STEVE ALLEN SHOW, THE {BANNED LENNY BRUCE CLIP} {THE GLASER FOUNDATION FIRST AMENDMENT COLLECTION} (TV)
Summary
A clip taken from one episode in this series of comedy/variety programs hosted by Steve Allen. Allen opens the clip by speaking at length about the controversy surrounding his next guest, comedian Lenny Bruce. Allen insists that, although Bruce uses coarse language at times, his jokes are in no way "dirty." Nevertheless, Allen states, Bruce's jokes are bound to offend a significant portion of the audience. After another warning, Allen pleads with viewers who are easily offended to leave the room for ten minutes. "Go have a beer in the backyard or kiss the kids," he suggests. "But don't write me postcards about how you didn't like what you saw. You've been warned." Allen then introduces Bruce, who ambles on stage and jokes that his only other television appearances have been on newsreels. The comedian goes on to tell a number of multi-layered jokes with religious themes. He also riffs on topics ranging from the offensiveness of the word "snot" to whether it is possible for a person to be truly selfless. After this monologue, Allen interviews Bruce. The host begins by expressing his belief that all types of people tell dirty jokes, suggesting that critics of Bruce must therefore be hypocrites. In response, Bruce insists that what concerns him is people's misinterpretation of the Constitution and the First Amendment rather than the question of whether a lot of people tell dirty jokes. "Numbers don't prove morality," he shrugs. Although Allen questions Bruce at length about his new album, "The Ballad of Dirty Lenny," Bruce concentrates on dissecting the legal charges that have been leveled against him. Commercials deleted.
(Network affiliation varies; this series, "The Steve Allen Show," originally aired on CBS from 1950 to 1952; NBC from 1956 to 1959; retitled "The Steve Allen Plymouth Show," it ran on NBC from 1959 to 1960; and was on ABC in 1961. Syndicated versions of the program ran from 1962-1964 and 1968-1969)
Cataloging of this program was made possible by The Glaser Foundation.
Details
- NETWORK: Syndicated
- DATE: March 4, 1964 Tuesday
- RUNNING TIME: 0:39:02
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: T:40262
- GENRE: Comedy/Variety
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedians; Comedy; Freedom of Speech; Television - Censorship; Wit and humor
- SERIES RUN: Syndicated - TV series, 1962-1964
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Chet Collier … Executive Producer
- Daryl Duke … Producer
- Norm Hopps … Associate Producer
- Steve Binder … Director
- Stan Burns … Writer
- Mike Marmer … Writer
- Steve Allen … Writer
- Irwin Moskowitz … Writer
- Donn Trenner and his Orchestra … Music by
- Steve Allen … Host
- Lenny Bruce … Guest