Honey Bruce
| Honey Harlow | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Harriett E. Jolliff August 15, 1927 Manila, Arkansas |
| Died |
September 12, 2005 (aged 78) Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | Kitty Bruce |
Honey Bruce Friedman, born Harriett Jolliff, also known by her professional name Honey Harlow (August 15, 1927 – September 12, 2005) was an American stripper and showgirl best remembered as the wife of legendary stand-up comedian Lenny Bruce.[1]
She was portrayed by Valerie Perrine in the 1974 biopic Lenny. Perrine was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Harlow. In 1976 she released her autobiography, Honey: The Life and Loves of Lenny's Shady Lady. [2]
Early life
She was born as Harriett Jolliff in Manila, Arkansas, the daughter of unmarried teenage parents Mabel (née Layson) and Murl Jolliff.[3] She never knew her father, who died in a tuberculosis asylum. She was named after her paternal grandmother, Harriett (1877-1941). She was very connected to her Arkansas "country roots". Growing up her nickname was "Poochie". Her mother moved her and her sister, Virginia, to Detroit, Michigan in search of work. Her mother married to an abusive step-father and began working at nightclubs. Her stepfather was a hustler who got into trouble with the law, and to hide his activities he told everyone he owned a bookshop, when really he was operating illegal business from their attic. Her mother and step-father enforced strict Catholic rules on her. Once she was old enough to know that her parents were hypocritcs for expecting her to be proper when they were not, this made her want to be rebellious. She grew up dreaming of being in show business, and studying Hollywood stars in the movies like Lana Turner and Rita Hayworth.
She started skipping school, and staying away from home. Because of her unstable home life, she ran away from home with her friend and two boys to Toledo, Ohio. Instead of going home, the four teenagers decided to run away to Florida. The boys hot-wired cars and soon they arrived in Miami and they booked a room-for-rent. The girls answered an ad in the paper for showgirls, and Harriet was selected to be a dancer, while her friend was deemed not pretty enough and given a job as a cigarette girl. Harriett danced topless for money but soon quit once she had earned enough money for the group to continue on their journey. One of the boys raped her while she was sleeping. Their plan was to move from Miami Beach to Palm Beach. The two boys she was with had enlisted in the army and were "sowing some oats" before heading to basic training for World War II.
Her friend left the group and went home to Detroit. The threesome was in need of more money, and decided to rob a candy machine. The guys broke out the glass and managed to get cigarettes, candy, and cash in their pockets and the group took off on foot into the orange groves nearby. Someone heard the noise and called the police, who arrived quickly on the scene. The police were able to catch all three of them and took them to jail. Once in jail, it was establshed that the group was responsible for several cars being stolen and the theft. She was sentenced to one year at Florida State Prison. After her release, she worked as a successful stripper in Miami under the name "Hot Honey Harlow."[4]
Lenny Bruce
On June 15, 1951, she married comedian Lenny Bruce after meeting him in Baltimore. Bruce tried to become her manager and make her a legitimate star, but she fought against this. She would sometimes perform with her husband on stage, including an act based on Bride of Frankenstein.[5] They divorced on January 21, 1957, after having a daughter, Kitty. In her autobiography, Honey confessed to having six abortions during her life.[6][7] The two fought a custody battle over their daughter.[8]
Later life
Harlow successfully lobbied New York Governor George Pataki to posthumously pardon Bruce for the obscenity conviction resulting from his performance and arrest at the Cafe Au Go Go in Greenwich Village in 1964. Lenny Bruce died of a drug overdose in 1966, after which she continuted to promote his legacy.[6]
She is credited in the 1974 film Lenny as being an advisor for the film. As an actress she appeared in the 1953 indie film Dance Hall Rackett which also starred Lenny Bruce.
She re-married to Jeffrey Friedman in 1984 and they remained married and living in Hawaii until her death. She had legally changed her name to "Honey Bruce Friedman".[9]
Death
She died on September 12, 2005, in Honolulu.[1][4][10]
References
- 1 2 "Honey Bruce Friedman, Wife of Lenny Bruce". Washington Post. 19 September 2005.
Honey Bruce Friedman, 78, the former wife of comedian Lenny Bruce who successfully lobbied to clear her husband's 40-year-old obscenity conviction, died Sept. 12 at a hospital near her home in Honolulu. No cause of death was reported. ...
- ↑ Shady Lady at Goodreadsaccessed 1-1-2016
- ↑ 1930 Census Recordaccessed 1-11-2016
- 1 2 Fox, Margalit (September 20, 2005). "Honey Bruce Friedman Dies at 78; Entertainer and 'Lenny's Shady Lady'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
Honey Bruce Friedman, a former nightclub entertainer who in 2003 helped win a posthumous pardon for her ex-husband, the comedian Lenny Bruce, on a 39-year-old obscenity conviction, died on Sept. 12 at a hospital in Honolulu. She was 78 and a Honolulu resident. The cause was complications of colitis, her daughter, Kitty Bruce, said.
- ↑ http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Sep/18/ln/FP509180341.html
- 1 2 August, Melissa (September 25, 2005). "Died.". Time (magazine). Retrieved 2008-08-03.
Honey Bruce Friedman, 78, ex-stripper who in 1951 married the soon-to-be-famous comedian Lenny Bruce; in Honolulu. Though the drug-addled pair split in 1957 (they had a daughter, Kitty), the sometime actress who called herself "Lenny's Shady Lady" helped successfully lobby New York Governor George Pataki to pardon Bruce
- ↑ O'Malley, Ryan, "Lenny Bruce’s daughter reaching out : Pittston resident Kitty Bruce hopes to help women in recovery with ‘Lenny’s House’", The Pittston Dispatch, Pittston, Pennsylvania, October 4, 2009
- ↑ "Ex-Dancer and Mate Agree on Custody". Los Angeles Times. January 4, 1957. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
Honey Harlow, 29, former striptease, yesterday went before Superior Judge Elmer D. Doyle to fight her, estranged husband for custody of their daughter Brandie, 1 year old, spirited from their home in Hawaii by him.
- ↑
- Honey Harlow at Strip Magazine
- ↑ "Honey Bruce Friedman, ex-wife of Lenny Bruce, 78". Associated Press. September 19, 2005. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
Honey Bruce Friedman, the former wife of comedian Lenny Bruce who successfully lobbied to clear her husband's 40-year-old obscenity conviction, has died. She was 78. Friedman died Monday after a long illness at a hospital near her home in Honolulu, family friend Jeff Abraham said from his Santa Monica office on Friday.