Did Kirk Douglas Have a Secret Tunnel to the Playboy Mansion?
![](https://images.forwardcdn.com/image/970x/center/images/cropped/kirkdouglas-1428660110.png)
Image by Wikimedia Commons
Kirk Douglas with Eve Miller in ‘The Big Trees’ // Wikimedia Commons
Alas, we discovered this was all an elaborate Playboy April’s fools joke!
Oh, the things you come across when looking for pictures to make Hugh Hefner’s birthday collage.
A couple of editors at Playboy were rummaging through the magazine’s archives looking for material to properly honor their esteemed founder, when they came across some polaroids from 1977 showing a massive construction project at the Playboy Mansion. Confused, they asked the property’s general manager about it. His answer: “That’s probably when they built the tunnels in the 7’0s.”
Given that it’s April 1, aka the day no one should trust news outlets, let’s just hope it’s not a prank.
Apparently, some Hollywood lotharios weren’t content with just walking in the front door like your average Joe. So, to oblige the likes of James Caan, Kirk Douglas — both MOTs — Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty, Hugh Hefner decided to build a series of underground tunnels leading directly into the actors’ homes.
An adventurous field-trip to the mansion revealed blueprints for these tunnels, leading to the homes of “Mr. J. Nicholson,” “Mr. W. Beatty,” “Mr. K. Douglas” and “Mr. J. Caan.”
The tunnels — if they were ever even built — were reportedly shut down sometime in the late ’80s. None of the actors involved have agreed to comment (shocker).
A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren
![](https://forward.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jodi-Headshot.jpg)
We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.
With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.
— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief