William Buckley Interviews Hugh Hefner on Firing Line (1966) Part 1

[@SOLROSENBERG2]

I've got to say as a pretty young person it amazes me to see intelligent respectful discussions on tv...what a difference a few generations make.

[@jediknight38]

SOLROSENBERG2 I agree. If this show ran today it would end up looking a lot like Jerry Springer.

[@ignorecorporatenews]

Procure and read the book "Vulgarians At The Gate" by Steve Allen, it explains how this happened. President Ronald Reagan had a lot to do w/it, believe it or not, as Allen explains in his book

[@Novastar6]

This interview: Hefner trying to wing it so he can get back to the mansion and his bunnies as quickly as possible.

[@Babcock3]

This is a great discussion. Better than anything you'd find on televison today.

[@99Leo]

A million thanks for the Firing Line videos. Finally a show where I know for sure my brain cells will be enriched instead of killed by the end of the show.

[@Radar19792006]

I always wondered what flavour of tobacco Hef smoke in his pipe. Had a unique way of holding it too, bowl in hand and stem across the body as opposed to forward.

[@nintendoshoe]

I could listen to WFB all day

[@bennetttiger2]

I respect Hefner for the fact that he was a true inspiring man... he stood up for what he thought and not what society believed in. Not just about his gentlemen magazines, but on his playboy show he had African American musicians preform on his show when no other shows would have them. Most of those performers went on to be successful. I don't think that very many people know just how much Hefner had an impact on our lives today. Thank you Hugh

[@cookieman38111]

This is one of the few interviews of Mr. Hefner where he seems nervous.

[@ccaammiinniiito2]

I always enjoyed Buckley. He's an exemplar of the Louvain, Sorbonne, Cambridge, Oxford, all the Ivy's, didacticism I admire. What's enjoyable about this interchange is that it's balanced, meaning Hef holds his own with equal intelligence and wit. I enjoy listening to Hef since he defends so well. Another whom I greatly admire is Stephen A. Wynn of Las Vegas, who's a marvelous thinker on his feet, too. I do so miss the Buckley format since he's the best model of true conservatism.

[@Judas93]

I miss William Buckley. At least when you saw him, you knew that there was going to be an honest debate and not a fox news/MSNBC shouting match.

[@meio4744]

Listening to William Buckley, I believe my IQ has gone up by 1 standard deviation.

[@deemariedubois4916]

mo O Buckley is so posh. Who knew?

[@jeannicolas8150]

Better than going down 1 IQ.

[@ValleyoftheRogue]

This must have been Christopher Hitchens' own KZbin channel. Noticed it hadn't been updated in six years. That to me was a giveaway it was indeed his own channel. CH died in 2011. Died way too young. RIP.

[@camrunmaffew]

Hugh Hefner is clearly on speed or something, I mean he's not blinking.........

[@darrenjohnson2912]

😂😂😂😂

[@Jeremyramone]

wfb's question at 2:23 is utterly stupendous, what a vocabulary, thanks for these videos. cheers

[@luvdomus]

Except "Mosaic Law" has nothing to say about monogamy for men ( only for women) and says nothing about chastity until marriage or forbidding sex outside marriage.

[@sUPer1upQUEEN]

Jesus, even in the sixties Hefner sounded like an old man.

[@babayaga9102]

Because he is 51 years old in hear. He looks and sounds great.

[@Draftspike]

Didn’t everyone

[@swar3194]

@@babayaga9102 41

[@TheJuize85]

41 is young nowadays compared to the sixties

[@wmbrown6]

@frankgrimes17 - From 1966 to 1971, "Firing Line" was produced at WOR-TV (Channel 9) in New York, and was also aired there. It seems Buckley and/or his producer Warren Steibel had the tapes of these shows preserved, since WOR dumped most of their tapes and kinescopes after moving their studios to Secaucus, NJ in 1986, three years after switching their city of license there.

[@CrazyLeiFeng]

They were both quite young back then...

[@iceberg23n98]

hes BACK!

