Playboy September 1977

COVER STORY This month's cover, designed by Senior Art Director Tom Staebler and photographed by Paul Gremmler, features three Playmates who really didn't need the extra padding: Denise Michele, Hope Olson and Lisa Sohm. Readers who remember our Playmates-onbaseball-cards cover and pictorial last October will recognize the touch of Staebler, who is an ardent campaigner for equal opportunity in sports. 3 PLAYBILL 11 THE WORLD OF PLAYBOY 15 DEAR PLAYBOY 21 PLAYBOY AFTER HOURS 24 BOOKS Dan Carlinsky surveys the current crop of get-rich-quick publications. 26 MUSIC Back to the Beatles; Galway makes flute magic. 30 MOVIES New York, New York, The Deep, Outlaw Blues, Orca, MacArthur reviewed. 42 TELEVISION Police Story's Joseph Wambaugh tells Hollywood what he thinks of it. 43 DINING & DRINKING For Sherlock Holmes freaks, new watering spots. 44 STUDENT RIGHTS TO A FREE PRESS NAT HENTOFF As far as free speech goes, the distance between The Washington Post and a high school newspaper is like the distance between Berkeley and Moscow. 45 A MAN'S GOTTA CHEW D KEITH MANO A pleasure once appreciated mostly by baseball players and good ole boys now has growing numbers of Americans spitting every ten seconds. 49 THE PLAYBOY ADVISOR 55 PLAYBOY SEX POLL ... HOWARD SMITH and BRIAN VAN DER HORST Both men and women are asked the burning question of the century: Does size make a difference? 59 THE PLAYBOY FORUM 69 PLAYBOY INTERVIEW: JAMES EARL RAY—candid conversation The man convicted of killing Martin Luther King, Jr., gives his version of events and—for the first time anywhere—talks about his daring escape. 90 DOWN THE SEINE AND UP THE POTOMAC—humor.. ART BUCHWALD Ever wonder who's controlled our country's destiny since World War Two? Our immodest author supplies the answer. 95 PYRAMID POWER—article JOHN HUGHES Will this ancient shape sharpen razor blades, cure impotence and fallen arches? Now conduct your own consumer test with our do-it-yourself model. 99 PLAYMATE'S PROGRESS—pictorial Jean Manson has proved that beauty and talent are not mutually exclusive. Her singing career has vaulted her to the top of European record charts with three consecutive hit singles. 106 SPIRO AGNEW LOOKS FOR A GOOD TIME—article. . AARON LATHAM In which our former Vice-President, while searching for night life in Rome, provides conclusive evidence that he, at least, is no effete intellectual snob. 109 A MOON IN JUNE—fiction LOYD LITTLE Remember when you were alone with a girl on a warm summer night, and the sight of a full moon gave you both butterflies in the stomach? Here's why. 112 THE BELLE OF BEAUMONT—playboy's playmate of the month Debra Jo Fondren suspects she may have been a large animal in a previous incarnation and she has the golden mane to prove it. 126 PLAYBOY'S PARTY JOKES—humor 129 BACK TO CAMPUS—attire DAVID PLATT There's a definite swing toward conservatism, which is why we give you words and pictures on How to Fit a Suit in our back-to-college wardrobe review. 135 EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION (BUT ONLY PLAYBOY WOULD ASK)—article PLAYBOY commissioned a national poll that answers such questions as whether or not most husbands would divorce their wives. 138 GIRLS OF THE BIG TEN—pictorial A loving look at the ladies all those football players are fighting for. 150 BEGGARMAN, THIEF—fiction IRWIN SHAW The first of two parts of what the creator of Rich Man, Poor Man says happened to the Jordaches (not to be confused with what you saw on TV). For starters, Billy's into terrorism. 155 PLAYBOY'S PIGSKIN PREVIEW—sports ANSON MOUNT Our peerless prophet puts his fearsome reputation on the line one more time with picks for the collegiate grid season. 159 JUG TIME—drink EMANUEL GREENBERG In which a nice pair of jugs is not what you think. 160 CAMPING OUT—article JAY CRONLEY Some yearn for the great outdoors; others itch for the less perilous indoors. 163 THE CUNNING WIFE—ribald classic 166 PLAYBOY FUNNIES—humor 198 THINK TANK Fast-paced information on managing, Laetrile and converting to coal. 208 PLAYBOY POTPOURRI 215 PLAYBOY'S PIPELINE Concorde briefing,"eye care, fuel-saving tips, choosing a lawyer. 239 PLAYBOY ON THE SCENE Storage units, Polaroid's movie camera, Fred Segal's clothing empire.