Nicole Brice
Mar 12, 2025
It’s intriguing, it’s glamorous, and it’s full of nostalgia.
For those who know me, it’s no secret that I have always had an obsession with Playboy magazine and Hugh Hefner. The obsession stems more around trying to figure out who the man truly was vs who he projected to those closest to him, but this book review is not about that. After doing a random search online for more books containing anything Playboy-related, I instantly found Dianne's book and ordered it because I’ve been down the rabbit hole on that for quite a while. The book starts a little slow, but around the chapter titled The Candy Store, the pace picks up significantly, and from there, it’s a whirlwind of events, from a passionate romance with one of baseball’s greats to hanging out at the Beverly Hills Hotel and more.
Name-dropping abounds with a who’s who of the celebrity world in the 1970s and 1980s. This book truly is an insider’s look at some of the private affairs of the Hollywood elite. Dianne does a great job of explaining the superficial reasoning behind who made “it” back then via slimy casting agents, which still applies today, and through that, she makes you realize how fake it all truly is and how we are merely actors performing in our plays. It's all there, from modeling for Playboy, Linda Lovelace adventures, and an awkward first meeting experience with the legendary Telly Savalas. Dianne’s narrative speaks of self-confidence, love and loss, and finding oneself amid all the chaos.
A blonde beauty who attracted the attention of many men, Dianne’s career involved modeling and acting, sometimes in entertaining situations. It involved some of Hollywood’s finest men, and most interestingly, Dianne Dorman even once dated the “Winchester Cigarette Guy.”
Notable career moments include being considered for Farrah Fawcett’s replacement on Charlie’s Angels and being asked to be Katherine Hepburn’s double on the film Stagecoach. Dianne also tells the tale of being chosen for a spot as a reindeer girl for Bob Hope’s Christmas Special in the late '70s.
Ladies, there is even a chapter titled The Grotto. I’ll let you figure out what that one is about. It includes a steamy narrative with Ronnie Caan, brother of the legendary James Caan, and it is sure to get your pulse going. Google what he looks like. Not bad. Dianne vividly describes the Playboy Mansion, where you feel like you were there, and I wish I could have been just once in my life. It’s sad to think that what once was is no more. Beyond the bad times I’ve read more about, which occurred at the mansion, Dianne’s book is more positive and keeps the original spirit of what I think Hugh wanted the mansion to have.
Overall, Playboys, Celebrities, and Me is a very engaging book. I recommend you check it out.
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