Ultra Swank - Retro Adventures

The Secret Tunnels Under the Playboy Mansion – Direct Access for Hollywood Celebs

Written by Christopher • March 31st, 2015
The Secret Tunnels Under the Playboy Mansion – Direct Access for Hollywood Celebs

The Secret Tunnels Under the Playboy Mansion — Image courtesy of Playboy.com

Apparently, there once were secret tunnels with direct access from underneath the Playboy Mansion in Hollywood to the basements of some of the crème de la crème actors of the 1970s and 1980s. Legendary “bad boy” Hollywood casanovas such as Jack Nicholson had his own direct access to Bunny haven.

The tunnels were built around 1977, and as you can see in the diagrams, they were linked to several other nearby Hollywood properties, owned by some of Hollywood’s greatest. In other words, a direct pipe(sex)-line from the mansion to the homes of Mr. J. Nicholson, Mr. W. Beatty, Mr. K. Douglas and Mr. J. Caan., which all lived near the Playboy Mansion during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

And these “bunny tunnels” were kept very hush-hush, until now.

The Playboy Mansion has always been surrounded by legendary stories and it’s hard to know which ones to believe. Apparently, the mansion is the only private residence in LA with a fireworks license (okay?) and one of the few with a zoo-keeping permit (does a massive bunny-collection count as a zoo?). But others, such as a possible Voyeuresque peep-hole in the Grotto, still remain a myth. But hey, it does seems plausible given the free-spirited nature of the owner, don’t you think?

Some of the staff at Playboy decided to dig a little deeper into the tunnel mystery, to see if they could uncover anything about them. Are they still intact? They were taken to an unfinished basement area deep in the mansion and were allowed to explore. They not only found blueprints for the tunnels, but also old polaroid photos documenting the build and excavation.

Of course, now they had to see the tunnels too but apparently they were sealed up sometime in 1989, which may or may not be true. Even if the entrances are blocked up, it is possible that the tunnels are still intact, depending on if any maintenance have been done over the years and whether they are earthquake resistant enough.

No further comments or evidence of the tunnels existence has been made. But hopefully we’ll get more information about the history of these tunnels and the state they are in now some day soon.

Update April 1, 2015
So, apparently this all was a elaborate April fools prank. Even though the original story was posted two days before April first. Not sure if that’s how the game is supposed to be played. But well done, Playboy and Hugh Hefner.

Source Playboy   

Above: This almost puts the Bruce Wayne Bat-cave to shame — Image courtesy of Playboy.com

Above: A treasure trove of old photos, plans and blueprints — Image courtesy of Playboy.com

Above: A treasure trove of old photos, plans and blueprints — Image courtesy of Playboy.com

Above: The secret tunnels under construction — Image courtesy of Playboy.com

Above: The secret tunnels under construction — Image courtesy of Playboy.com

Above: The secret tunnels under construction — Image courtesy of Playboy.com

Above: Hugh Hefner and James Caan — Image courtesy of Playboy.com

Christopher

A Swedish expatriate and founder of Ultra Swank. Chris loves showcasing his passion for mid-century design, defunct airlines, Disneyland and modernist architecture. He's also renowned as a connoisseur of easy-listening music from the 60s and 70s.

Find out more about Christopher

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