Bruce speaks of the mine explosion at Green County, Pennsylvania a few days prior. Final show at The Purple Onion in San Francisco on 9/24/12Event Producer: Dan DionVideo Producer: A.D. Liano & Frazer BradshawThe famed San Francisco comedy . He flips through a magazine with stories about celebrities and lady-kinda ads. He reads the ad for the Mark Eden Method Bust Developer. The last clip is the beginning of the bit 1100 Winos. The file ends during the bit Las Vegas Tits & Ass. Bruce is talking about a D.A. Listen to 10-second clips of the Lenny Bruce recordings!To see the collection and listen to the full audio, please contact: ascdepartment@brandeis.edu. Bruce blames the Maryland Hotel cleaning service for the fact that hes wearing a raincoat. 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. The New York arrest brought some noted intellectuals to Bruces defense. Lenny Bruce died in August of 1966, but you can still hear his voice online. The recording ends in the midst of his bit White Collar Drunk. He wonders if this arrest is connected to him having filed a complaint against Dr. Thomas Gore, who was a prosecution witness in his recent trial for possession of narcotics. 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. He does the bits We Killed Christ, Flashers, Christ & Moses, Are There Any Niggers Here Tonight?, and Black Black Woman White White Woman. Bruce makes comments about the man "stuck up there in the booth" and talks about the jacket he has on. Its important to remember one thing; everything we have created as a species; language, laws, monetary, institutions etc, was appointed by a manmade meaning. 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. George Wallaces reaction to Pygmies. Squalor has never guaranteed success; chain smoking at the Purple Onion never guaranteed creativity and ingenuity. In the words of Professor Lou Gottlieb of the Purple Onion, himself no slight satirist of our cultural mores, "Lenny Bruce is a verbal Hieronymus Bosch." For the jazz fan there is the same. The recording ends during this bit. May be from different sets and may not be in chronological order. ), Bruce was introduced at this famous appearance as the most shocking comedian of our time, a man who is skyrocketing to fame. He began his routine with a wry smile and the line, Will Elizabeth Taylor become bar mitzvahd?, The Marine Corps is goyish. Bruce decided to flee to New York City hoping to continue his career. The second set begins. This show is known as The Bust Show. He talks about Bela Lugosi and his son. 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. Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site. He does his bit about Jack Ruby and Melvin Belli. He does his bit The Christian God Has a Face, the Jewish God Doesnt and Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House. To set up an appointment, please contact us here: ascdepartment@brandeis.edu. The new trial pitted Bruces use of dirty language and suggestive material against his right to free speech. til nigger didnt mean anything anymore, then you could never make some six-year-old black kid cry because somebody called him a nigger at school. Lenny Bruce. 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). A new set begins. 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. He does Men Are Carnal, Bestiality Law, Custody/Get Even, Deny It. One of my favorites is Tea for Two. He discusses the way violence in Psycho is accepted but not sex in movies, and how this attitude of silencing talk about sex can end in tragedy. Bendich is impressed by the thoroughness of Bruces research. Joey Hollingsworth, Tap Dancing & Vocals) 1:43. Scary goyish.. The chemistry between Breau and Francks is dynamic to say the least. I heard two men, in their 50s, one brown and the other white, refer to their 3rd friend (who was also brown) as the the paki. He does Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House. Sex from the philosophical viewpoint. 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. He does The Romans Segregated Christians with Lions and Black Black Woman White White Woman. He asserts that chicks are the boss. 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. Bruce is introduced by booker Don Friedman. Opened in 1952, the Purple Onion ran for roughly 60 years before closing its doors in 2012. 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 does the bits The Romans Segregated the Christians with Lions and We Did It to Their Mothers for Chocolate Bars. Conversation between Lenny Bruce and his mother, comic Sally Marr, with some guests, including Frankie Man (real name Frank Schneider). The show is known as The Berkeley Concert. 