Bruces bit People Dont Talk That Way to Judges is in progress. Talks about the Catholic Church, Howard Johnsons, Vietnam, protesters, the law, James Joyces Ulysses, bit How the Law Started/Craphouse. He does some of his bit How to Relax Your Colored Friends at Parties, to prove that Boyar misinterpreted it as racist. He does The Best Man in the Tribe (St. Paul) and Filipinos. He mentions his arrests for giving obscene performances in Beverly Hills, and says we should keep prayer in the schools because we need to understand people who have religious training. Before introducing him on stage, Allen spent four minutes explaining and warning his viewers on what they were about to witness on his show. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. He talks about tourist vs. first class on planes and 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. His performance at Carnegie Hall took place two years before his 3rd appearance on The Steve Allen Show. Here are a few clips that show the range, depth, and volatility of a man Complex magazine calls the most. Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Eulogy to Lenny Bruce, written and performed by Hardin after Bruces death. He works the bit I Picked the Wrong God into his remarks about the trial and mentions Leopold and Loeb. Schwartz tells Bruce about his meeting with New York City License Inspector Herbert S. Ruhe. 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. In the first section, Bruce riffs on what he is doing, testing the Sony Dynamic Microphone. 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. Only two years after his Snot act on the Steve Allen show. 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. In this conversation, Bruce seeks Bendichs advice as to whether he has grounds to appeal his conviction on a narcotics charge in Los Angeles. The recording begins with the show in progress. (Bruce was then arrested, as was audience member George Carlin, who refused to show police his ID). It was performed in front of a diverse audience in a jazz club, which he explains his point perfectly at the end. The recording ends abruptly. To set up an appointment, please contact us here: ascdepartment@brandeis.edu. He does the bit People Dont Talk That Way to Judges. This show is known as The Bust Show. In March 1964, Steve Allen invited Lenny Bruce to make his 3rd appearance on his show. We are nothing at all. Conversation between Lenny Bruce and his mother, comic Sally Marr, with some guests, including Frankie Man (real name Frank Schneider). 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). 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 . Menu. He does the bits Would You Sell Out Your Country (Francis Gary Powers) and Las Vegas Tits & Ass. 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. He does Black Black Woman White White Woman. Bruce performs several bits and discusses topical matters, Including: his arrest for obscenity, Irv Kup Kupcinet, Will Leonard, Jewish vs. Goyishe, Paul Molloy. 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). He mentions a white minister being locked up for his protest in favor of civil rights (the reference is to Bruce W. Klunder). This file constitutes part four of four quarters (although without a definitive ending to the show). He does the bit Chicks Are Boss. Tim Allen has spoken out in defense of the Roseanne Barr he once knew. Were simply trying to make our ride, the best ride possible with what weve got. The announcer says, "Ladies and gentlemen, we now have a new star of our show." Bruce is known to have had engagements at The Den in April and during the fall of 1959. Lenny Bruce died in August of 1966, but you can still hear his voice online. Copyright 2023 The Forward Association, Inc. All rights reserved. He reacts to people in the balcony who yell for him to speak louder. 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 makes comments about the man "stuck up there in the booth" and talks about the jacket he has on. Bruce does a bit about how his generation of men is terrified of being considered a faggot. He relates his surprise, when at Phil Spectors jamboree rock concert, at seeing 10-year-old kids out without their parents. He does I Picked on the Wrong God. But at that time of recording, Lenny Bruce was under litigation for obscenity by New Yorks [then] District Attorney (D.A. and People Dont Talk That Way to Judges. "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. Bruce mentions protesters demonstrating against policemen, and does How the Law Started/Craphouse. Well guess whatpeople who want to offend, theyll use it to cause harm and offence to whoever feeds up to it. 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. He does The Best Man in the Tribe (St. Paul). It was a small, basement club that had its heyday in the 1950s and 60s -and helped launch the careers of Phyllis Diller, The Smothers Brothers, Lenny Bruce, Woody Allen, and Richard Pryor. He does The Romans Segregated Christians with Lions. 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. He does Las Vegas Tits & Ass. how far we've come. In the end, Lenny Bruce and comedy club owner Howard Solomon were found guilty as charged. 