Vintage Stand-up Comedy: Bert Henry

Bert Henry - In The Raw 1962

On: Monday, May 19, 2014

Bert Henry	Birth name	Birthplace
Before 1945 - ~2004	Official Site	Wikipedia

By day, Bert Henry was a scrawny nerd who worked in a chorus at Disneyland, but at night, he was an L.A. burlesque club comic who cut a series of raunchy stag party albums for Fax Records (Bert Henry in the Raw, Bert Henry the Hard Way), all of which similarly feature a nude woman on the cover. His recording career ended, however, when the head of the label was murdered along with the man's mistress who was found in a pose not unlike that of the model adorning (his LPs): "A manufacturer of risque records and an attractive nude woman were found in their bungalow at 7671 Fountain Ave., where they had been shot by an intruder on November 10, 1963. William H. Door, 46, identified by police as a widely known distributor of pornographic material, was lying fully dressed and face down with his feet bound on the dining room floor. Mrs. Ernestine Ellen Criss, 30, Door's mistress, was sprawled nude on her back in a king-size bed in one of the one of the two bedrooms. A pillow covered her face. Door, was shot twice, once in the back of the head and once in the hand. He had also had received two severe blows to the head, apparently in a struggle with his killer. Mrs. Criss was shot once in the mouth but was not beaten. Detectives theorized that Door and the dead woman may have been victims of a grudge killing by some of Door's associates in the pornography rackets. Friends said he had made a number of enemies through his rough handling of female models for the films and photographs he reportedly produced. Police believed Criss, who had been living with Door for at least a year, was awakened after retiring for the night and was shot through a pillow being held over her head to muffle her screams. Her killer then probably ambushed Door as he returned home. The bodies may have been in the house for as long as 12 hours before they were found at 8:30 a.m. by the cleaning lady. Door was said to be the owner of the Crescendo night club building on the Sunset Strip and had been associated in the past with The Garden of Allah, the Sphinx Club, Le Madelon and the Interlude. He was also said to have been a star football player at Temple U and for the Philadelphia Eagles." Found that info in a brochure for guided tours of notorious Los Angeles homes. A lot of lower California's detritus ends up in Oregon. Reminds me of dearly departed Dr. Gonzo's old quip: "The scum also rises." quomma blog

Side 1
01 Smith's Widow
02 Colorful Diet
03 Pussy Katz
04 Your Fly Is Open
05 Queer Bartender
06 British Homosexuals
07 Strange Fruit
08 The Late Date
09 Mermaid
10 The Will
11 Uncle's 18-Year Old Bride
12 Come Again
13 Hat Full Of Skin
14 Fan Letters
15 Nude For Nurse
16 Mrs. Brown Had Twins
17 Full Of Pith
18 Backward Nurse
19 Stomach Trouble
20 Singing Body
21 Two On A Couch
22 A Lot Of Bull
23 Violent Lover
24 First Man
25 Man's Anatomy
26 Grass Eater
27 Three Commandments
28 Parrot Eggs
29 Dog For A Lady
30 The Garden Party
31 Ten Boys
32 Her Name Is Smith
33 Hole In The Pocket
34 Falling Business
35 Panoo
36 Some Movement
37 Motel Girl
38 The Pain In The Neck

Side 1

01 Tell Your Mother
02 Stomach Rub
03 War And Peace
04 The Big Club
05 The Hot Wife
06 Dessert's Killing Me
07 French Test
08 On Your Toes
09 Student Body
10 Repressed Desires
11 The Spelling Contest
12 Gutter Mind
13 She Got $500
14 The Bad Tooth
15 Mary's Little Dress
16 The Roman Slaves
17 The Plumber's Helper
18 The Draftee
19 Sex Can Be Beautiful
20 15 Years Without A Girl
21 Which Came First
22 She's Just Like The Navy
23 The Circumcision
24 He's Riding In The Fourth
25 Saleman's Wife
26 The Jockey And The Showgirl
27 Fix The Fly
28 Passionate Paula
29 The Thighs Of My Wife
30 The Nut House
31 All Day Sucker
32 The Lucky Princess
33 Hold That Tiger
34 Let Mommy Kiss It