun and I got asleep. But what made it so special aside from being there when all of the the stars and friends and You know activities were going on is because the thing that was really special about that was that I met my friend, leland, and Leland was the night shift manager.  Speaker 3: Okay yeah, and probably the most valuable thing I walked away from the mansion was that It was his friendship, and he's still my best friend to this day. We're gonna have dinner tonight, oh.  Speaker 1: Dating yeah, you know I tell him hi.  Speaker 3: Yeah, everybody does, and so he really taught me the ropes and we got away with murder. Yeah, we just, you know we always took our job very seriously. Of course he'd happen, get all of that stuff done and, and we wanted to do it right, we. And. But when that it all settled down, the guests had gone home. Someone probably would have given us a joint at some point in the evening. Yeah we're being honest here, right Yeah?  Speaker 3: Yes, yeah and and I mean on more than one occasion Just some star would drop in and who you know we watched on TV forever, like Dan Akroyd and John Belushi came up more than once and they, they came up after half had gone to bed, and and that's When I mean, i mean Ashley, when he'd gone to bed, not when he went up to his room. When he went up to his room It was not when he was not nine everybody in it.  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah but after we delivered his meal to him, that's, that was it. And so Belushi and Akroyd came up and we just hung out in the dining room with Lee and mowing a social secretary at the time, mm-hmm, and you know, smoke to joint and they just like put on a show. Well, they did, it's like just in their nature. And same with Robin Williams He, i love them.  Speaker 2: How, how neat to be sitting there watching that. These are legends, wow.  Speaker 3: Oh, I'm telling you absolutely all stone even better. At some point, i think we realized oh, we're working here. Yeah, you guys want to drink, you want to be?  Speaker 1: here. Oh yeah, i was supposed to offer you.  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right and So that and just sneaking around and sneaking out to the gamehouse later, could we have kind of an unofficial pinball tournament by championship, this with the security guards half busted us once And it was embarrassing really was that's actually good, because I like to ask all of the staff Did you ever get in trouble with half?  Speaker 2: what happened and what did he say? So what was his reaction when he found all you all play in the pinball tournament, but he?  Speaker 3: He opened the door and he was alone. Okay so, and which was kind of odd, yeah, actually, but it was late and so I don't know what he was going out there for. But he, he opened the door, looked in and saw some started to turn away and he said you guys know, you're not supposed to be doing this. Right for the guest and he I mean, it was almost apologetic how he said it, but had to lay down the law.  Speaker 3: We're yeah, he's paying us to play pinball and and so he left, and the next day there was a memo about, just a general memo about Butlers and stuff are not to be in the guest areas unless they're there for a purpose, sure. And so, yeah, he let us know.  Speaker 1: He didn't want you to play better than him.  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, and and if there were any incidents that did come up like that you know, half was a He was a logical person and he didn't lose his temper. He would just simply say something you know that this is what it is, That's it. Don't let it happen again.  Speaker 3: You know it's like right she caught me one other time and this was when I was his personal valet and and I thought he was down in Mary's office and he usually would stay down there for I don't know, it varied but an hour to get all the notes from the night before and, all you know, give her a list of everything he needed and And so we were safe. And I said the security guard was up there, he would always Join us and and the maids would be there making the bed and I'd be checking his clothes. And there's one point where I Just said I think I need a picture on half's bed. And so I climbed up there and the security guy took it and half looked at. By that time He knew me and we had a bit of a relationship and he said something like really I hope you with your shoes on.  Speaker 2: The very least, take your shoes off.  Speaker 3: That's to your point I go. He, he didn't freak out. Yeah, he didn't lose it. He only got mad at me one time. And That if you're interested in this yeah, go, it's there. Oh sure. So this um was when I had transitioned over and taken over the job with personal valet, and it was our first big trip.  Speaker 2: So actually let me ask you a question leading into that How long were you a butler before you went into being have some personal valet? Yeah, about six months, okay, so that was a quick transition.  Speaker 3: It was absolutely and unexpected. There I would find out later that the person who had been his personal valet for several years I don't know exactly, but he just tired of the position. He, he was, i, you know, he was a college graduate and Air Force veteran and he just he said, you know, i don't, he was training me because he trained all the butlers to be able to do the basic tasks if he was away. Okay, and so so we just hit it off and and I asked him how he liked his job and he said I used to love it and I just don't anymore. I mean, i'm really making my living by, you know, folding another man's underwear and And I just wish I could do more.  Speaker 3: And so that kind of I don't know loss of interest in the job led to Some carelessness and him just not committing to it and making mistakes and getting in trouble for it. So it wasn't long before he resigned And, and so that's why the position came available. Okay, then that was about six months in, and my time on the night shift was Invaluable for learning some of hefts quirks, you know, when you had to feed him and see him at night, see how he kind of operated gave me a real good familiarity with who he was.  Speaker 2: No, what happened Yeah? now go back to the story with the trip when you were here.  Speaker 3: Okay, so we were going on our first trip and I I had a long list of everything that he used and I had a partial old list of from a previous trip, but I wanted to make sure everything, no matter what it was, that if he wanted something I had it was our. And yeah and um I I think I even stuck a yellow pages or something in there. I had to call back because there was no internet. That I'm ridiculous. And two styptic pencils and he goes, i don't hardly need one, but take one of those out. It was funny, so thinking I had everything completely together.  Speaker 3: We boarded the plane and we never flew commercial. Unfortunately, the bunny jet had been sold off already. I would love to have traveled or not, but we would charter special plane And they were beautiful. And so we were ready and we were up in the air and half was setting up the backgammon table with a couple of friends And he opened it up and set the thing out and had the dice And he was looking around. I was sitting across the aisle and a couple of seats back. He said, mark, where are the cups for the backgammon game? He didn't like to travel. He liked it once he got there, but he could be a little pissy when his routine was interrupted.  Speaker 3: Very true, very true, yeah, and I didn't play backgammon. I didn't know how important I had checked. I had counted the stones, the plane pieces in there before, but I didn't know cups.  Speaker 2: He didn't bring them out.  Speaker 3: I didn't bring them out And he said how are we supposed to play without cups? And I was kind of mortified, I was embarrassed You know what I mean, Because it was John Dante and Lee Wolfberg and Heff and maybe Mark Saginore I'm not sure if he was there But I said, well, maybe you could use this cup And it's just a cup, you know that you're drinking cup And he goes no, no, that won't work. It doesn't have the little lip inside there that make the dice tumble. And he tried it And he was all frustrated. And finally, I'm not kidding, I am, i believe it.  Speaker 3: Yeah, and Lee Wolfberg and John said hey, heff, come on, let's throw them with our hands. And he said OK, fine, we'll make it work. Afterwards. He apologized I mean not profusely, but he said sorry, I got short with you, So that made me feel a little better. But what made it funny was to really alleviate any remaining tension. Right after they started playing and Dante was playing Heff Lee Wolfberg comes walking down the aisle with no pants on and no underwear, just his shirt and jacket. And so he walks down the aisle and he's just. I have a picture of his ass And Heff in the background looking down Like how are you doing? Yeah, and he did that just to crack Heff up in it. He did it To lighten the mood.  Speaker 1: Yeah, it sounds just likely right. Oh, he was a wild man.  Speaker 3: He really was.  Speaker 2: And to that point of Heffner traveling. We all know this, obviously, but for our audience And just across the board, heff was religious about his schedule and how he did things and how he operated, and he never, ever swayed from that. That's how he lived his life, and so when traveling he would bring all of his own food. The chefs would make all of his own food to bring with him, and so it was absolutely pertinent that everything that he required on his day to day at the mansion was then provided when he was traveling. And he didn't like to travel, he at all. To your point. So that would make sense, that the one little faux pas of like, oh shit, the cups.  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, that's exactly right, but that's just how he was.  Speaker 1: I got scolded because I stayed up in bedroom four because Joanie used to give me a lift home. She goes just stay the night and go by the pool tomorrow. So I stayed in bedroom four but I'd had a few margaritas.  Speaker 1: And the next day I woke up Yeah, i woke up with a little hangover. So I ordered a Bloody Mary and it was so good. It was so good And I thought I think I'll go down and take a jacuzzi. So I went down to the jacuzzi And that's the first time Brandi Roderick was there And she had a friend there. So they got into jacuzzi too And I was drinking my Bloody Mary and they said oh, that's really good, we're going to order some. So they brought more down. Well, i forgot, because I brought mine from the house. I brought the glass. Oh my God, oh my God. And he happened to come down.  Speaker 2: Well, guess who comes down to the grotto.  Speaker 1: He came down and said whose glass is this? I went I'm a naughty girl. And he picked it up and took it out And I walked out going. I'm so sorry. And then he told me a story from the night before, so he just changed his subject, but he's gone.  Speaker 2: Don't do that, you know better. Yeah, you know better, that's right. So in 1979, was that the year that Christie took over as CEO, or was that 81? And my question is was half still part of the day-to-day operations of Playboy, or had he completely just resided to the mansion and during the publication? at that point, when you were there?  Speaker 3: I don't know that level of detail about exactly when she took over, but in my mind and from what we saw, nothing ever changed. I mean, he was still as involved as we had ever seen him, from day one till the day I left, and he would run meetings And when the bigger group would have you know, the senior leadership team would come in and Christie was there. Derek Daniels, i think, was the president of the company for a while And then Christie took over from that.  Speaker 1: So I think it was It was probably, i think 81 is.  Speaker 3: I think it's a little later.  Speaker 1: Yeah, because I was there when it happened and I didn't start going to 80. So and I remember it happening, So I think it was 81.  