Posted by
Billy on Tuesday, October 26, 2010 8:37:42 PM
Bob Guccione tried the seminary and spent years trying to make it as an artist
before he found the niche that Hugh Hefner left for him in the late 1960s. Where
Hefner's Playboy magazine strove to surround its pinups with an upscale image,
Guccione aimed for something a little more direct with Penthouse.
More explicit nudes. Sensational stories. Even more sensational letters that
began, "Dear Penthouse, I never thought I'd be writing you..."
It worked for decades for Guccione, who died Wednesday in Texas at the age of
79. He estimated that Penthouse earned $4 billion during his reign as publisher.
He was listed in the Forbes 400 ranking of wealthiest people with a net worth of
about $400 million in 1982.
In 1984 it was the magazine that took down Miss America, publishing nude
pictures of Vanessa Williams, the first black woman to hold the title. Williams,
who went on to fame as a singer and actress, was forced to relinquish her crown
after the release of the issue, which sold nearly 6 million copies and
reportedly made $14 million.
But Guccione's empire fell apart thanks to several bad investments and
changes in the pornography industry, which became flooded with competition as it
migrated from print to video and the Internet. His company, his world-class art
collection, his huge Manhattan mansion - all of it, sold off.
(Billy's thoughts>>> No debate this man made an impact on our nation and culture. It is too bad the media doesn't print all the n the stories which tell us about the women and children who have had their lives destroyed thanks to porn. I hope before this man died he repented to God for his sinful life. Read more of the above story Penthouse magazine founder Bob Guccione
dies at 79.)
