Like Ringo Starr, right place at the right time.
There is no army so powerful as an idea whose time has come. Like it or not, in the 1950's pornography's time had come.
Heheh.
I have yet to decide whether the Beatles were a symptom of postwar liberalism, or the cause itself. I have always assumed the latter (of course speaking mainly of Paul and John) - that they crafted their communism knowing that people would buy it wholesale. But I could be wrong, perhaps folks wanted such tripe from anyone who would sell it to them.
Anyway, you're right. Hefner was not alone, it was an entire culture of Russ Meyers/Ed Wood/ and many others who built empires by paying women to eagerly exploit themselves.
As an aside- I hold the view that sex will be done anyway, except that people will lie about it. I would personally prefer that this sadness is documented on film in order to educate the hordes of naive men and women who always fall victim to life's cheaters, players, and sluts by their own denial and ignorance. Many who are anti-porn seem to think these are angels who would keep their legs closed, if not for the camera and a paycheck. That is a laughable notion... completely foolish.
He was smart enough to recognize that and work hard at it, resulting in success.