Speaker 2: You know it was around early, It is 81, because it was 1979 that they founded the HMH Foundation and Christie gave out the first award to get those two confused. So HEP was then at that point still very, very hands on and involved in the day-to-day operations of Playboy Enterprises as a whole, as opposed to later on in life when he stepped back completely and only did the publication from the mansion And then Playboy Corporate or Enterprises acted, you know, as its own entity, which was only.  Speaker 2: Rightfully so. You know he had done that for decades. It was time for him to put that.  Speaker 1: He was only, he was only.  Speaker 3: He was only 57, 58 years old at the time, so that's way too young to be retiring or something. Yeah, yeah, i remember his birthday party.  Speaker 1: I think it was this 56th, though, and they had that big birthday party in the backyard and Harry and Nancy. Yeah, it was so much fun.  Speaker 3: Ucla marching band Oh yeah, it was amazing. How fun. This is a long shot. But do you remember they had gigantic white heavy paper posters And that said it was a cake and Hef's face was drawn on. It Said happy 60th. And there were three or four of those. Well, i got one of those when it was over and Hef signed it to me. Oh, now I practically don't have a wall big enough to put it anywhere.  Speaker 1: Isn't it funny. I got so many great souvenirs And I think about it And I go. where are they?  Speaker 2: Kathy said today's we're driving here, she goes shit. I'm almost out of all my memorabilia And she goes. But oh well, it's just shit My family would have to throw away when I die. So true, we all have so much memorabilia of everything we've kept over the years.  Speaker 1: I had to cut my hair off because it was a rat's nest, because I had broken my leg in November And I just wasn't quaffing my due And it was long And my hair was all matted up. I mean, it's like nothing you've ever seen. It looked like something out of a scary movie, like the cooking. Like I literally chopped it off And then I put it down and one of my fans goes I'll buy it. I go trust me, you don't want to buy this. This is not pretty.  Speaker 3: Wow, oh, that's wild. Yeah, we have. I have a ton of that kind of stuff too. I have a pair of silk pajamas that black ones that accidentally been washed in a washing machine, so pajamas went to the dry cleaners. All the other pajamas were washed in house And so when they came back the luster was off of it Still silk pajamas, but they didn't look right And so we would never have put them back in circulation. So I got those And one of those orange terry cloth jumpsuits. Oh my gosh.  Speaker 3: Yes, oh my gosh, that's cool Because there's a hole right where your rear end is. No way He got. he got every mile out of those.  Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, that is funny, that's a cool item.  Speaker 1: I think I ended up with a bathrobe, one of the not the white one, though the color one Short one, yeah.  Speaker 3: Short white robes.  Speaker 1: Yeah, the white ones were special.  Speaker 2: So tell us what your day looked like as House Personal Valet. I mean, would you get up with it or not get up with him in the morning, but were you there for him in the mornings, when he would arise and breakfast? and just give us an idea what the day looked like.  Speaker 3: Well, first of all, Heft didn't get up in the morning.  Speaker 2: No, he did not. He would get up about two o'clock. I'm all for that, right.  Speaker 3: Yeah, he had some blackout curtains in there that you couldn't have shot a laser beam through Nice. So my shift was from about 12 to 8.30. So I get there at noon and sit down with Mary and go over everything that we needed to go over, and when I'm this is a funny story I'm gonna back up like just a little bit. Okay, so when I'm, when that other personal valet resigned Mary, i've met her a few times and we'd had some interactions and we seemed to hit it off and and She said that she told the Butler manager that she wanted me to just fill in for the other guy until she had time to, you know, go through, evaluate who she wanted to be the new personal valet. Okay, and so she said that. She said would you do that? And I said are you kidding me? Absolutely. And you.  Speaker 3: You know of confirm that this is not a permanent deal. This is just you're filling in until I can find someone else. I said that's okay, i'm looking forward to doing it, it's an honor. And she said so your first job is you're gonna have to go with heft to the tonight show tomorrow With Saundra. And I said I'm gonna go with heft to the tonight show and she said yes, absolutely. And I said holy crap. And so that was kind of mind-blowing.  Speaker 3: And And I mean, i, six months before, i'm working in a liquor store market on the beach, and And now I'm, you know, riding with him. And she said and you ride in the back with half and Saundra, i said you know what, me In the back. and she said, well, unless you want to ride in the trunk, because there's a security guy in the passenger seat and the chauffeur in The front seat, and I said, okay, what do I say? You could offer him a Pepsi you need to take, you know. We went over the list of things I had to take and And she said don't, don't be chatty, but don't be a bump on a log either. Yeah, he says something. Just take a deep breath. And, you know, engage a little bit sure, and Saundra knew I was trapping my pants practically the next day because we had become friends and she did a great job. And you're gonna do fine, you're gonna do fine, and she said, but she was very well-giving like that.  