Movie Description

Rise and Fall of the Borscht Belt

(1986)

Overview

At its peak, one million New York Jews spent their summers in the Borscht Belt, the birthplace of Jewish-American iconoclastic humor. This film shows how these Catskills communities were run by women, and how class divisions were reflected in the resort hotels: upwardly-mobile hotel guests were entertained by a who's-who of talent, while in the bungalows, do-it-yourself burlesque and vaudeville reigned among the blue-collar families. This film is happy, humane, ironic, and, finally, bittersweet, as we see that today's Jews no longer share the tastes or aspirations of their parents.

Cast

Posters

Facts

Original TitleRise and Fall of the Borscht Belt

Status Released

Release Information

  • 1986-09-14

Original LanguageEnglish

Runtime 01h 21m

Homepagehttps://villonfilms.ca/archive/vf_vztcypuggs

Production CompaniesVillon Films

Genres

  • Documentary