Lenny Bruce
Born 1925 · Age 100
Leonard Alfred Schneider (Lenny Bruce) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic and satirist known for provocative, free-wheeling comedy, repeated obscenity trials, and a landmark posthumous pardon in 2003.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born Leonard Alfred Schneider
Born in Mineola, New York, to Myron (Mickey) Schneider and Sadie (Sally Marr) Kitchenberg; Jewish family background.
Parents divorced
His parents divorced when he was about five; he was raised by his mother and lived with relatives at times.
Attended Wellington C. Mepham High School
Grew up in Bellmore, New York, and attended Wellington C. Mepham High School during his teenage years.
Enlisted in U.S. Navy
Joined the United States Navy at age 16 (World War II service).
Served aboard USS Brooklyn — Northern Africa/Palermo
Saw active service aboard USS Brooklyn (CL-40) in Northern Africa and Palermo in 1943.
Served at Anzio, Italy
Active naval service during the Anzio campaign, Italy, 1944.
Shipboard drag performance led to disciplinary action
Performed in drag for shipmates; commanding officers were upset leading to discharge proceedings.
Discharged from Navy (changed to 'Under Honorable Conditions')
Initially given undesirable discharge but successfully changed to 'Under Honorable Conditions ... unsuitability for the naval service'.
First professional stand-up performance
Earned $12 and a free spaghetti dinner for his first stand-up show in Brooklyn; around this time he adopted the surname 'Bruce'.
TV exposure: Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts (guest)
Appeared on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, performing impressions (source years vary; appearance contributed to early recognition).
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts appearance (dated source)
One source records an Arthur Godfrey appearance on April 18, 1949 (tied for first in some accounts) — early boost to bookings.
Brother Mathias Foundation scam arrest (impersonating priest)
Arrested in Miami for impersonating a priest soliciting donations for a leper colony under a legal charity he had chartered; later acquitted.
Married Honey Harlow
Married stripper Honey Harlow (Harriet/Harriet Friedman), beginning a turbulent relationship that shaped his personal life and career decisions.
Moved to West Coast; wrote Dance Hall Racket
Relocated to California with Honey Harlow and wrote the screenplay for Dance Hall Racket (he also appeared in it).
Wrote Dream Follies and The Rocket Man (screenplays)
Credited with screenplays for Dream Follies (low-budget burlesque romp) and a children's film The Rocket Man.
Daughter Kathleen 'Kitty' Bruce born
His daughter Kitty Bruce was born to Lenny and Honey.
Frank Ray Perilli becomes mentor/manager
Comedian Frank Ray Perilli became a mentor and part-time manager, influencing career moves and collaborations.
First separation from Honey Harlow
Lenny and Honey separated for the first time in March 1956; their relationship was volatile through the late 1950s.
Reunited with Honey on Honolulu tour; kidnapping incident
By July 1956 they were on a nightclub tour; during Honey's arrest in Honolulu, Lenny left her and later kidnapped one-year-old Kitty (reports vary).
Fired at Slate Brothers nightclub for 'blue material'
Booked into Slate Brothers nightclub and fired first night for 'blue material'—incident led to theme for his first solo album.
Appeared on Patrice Munsel Show with Buddy Hackett duo
Performed as a duo called the 'Not Ready for Prime Time Players' with Buddy Hackett on TV (1957–1958).
Release: 'The Sick Humor of Lenny Bruce' (album timeline anchor)
Early Fantasy Records release that became emblematic of his recorded output and controversies (often reissued in compilations later).
Album: 'Interviews of Our Times' (Fantasy Records)
Early album release on Fantasy Records, containing interviews and material contributing to his growing reputation.
Television appearance: The Steve Allen Show (1959)
Appeared on The Steve Allen Show; had to submit potentially offensive jokes for pre-approval; made an unscripted 'Elizabeth Taylor' comment.
Album: 'The Sick Humor of Lenny Bruce' (Fantasy Records)
Released an album that helped brand him a 'sick comic' and solidify his controversial profile.
Appeared on Playboy's Penthouse (Hugh Hefner)
Taped the first episode of Playboy's Penthouse and discussed Navy experiences, gaining a sympathetic national platform.
Album: 'I Am Not a Nut, Elect Me!'
Released another recorded work (Fantasy Records era); part of his recorded output that informed later legal attention.
Reported high income year (industry report)
Trade reporting (Variety cited in later accounts) indicated he made about $108,000 in 1960 — a peak-earning year for him.
Peak reported earnings (Variety report)
Trade reports later cited by biographers note a large swing in earnings: about $108,000 in 1960 (contrasted with later years).
Arrested in Philadelphia (drug possession)
Arrested in Philadelphia in 1961 on a drug possession charge (part of growing legal and personal difficulties).