Speaker 3: She is fabulous and she said that, and don't Get uncomfortable, because sometimes we like to make out in the back of the limo, yeah Great. So sitting there, you know, and my knees are touching his and hers Depending on where the car was going, and and just driving down sunset towards them, toward Burbank and the studios, i remember thinking, god, i wish my friends could see me now, see me, i'm only, i'm only gonna be here for a minute and you know, you've all driven in limousines and people look they don't want to look, but they look and they want to know who's inside. And I Go, it's me. So half did I. I wish I had a tape recorder to, because he was talking about the Beatles and their longevity and and said, asked me a question about that and and I had a good answer. I mean, whatever it was, it contributed to the conversation, sure, i think he asked me about another band who had, who had had that same kind of impact and and so, but anyway, i just said yes, i didn't say anything stupid, and that was We got there and and song tonight, you know we have was in the green room and we had to.  Speaker 3: She wanted some ways, potato chips and, and when we Everything worked out beautifully. And when we left I took the his name plate off, the his, the green room door or is you know, the guest room door, wherever he was staying, and I Gave it to Mary the next day and and she said well, congratulations you, you passed. Yeah, i said past what, and she said well, that was kind of an audition, that was kind of a test, just to see how You would get along with half and Sandra and how you handled yourself intimately on that level because you were with him closely, just like, yeah, in that sort of aspect the butlers weren't necessarily Intimately on the day to day without me, you know.  Speaker 2: So that makes sense.  Speaker 3: That's right, and So I didn't. Honestly, i I probably understood what she said, but I just wasn't believing that. She said if you're interested, like to off you the job, as that's personal Valorant oh wow, and That I mean I'm almost getting emotional out. That's ridiculous. I know that you've made me think about it again. It's not for that 23-24 year old guy that I was. I was just so happy for him.  Speaker 2: Absolutely. That was huge.  Speaker 3: It was an honor for sure amazing moment, and So the next, you know, for the next week, i'm I'm leading back to your original question, that's you're getting to a point. She said first thing I want you to do is go through all of his drawers. I want you to know where everything is, i want you to know what he likes for snacks, and, and You know everything about it. And so I was in there Taking we used the Polaroid for a lot and so I would take pictures of what was in each drawer So I would know, you know, where they were. And I was taking a picture of of um um, his underwear drawer was up top and he walked in. I didn't see him behind me and he said why are you taking pictures of my underwear?  Speaker 2: What are you doing?  Speaker 3: And I said well, sorry, mary told me that I needed to know what was in your drawers, all of them and he goes. Well, i guess that makes good sense.  Speaker 2: Yeah, how about it?  Speaker 3: and then it came and he came back in a few minutes later and said you know, while you're out at what, you've got the camera, um, can you come with me and help me? and sure, and so we went into the main bedroom and it wasn't the bedroom you know today, It was a really boring, beige, french Provincial kind of a bedroom. It was the same footprint, um, but it didn't have the spiral staircase up into the upper area. There was no upper area, it was just boring. Bathroom was the same, but the rest of it was crap.  Speaker 3: And so we were getting ready for a massive renovation to what you see now. Oh, wow and um. And so every I think most people know have had stuff all over the floor And I made little piles a hundred of them in a project or photos or something. But he could navigate them pretty well and he could go find what he wanted. But if we're going to move them, it was going to be, you know, a little bit of a challenge if we didn't have a record. So I went in and and we worked together. He said take a picture of this, take a picture of this. And he said and so we did that. He said now I have to, we have to go through all this, all the stuff around here, all of the gifts that he'd been given, and he said Mary told me I had to get rid of everything. I didn't absolutely so.  Speaker 3: Smart, no, go get some go get some transfer cases, that cardboard boxes essentially, and um And let's, let's get this done. Yeah, and so he was, you know, putting stuff in there, and and some he said you put it, throw it away, i don't want it anymore. And some we would store and put up. You know he was a diary scrapbook fanatic.  Speaker 2: Oh yeah.  Speaker 3: Yeah. So he'd really like to save everything. And so we're going through all of his stuff and and I picked up this, oh, he said, and get rid of that. He pointed to something floor and I picked it up and it was a blow-up doll, blow up sex toy doll in the pack. I just yeah, yeah, yeah Somebody had just probably given it to him as a gag Yeah, and I said You mean, you don't want this, he's just gonna throw it away. And he said why do you want it?  Speaker 2: He's like I get the roll deal.  Speaker 3: Yeah, uh, i said, well, not for me, but I'm a photographer and it could be a really, you know, cool prop. Oh yeah for some shoot Um. And he said hey, you don't need to make any, you don't have to explain anything to me. You, you kids, have a nice life and so. Yeah, so it was. We kind of started developing a relationship then with a more casual one, sure sure, sure, sure, sure.  Speaker 2: Conversation was was very important to to happen. Obviously, we know that, that you know, and, and the people that um had the opportunity to be very close to him. That's what they would always talk about is like his capacity to listen and his capacity to be, so, you know, there and engage. Yes, and he loved dialogue, so that completely makes sense that he would want to be able to have that with you and what grew into a great relationship, a great working relationship as well.  