The story of Mel Brooks and the history of the Borscht Belt, the Jewish resort haven in the Catskills of New York, are inextricably linked. I can’t help but think of all the lucky people who saw the legendary comic and filmmaker in his early days of making vacationing Jews laugh on stage. The man behind the “Producers” and “History of the World” movies was just 14 years old when he started working at the Butler Lodge in Hurleyville, NY as a busboy. During his downtime, the New York native would watch the comics entertain the guests at neighboring resorts, and eventually, he became the one who took the stage, and the rest? Well, that is comedy history.
At a recent event celebrating the 50th anniversary of his film “Blazing Saddles” at the Peacock Theater, Brooks talked about his days in the Jewish resort haven. He demonstrated how he would bus down giant tubs of sour cream to the “sour cream station,” only for them to disappear moments later. “Jews love sour cream,” the 98-year-old rightly surmised. He also joked about how the older Jewish men’s hobby at the resort would be singing “Dancing in the Dark” off-key, and listening to Brooks singing the song in a high-pitched voice with a heavy Yiddish accent is so perfect. Brooks has joked before about how it wasn’t the giant tubs of sour cream that killed these older Jews, but a stroke while trying to hit those high notes.
Brooks also shared his “identity song,” the song that comics introduced themselves with at these Borscht Belt resorts before starting their show. In his still quite lovely singing voice he chanted: “Here I am, I’m Melvin Brooks, I’ve come to stop the show. Just a ham who’s minus looks, but in your hearts I’ll grow. I’ll tell you gags, sing you songs, have a little nap and tuna roll along, out of my mind, won’t you be kind, and please love, Melvin Brooks.” Brooks has said that that identity song was the first time he married music with comedy, and in its own way, inspired his work on the musical “The Producers.”
Watching this video of Brooks at 98 is just so awe-inspiring. It’s clear he’s still got it. In his recent autobiography, “All About Me,” Brooks writes about how the Borscht Belt shaped him: “I think it was there that I first learned my craft. The audiences were very tough. They didn’t give it away. When you got a laugh, you really earned it. Those audiences sharpened your ability to survive and sometimes triumph over disastrous performances.” It’s also where he met so many comedians and people who became instrumental in his career, including the equally legendary Sid Ceasar.
The Borscht Belt is undergoing a revival of sorts these days. Last week, there was a Borscht Belt Festival in Ellenville, and the Borscht Belt Marker Project held five new marker dedications this summer, including one in Hurleyville this July. The marker even mentions Brooks working at Butler Lodge in the summer of 1941.
The Borscht Belt sure isn’t what it used to be, but it was such an important part of not just Jewish history, but the history of comedy in this country.
As Brooks once said, “No Borscht Belt, no Mel Brooks.” And we’re so glad for the existence of both.
