“A time when a vacation meant a trip to the Catskills”
And with it you were assured to see a show. Now whether or not it was to your liking was no guarantee. Moments afte ther decline of Vaudeville and Burlesque there existed a huge void in American activities and passtime; what once ensured entertainment was now old news, yet the audience remained. 75 miles NW of New York lie a region called the Catskills, still til this day, a place of hotels, rooming houses, and more. As it remains very popular today, there was a time when the Catskills were the end all be all in vacation options. Tourists from all over frequented this area in search of opportunity; to relax, to engage, to mingle, and more.
For a batch of young men and women who set their sites on being apart of something special, a thriving industry, these travelers were the perfect tool and conduit to their success. “When comedy went so school” it was practiced, studied; For legends like Jerry Lewis, Sid Ceasar, Jackie Mason, Jerry Stiller and Dick Gregory the hotels and resorts of the Catskills were a place to earn a good days pay while ironing out the kinks in their stage performance. Comedy. which once was slap stick or somewhat dramatic was now centered around being downright hilarious (thats if u got lucky). At the time these novice performers used the Catskills for exactly what it was worth: good meals, good scenery, good company, and beyond all else, good money., and practice.
Taking center stage at bingo halls, theaters, restaurants, anywhere else that the promoters dictated these ambitious inpiduals kick the door down to a new age. In this film, Director Ron Frank and host Robert Klein provide a tutorial, which chronicles the history of comedy and its marriage to the Catskills. Where stars were made, or saved; where people enjoyed their effort encouraged their development and criticized their missing of the mark
“A boot camp….Basic training for a generation plus of our most gifted comics”
The Rodney Dangerfields, Gabe Cohens of the world all got their feet wet. Before becoming household names the Larry Kings and David Brenners went to school with comedy, for comedy. Laced with creative biblical references, interestingly substantiated by interpretations, or manipulation for that matter. Get to understand this treatise on the beginnings of Comedy. From the tumbler to the stand up expert, entertainment in the Catskills evolved, and from that evolutuion was born a new genre- COMEDY