Speaker 1: Do you remember? I don't know if you remember, but there was one year, at Christmas it was early 80s They had a loose sight model of a Hitachi magic wand made for him as a gift, and it was loose sight. Anyway, yeah, mark's I mean Tom Stabler had it done, and at the time I'd been married for a long time and I wasn't really dating and have have. If it's said to me, you know, i'd love you to come up and visit. And I said, well, i haven't been around enough. I think I'd be a buzzkill, but I said so as a joke. After they made the loose sight met Hitachi magic wand, they gave it to me and said you need this more than anyone. No way, i swear to God, and I kept it for years. I bet You better still have it. I actually blew it up.  Speaker 3: Why.  Speaker 1: Because I enjoyed it.  Speaker 3: That's the whereas. Yeah, that was the Hitachi two speed magic wand.  Speaker 1: Yes, that's right.  Speaker 3: I had to order them.  Speaker 2: You had to order here, like I'm very familiar with that, they were.  Speaker 1: It changed my life, That's correct. It changed my life, that's correct, and it came from the half.  Speaker 3: I know That's awesome. Back to your original question. I would get in, see Mary, find out what was going on and then go down and, you know, find his cleaning and do all that stuff. Sometimes I did all the shopping, i bought all this clothes for him. So I had to go into rodeo drive and to Bijan or Mr Guy or his tailor, tasso Caravellis, and I was just a goofball, you know, i wasn't sophisticated Beverly Hills rodeo drive shopper, sure, but so it was a really crazy experience for me.  Speaker 3: I remember going to Bijan and it's time You didn't just walk in. You had to have a point, that's right. But I knocked on the door and they explained that to me And I said, well, i'm Q Hefner's personal valet. And she said, well, do you have a card or anything? I said no, i don't have any business cards, but he was kind enough to let me in. Anyway, he believed me And his daughter, who worked for him, brought over a bowl of cigarettes. You know that said would you care for a cigarette? I don't remember if you took it or not. A bowl of cigarettes.  Speaker 3: Can I get a bowl? It was a crystal ball. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it plays on the top.  Speaker 3: And asked me if I'd like a drink. And I mean, it was just otherworldly, honestly, for sure, for sure. I would do that kind of stuff. And then we'd get the call that Hef was out of his room And he's with Mary. And then that's when I'd call security and call the maids and the plant people, whoever needed to go up there at that time, and they would all do their work And we'd get it all straightened out And then leave and spend the rest of my day. Sometimes I'd have to help get somebody walking behind me. Sorry, somebody's got to take care of that, cool. And so sometimes, like I said, i would work with the butler or some other stuff, and I worked on putting together kind of a handbook of how to be Hef's valet, because one didn't exist before And I always thought how handy that would have been if I had that. Sure.  Speaker 3: Because, I would have known about the damn backgammon.  Speaker 2: No, you're thinking that You would not have left those cups, you know.  Speaker 3: And go ahead. No, that's all right. That's kind of how a normal day would go.  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, every finite detail. I mean you were there for him And then you grew to understand exactly what he wanted and needed on the daily and even the hourly, and you were there to provide. So you're the second interview that talked about taking Polaroids of Hefner's room. We had interviewed three of the butlers together last season And they had to go in there to clear it out for a photo shoot And they said, like you, that Hef had piles everywhere. He knew exactly where everything was. He has a photographic memory And so you better put everything back exactly where it was Or he's not going to be happy. So they went in there with a Polaroid camera and took pictures of every little square inch of that room and then put it back once the photo shoot had occurred. So I wonder if you were the first one to do that or if Mary had kind of created that. But that's smart, makes sense. He's very OCD, yeah.  Speaker 3: We didn't have cell phones, obviously, and to take them with a regular camera would have just been kind of cumbersome. To send it, though not have it printed Would have worked, but Polaroid was a great solution. He mentioned having to take care of his specific needs, and so, like I said when I came in, the first thing I would do was to stop at Mary's And she would go over the notes from the night before that the social secretaries had taken, and that's when things would come up and say oh, hefs out of this, which I hoped it was never me. I never wanted to let him run out of anything And I was almost 100% with that, but he had run out of rolling papers, and so the note said Hefs needs some double-wide, easy, wider rolling papers and a new rolling machine. And she said I can't read this right, said a new rubber tongue. So what, what? Honk wasn't.  Speaker 2: I don't know what he is on.  Speaker 3: And Leigh Ann had written a note And so she talked to her And he said, yeah, a rubber tongue. Hefs says he can't find his old rubber tongue. I said, well, I mean, is this just a sex toy? How does it work? And he said, well, yeah, that's exactly what it is. And she said you need to go to the Pleasure Chest, Or there was another sex shop in Hollywood. I forget what it was called, But what was it?  Speaker 1: It was on Santa Monica too. It was on Santa Monica up a little bit, But yeah, I know both of them Yeah.  Speaker 2: I don't know why.  Speaker 1: I drove past them.  Speaker 2: Yeah.  Speaker 1: Right.  Speaker 2: Yeah right, kathy. Oh hey, Kathy, good to see you again. Oops, Walking out with my bag falls A rubber tongue. Now would it go on the end of your tongue, i assume?  