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. On Capitol Hill, there are 20,000 mostly young men and women who have tremendous influence but are rarely seen, they work in the background, without recognition and often for long hours with low pay. Let me tell you the truth. He does Doing It Is Filthy. Bruce is introduced by booker Don Friedman. Lenny Bruce being arrested in 1961. Even up to his last moments, Bruce never backed down from fighting for what he believed in. He mentions his obscenity trial in New York (the Caf Au Go Go trial). He does Flashers. North Beach is alive at night, and the Smothers Brothers have settled in for a month at the Purple Onion. and Black Black Woman White White Woman. The next section is a montage of very short clips of bits involving drug use. The clientele was mixed, but author David Rosen called the Village Purple Onion a "mob-run gay hangout." . The show is known as The Berkeley Concert. Bruces bit People Dont Talk That Way to Judges is in progress. Upload, livestream, and create your own videos, all in HD. But instead of being able to perform, he was taken back to the airport and deported. George Wallaces reaction to Pygmies. 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. Fundamentally, everything we have created, came from nothing thus, meaning that nothing has a meaning. 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. 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). Bruce does his bit Christ & Moses. The ninth and tenth clips are variations on Airplane Glue, with the kid who sniffs glue appearing on Paul Coates tabloid TV show. Bruce refers to his attire, a raincoat, pants and mismatched socks. 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 does Communism/The Phone Company. (1) Bruce talks about his trial, mentions Leopold and Loeb, his arrest for obscenity days earlier, the abundance of police cars in front of the Gate of Horn at the previous nights performance. But this isn't. In 1964, a city license inspector attended one of Bruces shows. He notes that because the charge was contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor, since a minor was present at the show, he has lost bookings in New York. The trio's approach to standards is a bit unusual. Jimmy Hoffa, Jewish bigotry, Would You Sell Out Your Country (Francis Gary Powers), Custody/Get Even, Stag Film vs. King of Kings, Transvestites Posing as Police, We Did it to Their Mothers for Chocolate Bars and Bad Toilet Training, Australia, Thank You Masked Man, Ivan Bunny, Bobby Kennedy. Bruce believes he was framed. "A New Electric Chair" is a stream-of-consciousness narrative about a warden deliberating a purchase. He starts his bit The Clap, then has an exchange with an angry man in the audience who wants his money back ($5). The recording ends in the midst of his bit To Is a Preposition, Come Is a Verb. 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. Lenny Bruce was way ahead of his time. The recording continues with the beginning of the second set. 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. 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. One of the charges against him was saying "shmuck." Names like Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Bob Newhart, and Phyllis Diller, either got their starts or made their debut at The Purple Onion. Although fans of Lenny Breau are likely to be interested in all of his previously unreleased recordings, the focus is primarily on Francks. He mentions a practice from the time of Christs crucifixion. 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. Joel Lesnick and Sgt. 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). Bruce does some bits about air travel. Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site. Bruce begins the set (possibly the first set) by saying Happy Friday and talking about the clubs owner, George Andros. It makes no sense to restrict our ride because of what was. 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. He remarks that people are now walking out of the show. In addition to other bits, Bruce comments on what he's looking at in a newspaper (or possibly a magazine). May be from different sets and may not be in chronological order. Squalor has never guaranteed success; chain smoking at the Purple Onion never guaranteed creativity and ingenuity. Lenny Bruce died in August of 1966, but you can still hear his voice online. Bruce introduces Levy to his attorney, Mark Blumenthal. They performed as a trio called Three. He talks about pornography, masturbation, crime, and Jews. Lenny Bruce Robert Pinsky I saw him in San Francisco at the Purple Onion When I was still at Stanford, a Teaching Assistant Getting the "Ode to a Nightingale" by heart. He does Men Are Carnal, Bestiality Law, Custody/Get Even, Deny It. The recording ends abruptly before the end of the set. First part (of three) of a conversation among comedian Lenny Bruce, attorney Albert Bendich and journalist Ralph J. Gleason. Why was Allen making such a big deal about this? The defense brought in media critics, psychiatrists, and religious figures that supported Bruces right to speak. Bruce imagines Jesus Christ and Moses dropping in on modern-day Manhattan. Mentions Leopold and Loeb. ), Frank Hogan. The skit can also be seen in the movie Lenny, performed by Dustin Hoffman who portrays Bruce. He talks about Bela Lugosi and his son. There are things you . Bruce does The Act Is Hugging & Kissing. Bruce speaks of his arrests in Los Angeles both for obscenity and for possession of narcotics.