The Lone Virgin | august 6, 2003
Her custom fit Bunny costume still hangs in the closet, complete with bowtie and collar, cuffs, tail, stockings, rabbit ears and a rosette with "Elle" on it. Back in 1965, Elle Parrino walked into the New York Playboy Club at 59th and 5th. She had realized her looks and her vivacious personality were cut out for something more than reception work. "When I got out of school, every job I went for they wanted you to type. I had platinum blonde hair and wore entirely too much make-up-which I still do and I love. I couldn't get a job. They wanted navy blue suits and little white gloves. I just didn't fit the bill." Elle saw saw herself as a patient romantic, never progressing past the good night kiss, so her co-Bunnies branded the sweet Italian girl from Astoria the "Lone Virgin."

Elle began waitressing at the Club and soon mastered the Bunny dip - Playboy's signature manner of serving drinks. At her home cooking restaurant on W. 79th Street, she demonstrates the move with cool grace: knees together, a slight roll, the bosom strategically directed away from the customer with the Bunny tail served up. Clearly she was a master of the move as she climbed steadily up the ranks during her 17 years at the club. "Hef' set it up right. Playboy always promoted from within." By the end of her run, she was the Mother Bunny, lovingly rearing 120 occasional "primadonnas."

Ironically, Elle notes that while the Playboy logo is synonymous with sex and hedonism, the club in fact was somewhat tame. "As liberal as the magazine is, that is how conservative the clubs were." Customers were not allowed to know a Bunny's last name or any other personal information. Each woman had a unique Bunny Name: Bunny Peaches, Bunny Elle. Customers certainly could not pet or date a Bunny. If a problem arose, Elle would tilt her head, smile, and summon the room director. "The Bunny was always sweet as pie. It was in keeping with the Bunny image." The room director handled the problem, occasionally tossing the malcontent to the street.

The early days of the Club in the 1960s were about glamour and glitz, not to mention exclusivity - guests needed a Playboy key to gain entrance. The "playmate bar" was on the first floor. The "living room" on the mezzanine level had a buffet and dancing. In the third floor "VIP room," specially trained Bunnies wore blue velvet costumes to match the velvety interior and fine French dining. The "playroom" and the "penthouse" were showrooms with jazz, magic acts, comedy, and music reviews. "These rooms were packed and did four shows a night. . . . Back then a drink was $1.50 and a filet mignon was $1.50. That was a lot for a drink. In those days most bars charged 40 cents for a shot." Naturally, the Bunnies did exceptionally well. One night while working the showroom, a particularly generous patron was heard to claim, "'every time you walk by my table I will give you fifty dollars.'" Elle recalls pulling in $500 a week when the average secretary was making $75. But as good as the money was, Elle is most animated when talking about the Bunnies' camaraderie.

"That Bunny dressing room was a magical place. It had everything you could need from mascara to a shoulder to cry on. . . . It was a safe haven. There is something about standing stark ass naked next to another human being day after day." When asked if she would let her daughter work at a Playboy Club, Elle flatly responds, "in a New York minute. Because I know she would be safe there." Perhaps that is why she stayed with it for so long, only leaving Playboy to have each of her two children with her first husband. Shortly afterwards, Elle returned to the club. "They would drag me back in there and put me to work."

Several years after starting at Playboy, Elle married a high school friend to keep him out of the Vietnam War - they stayed together for 15 years. He was in one of the first live disco bands, playing the old Ondine nightclub on 59th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues, right down the street from the Playboy Club. "That was a hot place. There were celebrities galore. I saw Jackie Kennedy dancing with Bobby. Frank Sinatra. Mick Jagger would bounce off walls."

In 1974 the Playboy Club closed for renovations. When the club reopened in 1976, Elle was back at it. "It was a different place though. Most of the girls from the original era were not hired back. . . . Times changed between the '60s and '70s. In the '60s it was glamorous. We were stars. In the '70s we had a lot more girls going to college, it was more of a job. . . . And the girls, you had to twist their arms to put makeup on." She stayed on until the club closed in 1986. By then, tourists had replaced the glitter.

After a brief partnership running an Italian restaurant, Elle set out on her own during the recession of the early 1990s. She opened Elle's Homesick Bar and Grill with a recipe of family specialties and liberally poured cocktails. "I do not like fancy, designer food. If I go out for pasta, I want spaghetti and meatballs." The place continues to chug along 12 years later. On a Sunday afternoon, the loyal brunch crowd departs as bar regulars arrive to saddle up for a drink. Or four. The hostess chuckles, "this group is straight out of a Fellini film." A middle-aged guy reflects on another brilliant season teaching English in Thailand while a reserved woman quietly explains that she likes her Stoli chilled, in a big martini glass so she can add ice and savor it. An engaging actor, early 60s, glowingly describes wintering in West Palm Beach, driving a 1990 Le Baron convertible. He cannot believe how difficult smiling is after his recent dental work. The bartender, literally a comedian, calls out the barflies with ease. Rambling discussions and laughter fill the air. Staff and patrons are just happy to be there.

Elle's world directly reflects her cherished Bunny years. "When I was Bunny Mother, I learned if you treat 'em like ladies they'll act like ladies. If you treat 'em like whores, they're going to act like whores. I treat all my girls like they are going to do the right thing. Clearly, and to the benefit of friends, family and customers, that training will always be with her.

© 2009 david gerlach | contact: davidgerlach at yahoo dot com