He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of comedy which contained satire, politics, religion, sex, and vulgarity. In the fourth section, he does rants as an irate pornographer and as an irate narcotics addict. He riffs on the TV series The Millionaire. He speaks fondly of an Atwater-Kent radio he had, and sings the theme song from the Uncle Don show from Detroit. In May 2003, the governor of New York issued Lenny Bruce a posthumous pardon, based on what he called the State of New Yorks commitment to upholding the First Amendment. In these voices he makes reference to beatniks on the Sunset Strip, a used car salesman who has a dog on the hood of a car in commercials (most likely Chick Lambert), a Senate investigating committee, Steve Allen and Phyllis Diller. Summary []. After deliberation, the jury acquitted Bruce. Brandeis University He tells Catholics theyre lucky to have confession. He talks about Chicago columnist Paul Molloy, does Custody/Get Even, Stag Film vs. King of Kings, History of Obscenity, Las Vegas Tits & Ass, The Clap, Father Flotsky, Chicago Corruption, Shelley Berman and Chicago Shtarkers, Barney & the Hecklers, Italians Were the Enemy, Adolf Eichmann, and Communism & the Phone Company. It was recorded and said to be one of the greatest performances made in the venues history. A large portion of the collection is photographs of Lenny Bruce, Honey Bruce (his wife), Kitty Bruce (his daughter), Sally Marr (his mother) and Myron Schneider (his father), among others. He calls Lyndon Johnson is a shitkicker, but says Kennedy was sophisticated. [2] Add a one-line explanation of what this file represents. Begins with the final 16 minutes of the show on December 4, 1962, known as The Bust Show (it was the midnight performance, therefore technically during the early hours of December 5). You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search. August 5, 2016. Bruce does his bit about Barry Goldwaters Jewish roots, which suggests that it is 1964. In addition to other bits, Bruce comments on what he's looking at in a newspaper (or possibly a magazine). He ends with joking comments, reading from a law book about regulations regarding kosher meat, and then about a law against aiding a suicide. He reacts to people in the balcony who yell for him to speak louder. The recording ends abruptly. He does the bit Chicks Are Boss. When the police arrived, they found a kettle of water turned on and an electric typewriter with an unfinished sentence. Most of his acts took place in the underground scenes; jazz bars, strip clubs etc. As Bruce gained fame and popularity, he moved on from doing stand-up comedy at small strip clubs to performing in larger mainstream halls. He again talks to the cops. Bruce does The Act Is Hugging & Kissing. He does the bit The Christian God Has a Face, the Jewish God Doesnt. In Which The Artist Discusses Critics, Definitions, His San Francisco Bust, Courts, Juries, Side 1: Critics, Definitions, His San Francisco Bust, Courts, Juries, Cops, His Philadelphia Bust, Corruption, Obscenity, Defines Jewish And Goyishe, Side 6: The Eichmann Theme, The Thomas Merton Poem, Christ And Moses, The Legalization Of Pot, Hillbillies, Judy Garland's Farewell, Side 2: 'The Lie', His Courtroom Fantasy, George Shearing And Guide Dogs For The Blind, Tropic Of Cancer, Cops And Bad Toilet Training, The Philadelphia Hotel, Side 5: Fantasy With The Judge, Las Vegas, The Paradox Of Obscenity, Tits And Ass, Nuns, Paul Robeson And Adolph Eichmann, Side 3: Ride To Jail In Philadelphia, Jails In General, The Philadelphia Lower Courts, Side 4: The Shirley Beck Letters, Blue Suits, Bobby Kennedy, Russians, Integration, Juries, Humour. The recording starts with the show in progress. He does the bits We Killed Christ, Flashers, Christ & Moses, Are There Any Niggers Here Tonight?, and Black Black Woman White White Woman. Bruce talks about his obscenity trial and the police. He reads from the transcript of his trial for obscenity in San Francisco earlier that year. Bruce performs several bits and discusses topical matters, Including: his arrest for obscenity, Irv Kup Kupcinet, Will Leonard, Jewish vs. Goyishe, Paul Molloy. The new trial pitted Bruces use of dirty language and suggestive material against his right to free speech. With the bit We Killed Christ he explains how his arrests are really for talking about Christianity. The recording ends abruptly before the end of the set. In the early 1960s, the raunchy comedian was at the height of his career. Were happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. Included are mentions of Ivan Bunny (Ivan Colitz), Winston Churchill, Sonny Liston, Tom Dugan, Rusty Warren, Bill Tilden. See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs. The second set begins. Menu. and