Did You Know?
The one-take master shot scene of Lenny doing his act in a raincoat near the end of the film came from an actual tape recorded from a show he did that was sent to Dustin Hoffman by a student who saw the show. Lenny's exact words in the scene on stage are verbatim from the tape of his show.
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The off-camera voice you can hear during the interview scenes is that of director Bob Fosse.
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Raquel Welch was offered the role of Honey Bruce. She turned the part down, because she thought she could not play it.
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The character of Sherman Hart is based on Milton Berle; the real name wasn't used because Berle was still alive and there were fears he might sue for libel. But the character uses all of Berle's mannerisms and trademark shtick, including sticking the cigar under his top lip.
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The Broadway production of "Lenny" by Julian Barry opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theater in New York on May 26, 1971 and ran for 453 performances.
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