Unreleased short film featuring Lenny Bruce

An unreleased, black and white silent film featuring Lenny Bruce as a down-on-his-luck street newspaper salesman. The 12-and-a-half minute 16mm film, most likely created in the mid-to-late 1950s or early 1960s, follows the ups-and-downs — mainly downs — of the main character, including his dreams of owning a motorcycle jacket, his clashes with the landlady of the rooming house where he lives (probably played by Bruce’s mother, Sally Marr), a brief romantic meeting with a female stranger, and an accidental, fateful run-in with a drug dealer and the police.

Based on William Karl Thomas’s description in his book “Lenny Bruce: The Making of a Prophet,” this film bears a striking resemblance to another short film by Bruce called the "Leather Jacket." However, the film at Brandeis is believed to be a collaboration between Bruce and the musician “Count” Lewis DePasquale, a friend of the comedian, who likely contributed the jazz soundtrack.