Lenny Bruce was an American stand-up comic during the 1950’s and early 1960’s. He was also a social satirist. He was often arrested for his obscene jokes and comedy acts on stage. However, he was widely respected by other artists and praised for his ideas of free speech and political humor.

However, Bruce’s “dirty” humor did not go overlooked. In San  Francisco, 1961 he was arrested for using sexually explicit language at the Jazz Workshop. He was acquitted, but law enforcement kept an eye out for him which resulted in a drug arrest in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

The arrests for his performances didn’t stop there. In December of 1962, he was arrested and convicted of violating a state obscenity statute at the Gates of Horn Club in Chicago. After being defended by distinguished law professor Harry Kalven Jr. The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Bruce’s comedy routine was social commentary and not obscenity This was a landmark decision that inspired and helped comics across the country.

By 1963, he was ordered to leave England because British authorities heard of his performance at a London club.

After those arrests were acquitted, he made his way to New York City. However, law enforcement did not treat him any more fair than they had in California. It was at Cafe Au Go Go in Greenwich Village where two undercover detectives sat in on two of his shows. There, they were able to gather first-hand evidence of him violating New York’s Penal code 1140. They succeeded in convincing a grand jury to indict him on these charges.

There were many popular and rather influential entertainers that submitted a petition on Bruce’s behalf. These entertainers included: Bob Dylan, Paul Newman, Allen Ginsberg, Elizabeth Taylor, and Norman Mailer, among others.  He was convicted and sentenced to four months in the “workhouse.”