Lenny Bruce
Also Known As: Leonard Alfred Schneider
Biography: Leonard Alfred Schneider, better known by his stage name Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-style and critical form of comedy which integrated satire, politics, religion, sex, and vulgarity. Branded a "sick comic", Bruce was essentially blacklisted from television, and when he did appear these performances was facilitated by fans like Hugh Hefner and Steve Allen. In 1951, Bruce met Honey Harlow, a stripper from Manila, Arkansas. They were married that same year, and Bruce was determined she would end her work as a stripper. Throughout the final decade of his life, Bruce was beset by severe drug addiction.
Department: Acting
Place of Birth: Mineola, New York, USA
Adult: No
Deathday: August 03, 1966
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Known For:
The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concerts
Overview: On October 29th and 30th, 2009, rock 'n' roll royalty held court at Madison Square Garden for what have been called 'the best concerts ever,' and 'where rock 'n' roll history was made.' The concerts featured a who's who of rock 'n' roll from the '50s to the '90s and included artists performing together in unprecedented combinations that will most likely never be witnessed again. 'The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary Concerts' included sets by Crosby, Stills & Nash; Stevie Wonder; Paul Simon; Simon & Garfunkel; Aretha Franklin; Metallica; U2; Jeff Beck and Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band. Joining this iconic line up on stage were special guests including: Jerry Lee Lewis, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Smokey Robinson, B.B. King, Annie Lennox, Lou Reed, John Fogerty, Mick Jagger, Fergie and others. A 4-hour special of the concerts aired on HBO to high ratings, and was seen by tens of millions. Now this historic event is available on DVD.
Genres: Music Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2009-11-29
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Live at Mister Kelly's
Overview: The iconic Mister Kelly’s bedazzled the country by launching superstars like Barbra Streisand, Richard Pryor, Bette Midler, and Steve Martin. It smashed color and gender barriers to put controversial voices on stage and transformed entertainment in America in the '50s, '60s, and ’70s.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2021-09-17
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Lenny Bruce in 'Lenny Bruce'
Overview: Iconoclast Lenny Bruce appears at San Francisco's Basin Street West in what was his next-to-last live appearance. His act that night consisted of reading allegations and transcripts from one of his several obscenity trials and then commenting on what he'd actually done or said. While there are some "bits" in the performance (including the prison riot with Dutch, the Warden, Father Flotski, and Sabu, the prison doctor), this is much more a social commentary on government intrusion and censorship than it is a comedy routine.
Genres: Documentary Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1967-03-19
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Lenny Bruce: Without Tears
Overview: The outrageous, groundbreaking comic Lenny Bruce, whose iconoclastic material in a conservative era got him into tragic trouble, is profiled by a close friend, Fred Baker, who prefers to remember the laughs Lenny Bruce's memory evokes instead of the tears. By presenting Bruce's landmark skits on the Steve Allen Show, his failed TV pilot episode and a candid interview with Nat Hentoff, Bruce's genius and anguish show through the dramatic and tragic trajectory of his career from aspiring artist to hunted "lawbreaker".
Genres: Comedy Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1972-01-01
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Thank You Mask Man
Overview: This short animation set to Lenny Bruce's live monologue tells how the Lone Ranger hooks up with Tonto. With Bruce doing all the voices, this animation begins with local folks upset at the Lone Ranger because he won't stay around to be thanked after a good deed. So, he stays and finds he likes hearing "Thank you mask man." When their attention starts to shift elsewhere, he shocks and disgusts the townspeople with a final request. According to the cartoon’s producer John Magnuson, at early showings of this, gay audiences were upset by its apparent “fag-bashing”. And it’s true, part of the fun of the piece is just crying out “Masked man’s a fag”, scandalising and defacing the image of this all-American hero. But it’s within the larger context of Bruce’s analysis of heroism, and that the towns people reject the Masked Man is because of their prejudices, not because Bruce is asking us to endorse them. (from: http://ukjarry.blogspot.de/2010/01/352-lenny-bruce-thank-you-mask-man.html)
Genres: Western Animation Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1971-09-28
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Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth
Overview: In 1948, Lenny Bruce was just another comic who couldn't get arrested. By 1961, all that would change.
Genres: Comedy Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1998-10-21
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Dance Hall Racket
Overview: A gangster who operates a sleazy dance hall uses a sadistic bodyguard to keep his girls afraid and his customers in line.
Genres: Action Adventure Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-02-20
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The Last Laugh
Overview: Feature documentary about humor and the Holocaust, examining whether it is ever acceptable to use humor in connection with a tragedy of that scale, and the implications for other seemingly off-limits topics in a society that prizes free speech.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2016-04-18
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But... Seriously
Overview: A documentary juxtaposing the events of the 20th century with the commentary of stand-up comedians.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1994-03-25
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Dead Neon: The Many Faces of Lenny Bruce on Film
Overview: Lenny Bruce's depiction on film did not start or end with Bob Fosse's Lenny (1974). Through these other often offbeat cinematic incarnations, this essay piece considers how Lenny Bruce was the perfect Bob Fosse subject, and how Fosse's focus on the lives of performers invigorated his portrait of the controversial, trail-blazing comic.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2023-12-27
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From Straight to Bizarre
Overview: Documentary about the rise and fall of Frank Zappa's record labels, Bizarre and Straight which featured a collection of acts that included: Alice Cooper, The GTOs, and Wild Man Fischer.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2012-02-21
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Looking for Lenny
Overview: In-depth documentary that uses Lenny Bruce's legacy to explore the present condition of the fear of words and expression.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2011-01-01
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TV's Funniest Comedians - 14 Stars Do Classic Routines
Overview: A compilation film of stand up performances and comedy routines featuring some of the biggest stars in the early years of television. This film was directed by Sandy Olivieri. Here is a partial list of the performers who appeared in the film Bob Newhart, Mort Sahl, Jack Benny, Lenny Bruce, Johnny Carson, George Carlin, et al.
Genres: Comedy TV Movie Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1986-04-16
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Dream Follies
Overview: A group of male office workers, bored with their daily routine, decide to stop in at the local burlesque house.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1954-01-01
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Death Scenes 2
Overview: DEATH SCENES II continues the exploration into the dark recesses of violence and rage that ended in such heinous crimes as the Manson Family's assault on society. You'll see the gruesome aftermath of mob reprisals, public executions and international terrorism. DEATH SCENES II uniquely ushers the brave and curious into a spellbinding trip through the reality that is our world today.
Genres: Documentary Horror
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1992-01-01
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