Description We are nothing at all. He relates the details of his arrest on a narcotics charge in Los Angeles, the trial, his "Department 95" hearing to determine whether he was a narcotics addict, and the subsequent criminal behavior of the arresting officer. 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. He points out that the California statute 288a calls criminal many sex acts that he assumes the audience has practiced, and that the law made Caryl Chessman a pervert. The third section is another show, in progress. See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs. The Purple Onion originally opened in 1952 under the management of Keith Rockwell. 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). The prosecution used the testimony and notes of the city license inspector, as well as from police officers who attended some of Bruces other performances. The recording ends abruptly, then continues (it may be the same performance, or yet another performance). I know words have power. An officer tells audience members to take their seats and show identification. 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). Francks takes the same approach to "Tea for Two," slipping in and out of "Black Coffee" and adding a bit of scatting. The skit can also be seen in the movie Lenny, performed by Dustin Hoffman who portrays Bruce. He does Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House, Dick Gregory and Goldwater Talks to Negroes, Las Vegas Tits & Ass, The Best Man in the Tribe (St. Paul), Schmuck, Flashers, Custody/Get Even and Deny It, and The Reason We Left England. 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. Bendich called Bruces biting political and sexual humor the latest in a long line of social satire, going back to literary greats such as Jonathan Swift. The defense brought in media critics, psychiatrists, and religious figures that supported Bruces right to speak. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of comedy which contained satire, politics, religion, sex, and vulgarity. Lenny Bruce - How To Relax Your Colored Friends At Parties (1961) Reelblack One 1.17M subscribers Subscribe 1.5K Share 165K views 4 years ago Classic comedy bit from controversial satirist. This may be the third set of the night. The place might be Los Angeles, where Bruce lived, or San Francisco, where Bendich and Gleason were based. The date is not known but most likely took place after Bruces sentencing in June of 1963 for narcotics possession. Could he really be that bad?! He talks about pornography, masturbation, crime, and Jews. He talks about Hugh Hefners intentions with Playboy. 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. However, in 1961 Lenny Bruces career began to unravel, when he was arrested in San Francisco for violating state obscenity laws. Bruce notes the set is being recorded by Max Weiss of Fantasy Records, and starts repeating a phrase so that the tape editor will be confused. Bruce reads from documents associated with his February 1962 arrest for obscenity in San Francisco. Although. A collection of handpicked publications about movies, the film industry and fan art. He talks about obscenity, Tab Hunter, slang used by black gay men, double-entendres used by comics, the nature of gay relationships. He asserts that chicks are the boss. A new set begins. Words may stay the same, context is always going through evolution. 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. Bruce was sentenced to four months of labor in a workhouse, but again did not serve time while he appealed the verdict. In the fourth section, he does rants as an irate pornographer and as an irate narcotics addict. The performance ended in Bruce's arrest for obscenity. He mentions a practice from the time of Christs crucifixion. 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. Lenny Bruce performance. Two years later, on February 3rd 1961, New York city was midway through its worst blizzard in its history, successfully halting the city to a stand still the city wouldnt be hit by such a blizzard until 2011. The tape ends during a passage in which the band is playing and Bruce is interacting with an audience member. Bruce mentions his bit Religions Inc. from four years earlier. George Wallaces reaction to Pygmies. He does the bits Las Vegas Tits & Ass, The Clap, Gypsies, and Christ & Moses. He tells Catholics theyre lucky to have confession. The second set begins. After deliberation, the jury acquitted Bruce. He starts his bit The Clap, then has an exchange with an angry man in the audience who wants his money back ($5). Lenny follows Francks on his lyrical journey matching Francks' timing impeccably. Their interaction in Nat Adderley's soulful "Work Song" is amazing, with Breau providing a bit of percussion on his instrument as well. He does Flashers, then Midgets, wonders whether Pygmies are midgets, and imagines Gov. Photo by Paul Neugass CC BY-SA 3.0. A new set begins. He does short jokes about Liberace, Richard Nixon, Paul Robeson, Sammy Davis Jr. and Sophie Tucker. The recording abruptly switches to a different performance, in progress, that most likely takes place in 1964, because he mentions Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater. 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. (2) 15-minute section of a Gate of Horn show on December 9, 1962. I Picked the Wrong God, speaks of Leopold and Loeb. He does a bit on the history of obscenity law, his bit Tits & Ass, he interacts with audience members and with accompanying musicians. The second clip is a bit on how Lawrence Welks accent and square persona were just a put-on. Jazz music starts playing on the p.a. Bruce talks about the early years of his career, differences between audiences and regions, and television. He does How Negroes and Jews Became Entertainers and talks about his scenario for a movie about Christ and the Good Thief. His performance at Carnegie Hall took place two years before his 3rd appearance on The Steve Allen Show. He does the bit Divorce & Motels. Below is a famous segment that was recorded in an underground bar, Bruce performs his Are there any niggers here tonight? skit. Bruce makes comments about the man "stuck up there in the booth" and talks about the jacket he has on, which he says he designed. Waltham, MA 02453, Lenny Bruce Institutional Repository site. But for all their obscurity, nothing gets done in Congress without these aides. As Bruce gained fame and popularity, he moved on from doing stand-up comedy at small strip clubs to performing in larger