Album releases and material leading to legal scrutiny
Self-produced 10-inch album of 1961 San Francisco performances contains material that precipitated legal trouble.
Carnegie Hall concert (famous midnight show)
Performed a famed, improvised set at Carnegie Hall (Feb 4, 1961), later released as The Carnegie Hall Concert (3-disc set).
Arrested for obscenity at Jazz Workshop (San Francisco)
Arrested after using explicit language (e.g., the word 'cocksucker') during a Jazz Workshop performance; later acquitted by jury.
Officially declared a pauper by federal court
U.S. District Court in San Francisco declared him a pauper (1962) reflecting financial decline amid legal battles.
Arrested on stage at Chicago's Gate of Horn
Arrested on December 5, 1962, at the Gate of Horn folk club in Chicago amid obscenity enforcement actions.
Performed at Peter Cook's 'The Establishment' (London)
Appeared at The Establishment club (1962); contributed to later U.K. visa denial.
Australian tour controversy (Sydney)
Two-week Sydney engagement in Sept 1962 produced heckling, press attacks and cancellations; one performance (Sept 6) provoked walkouts; final concert had only ~200 attendees.
Barred from entering United Kingdom
After appearances (1962) in London at The Establishment, the Home Office barred him as an 'undesirable alien' in April 1963.
Serialized autobiography in Playboy
At Hugh Hefner's request and with Paul Krassner's help, Bruce serialized an autobiographical work in Playboy during 1964–65.
Reported steep income decline (industry report)
Industry reporting (cited in later commentaries) noted dramatic drop to about $6,000 in 1964 amid legal troubles and blacklisting.
High-profile trial attracted support from artists/intellectuals
During the 1964 New York obscenity trial, prominent figures (Woody Allen, Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, James Baldwin and others) publicly supported Bruce.
Album: 'Lenny Bruce Is Out Again' (1964 label activity)
Recorded materials and live recordings circulated; he self-produced/sold records that spread his material beyond clubs.
Appeared at Cafe Au Go Go; undercover police arrests
In April 1964 performed twice at Cafe Au Go Go in Greenwich Village with undercover police present; arrested after leaving stage along with club owners.
Found guilty of obscenity in New York trial
Following a six-month, widely publicized trial (prosecuted by Richard Kuh), Bruce and club owner Howard Solomon were convicted of obscenity on Nov 4, 1964.
Sentenced to four months in workhouse
Sentenced to four months in a workhouse (Dec 21, 1964); was released on bail pending appeal.
Reported financial collapse and bankruptcy
By 1965 sources report he was bankrupt and had suffered steep declines in income and bookings amid legal harassment and drug problems.
Recorded 'The Berkeley Concert' (last live album)
Gave a noted performance at Berkeley Community Theatre (Dec 12, 1965), recorded and later released as The Berkeley Concert.
Last live performance — The Fillmore (San Francisco)
Final performance on June 25, 1966 at The Fillmore Auditorium on a bill with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention.
Found dead — acute morphine poisoning
Found dead in his Hollywood Hills home on Aug 3, 1966; official cause 'acute morphine poisoning' (overdose).
Controversial memorial and interment
Over 500 people attended an unconventional memorial (Aug 21, 1966); remains interred at Eden Memorial Park Cemetery in Mission Hills, CA.
Posthumous book: 'How to Talk Dirty and Influence People' published
Autobiography material serialized in Playboy was published posthumously as How to Talk Dirty and Influence People (1967).
Stage play 'Lenny' (based on Bruce) premieres
Julian Barry's stage play Lenny opened on Broadway (1971), starring Cliff Gorman in an award-winning role (Tony-winning performance).
Film 'Lenny' released (Bob Fosse; Dustin Hoffman)
Bob Fosse directed Lenny (1974) starring Dustin Hoffman as Lenny Bruce; Hoffman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Documentary 'Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth' (Oscar nominated)
Robert B. Weide documentary about Bruce was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature (1998).
Posthumous gubernatorial pardon granted (New York)
New York Governor George Pataki granted Lenny Bruce a posthumous pardon for his 1964 obscenity conviction — first such pardon in NY history.
Comedy Central ranks Bruce #3 on 100 greatest stand-ups
Comedy Central placed Lenny Bruce at number three on its list of the 100 greatest stand-ups of all time.
Rediscovery of police-era tape from 1962 Sydney performance
A tape of Bruce's Sept 1962 Wintergarden Theatre performance (recorded by jazz musician Sid Powell) was rediscovered in 2011 and donated to Brandeis University.
Rolling Stone ranks Bruce #3 (50 best stand-up comics)
Rolling Stone magazine placed Lenny Bruce third on its list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time (behind Richard Pryor and George Carlin).
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