hugh hefner was so impressed that he contacted friends in chicago and arranged for lenny bruce to play there. the illinois obscenity statute had been amended to reflect the 1957 supreme court decision, so many people were feeling that nightclubs were really free speech zones. lenny went on to play mr. kelly's in chicago and lead to an interview by studs terkel. the next year, he was profiled in an article titled "rebel with a caustic cause." in the early 1960's, he appeared on playboy's penthouse, and then the company published his autobiography, "how to talk dirty and influence people." many times he'd stayed at the chicago playboy mansion when he was in town. i would say like contemporary art and jazz, hugh hefner dug lenny. he was more than an experimental artist experimenting with extremes, lenny became a martyr. hugh hefner knew what it was like to be persecuted. that 1959 jazz festival i told you about was supposed to be at soldiers field, but the catholic church pressured the first mayor daley to pull the permit. in later years, hugh hefner would be on nixon's enemies list, a so

she was a former stripper, but best known as the mother of lenny bruce. lenny, the troubled comedian single-handedly changed comedy with his stream of consciousness. imagine my joy and alarm. she said, you should meet my son, you you should -- you should meet my son, i will call him. lenny bruce, potentially dangerous, possibly druggy, --ing to be a jewish virgin to meet a jewish virgin? ellen tomek mother. -- no one tell my mother. and it was smitten at first sight. of different bunch girls. he pointed to the angels. according to lenny, they now looked shocked as they listened to him. we have this is a billion-dollar observation not having noticed him not having known him. by the evening i was in love, or a crush like facsimile thereof. maybe i can come down to his show the following week in the club. played at a club called the crescendo. then i called my uncle. he said, this guy is way too dangerous for you. i asked why. he listed about 10 reasons and then he said if i insisted on going out with lenny bruce he was coming along as chaperone. and he did.

. >> next, christine hefner, former ceo of playboy enterprises, talks about comedian lenny bruce's life and legacy. she focuses on social commentary in his standup routine and how he pushed the boundaries of free speech. this is part of a two day conference commemorating the recent acquisition of lenny archival collection at brandeis university. this is about 30 minutes.

this is part of a two-day conference commemorating the recent acquisition of lenny bruce's collection at brandeis university. >> i am here to offer special thanks to steve, sitting over here, who is the other instigator and driving force of this conference. steve wrote an enormously rich, informative biography and a sort of career study of lenny bruce, done in 2005 at the university of paris. as a result of his research in that respect, he got to meet and know many bruce's daughter, and

. >> next we will hear personal accounts from comedian lenny bruce's life and legacy, including his lawyer, writing collaborator, and friends. events part of a two-day g -- bratin >> our first speaker is one of the most important lawyers of our time. a very important in terms of his advocacy for human rights abroad, whether in the former soviet union, chi lay, or the union of south africa. somebody deeply involved in the constitution of czechoslovakia. at home he has been deeply involved in issues involving the first amendment and the freedom off expression, which is one of the key things of our conference. heels of had a striking list of celebrity clients, one of whom -- be hearingring about right now. >> am very sorry that before this conference started you all haven't had a chance to see either video or audio of lenny bruce, to hear his commentary about someone you have never seen

there was a sudden, great comedian -- wry, outlandish, lenny bruce. he kept talking about the previous two years, the light at the end of the tunnel. he said there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it is a freight train. and it was a freight train. a train that ran over a man who dropped to being president his old life, but -- his whole life, but concluded after the tet offensive, on may 31, that he was not going to run for reelection. lyndon johnson. it's something no one had ever known -- no one thought that was within the possibility. that he would walk away from power. 4, i had just gone to my physical for my draft, and i was waiting in the airport in syracuse, new york for a package to come from home. sitting in the parking lot of hancock airport, i heard dr. king had been assassinated. i got engaged in public life because of dr. king. my state was segregated by law. my state was a border state. my state still had mrs. murphy's rule on housing -- you could not discriminate against anyone seeking a room unless you had four or fewer rooms in you

and all of a sudden there was a great comedian thin, rye and outlandish comedian named lenny bruce. because he had been taught about the previous two years, a light at the end of the tunnel he said there's light at the end of the tunnel. it's a freight train. and it was a freight train. i train that ran over a man who dreamt of being president his whole life, but concluded, concluded after the tet offensive on may 31 that he was not going to run for reelection, lyndon johnson. did something that no one could ever known in his ever life thought was within the possibility that he would walk away from power. march 4, i had just gotten my physical for my draft board and is waiting at the airport in syracuse, new york, for a package to come from home, sitting in the parking lot at hancock airport. i heard dr. king had been assassinated. i got engaged in public life because of dr. king. my state was segregated by law to my state was a border state. my state still had mrs. murphy's rule on housing, you could not discriminate against anyone seeking a room unless yo you wod for fewer rooms i