He died of an accidental drug overdose. In the early 1960s, the raunchy comedian was at the height of his career. He talks about critics and is asked about the recent Congressional hearings about rigged quiz shows. Since a tape of the performance was played at the trial, its in the public record and he plans to release it as an album, but with a warning that whoever sells it may be subject to the obscenity laws of his locality. The recorder is shut off, then turned on again and Ginsberg identifies the time and date of the conversation at the embattled, barbed wire household of Lenny Bruce.. Lenny Bruce died in August of 1966, but you can still hear his voice online. Bruce talks about the mixed reaction he got during the first show. Looking at the camera, Bruce talks very briefly about his reputation and the first amendment, the freedom of speech and how a law abiding citizen gets offended by his freedom of speech, but the irony is that he is within his own constitutional right to say whatever he likes, and that there is no law saying that he can not do so. A lady cant go through a plate-glass window and go to bed with you five seconds later. Bruce performs bits How Negroes and Jews Became Entertainers, Barry Goldwater, Lyndon Johnson, Bobby Kennedy, Jack Ruby & Lee Harvey Oswald, Jackie Kennedy Hauled Ass, Would You Sell Out Your Country (Francis Gary Powers) and I Picked on the Wrong God. Opened in 1952, the Purple Onion ran for roughly 60 years before closing its doors in 2012. 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. He ends by riffing about Barry Goldwater and Lyndon Johnson. He does We Did It to Their Mothers for Chocolate Bars. The performance ended in Bruce's arrest for obscenity. The writings and transcripts offer transcripts of his performances as well as showcase screenplays he had written as well as ones written about him. The clientele was mixed, but author David Rosen called the Village Purple Onion a "mob-run gay hangout." . He mentions a practice from the time of Christs crucifixion. It begins while the show is in progress. The recording continues with the first part of a Lenny Bruce performance at the Gate of Horn on December 9, 1962. 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 next section is a montage of very short clips of bits involving drug use. To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. In addition to other bits, Bruce comments on what he's looking at in a newspaper (or possibly a magazine). He lists his favorite painters, says he writes columns for Rogue magazine and The Realist, and lists magazines he reads and books hes read recently. Bruce speaks of his arrests in Los Angeles both for obscenity and for possession of narcotics. He discusses New York sportscaster Bill Stern, and talks about a jazz show he went to. 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. The last clip is the beginning of the bit 1100 Winos. Here are a few clips that show the range, depth, and volatility of a man Complex magazine calls the most controversial comedian of all time. One of my favorites is Tea for Two. 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. Bruce suggested Mrs. Kennedy wasnt trying to get help for the president in the photo, but instead was running to save her own life. He reads from a letter to Steve Allen; it is unclear whether the letter was written by Bruce. We are nothing at all. Kennedy was assassinated later in the day. Home; Biography; Videos; Donate; Shop; Cart; The Shop. Among the items recorded by the inspector was Bruce describing the famous Jacqueline Kennedy photo of her crawling on to the trunk of the car after her husband had been shot. The police had recorded two of the performances. Race. Lenny Bruce was a controversial American comedian during the 1950s and 1960s. Bruce discusses women's breasts, lipstick and powder, dating advice, does No Guy Ever Cheated on His Wife/Guys Detach, Custody/Get Even, Divorce, Deny It, and a bit about Alaska. how far we've come. He talks about Las Vegas and the things he did to get thrown out of Las Vegas. He doesnt like double-entendre comics like Belle Barth, and to prove it says an obscenity straightforward. Why was Allen making such a big deal about this? Information about and brief clips of the majority of these recordings can be found below. He then does Christ & Moses, Are There Any Niggers Here Tonight? When the police arrived, they found a kettle of water turned on and an electric typewriter with an unfinished sentence. Bruces bit People Dont Talk That Way to Judges is in progress. He talks about mixed race marriages which at the time was illegal due to many states passing anti-miscegenation statute, in previous decades and it was only until the case for Loving vs Virginia was presented to the supreme court that on June 12th 1967, two months after it was presented and argued, the supreme court ruled Virginias anti-miscegenation as unconstitutional of the 14th amendments Equal Protection Clause. As Bruce gained fame and popularity, he moved on from doing stand-up comedy at small strip clubs to performing in larger mainstream halls. (2) 15-minute section of a Gate of Horn show on December 9, 1962. He does I Picked on the Wrong God. At The Purple Onion Lenny Breau, Don Francks & Eon Henstridge 10 SONGS 1 HOUR AND 7 MINUTES NOV 16 2004 Play Purchase Options 1 Introduction 02:29 2 A New Electric Chair 03:14 3 The Surrey With The Fringe On Top 05:27 4 The Newspaper Song 09:17 5 Gum Addiction 04:09 6 Tea For Two 13:18 7 A Gentile Sings The Blues 21:04 8 Work Song (Feat. Years before, Bruce who was a civil rights activist, said in a performance You have a choice of spending 15 years being married to a woman, a black woman or white woman, a simplified skit that showed how ridiculous any anti-miscegenation argument was, and flattened it in just 30 seconds. Back in California, Bruce was again arrested, as well as ordered to go into rehab for drug addiction. The recording begins with the show in progress. Bruce speaks of the mine explosion at Green County, Pennsylvania a few days prior. He does Dick Gregory, Las Vegas Tits & Ass, Bestiality, Chicken, and Schmuck. He gave zero fucks. He remarks that people are now walking out of the show. Bruce reads from transcripts of the preliminary hearing and the trial. Although fans of Lenny Breau are likely to be interested in all of his previously unreleased recordings, the focus is primarily on Francks. He does some of his bit on Leopold and Loeb, then interacts with the audience. Bendich tries to ascertain whether the precedent of Gascon v. Superior Court 1959, an unlawful search and seizure case, could apply here. 