Wednesday, May 28, 2003; Page C03
Associated Press
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Crying Foul: Group Seeks a Belated Pardon for Lenny Bruce
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
By Larry McShane
NEW YORK -- Here's a six-letter word rarely associated with the late comedian Lenny Bruce: pardon.
Supporters of Bruce, the foulmouthed comic convicted of obscenity charges in 1964, have launched a campaign to win him a legal reprieve -- 37 years after his death.
The goal is to "correct a grave injustice -- the prosecution and persecution of comedian Lenny Bruce for nothing more than speaking his mind," said Ron Collins, co-author of "The Trials of Lenny Bruce: The Fall and Rise of an American Icon."
The movement to win a pardon for Bruce boasts an impressive roster of backers, from 25 First Amendment lawyers (including Floyd Abrams) to 10 performers and writers (including Robin Williams, the Smothers Brothers and Penn & Teller).
"A pardon now is too late to save Lenny Bruce," supporters said in a letter to Gov. George Pataki. "But a posthumous pardon would set the record straight and thereby demonstrate New York's commitment to freedom -- free speech, free press, free thinking."
Pataki would have to sign off on a Bruce pardon, and a gubernatorial spokeswoman did not return a call for comment. New York state has never granted a posthumous pardon, although nine other states have, said Robert Corn-Revere, the lead attorney for the Bruce forces.
Bruce's daughter, Kitty, and his former wife, Honey Bruce Friedman, both sent letters of support for the campaign, which was launched last week.
"I truly believe my father's soul can rest in peace with this," Kitty Bruce said.
In life, her father became a troubled soul. His last years were consumed by legal and financial problems. In August 1966, the 39-year-old Bruce died of a drug overdose.
Although Bruce was considered a pariah by some in the '60s, he's generally viewed now as a groundbreaking performer who changed the stand-up comedy business.
"Every night when I get onstage, I thank God or whoever's up there for Lenny Bruce," said comedian Lisa Lampanelli, who joined Collins at a recent news conference. "He has become my hero."
During a November 1964 performance at Cafe au Go Go in Greenwich Village, Bruce used more than 100 "obscene" words -- most of the four-letter variety, although one contained a dozen letters. Undercover police attended the show and later testified against Bruce.
"The cops did the act for the grand jury and it stunk, and I got busted," Bruce observed wryly at the time. He was convicted after a six-month trial. Bruce mishandled his own appeal, and he died with the conviction still on the books.
The club's owner, Howard Solomon, was convicted along with Bruce, but his conviction was eventually reversed.
Any pardon for Bruce would be as much a symbolic victory as a legal one.
"By posthumously pardoning Lenny Bruce, the state of New York declares to the world that it is a safe harbor for creative minds," said Corn-Revere. "It would serve as a public monument to liberty."