[@ElegeantFencer]

Wow, Hefner looked nervous. But he was brave to stand up for his beliefs.

[@scottschaeffer8920]

History has shown, like it or not, Hefner prevailed. His version of freedom & morality.

[@periperigord]

@ElegeantFencer Yes, I agree that Hefner was courageous to stand up for his beliefs. And yes, he does look somewhat abashed during this interview - he cannot look Buckley directly in the face!

[@StephanieJ777]

Finally someone said it.

[@markkindermannart4028]

William Buckley Interviews Abe Lincoln

[@jshalom65]

YAY HEF!

[@darwincity]

@mhltan74 Great point, except that Buckley was also, in a certain sense, a libertarian, especially in his views on drugs. In fact, his libertarianism would force him out of any current-day conservative movement, especially since he was open about it, unlike some conservatives who brag about morality while they do not impose such rigor to their personal lives, and that was the great charm of Buckley: a total frankness about his persona.

[@PirateTHESteam1]

Fuck. I remember commenting here. Time flies.

[@nikkipowell5667]

rip huhg

[@HunterMann]

@mhltan74 Such shows do exist, for example The Charlie Rose Show. He's on PBS and you can see some of his interviews on KZbin.

[@johnandrewwalsh]

Yeah, it really once was a serious magazine. A loooong time ago.

[@luvdomus]

I did a caricature of Buckly for Disney's animated 'Aladdin', and I wish I'd had these videos as reference. I used my memory of David Frye impressions from the Ed Sullivan show!

[@carryclass]

you should email him and ask him he is still alive. let us know if u get an answer.

[@hydrolito]

@jonesey5168 Why 1966 Hugh over today's way less V.D.?

[@hydrolito]

@periperigord This was being televised so they looked at the camera not at the face.Why do you think the chairs are angled so they are both angled toward the camera.They generally looked at each other when the camera was on both and generally at the camera when not although they did look at the other when the finished their point. Having a camera there changes where you look because you consider the TV audience.

[@caseyd321]

Huh? What the hell is he even talking about?

[@jessiejane6259]

Hugh put on a great act in this staged so-called "philosophical" debate. His body language is classic! He was winging it and he knew he suckered Buckley into this sham intellectual discussion. Hugh is genius!

[@wwc51450]

You admire Hefner? No wonder liberalism is so perverted today.

[@hartley81848184]

Hef holds his own against what? The show is clearly a platform for him to just espouse his beliefs without any critical analysis or debate. And, true to form, Buckley throws him the softball questions, and Hef knocks them out of the park.

[@GSW12345]

@HunterMann interesting theory but I think a man as "courageous" as he would be willing to admit to something like that and also it would be miracle if he could keep that information private.

[@harrysingh295]

In the name of freedom we have spoiled the efforts of our freedom fighters ...Thomas Jefferson and Lincoln and Washington for Americans ..and Bhagat Singh for Indians

[@paul_bellini]

@MrDominex Could you please provide some examples of his positive effect on culture?

[@secondstring]

Who? Buckley or Hefner?

[@mowriter]

99Leo: all the more, in my case, BECAUSE my politics don't align with Buckley's. Wonderful to be challenged and intellectually complemented with ideas you don't necessarily agree with...but you can recognize the logical coherence and systematic way of getting to those conclusions.

[@tyu632]

@V1N5E its in the title man XD

[@ErikSchneider1975USA]

If your a true believer in Limited Government and a disbeliever in "Big Government" that Government should stay off of peoples backs. Then you have no problem with Hugh Hefner's lifestyle and his magazine.

[@HunterMann]

@99Leo Yes, so cool to see videos from an era when the viewing audience has a much longer attention span and were likely not multi-tasking while watching TV. We had 3 main channels back then, but with hundreds of channels now on the average TV, people have too many choices and in their surfing of the channels, they often miss the best programs because they give no more than one half a second on each channel to determine if the show is with watching. The lowly stuff they settle for is pathetic.

