A Bunny’s Tale (1985) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The story takes place at the New York City Playboy Club, depicted as a glossy, exclusive venue where Bunnies are trained and presented to a high-society crowd. Behind the glamorous lighting, the club operates as a business with strict rules, costume upkeep fees, and tip-sharing systems that affect workers' dignity and pay.

• playboy club
• new york
• setting
• venue

The movie depicts Gloria Steinem's actual undercover investigation, which took place in the early 1960s. While the exact year is not explicitly stated in the film, the setting reflects the era when Playboy Clubs were at their peak cultural prominence.

• 1960s
• time period
• era
• 1960s setting

Gloria Steinem is portrayed by Kirstie Alley. The character is depicted as a sharp, determined journalist who goes undercover as a Bunny to expose the Playboy Club's hidden working conditions, experiencing a personal awakening about gender dynamics that fuels her future feminist activism.

• gloria steinem
• kirstie alley
• character
• journalist

Miss Renfro, played by Mary Woronov, is a figure within the Bunny training environment who embodies the club's hierarchy and daily routines. She represents the controlled world surrounding the Bunnies, highlighting the rules, power structures, and social pressures that shape the workers' lives.

• miss renfro
• mary woronov
• bunny training
• hierarchy

Pearl, played by Diana Scarwid, is a Bunny worker whose experience embodies the vulnerability behind the club's glamorous exterior. Her situation reflects the financial and emotional costs borne by workers navigating the line between spectacle and dignity, helping illuminate the human impact of the exploitation depicted.

• pearl
• diana scarwid
• bunny worker
• exploitation

The film interrogates rigid expectations that confine women to defined roles, especially in spaces that market glamour while policing behavior. Gloria's undercover work exposes how femininity is manufactured, monitored, and monetized, suggesting an awakening can challenge these prescribed roles and spark broader social change.

• gender roles
• feminism
• women
• expectations

The Bunny costumes and club's image present women as objects of spectacle rather than individuals with agency. Exploitative wages, mandatory fees, and the club's hierarchy reveal a business built on reducing workers' dignity for entertainment, creating tension between glamour and hardship.

• objectification
• exploitation
• bunny costume
• dignity

Gloria Steinem's undercover experiences catalyze a personal transformation and a realization of the inequalities she will later champion. The film frames these events as the seed of her feminist awakening, with her revelations contributing to a broader critique of gender power dynamics and inspiring future activism.

• empowerment
• feminist awakening
• activism
• transformation

Behind the glamorous facade, the club operates as a demanding workplace with strict rules, mandatory costume upkeep fees that workers must pay, and tip-sharing systems that reduce take-home pay. The environment combines sparkling entertainment with the vulnerabilities of the women who serve there.

• working conditions
• wages
• fees
• bunny uniform

Gloria goes undercover as a Bunny to investigate and expose the hidden working conditions faced by women at the Playboy Club. Her investigation reveals the gap between the club's glamorous public image and the exploitative realities of the workers, ultimately fueling her commitment to feminist advocacy.

• undercover investigation
• journalism
• expose
• working conditions