We have all seen documentaries on Jewish comedians but none of them ask the question, What Makes Being Jewish so funny? Is it the stereotype of being cheap ? The pain of living with one's mother-in-law ? Or is it a defense mechanism for the more serious problem of antisemitism? These are some of the issues explored in the new documentary due out next May, "Oy Vey, Why Being Jewish is so funny."
The film is the brainchild of Jeffrey Schneider, a five-time Emmy award winner who has been involved in television production for more than 30 years. His passion for the subject matter is a direct by-product of his Jewish upbringing and exposure to comedy from all media. He has dedicated this project to his comic heroes men who always managed to tickle your funny bone..
The career of Milton Berle, Uncle Miltie to millions, spanned 8 decades. He started in film, played in vaudeville and then became a superstar on radio and television. In 1948, the Texaco Star Theater became the first huge television hit and Berle forever became known as Mister Television......
Groucho Marx made 13 feature films with his Marx Brothers. But, Groucho became a TV icon as the host of the radio and TV game show, "You Bet Your Life". His wide lens glasses, thick eyebrows and dark mustache as well as his trademark cigar and quick quips made for many laugh out loud moments....
If story-telling gave you a case of the giggles, then there was no one funnier than Buddy Hackett, who used to talk out of the side of his mouth and tell his story funnier than anyone I had ever seen.....
Mel Brooks was just insane. He was a writer for Your Show of Shows ,the creator of Get Smart, The 2000 Year Old Man brought the old Jewish man character to life. But, his genius was as a director using his Jewish roots for classic comedy's like The Producers, Blazing Saddles and History of the World Part one.....
If Brooks was insane, Woody Allen was cerebral. He wrote with Brooks on Your Show of Shows and later went on to do bits for Candid Camera. But, Allen's portrayal of Jewish life was as the nebbishy misfit who was always a bit too neurotic to fit in. His early films like, Take the Money and Run, Bananas and Play It Again Sam were filled with sight gags that resonated in every Jewish home...
These men paved the way for other comedians like Robert Klein who helped push the envelope of being Jewish into the rebellious times of the late 60's and early 70's. He would become the pioneer of cable TV as the first standup comedian featured on HBO.......
And weird Al Yankovic, whose Jewish parodies took music to a place that Allan Sherman only touched upon in the early 60's. Yankovic's music in a lot of ways blazed the trail for satire along with Saturday Night Live that has evolved into The Daily Show of today...
And all of these entertainers made it easier for Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David to incorporate their brand of Jewish humor into America's living rooms. Jerry and Larry's neuroses just like Woody's, Kramer's slap stick approach just like Groucho and even Mel Brooks spent a season as part of Larry David's crazy world....
To try to answer the funny and serious questions posed by the documentary, we will sitdown with Jews of all age groups in a series of vignettes. The common thread will be a running blog provided by the creator.
One of the vignettes will focus on the elderly. We will visit a group of seniors to see what they thought was funny. Have them tell a joke or remember a visit to the Catskill Mountains. But, to many of them, reflect upon why Jews are so gifted at making people laugh. Was it their lot in life? Successful but persecuted ?
And we will switch from old to young and see if the Jewish youth aspires to follow in the footsteps of their roots. Is what is funny to them the same or different from the older generation. Do they have the same connection to Jewish humor ?
Next we'll meet a man who has turned the connection of God and humor into a new career. The stand-up Rabbi. A rabbi whose congregants meet in a comedy club and find humor in the scholarly observations of the man on the bimah.
And a man who walked the opposite path, starting out in vaudeville and ending up the corporate ladder. How much was his sense of humor a part of his rise in the board room ? From stand-up to CEO......
We'll ask the young comics of today how they incorporate their ethnicity into their acts and why they think that works, as we go backstage to one of the most famous comedy clubs in New York and meet the next generation of humorists......
Plus, since the documentary won't open until May 2011, there leaves time for a few planned and unplanned surprises. Hey, you shouldn't know from what may happen.
So there you have it, the planning is done and the shoots are in the works. Editing will soon follow and after some touching up and after effects, the unveiling of "Oy Vey, What Makes Being Jewish so Funny", will be ready about the time they play Pomp and Circumstance.
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