Speaker 3: So that's what I assumed too. So she said I'm sure they have them there, but again, no internet. So you couldn't do the search. You could call or you could go in. And I'd never been to a sex shop And I thought why not, let's go, it would be fun. And so I asked the guy do you have any rubber tongues? And this is. I mean, this place was huge And they had everything from sex furniture to oils and toys and clothes and everything. And I'm just going, oh, we grabbed so much, i don't know. And I said, do you, where are the rubber tongues? And he said, what?  Speaker 3: The guy that ran the sex store I had the sex store, he didn't know it, it's rubber tongue. And I said you know, they kind of just slip over your own tongue to make it longer so you can go pleasure. And he goes we don't have anything like that. You mean like a kiss, like the band kiss, and I go, i don't know, i've never actually seen one. He said, no, i don't, sorry. So I went to the other sex store, sex shop and sex store, sex store, whatever you call it, and the same story They'd never heard of them And they didn't have any. And so I came back and half happened to be in with Mary when I walked through the door And I said, you know, i couldn't find a rubber tongue. And I remember him saying hmm, whoever thought rubber tongues would go out of style? And I thought that was the way. That's awesome.  Speaker 3: So I said well, i'm not giving up, though. So I did some research and found this woman who ran a boutique where she had sex toys for handicapped people who couldn't reach themselves with their hands. And so she would make yeah, i don't know what else she makes, i didn't see the catalog, but that's what she did. And I said could you make a rubber tongue? And she said yeah, i think I can do that. I still have a letter from her. And so she made two, and so half was really happy that we'd come to her.  Speaker 2: Good job, mark. He's like you. came through solid Two of them, no less.  Speaker 1: I love to believe he even ran out of one in the first place and had to get an ambulance.  Speaker 3: Like he lost And then I thought maybe it was to look.  Speaker 1: Exactly. I thought maybe it was something to wet the rolling papers at first, when you were saying rubber tongue, and then I realized no, it's really a rubber tongue. I could have separated those stories.  Speaker 3: No but.  Speaker 2: I thought it went well together. It did, and first thing I thought of, though, was the ban kiss with their long ass tongue.  Speaker 1: And I'm like oh, how cool.  Speaker 2: So you put on a rubber tongue on your tongue and go to town.  Speaker 3: Very interesting.  Speaker 1: Latex and soft, Yeah, interesting Well that's a very talented woman that made that for you too.  Speaker 2: So this was the era of Sandra Theodore. So it was late 70s, early 80s. So they were not married. So the parties and whatnot were still happening. Right, the annual parties. Was that still going on at the mansion in that time? Oh yeah, absolutely.  Speaker 3: They weren't married, but she was the number one woman.  Speaker 2: Yeah, for many years, like five years, I believe.  Speaker 3: I want to say five years. She was there a little bit before me a couple of years And we left roughly the same time And so, yes, Sandra was the number one squeeze. And I remember she had another girlfriend who came up occasionally Heather Yeah, Heather, I was staying away from names.  Speaker 1: Oh no, but she always talks about it on social media.  Speaker 3: Yeah well, i mean, heather was sweet too. Neither one of them were wrong. But how could you be in that situation and not be a little unhappy about it? He was open and honest about it. They both knew what they were getting into. Absolutely.  Speaker 1: And she was only on Thursday.  Speaker 2: She was only.  Speaker 1: Thursday, she's only on Thursday, good memory.  Speaker 2: So that's actually a good little photograph. That's a good little nugget or factoid, whatever you want to call it, because I didn't know that. I thought that he was with Sandra solely. Obviously, I knew later on in life he had the multiple girlfriends because I was there and I saw it. And then when he was with Kimberly, he was married to Kimberly and he was completely devoted and faithful. But that would make sense that he would have another girlfriend, but Sandra was number one.  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, Sandra was the woman of the house and they were together a certain period of time, But during that time he did have a girlfriend that would come up once a week.  Speaker 1: So yeah, so she was around Yeah.  Speaker 3: Yeah, sandra and I became good friends and are still to this day, and I just have a really sweet memory of Mary O'Connor asking me to join her and Sandra and Heff and Alex Sandra's dog under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve as they open gifts together, and so it was like she was taking notes and I probably took pictures, but just to be there if they needed anything, and it was. It was really a touching homey moment, maybe one of the most that I ever experienced there, and I did it twice during my time. And one of the gifts he that Sandra opened was a little package and she opened it was a ring And it says not an engagement ring, but it's a ring that says I care for you, right here, and she started crying. I bet her arms around him is set. I think you're going to get lucky tonight.  Speaker 2: I think you're going to get lucky. That's so sweet And.  Speaker 1: Alex went oops.  Speaker 2: That dog was so cute, that's cute.  Speaker 3: He was kind of mean to Oh yeah, he was cute, But he'd bite you.  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, i like what you just said about like a of that moment and that it was. it was the mansion was so comfortable and it was a home at the end of the day, and then people don't understand that or know that. you know, and, yeah, absolutely right, and it was lovely when you got to be a part of those moments and experience those moments, even just if you're coming up for movie night or whatever Tuesday night dinner, whatever. anytime you had an opportunity to be there with Huff and his, his best friends, and, you know, a group of women it was always it was so precious, precious times who are so, so fortunate to be a part of that.  