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Playbill .................... 3

Dear Playboy .................... 11

Playboy after Hours .................... 19

Movies .................... 22

A peek at our cinematic crystal ball; Charlie Chaplin revisited; some welcome comic relief from the old master, Mel Brooks. Erotica .................... 28

Cable TV's Midnight Blue, sanitized, resurfaces as American Blue.

Books .................... 30

What to expect from the publishers this fall; William Goldman's Magic, the latest from Art Buchwald, Ishmael Reed reviewed.

Music .................... 34

A visit with Don Covay; some terrific McRae, lousy Scarlatti.

Events .................... 42

Dispatch from the battle front in the great Texas--California chili war.

Television .................... 43

After last year, the fall schedule can only improve. We hope.

Selected Shorts

Unwritten Code Of The Press Corps .................... Peter J. Ognibene 44

Why the press follows some candidates more avidly than others.

Removing Kissinger's Cover .................... morton H. Halperin .................... 45

The author, once a top Kissinger aide, discusses the sensitive balance between liberty and "national security."

The Playboy Advisor .................... 49

The Playboy Forum .................... 55

Playboy Interview: Roone Arledge--candid conversation .................... 63

The man who brought you instant replay, Monday-night football and Howard Cosell tells the behind-the-scenes story of televised sports.

Roots: The Mixing Of The Blood--from the book .................... Alex Haley 88

In his search for his past, a distinguished black author (The Autobiography of Malcolm X) unearths the rape of a slave ancestor by her white master. An excerpt from the forthcoming blockbuster destined for the best-seller lists.

Collector's Item--pictorial .................... 93

What would baseball cards look like if the girls invaded the major leagues? Different.

Cover Story

This month's cover, featuring future Playmate Karen Hafter as catcher and September Playmate Whitney Kaine in the batter's box, was designed by Associate Art Director Tom Staebler and photographed by Phillip Dixon. Staebler, who collected baseball cards as a kid in Kansas, got the idea after reading that baseball was again the number-one American pastime. Play ball!

The Bric-a-Brac Man--fiction .................... Russell H. Greenan 96

The first of a two-part series from the novel about a swindler who falls for the beautiful resident of a mansion he's planning to burglarize.

Fast Starter--pictorial .................... 100

In photographic praise of Tippi Hedren's fascinating 19-year-old daughter, Melanie Griffith.

Blue Skies, No Candy--fiction .................... Gael Greene 105

A steamy hunk of the eagerly awaited erotic novel by the author of Sex and the College Girl.

Deep Throat Goes Down In Memphis--article .................... Richard Rhodes 106

A chilling report on the great courtroom smut vendetta in which porno movie star Harry Reems and the First Amendment both got the shaft.

Farm Fresh--playboy's playmate of the month .................... 110

You can take Hope Olson out of the country, but you can't take the country out of Hope Olson.

Playboy's Party Jokes--humor .................... 120

Fall and Winter Fashion Forecast--attire .................... David Platt 122

A look at the clothes coming down the sartorial track in the months ahead.

What's Really Happening On Campus--survey .................... 128

What's new at the U (with lots of shockers and surprises), plus the long-awaited return of Playboy's campus-action chart, rating schools for scoring.

High-fi--modern living .................... Norman Eisenberg 132

The latest word on out-of-this-world sonic wonders.

Bunnies Of '76--pictorial .................... 135

Here they are again; a bumper harvest of this year's cottontail crop.

The Vargas Girl--pictorial .................... Alberto Vargas 144

The Family Jewels--ribald classic .................... 145

Executive Privilege--modern living .................... 146

Office furnishings to complement that room at the top.

Who Says We Don't Have A Choice?--humor .................... Tom Passavant 148

Meet some unusual Presidential candidates, including a guy who believes a little bran will loosen up the nation.

The Mikolas Method--sports .................... Lawrence Linderman 151

Our author tries--and succeeds (sort of) with--a system for winning big bucks in college-football betting.

Playboy Potpourri .................... 166

Playboy on the Scene .................... 224

Late flashes on what's happening, where it's happening and who's doing it.