Our playmate story on auburn-haired Claudia Jennings ended as the hopeful young actress boarded a Hollywood-bound plane at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, with her pet Samoyed, Latcho, safely kenneled in the baggage compartment. The enterprising Milwaukee native, who debuted onstage at the age of ten in a musical comedy, had decided that a transcontinental move was necessary to keep her starrising and opted for the West Coast rather than New York. So far, Miss Jennings' migration has had mixed results. She no longer enjoys the company of her doggy, who was abducted by an unidentified dognapper. But almost immediately upon her arrival in Los Angeles, Claudia secured a part in a Decca comedy LP written and produced by Bill Cosby, with Sandy Baron and Susan St. James in the cast. Then it was two months on the road, touring the South and Southwest in a repertory company's production of The Tender Trap. Back in Hollywood, Claudia had the good fortune to land a role in an independently produced film, One Too Many Mornings, which is slated for a showing at Cannes. She has also taped an interview for a network TV show, The Nudity Thing, which includes conversations with Otto Preminger and Barbara McNair, plus film footage shot at our Playboy studios. As we fade out on Claudia, she is once again heading for the horizon--this time for a well-earned vacation in Europe. When she returns, she'll have the enviable task of getting acquainted with the bounty she'll receive as Playmate of the Year. A queen's ransom, indeed, it includes Lincoln-Mercury's new import, the Capri, in Playmate Pink--and, for sunny days, a Harley-Davidson 125-c.c. Rapido motorcycle and a ten-speed Schwinn Varsity bike, both in the same hue. Should Claudia find time for athletics, she can head for the court with her new Spalding Smasher tennis racket or she can take advantage of an all-expenses-paid ski trip for two to Vail, Colorado, with transportation provided by Continental Airlines; she'll be set for the slopes with a rabbitskin ski jacket from Alper Furs, Henke boots, Hart skis and, from Peter Kennedy, a set of poles, plus additional ski fashions. She can photograph the excursion with her Minox camera, or write about it on her new Smith-Corona Electra 210 typewriter. In her chest of drawers from Drexel's Et Cetera collection, Claudia can store her new Aris gloves, Brentwood Bellissima wigs, Jantzen swimsuits and Renauld sunglasses, as well as her Saunda cosmetics kit and her Playmate of the Year jewelry: a Lady Hamilton diamond wrist watch, a Linde star-sapphire ring and a gold Rabbit Pin with a ruby eye, from Maria Vogt. To keep her supplied with contemporary sounds, Claudia gets a cassette recorder and library from Capitol and an LP library from Mercury; and her career may acquire a new dimension as a result of the recording contract awarded by Monument. To top everything off, there's a case of Magnum brut champagne, courtesy of Paul Masson. All of which adds up to quite a bonanza. When Claudia walks into Monument's studio, we predict that she'll be humming a happy tune.