[@ANonymous-bq7wg]

Man Hef’s son Cooper looks exactly like him

[@MrDominex]

@AnonymousWhitePerson, Buckley accuses Hef of "breaking with Mosaic law" and "rejecting monogamy"-- but Biblical patriarchs had multiple wives. The custom of monogamy is a later development. Anyway, Buckley is rigid and accusatory, Hef is spontaneous and real. No wonder the Playboy outlived the Conservative. Hefner had a more positive and lasting effect on culture.

[@hydrolito]

@drumgirl187 You can watch Jeopardy they generally find educated people then maybe a little less so with celebrity version.

[@TheReactorSings]

"And Hugh Hefner." Cut to: a beady-eyed weirdo smoking a pipe. The Thunderbirds theme music abruptly stops.

[@mrgoodcat817]

@mhltan74 Agreed

[@stevenfox574]

two people presenting opposite views in a civil fashion..

[@chrisx2k6]

LoL...That's true...But it's enjoyable all along the way...Even when I disagree with him.

[@jimmybuck3ts60]

Buckley is so far up his own

[@Arareemote]

You are mistaken.

[@hartley81848184]

I have to hand it to Buckley - he passes himself off as an American conservative better than any left wing collectivist I can think of. The Soviets were lucky to have him on their side.

[@potchonk]

@AmericansforFreeIran What Hugh Hefner have to do with teenagers? is it because his Playboy magazine? But Playboy magazine is for adult only, right?

[@smackedinthejaw]

Interesting how a sexual liberator and man with hedonistic inclinations appears here as a be-suited, cross-legged nervous mumbler who doesn't seem to be too sure of what hes saying. That could be a representation of the times moreso than anything...still struck me as noteworthy tho.

[@djangounchanged7672]

u got beat up a lot in school did u?

[@drServitis]

dingo atemybaby That, and his mother did not want him and let him know that throughout his childhood.

[@robertisham5279]

smackedinthejaw I know right

[@brushcreek42]

Heffner looks stressed or worried.

[@GSW12345]

@StMartinTours The Hef had multiple marriages.

[@potchonk]

@AmericansforFreeIran which youth? adult youth or underage youth? for adult youth, they responsible for their own action, right?

[@TornadoOfSouls777]

Bet Hugh's 22 year old wife-to-be wish she had the 1966 Hugh rather than the 2011 version.

[@grguy793]

The world has gone nuts. Returning to the past is the answer and that’s not going to happen.

[@AlanJacksonisgreat]

wow, the disgust on Buckley's face is a little more than apparent

[@applelemonhead3345]

i feel like buckley is talking in entish.

[@shivaandy1465]

bro please talking about malaysian hindraf..!!!

[@shivaandy1465]

that happend for malaysian tamilans...

[@JeffersonDinedAlone]

As slow as he is, it would take all day.

[@steveinchelsea]

Re: Judao-Christian morality, did WFB know how many wives & concubines Solomon had?

[@XKG80]

@luvdomus Nobody ever wins out. You only win out for the time being. The 60s isn't the first sexual revolution and what was prior to that revolution was not the first stringent code of sexual ethics.

[@MrDominex]

@MrDominex Hef overthrew American puritanism, enabling communication about sexuality which was forbiden before, end of censorship, extension of First Amendment protection to sexual matters, legalized sex education, legalized birth contol (hard to believe these were illegal in some states) legal abortion, a feeling that all people ahve a right to sexual fulfillment, gay liberation, and more rational attitudes about life in general. Glad Buckley lived to see his morbid religosity discredited.

[@leemori90]

Hugh hefner high on Dexedrine lol

[@hydrolito]

@sUPer1upQUEEN Hefner was skinny so it may have made him look older maybe he lost weight so more wrinkles show up, he doesn't have grew hair and he isn't bald.

[@Durchbrechen]

first time I see hugh hefner. Looking at his face when he's speaking it seems in the midst of the effort of dropping a turd. Probably they told him that a a pipe and that face were useful to convince the audience that having hard ons could be somehting intellectual.