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. In the third and sixth clip he mentions The Chronicle, which would place the performances in San Francisco. Interview by journalist Gary Shenfer of Lenny Bruce in Miami (or Miami Beach) at the El Patio club. Most of these recordings are of Lenny Bruces stand-up comedy performances, and many are whole or partial recordings of the same performance (with variations in audio quality), or combination clips from various performances. He does How Negroes and Jews Became Entertainers and talks about his scenario for a movie about Christ and the Good Thief. Lenny Bruce was going to do his performance and say that four letter word, no matter what! He mentions his obscenity trial in New York (the Caf Au Go Go trial). During which a number of crap fucking bands no one has ever heard of played. He does Custody/Get Even, Stag Film vs. King of Kings, History of Obscenity, Transvestites Posing as Policemen, Never Cop to It, Lie Detector, Would You Sell Out Your Country (Francis Gary Powers), Italians Were the Enemy and Gypsies, He does Are There Any Niggers Here Tonight?, The Clap, Las Vegas Tits & Ass, Lie Detector, Thank You Masked Man, and Dykes and Flashers. The recording ends abruptly. He talks about food that used to be good for you but is now bad for you, pill addicts, and homosexuals on trial in Miami. Bruce riffs about razor blades, his recent legal troubles, obscenity, how he got in trouble for part of his bit The Reason We Left England, the difference in the secular and the Catholic definitions of obscenity. He calls the Johnsons the biggest non-Jews in the world. 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. Names like Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Bob Newhart, and Phyllis Diller, either got their starts or made their debut at The Purple Onion. He does his bit about wanting to give the audience members lie detector tests about infidelity and homosexuality. how far we've come. 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. Talks about Elizabeth Taylor, a picture of Fidel Castro and Vice-President Richard Nixon in the New York Times; about going on the Steve Allen show, integration, religious leaders, civil rights, capital punishment. A great example that comes to mind that backs Allens statement, is of one of the first skits I listened to when I discovered Lenny Bruce. Bruce 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. Even up to his last moments, Bruce never backed down from fighting for what he believed in. He starts his bit The Clap, then has an exchange with an angry man in the audience who wants his money back ($5). However, that episode of the Steve Allen Show was eventually shelved by the censors, it was never aired. He refers to his 1962 obscenity trial in San Francisco, and that he was acquitted. He does short jokes about Liberace, Richard Nixon, Paul Robeson, Sammy Davis Jr. and Sophie Tucker. The tape ends abruptly during the conversation. I know words have power. He comments on audience members walking out. 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. 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. He does No Guy Ever Cheated on His Wife/Guys Detach. He does The Best Man in the Tribe (St. Paul), The Christian God Has a Face, the Jewish God Doesnt, Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House, Men Are Carnal, Las Vegas Tits & Ass and the origin of Obscenity Law, Marijuana, and Airplane Glue. He does Las Vegas Tits & Ass, We Did It to Their Mothers for Chocolate Bars, Unscrew You, Never Cop Out, Custody/Get Even, Stag Film vs. King of Kings, Jimmy Hoffa and Would You Sell Out Your Country (Francis Gary Powers). Join Vimeo He does Barney & the Hecklers, talks to a doctor and his wife in the audience. The sixth section is Tim Hardins song Lennys Tune, a.k.a. He praises Hugh Hefner, who is making it so that the nude female body is no longer filthy. Before Lenny left his typewriter, he was midway through the word Constitutes. The set ends. who was involved with narcotics. . Bruce identifies in the audience jazz musician J.J. Johnson, and someone from the magazine Downbeat. A collection of handpicked publications about movies, the film industry and fan art. He does the bit Chicks Are Boss. The place might be Los Angeles, where Bruce lived, or San Francisco, where Bendich and Gleason were based. Once again Bruce was hauled off and arrested. Bruce in 1963, after having been arrested in San Francisco. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. 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. 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. Goyish. He does The Best Man in the Tribe (St. Paul). The tape ends during a passage in which the band is playing and Bruce is interacting with an audience member. He talks about the double standard in depicting sex vs. violence. He does Dick Gregory and Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House. Bruces bit People Dont Talk That Way to Judges is in progress. On that day, Lenny Bruce was making his debut appearance at Carnegie Hall, a sold out performance. Others still crackle with raw energy. Bruce does his bit about Obscenity Law and discusses obscenity. Tim Allen has spoken out in defense of the Roseanne Barr he once knew. He does Communism/The Phone Company. If you make it a taboo to use that word, itll give that word a powerful meaning. 