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). The recording ends abruptly before the end of the set. The set is in progress as the tape begins. According to The JC, his body was found in his bathroom with a syringe in his arm. He does the bit The Christian God Has a Face, the Jewish God Doesnt. First part (of three) of a conversation among comedian Lenny Bruce, attorney Albert Bendich and journalist Ralph J. Gleason. Lenny Bruce walks on stage. Bruce wonders whether it is the usual practice to confront performers before their shows. The date is not known but most likely took place after Bruces sentencing in June of 1963 for narcotics possession. He says three guys at the previous nights show were obviously law enforcement. However, that episode of the Steve Allen Show was eventually shelved by the censors, it was never aired. He does a bit on the history of obscenity law, his bit Tits & Ass, he interacts with audience members and with accompanying musicians. I speak of a personal experience. In the second section, he says some phrases in Spanish. He does Men Are Carnal, Las Vegas Tits & Ass and the origin of Obscenity Law, Marijuana, and Airplane Glue. Bruce holds up a mens magazine (Rogue), does his bits on King Kong, Entrapment by Cops, We Did it to Their Mothers for Chocolate Bars, Adolf Eichmann, Infidelity and How to Relax Your ColoredFriends at Parties. Brandeis University Add a one-line explanation of what this file represents. Please contact the Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department, Brandeis University. "A Gentile Sings the Blues" is a gag that runs a bit too long at 21 minutes, though the instrumental interlude gives the listener a better chance to hear Breau and Henstridge in something other than a background role. He does his bit The Christian God Has a Face, the Jewish God Doesnt. Bruce died in his home in Hollywood Hills in 1966. It's also a real treat to hear Lenny laughing and doing what he does best. Judaism. Second part (of three) of a conversation among comedian Lenny Bruce, attorney Albert Bendich and journalist Ralph J. Gleason. 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. The secondary goal is for Spector and Bruce to discuss Bruces upcoming engagement, financially backed by Spector, at the Music Box theater in Los Angeles. Bruce starts to do Christ & Moses, then veers into I Picked on the Wrong God. He does Ten Thousand Asses (Tigers & Lions) and repeats a quote where JFK used the term son of a bitch. The set ends. The Purple Onion is a nightclub in San Francisco, opened in 1952. He does his bit on blind pianist George Shearing. Bruce does his bit about Barry Goldwaters Jewish roots. 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. "Oscar's Blues" is a dazzling display of his tap dancing backed by Breau, while "Joey's Solo" finds the dancer accompanied only by the cadence of the audience's clapping. He mentions Judge Clayton Horn from his second San Francisco obscenity trial and Judge John Murtagh from his current New York trial (the Caf Au Go Go trial). Its clear that his demographic audience existed, people who wanted to see him and listen to what he had to say. (3) The last section is a series of commercials, and possibly outtakes from commercials, for the Los Angeles mens clothing store Zeidler and Zeidler. Bars and theatres were either cancelling his gigs or not booking him at all, out of fear that the police will storm in, arrest Lenny and close the location down indefinitelyhe had no income, and whatever money he did have, was spent towards his legal fees obsessively defending his basic right to freedom of speech. Originally issues by Fantasy Records (Fantasy 34201) as "Lenny Bruce Live At The Curran Theatre". 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. Upload, livestream, and create your own videos, all in HD. The first clip begins as the set is in progress, with Bruce imagining that Pope Pius XII would sneak in one night to see him. They performed as a trio called Three. Third part of a conversation among comedian Lenny Bruce, attorney Albert Bendich and journalist Ralph J. Gleason. I'm a veteran comedian for 38 years and I've never seen it, like Lenny Bruce said at the Purple Onion, 'We've gone backwards.' There are things you can't say. He comments on audience members walking out. Lenny Bruce - Equality (1961) - YouTube From Lenny's Carnegie Hall show, February 1961.http://www.amazon.com/Carnegie-Hall-Concert-Explicit/dp/B001VIK60E/ From Lenny's Carnegie Hall. He reads a newspaper review of his opening night show at the club. Included are mentions of Ivan Bunny (Ivan Colitz), Winston Churchill, Sonny Liston, Tom Dugan, Rusty Warren, Bill Tilden. Bruce does his bit The Clap, gets indignant about the hypocrisy regarding the disease. He talks about Bela Lugosi and his son, does How Negroes and Jews Became Entertainers, talks about his scenario for a movie about Christ and the Good Thief, then continues to Custody/Get Even, Divorce, and Deny It. May be from different sets and may not be in chronological order. He does Flashers, then Midgets, wonders whether Pygmies are midgets, and imagines Gov. He does Doing It Is Filthy. More than 80 celebrities signed a petition demanding Lenny Bruce be allowed to perform, free from censorship and harassment. Join Vimeo He reads from a negative review by Army Archerd of his performance at The Interlude, a Los Angeles club, in which patrons of the club are called limp-wristers. Bruce does his Lie Detector bit. Sex from the philosophical viewpoint. He does his bit The Christian God Has a Face, the Jewish God Doesnt, Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House and his bit on Barry Goldwater and his Jewish roots. Ginsberg recorded the conversation. Francks takes the same approach to "Tea for Two," slipping in and out of "Black Coffee" and adding a bit of scatting. morgans funny here's a ten minute set from my last time up at the Purple Onion.I love that venue, it has such history. Bruce contends that much of his legal trouble in the preceding four years has been because of his material on religion. ), Frank Hogan. But guys can have head-on collisions with Greyhound busesand on the way to the hospital, in the ambulance, the guy makes a play for the nurse. 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Does Ten Thousand Asses ( Tigers & Lions ) and repeats a quote JFK.

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