[@gurshark]

@mhltan74 have you seen the Buckley/Vidal clip? Vidal calls Buckley a crypto-facist. Then Mr. Polite calls Vidal a queer and threatens to punch him in the face. Common courtesy? Respect? Etiquette? I think not.

[@wwc51450]

V. Gore started it.

[@BlantonDelbert]

Hefner should have ran for political office. He never answers a question, evades them all.

[@suzib777]

Wasn't William F. Buckley a leader of the "Intellectual Right"?

[@V1N5E]

what year was this aired ?

[@KumbariTheMumabi]

1966

[@ChixandPolitix]

I like(d) Hef. I met him in LA in the 90's. But my father's magazine PENTHOUSE, was much more hard hitting and gave to men what they really wanted, without all the cheesecake airbrush and attitude.

[@Ganmna]

2:19 - 2:22

[@luvdomus]

Between these two relics of a bygone era, Hefner is the one people remember, because his philosophy, in the end, won out. Buckley was a fantastic performer in his time, though.

[@wwc51450]

No wonder liberalism is so sick and perverted today.

[@luvdomus]

@@wwc51450 The conservative movement has become a perverted death cult-- just look at Trump and the anti-vaxxers, COVID deniers, militia extremists, Nazis, Klansmen, religious fanatics and con-artists who dominate the GOP today. Liberals are mature, responsible, concerned leaders who support justice, the general welfare and the health of American society.

[@luvdomus]

If William F. Buckley could see what the conservative movement has become he would hang his head and cry.

[@blainenodes8182]

Agreed...wfb added to every conversation he entered.. I'm 74 yrs,saw a lot of him back in the day

[@hydrolito]

@mhltan74 Loudest mouth I thought it was silliest jokes they used in debates.

[@darwincity]

Well, he maybe thought that his sole dissenting opinion on the question of drugs automatically made him a Libertarian...

[@nolleymarie9511]

Why tf did they sound like that back then 🤔 like their voices are weird sf

[@victoriabarany1006]

The Mid-Atlantic accent, or Transatlantic accent, is a consciously acquired accent of English, intended to blend together the "standard" speech of both American English and British Received Pronunciation. Spoken mostly in the early twentieth century, it is not a vernacular American accent native to any location, but an affected set of speech patterns whose "chief quality was that no Americans actually spoke it unless educated to do so". The accent is, therefore, best associated with the American upper class, theater, and film industry of the 1930s and 1940s, largely taught in private independent preparatory schools especially in the American Northeast and in acting schools. The accent's overall usage sharply declined following World War II.

[@wickedzeus56]

is buckley drunk? constipated?

[@quemacha]

When is Hugh Hefner going to date women his own age?

[@AnhTuPhucDerrickHoangCanada]

All those party girls can go over to Windsor to marry cops

[@VictorFr0st]

lol

[@ccaammiinniiito2]

So do I. See my post below. Broken record Sean Hannity and boring Bill O'Reilly don't come within a last place of the wit of Buckley who obviously belongs to the Classical form of education, possibly with study abroad in the 9th grade. Buckley is at once home with Spenser, Aristotle, Luther, deTocqueville, just to name a few. The closest conservative intellectual to follow in Buckley's footsteps is George Will.

[@dashercronin]

Although William Frank Buckley Jr. was born into a wealthy Irish-Catholic family on November 24, 1925, in New York City, he seems to have spent his life trying to ape the archetypal Boston WASP, whose ancestors debarked from the Mayflower, while Buckley's probably from a famine immigrant coffin ship. Nothing wrong with coffin ships, the people on them. Probably find a better class of person on board than on the Mayflower but, selling out to the WASPs is another matter. "And this is good old Boston, The home of the bean and the cod, Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots, And the Cabots talk only to God." Buckley was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency. They never really leave "The Company," do they! Firing Line was a perfect platform for the closet fascists that abound. Hilarious quote from bio: " His personal charm, dash, wit and energy defied the traditional image of a conservative." In fact, the description defies sanity. I find him sad, charmless, smug, self satisfied, grating, turgid, witless, ponderous, boring, dishonest, but, especially posturing. Perhaps, it all hides a massive inferiority complex.RIP.