mainstream halls. Recorded by Lenny Bruce in the days before his death on August 3, 1966, plus a song written and performed by Tim Hardin after Bruces death. Bruce asks the lighting man to turn out all the lights, and says its fun in the dark when were together, but not alone. He does Lima, Ohio, discusses his arrest for obscenity in Los Angeles, does his bit Schmuck. Material in this collection (including the images and audio on this site) may be protected by copyright and other rights. It was recorded and said to be one of the greatest performances made in the venues history. The next clip is a few seconds of a bit about how Englishmen can say crap and it sounds classy. There is an unknown third man present who makes a comment and asks some questions. Bruce begins by riffing with some audience members. First part (of three) of a conversation among comedian Lenny Bruce, attorney Albert Bendich and journalist Ralph J. Gleason. "She was the most diverse and tolerant woman I've ever . He does The Best Man in the Tribe (St. Paul), Custody/Get Even, Deny It, Are There Any Niggers Here? 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. He does his bit The Christian God Has a Face, the Jewish God Doesnt. Conspiracy to interfere with the fourth amendment const Lenny Bruce. He mentions a white minister being locked up for his protest in favor of civil rights (the reference is to Bruce W. Klunder). In March 1964, Steve Allen invited Lenny Bruce to make his 3rd appearance on his show. The first seven clips are variations on his routine on marijuana. November 16, 2004 10 Songs, 1 hour, 7 minutes 2004 Art of Life Records. Bruce speaks of his arrests in Los Angeles both for obscenity and for possession of narcotics. And nobody paid a higher price for alleged obscenity crimes. He does Barney & the Hecklers, talks to a doctor and his wife in the audience. Class. He does the bits The Romans Segregated the Christians with Lions and We Did It to Their Mothers for Chocolate Bars. He does Thank You Masked Man, We Killed Christ and Christ & Moses. Bruce says "It's the first time they've made a bust right in an audience" and imagines he's "Superjew" who can fly out the back way. His sister and brother-in-law, Virginia "Ginnie" and Irving "Bud" Steinhoff would frequently work weekends at the club until 1960 when they took over management. He refers to his 1962 obscenity trial in San Francisco, and that he was acquitted. The recording continues with the beginning of the second set. Bruce continues the bits Deny It and Hotels Are Dirty. 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. The police had recorded two of the performances. He does Communism/The Phone Company. Bruce holds up a magazine with a picture of a nude or scantily clad woman and asks, how can that chick be indecent? Bruce mentions protesters demonstrating against policemen, and does How the Law Started/Craphouse. Bruce talks about doctors and says hes done a lot of hospital time in the last couple of years. He says hes noticed that most of his audiences are male. He then does Christ & Moses, Are There Any Niggers Here Tonight? Bruce is in the midst of Shelley Berman & the Chicago Shtarkers. In the first section, Bruce riffs on what he is doing, testing the Sony Dynamic Microphone. 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You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search. He doesnt like double-entendre comics like Belle Barth, and to prove it says an obscenity straightforward. He makes the first of several comments on a woman in the audiences meshuggener laugh. He does Transvestites Posing as Policemen. However, the appeal was never completed. Out of prison on bail, soon he would die. He explains again that words are only offensive because society makes it that way, and it shouldnt be the case at all. He played around with the word, using it in the same context as he would do if the word was shit. He does The Best Man in the Tribe (St. Paul) and Filipinos. (3) The last section is a series of commercials, and possibly outtakes from commercials, for the Los Angeles mens clothing store Zeidler and Zeidler. On August 3, 1966, he died of a morphine overdose in his home. At the Purple Onion is a live album by Don Francks, Lenny Breau, and Eon Henstridge that was recorded in 1962 and released in 2004. He refers to the fact that the previous Sunday hed only sold 500 tickets for a show at the Curran Theater in San Francisco, leaving 1100 empty seats. Back in California, Bruce was again arrested, as well as ordered to go into rehab for drug addiction. Filmmaker, Advertising, Social Specialist. He talks about the fallout from a joke about Cardinal Spellman, then does The Postman. Bruce himself became ill during the trial, which was forced to adjourn while he recovered in hospital. He talks about the abundance of police cars in front of the Gate of Horn at the previous nights performance. He played engagements at the club in February and August of 1965. Bruce also attracted attention for his edgy routines that often pushed the limits of good taste. While Breau and Francks had worked together over the previous month, Henstridge literally had only about an hour of rehearsal with the others prior to the making of this recording, though the trio's emphasis was more on spontaneity than set arrangements. I speak of a personal experience. Kennedy was assassinated later in the day. Bruce gives permission for Levy to tape his show. At the end of his act, Bruce exasperates that the suppression of the word came from the power that people gave to the word. He goes on to talk about prejudices about British accents vs. Southern accents, and does his bit on obscenity law. In the third and sixth clip he mentions The Chronicle, which would place the performances in San Francisco. Bendich is impressed by the thoroughness of Bruces research. This didnt phase him. The recording ends abruptly. Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 - August 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and actor. Bruce 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). The third clip is his bit on a Jewish mother in Miami whos the only one who doesnt know her son is gay. The series correspondence, writings and transcripts, and news clippings and articles also have materials pertaining to Lenny Bruce previously gathered by a close friend named Ralph J. Gleason, who was a journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle and later, the founding editor for Rolling Stone Magazine.
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