On This Day In Video

Lenny Bruce Lost To Overdose - 1966

Friday, August 3, 2007

Lenny Bruce died of a narcotics overdose on this day, August 3rd, 1966.

Born Leonard Alfred Schneider, in Long Island, N.Y., Bruce possessed a cynical, surreal, and intensely comic view of the world. He brutally satirized such sensitive areas of American life as sex, religion, and race relations. His comedy left no group unscathed, and his routines were replete with four-letter words.

Consequently, Bruce was at various times arrested and forbidden to perform; in 1964 he was convicted of obscenity charges stemming from a New York City performance. He was also arrested for narcotics violations.

After his death Bruce became a cult figure, considered by many to be a martyr to the cause of free speech. He was posthumously pardoned of his obscenity conviction by the governor of New York in 2003.

The Fall and Rise of an American Icon

Lenny Bruce's Penultimate Stand Up Performance

Bob Dylan's Tribute Song "Lenny Bruce"

Lenny Bruce on the Steve Allen Show

Labels: celebrity, comedian, drugs, new york, obsenity, usa

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Stonewall Inn Riots in New York - 1969

Thursday, June 28, 2007

The Stonewall Inn was the site of the famous Stonewall riots of 28th June 1969, which have come to symbolize the beginning of the gay liberation movement in the United States. It is located at 53 Christopher Street, between West 4th St. and Waverly Place, in Greenwich Village, New York City. Stonewall is regarded as the single most important event that led to the modern movement for gay and lesbian civil rights.

History of Stonewall by Varla Jean

After Stonewall - First Gay Liberation Day Marches 1970

The riot took place in the night at about 1:20 of June 28, 1969, hours after Judy Garland's funeral. Some believe those who fought back against police at Stonewall were saddened over Garland's death. (She died in London on June 22, 1969). She had been a gay icon, particularly in the latter half of her career in the 1950s and 1960s. Whether Garland's funeral played a part in the riots is cause for question, but it has become part of gay history and lore.

"You Go To My Head" - Judy Garland

NOTE: This is a live recording at Carnegie Hall in 1961. If you listen closely, Judy Garland forgot the lyrics about 57 seconds into the video, and, in a funny ad-lib, sang "with...and I forgot the god-darn words...(garbled)."

Labels: gay pride, greenwich village, human rights, judy garland, new york, stonewall

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First Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway in New York - 1907

Friday, June 8, 2007

On 8th June, 1907 Florenz Ziegfeld produced the first Ziegfeld Follies revue on Broadway in New York City and the combination of seminudity, pageantry, and comedy proved successful until the 1930s when the Great Depression ended the show. Ziegfeld required that every woman in the Follies have a 36-inch bust, a 26-inch waist, and 38-inch hips. Some famous Ziegfeld girls include Eve Arden, Nora Bayes, Fanny Brice, Billie Burke, Paulette Goddard, Anna Held, Marilyn Miller, Ann Pennington, and Barbara Stanwyck.

Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic of 1920

Ziegfeld Beauties - Photos by Alfred Cheney Johnston

The Ziegfeld Showgirls - Photos by Alfred Cheney Johnston

Alfred Cheney Johnston's Ballerinas - Ziegfeld

Jazz Age Beauties - Alfred Cheney Johnston's Ziegfeld Photos

The Search For Beauty with Florenz Ziegfeld on Brunettes

"Hey Feller!" - Showboat (1929)

Very rare footage of the original Broadway production of Showboat at the Ziegfeld Theatre, which played from 27 December, 1927 to 4 May, 1929. This segment (along with the "Queenie's Ballyhoo" clip) was filmed for a special prologue to the 1929 Universal film version of the musical - one of three film adaptations of the show.