Playboy May 1976

COVER STORY Believe it or not, the Rabbit on this month's cover was not the product of a touch-up job by our art staff—it actually appears in Seurat's Grande Jaffe. But don't take our word for it; the original painting, with Rabbit intact, can be seen hanging majestically in the Art Institute of Chicago, and reproductions abound. 3 PLAYBILL 9 DEAR PLAYBOY 17 PLAYBOY AFTER HOURS 20 MOVIES Our critic applauds Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver but pans a tasteless Gable and Lombard. Also, Robert Redford on the filming of All the President's Men. 26 BOOKS New novels by James Purdy, Gore Vidal, Leon Uris and Irving Wallace 30 TELEVISION A preview of the May 16 special F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood, and Sheilah Graham's candid comments about the production. 32 MUSIC A new album by the phenomenally fast-rising Phoebe Snow, and the reissue of an old one by Mel Torme and Frances Faye. 37 THE PLAYBOY ADVISOR 45 THE PLAYBOY FORUM 57 PLAYBOY INTERVIEW: ABBIE HOFFMAN—candid conversation Currently a fugitive from a drug bust, the cofounder of the Yippies discusses his life in exile, his childhood, sex, drugs, communism and his plans for a new underground movement. In addition, there's interviewer Ken Kelley's sometimes bizarre chronicle of his Riding the Underground Range with Abbie. 82 THE DEMONS OF GERALD FORD—article RICHARD RHODES Lurking beneath the calm, albeit bumbling exterior of our President lies a vengeful, perhaps even dangerous man. A plunge into Jerry's secret past for an in-depth psychological portrait. 86 PARKINS' PLACE—pictorial Barbara Parkins (of Peyton Place fame) is what they call a class act. Accompanying our pictorial, some straight-talking by Miss Parkins as noted by PLAYBOY Contributing Editor Bruce Williamson. 91 TENNIS CON AMORE—sports WILLIAM MURRAY A romp with two talented Italians who firmly believe that there's more to life than ground strokes and half volleys. 92 21ST CENTURY FLIX—modern living DON SUTHERLAND The new super-8 movie cameras may not make you a Francis Ford Coppola or a James Wong Howe, but they'll do just about everything else. 96 THE BEST-KEPT SECRET IN THE CARIBBEAN—travel Until now, you had to be either a spy or a native to know the right times and places to have fun under the sun in the tropics. Our very own staff of Robinson Crusoes has discovered when and where to go for maximum enjoyment. 103 GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEERS—fiction .... DANNY SANTIAGO What happens when a saintly chicano falls in love with a peroxide blonde. 104 SINGLE-MINDED MISS MC CLAIN—playboy's playmate of the month Our outspoken Miss May knows what she wants—and then some. 114 PLAYBOY'S PARTY JOKES—humor 116 THE WEST END HORROR—fiction NICHOLAS MEYER In the conclusion of this new adventure by the author of The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Sherlock Holmes tangles with Bram (Dracula) Stoker. 119 THE HAUTEBURGER—food EMANUEL GREENBERG Tired of eating bland patties that look like they've just been run over by a steam roller? Try the gourmet approach. 121 WEAKNESS—parody JOHN HUGHES You say you've read Power! by Michael Korda and you're still not going up, up, up? Our author discusses the advantages of being a door mat. 122 PLAYBOY'S HISTORY OF ASSASSINATION—article.. JAMES McKINLEY Second of two parts, in which all the theories on the most controversial and mysterious of Presidential assassinations are examined—that of John F. Kennedy. 128 SHOWER POWER!—modern living When it comes to the new shower heads, getting clean is only half the fun. 133 PICTURING HERSELF—pictorial The talented Suze Randall, photographer and model, focuses her camera on a dynamite subject—Suze! 139 THE HANGED MAN WATCHING—ribald classic .... PIETRO ARETINO 140 JUMR SHOTS—attire DAVID PLATT Its origins may have been utilitarian, but the jump suit now leads a life of leisure. 143 NEVER EAT ANYTHING BIGGER THAN YOUR HEAD—humor.. KLIBAN That and other sage advice from the king of off-the-wall cartoonists. 186 PLAYBOY POTPOURRI