People Dont Talk That Way to Judges. He does The Best Man in the Tribe (St. Paul) and Filipinos. The writings and transcripts offer transcripts of his performances as well as showcase screenplays he had written as well as ones written about him. He does the bit People Dont Talk That Way to Judges. Lenny Bruce, head-and-shoulders portrait. Goldfarb Library, Mailstop 045 Bruce says that he was arrested for obscenity for using the word "fressing" (fress in Yiddish means to eat, but its slang use implies oral sex). However, in 1961 Lenny Bruces career began to unravel, when he was arrested in San Francisco for violating state obscenity laws. I Picked the Wrong God, speaks of Leopold and Loeb. Talks about segregation, Perry Como. Bruce seeks Bendichs advice. Religion. The recording ends abruptly, then continues (it may be the same performance, or yet another performance). He says he doesnt do bits anymore and prefers to cook and free-form it. Speaks of the judge in his San Francisco obscenity trial. He mentions a practice from the time of Christs crucifixion. He says he was hip to the Bay of Pigs before most people. Things that will shock you. Steve Allen. In the '90's things were changed from comedy to music. He went on to influence future comedians such as; Bill Hicks, George Carlin, Jon Stewart, Marc Maron, Louis C.K, Richard Pryor, the list goes on. Lenny Bruce, the pioneering, ribald comedian who died of a drug overdose in 1966, was given a posthumous gubernatorial pardon today for the obscenity conviction that some supporters . He does The Best Man in the Tribe (St. Paul), Custody/Get Even, Deny It, Are There Any Niggers Here? Worn down by the repeated arrests and trials, Bruce turned away from general satire and talked more about his personal battles with the law and society. He talks about Hugh Hefners intentions with Playboy. The show is known as The Berkeley Concert. He does his bit on Southern accents and Lyndon Johnson. Bruce does some bits about air travel. Words may stay the same, context is always going through evolution. In the third and sixth clip he mentions The Chronicle, which would place the performances in San Francisco. He says hes noticed that most of his audiences are male. He does Are There Any Niggers Here Tonight? When I heard them use the word, I took it in a light hearted way and asked Whoa! Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 August 3, 1966), better known as Lenny Bruce, was a comedian, author, and social critic, whose corrosive and transgressive satire as well as his boldness in pushing the envelope of the laws of obscenity have made him an iconic figure in American culture. In 2014, Brandeis University acquired the Lenny Bruce collection from his daughter, Kitty Bruce, with a generous grant from the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation. He does his bit about wanting to give the audience members lie detector tests about infidelity and homosexuality and refers to Tab Hunter's arrest for allegedly beating his dog. Please contact the Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department, Brandeis University. He comments on contemporaries Mort Sahl and Bob Newhart and does his bit Shelley Berman & Chicago Shtarkers. But at that time of recording, Lenny Bruce was under litigation for obscenity by New Yorks [then] District Attorney (D.A. Bruce blames the Maryland Hotel cleaning service for the fact that hes wearing a raincoat. The Lenny Bruce collection consists of photographs, writings and transcripts, correspondence, news clippings and articles, audio visual materials, and trial materials, all related to Lenny Bruces performances and life, as well as some materials relating to his family members. The first is a variation on Chicks Are Boss. Let me tell you the truth. To set up an appointment, please contact us here: ascdepartment@brandeis.edu. Talks about the Catholic Church, Howard Johnsons, Vietnam, protesters, the law, James Joyces Ulysses, bit How the Law Started/Craphouse. Levy introduces Inspector Vicviolo, head of the District Attorney squad. Bruce tries to argue about the intricacies of obscenity law with Levy, but Levy will not engage and says that it will be their judgment that counts as to whether Bruces act violates the law. Only two years after his Snot act on the Steve Allen show. The fifth clip is the bit Chick Singer with a Gimmick. He does Ten Thousand Asses (Tigers & Lions) and repeats a quote where JFK used the term son of a bitch. The set ends. Allen explained to the viewers that Lenny Bruce was going to use a four letter word on television that will shock the viewers to their very core. He does Las Vegas Tits & Ass, then Would You Sell Out Your Country (Francis Gary Powers), Doing It Is Dirty and We Did It to Their Mothers for Chocolate Bars. Bruce