Speaker 1: It was a really good time in the 80s. It was like a sorority, i mean. I remember I went up. When I first started going up, i didn't really know him. Well, you know, i was kind of on the outskirts, i would be hanging out with ID, you know, and. But then they called me to do his makeup for Halloween And I was like, oh my God, i'm so scared, i'm so scared And I was like because I was going to be one on one talking to him in his room all by himself, and I had to make him a vampire. And then I would love to get that picture still, because there was a picture on the wall for years of her And I did her as supergirl. But it was such a good opportunity to have one on one conversation with him And it was so nice to me.  Speaker 2: Break the ice too. And yeah, because, because it is the first time you know have the opportunity to meet him.  Speaker 1: It's intimidating, I mean you don't really know.  Speaker 2: And then you're like, Oh my gosh, he's an absolute sweetheart And he's respectful of everybody. You know, you respect him and he didn't forget me after that either.  Speaker 1: Whenever he'd see me in the house. It was always hey, yeah, you know that was always amazing.  Speaker 2: You always remembered every everybody's names, everybody. Well, he was a genius. He was right brain and left brain is what Karina and I always like to say. He was an absolute genius.  Speaker 3: So absolutely super intelligent Yeah highly you know, something you just said reminded me of this. But when I was still early on as his personal valet, i had to lay his tux up for him and brush it off and make sure it was all ready. And some tuxedo shirts don't have they have buttons that you have to put in. They're not attached to the shirts. I was a little studs And so I hadn't done that before. I don't think I'd have Well, probably my high school prom, but but so I did that for him And and then he came in and and you know, put on a shirt. He dressed himself. I didn't have to dress in. Yeah, they that clear early on, it wouldn't be needed. And and he called down for me. I left and he called down and said come on up. And so I went up and he said these buttons that you put on were there in the wrong way they're in for, like a woman's. Women's buttons are opposite. I put them in the wrong side.  Speaker 2: Oh, it looked fine. It looked fine.  Speaker 3: Looking at it, he's, but he didn't go. You put the buttons in there.  Speaker 2: Yeah, he's like, let me show you.  Speaker 3: Yeah, he said. He said this is an easy mistake to make. I've done it myself. But he said, if you need to, you can put the shirt on first, before we were roughly the same size before you put the buttons on. Yeah, you get it right. So he was always to me He was other than the backgammon cuffs. He was always kind and considerate And I mean he, he had things that he wanted done But he didn't deliver those wants in a demanding or you know he was kind of the people around him And that's thank you.  Speaker 2: Thank you for saying that you know that's that's invaluable and so important again for us just to continually reiterate throughout these interviews because obviously you know, the mainstream media has painted this whole picture of him that's completely false and wrong and a narrative that you know suits other people And we all know, you know, he was such a kind man, he was a generous man, he was respectful, he was, he was, he was interesting, he was funny. I mean you know every picture.  Speaker 1: I have. I went through some of my photos and showed them to her last night. Wow, All my photos that I have with him, and every single one. We are both cracking up.  Speaker 2: Yeah, we're always laughing, yeah, yeah.  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm standing on. he's laughing. I mean every single one.  Speaker 2: we're laughing Cracking up, cracking up, cracking up. Well, mark, we're getting towards the end, so we're going to wrap up the interview. We like to end our show with two questions. Do you want to ask?  Speaker 1: us? No, i'm not. I had a hard enough time with them yesterday, okay.  Speaker 2: So so three words that define Heff to you.  Speaker 3: Oh boy. So I think Heff was a pioneer. Yeah, he and many ways, but in his advocacy for civil rights at a time when civil rights I mean Jim Crow was very much a real thing at the time And he was bold and had black guests on the show and in his employee and fought for those causes, not to mention the form of marijuana laws and a whole lot of other causes. So I think he was a pioneer. I think he was a romantic, like a hopeless romantic It's. I think everybody thinks first about sex and naked women and all of that, and that was certainly a part of it. But I always I just saw so many clues that Heff was his whole life was looking to find that one forever love, And you know whether it came from his love of the movies and he saw that or what. But that's kind of what drove him And I. What he wanted was unachievable in my estimation. I don't think he ever found it with anyone. That's just my opinion, my opinion.  Speaker 2: No, i agree with that, because he obviously was in love with the idea of love. Yes, he was Exactly.  Speaker 1: And whether or not he was fully, you know, rewarded with it or felt content, we don't know, but He was a great listener, yeah, and he loved everything about women, not just when we were pretty or not, just he would listen to the stuff that most men don't want to listen to, like if you broke up with a boyfriend or this and he'd sit there and listen and go and talk to you. He loved everything about women, not just what they look like in a pair of That's an aspect?  Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly.  