Aug. 15, 1965 | Lenny Bruce Performs at Basin Street West

Aug. 15, 1965 – Lenny Bruce performs a full set tonight at Basin Street West in San Francisco. His routine touches on censorship, courtroom battles, and social hypocrisy, delivered before a packed club.
Two months ago, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a hearing to the comedian, who had sought a Federal court order to prevent New York authorities from interfering with his appearances. Bruce at that time pleaded a First Amendment right to “deliver dramatic monologues dealing with subjects of topical importance anywhere in the nation regardless of state lines or varying local standards or conflicting state court decisions.”

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