performs his bit about the history of obscenity law and Entrapment by Cops. He does Flashers. I dont care what they call me because at the end of the day, were there for each other. ), Frank Hogan. Bruces grave at Eden Memorial Park Cemetery in Mission Hills, California. Gleason was a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle who was an early fan and supporter of Bruce. The skit can also be seen in the movie Lenny, performed by Dustin Hoffman who portrays Bruce. The show is in progress. Guitarist Lenny Breau, vocalist/comedian Don Francks, and bassist Eon Henstridge were a brand new trio (later calling themselves Three) when they were recorded in 1961 at the Purple Onion, a Toronto nightclub. The location is Club Renaissance in Los Angeles. He works the bit I Picked the Wrong God into his remarks about the trial and mentions Leopold and Loeb. Bruce himself became ill during the trial, which was forced to adjourn while he recovered in hospital. The place might be Los Angeles, where Bruce lived, or San Francisco, where Bendich and Gleason were based. He does Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House. The show is known as The Berkeley Concert. The fourth clip is about a bordello in Europe at which the whores and customers dress in costumes. Bruce starts by joking that hes living on a boat thats outside the three-mile limit. He then tells Gleason about his arrest the previous night, at his home, for having given obscene performances at the Trolley Ho nightclub in Los Angeles (under California Penal Code 311.6). Filmmaker, Advertising, Social Specialist. It was performed in front of a diverse audience in a jazz club, which he explains his point perfectly at the end. Bruce is in the midst of recounting the incident for which he was accused of assault and battery on a TV cameraman in Los Angeles. Words such as; shit, fuck, piss, cu I could go oneven the word schmuck was labelled as obscene and landed him in jail, but Lenny Bruce didnt care. Bruce mentions his bit Religions Inc. from four years earlier. But it comes down to society and yourself as an individual to take that powerful word that is currently suppressed, and change it so that it becomes normalised, just like the word shit. The tape ends during an exchange between Bruce and Gate of Horn owner Alan Ribback about Jackie Mason having just criticized censorship (this was witnessed by Ribback, but its unknown whether it was live or on television or radio). He starts to do his bit about a sea monster at Coney Island whos handled by an agent; the bit is known as The Monster or Heshie the Monster, but some people in the audience wont stop talking. Read another story from us:The Comedian who Passed Away Live on Stage. Bruce refers to his legal troubles. He does some of his bit How to Relax Your Colored Friends at Parties, to prove that Boyar misinterpreted it as racist. The photographs document not only his professional career but also his personal life with family and friends. He does We Did It to Their Mothers for Chocolate Bars. Some of the recordings are of a personal nature, such as the phone letters and private conversations between Bruce and his friends and family. He says, Im really paranoid about getting busted so much (he had been arrested for his Gate of Horn show during the early hours of December 5). He praises Hugh Hefner, who is making it so that the nude female body is no longer filthy. Names mentioned include Tony Viscarra, the friend who was with Bruce at the time of the arrest, police Sgt. The date and location are not known (probably 1964 or later). He performs the bit How Negroes and Jews Became Entertainers, then talks about Hugh Hefner's strategy in putting out Playboy. He does Barney & the Hecklers, talks to a doctor and his wife in the audience. Bruce decided to flee to New York City hoping to continue his career. Before introducing him on stage, Allen spent four minutes explaining and warning his viewers on what they were about to witness on his show. Bruce talks about how, in light of his recent legal troubles, hes tried to understand the prosecutors. All fans of Lenny Breau will want to check out this previously unreleased CD, though some listeners may feel a bit overwhelmed by the emphasis on Francks' comedic vocals and narratives. He comments on the three people who just walked out, mentions Tab Hunters arrest, does We Killed Christ, and ends the set with Ben Hurs Mother & Sister. Lenny Bruce was way ahead of his time. He ends by riffing about Barry Goldwater and Lyndon Johnson. He does the bits Would You Sell Out Your Country (Francis Gary Powers) and Las Vegas Tits & Ass. The truth is, New York was almost as impossible then as it is now. Bruce mentions protesters demonstrating against policemen, and does How the Law Started/Craphouse.