- published: 11 Nov 2012
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Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), better known by the stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American comedian, social critic and satirist. His 1964 conviction in an obscenity trial was followed by a posthumous pardon, the first in New York state history. His open, free-style, dangerous and critical form of comedy which brought in politics and religion and sex in a heady mix, combined with his devil may care attitude, his epic consumption of drugs, sex and alcohol, his messy, desperate life in which he conned money in order to keep his wife from having to work as a stripper, makes him a compelling figure. He paved the way for future outspoken comedians, and he paved the way for freedom of speech. His trial for obscenity for saying the word "cocksucker", in which – after being forced into bankruptcy – he was eventually found not guilty is seen as landmark trial for freedom of speech.
Lenny Bruce was born Leonard Alfred Schneider in Mineola, New York, grew up in nearby Bellmore, and attended Wellington C. Mepham High School. His parents divorced when he was five years old, and Lenny moved in with various relatives over the next decade. His mother, Sally Marr (née Sadie Kitchenberg), was a stage performer who had an enormous influence on Bruce's career. After spending time working on a farm, Bruce joined the United States Navy at the age of 17 in 1942, and saw active duty in Europe. In May 1945 he reported to his ship's medical officer that he was experiencing homosexual urges. This led to his Dishonorable Discharge in July 1945. However, he had not admitted to or been found guilty of any breach of naval regulations and successfully applied to have his discharge changed to "Under Honorable Conditions ... by reason of unsuitability for the naval service".
Actors: Joe Chrest (actor), Rebecca Romijn (actress), Randall Batinkoff (actor), Peter Manning Robinson (composer), Peter Werner (director), Pat Healy (actor), Pauly Shore (actor), Basil Hoffman (actor), Cate Hardman (miscellaneous crew), Jim Metzler (actor), Tod Feuerman (editor), Kyle Oliver (miscellaneous crew), Natasha Gregson Wagner (actress), Patrick Mignano (miscellaneous crew), Bill Bolender (actor),
Genres: Biography, Drama,Actors: Dan Hedaya (actor), Steve Landesberg (actor), Gary Burghoff (actor), Walter J. Collins (editor), Joseph Adler (director), Robin Joi Brown (actress), David Wiltse (writer),
Genres: ,Actors: Bob Fosse (actor), Dustin Hoffman (actor), Bob Fosse (director), Robert Greenhut (producer), Alan Heim (editor), Peter J. Silbermann (miscellaneous crew), Albert Wolsky (costume designer), Valerie Perrine (actress), Lawrence Schiller (miscellaneous crew), David V. Picker (producer), Marvin Worth (producer), Glenn R. Wilder (actor), Christine Page (actress), Ralph Burns (composer), David Joseph Martinez (actor),
Plot: Interview-style biography of controversial and pioneering stand-up comedian Lenny Bruce. The film traces Bruce from his beginnings as a Catskills comic to his later underground popularity based on his anti-establishment politics and his scatological humor.
Keywords: 1950s, accident, adult-humor, adultery, alcohol, attorney, bare-breasts, based-on-play, beard, car-accidentActors: Arthur French (actor), Robert Allen (actor), Gene Wood (actor), Reid Cruickshanks (actor), Wynn Irwin (actor), John C. Becher (actor), Michael Heit (actor), Chris Gampel (actor), Courtney Simon (actress), Fuddle Bagley (actor), Harry Spillman (actor), Bob Leslie (actor), Michael Zettler (actor), Emmanuel Vardi (composer), Peter Clune (actor),
Genres: Biography, Drama,Lenny Bruce is dead but his ghost lived on and on
Never did get any Golden Globe award, never made it to Synanon
He was an outlaw, that's for sure
More of an outlaw than you ever were
Lenny Bruce is gone but his spirit's living on and on.
Maybe he had some problems, maybe some things that he couldn't work out
But he sure was funny and he sure told the truth and he knew what he was talking about
Never robbed any churches nor cut off any babie's heads
He just took the folks in high places and he shined a light in their beds
He's on some other shore, he didn't wanna live anymore.
Lenny bruce is dead but he didn't commit any crime
He just had the insight to rip off the lid before its time
I rode with him in a taxi once, only for a mile and a half
Seemed like it took a couple of months
Lenny Bruce moved on and like the ones that killed him, gone.
They said that he was sick 'cause he didn't play by the rules
He just showed the wise men of his day to be nothing more than fools
They stamped him and they labeled him like they do with pants and shirts
He fought a war on a battlefield where every victory hurts