When Comedy Went to School (DVD REVIEW)
When
Comedy Went to School
DVD
Review by Kam Williams
Borscht
Belt Documentary about Legendary Jewish Comedians Coming to DVD
What do such
legendary comics as Danny Kaye, Jerry Stiller, Sid Caesar, Jackie Mason, Don
Rickles, David Brenner, Buddy Hackett, Henny Youngman, Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl,
Woody Allen, Jerry Lewis, Mel Brooks, Joan Rivers, Alan King and Rodney
Dangerfield have in common? They all got their start in showbiz doing stand-up
in the Catskill Mountains at any number of the
lush farm region’s hundreds of hotel resorts.
Starting in the
late Thirties, the so-called Borscht Belt began catering to a clientele
predominantly comprised of Jewish immigrants in need of a summer retreat where
they could get a break from the sweltering tenements of Manhattan’s
Lower East Side. After all, they had little
interest in vacationing in Europe, a place
most were lucky to have escaped.
So, they instead
made an annual exodus to upstate New
York for fresh air, good food and some fun in the
sun. Each establishment there also had a nightly stage show where aspiring
entertainers could ply their trade, including the aforementioned icons.
What made working
the Catskills unique was that it served as a proving ground allowing a comedian
to hone his or her skills en route to the big time, namely, movies and TV. As
narrator Robert Klein puts it, “It was a laboratory. Comics had a place to be
bad.”
This slice of
Jewish history is the focus of When Comedy Went to School, an alternately
informative and hilarious documentary co-directed by Mevlut Akkaya and Ron
Frank. The film features reflections by surviving greats, as well as the
insights of some members of the next generation, most notably, Jerry Seinfeld.
Sprinkled in
amidst the enlightening history lessons are lots of one-liners preserved on
vintage footage of yesteryear’s stars of tomorrow. To wit, Alan King: “My wife
takes 40 minutes to lipstick her face because she has a big mouth.” And the
late Joan Rivers: “I was the last girl in Larchmont to get married. My mom had
to put up a sign saying, ‘Last girl before freeway.’” And Woody Allen: “This
watch I’m wearing is a family heirloom. My grandfather, on his death bed, sold
me this watch.”
Priceless!
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running
time: 77 minutes
Distributor:
First Run Features
DVD
Extras: Newsreel; She’s More to Be Pitied; Friar’s Club Roundtable; Mrs.
Schwartz Comes Back; and The Future of the Catskills.
To
order a copy of When Comedy Went to School on DVD, visit:
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