[@andymartin2571]

+dashercronin "I find him sad, charmless, smug, self satisfied, grating, turgid, witless, ponderous, boring, dishonest, but, especially posturing." You don't find him at all--you never knew the man and likely never read any of his work. The demons you are swatting at have taken the form of Buckley because you are likely intimidated by his superior education, breeding, and rhetorical skills. Honestly, whoever you are, Buckley's reputation and legacy is safe.

[@landesal]

"william fucking buckley"?

[@Mr06261984]

i think he just smoked a big doobie

[@GrandMasterFreshMpls]

haha IALTO

[@tiffanyoneail1301]

Is it me ?? Or his Hugh Hefner bouncing around the questions . He's not giving forward answers .. Just seems like he's saying gibberish

[@figthersdreams]

I'm disappointed by Hef. He's a a very audacious man for doing what he did at the time he did it but he doesn't seem to be able to defend his points valiantly. If I compare him to some other orators at the time, guys like Malcom X, Muhammad Ali or Bruce Lee he's got the short hand of the stick. These guys shine every interview we gave them. He on the other hand seems unprepared and repetitive

[@Koolmoedeesimpson]

Tv back then was fucking boring ..let’s add a laugh track

[@mrsbrown333]

before Viagra

[@godngunclinger]

too bad a clear comparative analysis of the philosophies wasn't made, just a lot of throat clearing and nervous movements Jesus said if you look with lust you have committed adultery, this is the philosophy of Playboy and Hefner is counting on that as his bread and butter. It's pretty simple really

[@A3gi588]

1:00...hefner face look like a puppet....

[@kevyn808]

This is one quite ass show

[@pwnUgood]

Hefner 3, Buckley 0. The Conservatives declared culture war against America and proceeded to have their balls handed to them. Toward the end of his life Buckley was stewing in his own juices over the fact that he led the losing team.

[@wwc51450]

Says you. Your people are waging war today with such programs as critical race theory and transitioning children in their preteens -- chemical castration of boys in the name of the "trans" movement. That's something to be proud of?

[@pwnUgood]

@@wwc51450 "Critical race theory" and "transitioning" are just boogeymen that right wing media is using to scare you. There is no conspiracy to foist these things on Americans, they are not threats except in a propaganda narrative designed to outrage you-- and that you have swallowed hook, line and sinker. There is nothing new or scary about teaching America's history of slavery and racism in sociology classes, nor about acknowledging the sexual orientation of youngsters. The agenda of the extremist Right is economic, they just use emotionally provocative subjects like sex and race to trick naive working class whites into voting against their own interests.

[@pwnUgood]

@@wwc51450 The values of Hefner the humanist have become the norm throughout American society. Buckley the intellectual lived just long enough to see the conservative movement taken over by con-artists like Trump and his ignorant, oafish followers.

[@pwnUgood]

@@wwc51450 You've for the right wing echo chamber's tactic of demonizing everyone who doesn't march in step with their cult.

[@pwnUgood]

@@wwc51450 Teachers are wondering how to comply with a new Texas law that broadly seeks to block teachers from talking about white supremacy, racism and privilege in classrooms.

[@Aner2557]

The problem is that neither William Buckley nor Hugh Hefner were capable of speaking of Biblical morality - because they obviously did not know the Bible. Someone indicated that some of the problem is that Hugh was very cutting edge - and that certainly is the case... so we can certainly give him a lot of grace (so to speak...:-) ).

[@pstd72aug24]

Hugh Hefner's "Playboy Philosophy" is an indicator of when American began its decline. It glorified hedonism and man giving in to his most primitive drives.

[@Cheedillow]

Buckley takes fucking ages to say anything.

[@A3gi588]

buckley tongue thingy is annoying...