Speaker 1: Exactly.  Speaker 3: And the whole act of courting. Yes, i mean I had to go out and buy Jackie Gleason albums for him. I didn't even know Jackie Gleason did music, but it's all that kind of rat pack era cocktail music. Yeah, And it was romantic And so yeah.  Speaker 3: So that's what part of Phef is to me And I don't. He was an enigma to me. Oh good one, i like that He. I have four sisters And so none of them think they don't trash half or anything, but they think that he created a world that was just self-serving, and part of it was, let's be honest, but it wasn't. I don't think it was. This is where I struggled. This is why the enigma part I wrestle with it all the time, because what I saw was a guy who created a world that the people that I saw were happy and they weren't manipulated. But the reality is that he is a fully grown adult and they're much younger And, yes, it's their free will. They're making the choices, but are they? he's got a full blown, evolved mind and they're just growing. So was it right? And so it's just something I wrestle with And I know everybody has very strong opinions about it.  Speaker 1: He made my world a happier place.  Speaker 2: And at the end of the day, to that point, heff was very, very, very clear about who he was, what he did and what he wanted. And so it always seems to fall on Heff oh, he was this person and he did this and he did that. But at the end of the day, the girlfriends and I can speak more towards the women of the 90s and the 2000s they knew exactly what they were getting into. They were very clear. They also were 1920, 21 years old and they made a choice to be a part of a three to seven part girlfriend with an 80 something year old man.  Speaker 1: Okay, Which was mostly watching movies and eating popcorn anyway.  Speaker 2: And that's fine, That's their choice. But he never. You know, you may or may not agree with how he lived his life, but he designed his life exactly how he wanted to live it, And rightfully so, you know every woman had the option to say no.  Speaker 1: Every woman had the option and would not be treated any differently. If he did Exactly, he loved her just the same.  Speaker 3: I agree with you And that's why it's an enigma, because there's this other element. But what I saw is what you described.  Speaker 2: Yeah.  Speaker 3: And if somebody had a different experience down the line? as they look back on their life like you know, some people did they. They are just looking at it now from a different perspective, with their own fully evolved mind, exactly, you know, and they have every right to, to express how they feel, even though they were having a good time at the time and but, looking back and going, what the f was I doing? So I just like to leave that open.  Speaker 1: Let people I like to think I was the bad influence for some of the men in my life.  Speaker 3: Well, leaving, leaving glasses all over the place. What are?  Speaker 1: you kidding. Do you know what that does to a Jacuzzi? He said To that grotto Don't you know what that does?  Speaker 2: That's it up, gaby, that's so funny, Okay. So second question If you had a chance to say anything to have before he passed, or in memoriam, what would you say?  Speaker 3: Hmm, i'd say thanks for having the strength to follow your dream and and to create a world that some people disagree with. but just kind of what you just said, that you followed your dream despite not having very many resources. you know, at the beginning a kitchen table with a few hundred bucks and and creating an empire out of it And you know. thanks for the opportunity for letting me be a part of it And thanks for the blow up I'm getting touched.  Speaker 1: Thanks for the blow up.  Speaker 2: Oh, i love it, i always get choked up at the end when because everybody has a different response Thanks for sharing it with us, Jeff. Yeah, in particular to you, know three words that define, have to you. But ultimately, with a second question, everybody for the most part says just thank you. Thank you for including me on this journey And we all get choked up And it's just like it's so true, it's like again we were so blessed. I mean I had a blast with Mark around.  Speaker 1: Yeah, i mean, i love Mark around the house. We went to the drive-in.  Speaker 3: We went to the drive-in movie, we went to the double feature.  Speaker 1: And we would have, and we would have a cooler with Baileys and whatever we want, and we would just pour ourselves drinks and eat sandwiches at the movies And there that that point's right too, and you talked about this earlier.  Speaker 2: I remember the movies. We're so, we're so blessed to have this Playboy family and our Playmate Sisterhood, and I don't know of any other Fortune 500 company empire that would maintain the type of relationships that we all do, and it's because it was such a special place and we were a part of it And we're the only people in the world that can say we were a part of that And that's awesome And it's yeah, it's followed me in a positive way for my whole life.  Speaker 3: People are always just blown away. But what You did what? And they don't believe me, just like well they do.  Speaker 1: It's so amazing Yeah.  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's so amazing. Oh my gosh. Well, what a great interview. Thank you, thank you. Thank you, mark.  Speaker 3: Thank you so much Thank you for inviting me.  Speaker 2: Thank you so much.  Speaker 1: I know you're in holiday and you squeezed it in and I really appreciate it. And and tell your Mrs I said thank you too for you know letting us borrow you, i'll do that.  Speaker 3: Yeah, for sure. Well, you guys did a great job too, so thank you, we appreciate it.  Speaker 2: Thanks for our audience. I'm Echo and I'm Cathy, and this is the Bunny Chronicles. See you next time.

HUGH HEFNERS PERSONAL VALET - MARK HOPKINS - TELLS US WHAT IT WAS REALLY LIKE TO BE HEFNERS VALET!

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