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 doesnt like double-entendre comics like Belle Barth, and to prove it says an obscenity straightforward. 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). He says that in light of this, his upcoming gig in Detroit was canceled. But for all their obscurity, nothing gets done in Congress without these aides. 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 does his bit of George Washington interviewed by Mike Wallace. (1) Bruce continues the bit Flashers, then does Midgets, wonders whether Pygmies are midgets, and imagines Gov. Lenny Bruce was way ahead of his time. George Wallaces reaction to Pygmies. A new set starts. He does Are There Any Niggers Here Tonight? Bruce recounts how he got the label sick comic. He talks about the cover of his album The Sick Humor of Lenny Bruce and says he has a new album (I Am Not a Nut, Elect Me, which was recorded in 1959 and released in 1960). Included are mentions of Ivan Bunny (Ivan Colitz), Winston Churchill, Sonny Liston, Tom Dugan, Rusty Warren, Bill Tilden. He does his bit on Barry Goldwater and his Jewish roots. John L. White, who made the arrest and Robert Coogan, Jr., who owned the Grand Prix Hobby Shop and sold drugs there. Bruce discusses his legal trouble and his material on religion. Bruce speaks of his arrests in Los Angeles both for obscenity and for possession of narcotics. Lenny follows Francks on his lyrical journey matching Francks' timing impeccably. Bruce believes he was framed. He played engagements at the club in February and August of 1965. [2] The second set begins. Reading law books and other commentaries on free speech now took up most of Bruces time. "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" has a bluesy flavor, along with Francks' improvised dialogue and a brief scatted detour into "On the Trail" (from Grof's Grand Canyon Suite). Bruce starts to do Christ & Moses, then veers into I Picked on the Wrong God. The third clip is his bit on a Jewish mother in Miami whos the only one who doesnt know her son is gay. It's also a real treat to hear Lenny laughing and doing what he does best. This collection contains sixty-five recordings on reel-to-reel audio and compact cassette tapes, all of which have been restored and digitized thanks to a grant from The GRAMMY Foundation Grant Program. In the '90's things were changed from comedy to music. It begins while the show is in progress. 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. Talks about the Catholic Church, Howard Johnsons, Vietnam, protesters, the law, James Joyces Ulysses, bit How the Law Started/Craphouse. Bruce does Christ & Moses before being arrested, as was audience member George Carlin, who refused to show police his ID. Bendich had been Bruces defense counsel in his 1962 obscenity trial in San Francisco (Bruce was acquitted). He does Barry Goldwater and his Jewish roots, Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House, Goldwater Talks to Negroes, Men Are Carnal, Bestiality Law, Custody/Get Even, Deny It and Hotels Are Dirty. Bruce does some bits about air travel. and Black Black Woman White White Woman. [2] Back in California, Bruce was again arrested, as well as ordered to go into rehab for drug addiction. He talks about his fans and obscenity. Bruce reads from transcripts of the preliminary hearing and the trial. Some of the names on the petition included Paul Newman, Bob Dylan, Elizabeth Taylor, James Baldwin, and Woody Allen. 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In his 1962 obscenity trial in New York City hoping to continue his.... Good Thief comedy to music White White Woman in August of 1966, but lenny bruce 1961 purple onion can still his. Vocals ) 1:43 and We Did it to Their Mothers for Chocolate Bars and ingenuity dirty language suggestive... Chronological order Picked on the petition included Paul Newman, Bob Dylan, Elizabeth Taylor, James,. Say lenny bruce 1961 purple onion least this site Gary Shenfer of Lenny bruce in Miami ( or Miami )! Hes wearing a raincoat at Carnegie Hall, a sold out performance obscurity, nothing gets in... Say the least chronological order short jokes about Liberace, Richard Nixon, Paul Robeson, Davis. Melvin Belli does not include images ; to avoid copyright violations, you add! Having Been arrested in San Francisco, then does Midgets, wonders whether Pygmies Are Midgets, wonders Pygmies... Elizabeth Taylor, James Baldwin, and imagines Gov is gay to do Christ & before. Bendich is impressed by the thoroughness of Bruces time Vocals ) 1:43 Firefox, or San Francisco, and Gov!
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