Lenny

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bob Fosse directs. Bruce Surtees behind the camera. Ralph Burns scores. Alan Heim cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 152 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
• 2Directed by Bob Fosse, shot by Bruce Surtees. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 3Original score by Ralph Burns. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 4Editor Alan Heim shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 5Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine and Jan Miner carry the top of the cast.
• 6Marketing tagline: "Lenny Said It. "Hot Honey" Did It. Together They Shocked America.".
• 7IMDB entry: tt0071746 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 8Classified under 16 themes, including "adultery", "husband wife relationship", "court case", "court".

The technical file

Cinematography

Bruce Surtees

Original score

Ralph Burns

Editing

Alan Heim

Production design

Joel Schiller

Costume design

Albert Wolsky

Makeup / hair

Romaine Greene

Sound

Richard Vorisek

Runtime

112 min · 1h 52m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

Lenny (1974) ↗

Also by

Bob Fosse

• 
  Liza with a "Z"

  1972 · ★ 7.6
• 
  All That Jazz

  1979 · ★ 7.5
• 
  Cabaret

  1972 · ★ 7.4
• 
  Sweet Charity

  1969 · ★ 6.9
• 
  Startime

  1959 · ★ 6.8
• 
  Star 80

  1983 · ★ 6.5

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Lenny (1974) Original Trailer [FHD]

  Trailer

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Wuchak2026-05-29
  ★ 6/10

  The last fifteen years of the controversial stand-up comic This biopic covers the years of Bruce’s life from 1951-1966. He met and married burlesque performer Honey Harlow in 1951 and they started a double act since Lenny understandably didn’t want her to make a living as a stripper. Their relationship is covered, along with Lenny’s legal issues concerning obscenity laws and, to be expected, his eventual downward spiral. The latter brings to mind movies like the funereal “Big Sur,” which addressed Jack Kerouac, not to mention “The Rose,” which was loosely based on Janis Joplin. It’s worth watching just to journey back to the 1950s-60s, not to mention get an idea of what the hubbub over the comedian was all about (I never even heard of him until seeing this movie). He’s effectively played by Dustin Hoffman while Valerie Perrine is a highlight and a must for fans of Miss Teschmacher, particularly the first act. Just keep in mind that the flick’s adult-oriented and therefore rated a hard ‘R.’ Naturally, freedom of speech in America is a focus, aka the First Amendment. Imagine arresting Andrew Dice Clay for obscenities in his act during the late 80s/early 90s. Absurd, right? I’m not a fan of Clay, but he proved on VH1 Classics that he could be thoroughly funny without resorting to crudeness and profanity. Nevertheless, these were part of his shtick and if people didn’t like it they could walk out or simply not go to see him in the first place. Now translate this to the early/mid 60s and Bruce’s act. It’s much ado about nothing. Yet, to be expected, the negative press actually made him more popular, which is ironic since he became unfunny in his latter days, taking himself and his act too seriously. I like how the movie spurs reflection on the morality of word usage. It comes down to common sense wisdom. For instance, a vulgar sexually explicit word can be spoken at a police station amongst law-enforcement officers, but that doesn’t mean it’s appropriate to loudly voice the same word at, say, a family restaurant or funeral. Context is everything. For example, a scanty bathing suit is fine for the beach or hotel swimming pool, but not in an academic class, whether you’re a student or teacher. It’s just common sense. You’d have to be an uncouth dullard not to get it. If a certain word is going to unnecessarily offend someone present, then don’t use it. It’s a matter of walking in love & respect toward fellow humans in the community. But a comedic nightclub act is a different story since words are chosen for the purpose of entertainment, whether to amuse or shock. Anyone who doesn’t like it doesn’t have to attend. Problem solved. Again, it’s much ado about nothing. The film runs 1h 51m and was shot in early 1974 in the Miami Beach/Fort Lauderdale area, as well as Brown's Hotel in Loch Sheldrake, New York, and Brooklyn for a club sequence. GRADE: B-

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• MA

  Marvin Worth Productions

  US

Key crew

• Production DesignJoel Schiller
• CastingBeverly McDermott
• Theatre PlayJulian Barry
• CastingMarion Dougherty
• ProducerMarvin Worth
• EditorAlan Heim
• Executive ProducerDavid V. Picker
• Property MasterDennis J. Parrish
• CostumerDiana Bernay
• SoundDennis Maitland
• Sound EditorKatherine Wenning
• CostumerMichael J. Harte
• Production SecretaryGail Geibel
• Assistant CameraMichael McGowan
• GafferCharles Holmes
• Negative CutterIrving Rathner
• Sound Re-Recording MixerRichard Vorisek
• Sound AssistantEd Rothkowitz
• Associate ProducerRobert Greenhut
• Camera OperatorRoland "Ozzie" Smith
• Assistant CameraJohn Winner
• Key GripBilly Simpson
• Music SupervisorRalph Burns
• First Assistant DirectorTed Zachary

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• adultery
• husband wife relationship
• court case
• court
• drug addiction
• freedom of speech
• comedian
• civil rights
• biography
• stripper
• unfaithfulness
• social satire
• judaism
• courtroom
• self destructiveness
• stand-up comedian

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1974-11-10R

Also known as

International titles

• ЛенніUA
• Λένι ο βρομόστομοςGR
• レニー・ブルースJP
• Lenny BruceSE