Vague Visages’ When Comedy Went to School essay contains minor spoilers. Mevlut Akkaya and Ron Frank’s 2013 documentary features Robert Klein, Jerry Lewis and Sid Caesar. Check out the VV home page for more film criticism, movie reviews and film essays.

Where have all the mountain comics gone? At this year’s Borscht Belt Film Fest, the 2013 documentary When Comedy Went to School reminded many locals (and informed others) about the golden era of Catskills comedy from the 1930s to the late 60s. Where has America’s sense of humor gone? In a post-COVID world, stand-up comedians have the opportunity to innovate their craft via social media while reaching a world of potential fans through streaming platforms. Sadly, however, the Sensitive American can’t take a joke anymore. The Sensitive American wants to speak for everybody. The Sensitive American judges comics without considering the context for a joke, or the racial dynamics in the United States that gave birth to stand-up comedy.

First and foremost, When Comedy Went to School is about a bygone era where Americans vacationed in upstate New York’s Borscht Belt from late May to early September. But the doc is fundamentally about the Jewish experience and the concept of humor as a “survival mechanism.” In pop culture, many people know Grossinger’s Resort as the inspiration for the setting of Dirty Dancing (1987); in the 30s, however, and for several decades after that, it was a home for Jewish entertainers looking to develop their craft. Some landed “social director” gigs, while others worked as “tumblers.” In When Comedy Went to School, the legendary Jerry Lewis — an American Jew — recalls working as a bus boy with a “mini-routine.” He describes the Catskills region as a “place to be bad.” So, what happened to the mountain comic scene? And what happened to America’s sense of humor? When Comedy Went to School suggests that U.S. citizens became lazy and complacent while clutching remote controls.

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When Comedy Went to School provides a history lesson that many casual comedy fans probably haven’t thought about or considered. As Americans lived through World War II and subsequently adapted to post-war life, jokes about gender and race allowed people to laugh at themselves, certainly within the Jewish community. Some comedians, like Danny Kaye, integrated various cultures into their act, thus forcing fellow entertainers (and audiences in general) to think differently about the world around them. Today, the Sensitive American doesn’t appreciate the nuances of stand-up comedy. The Sensitive American listens but doesn’t hear. The Sensitive American doesn’t want to think about the world before they were born. To be clear, When Comedy Went to School doesn’t offer a sprawling commentary about race and gender in America; however, the documentary does indeed link “tumbler” humor of the 30s to the edgy routines of Lenny Bruce — an American Jew — of the 60s (and does so rather effectively). Sure, comedians do indeed cross the line at times, but they also “gauge the temperature of America.” The Sensitive American promotes free speech but only if you agree with their opinion. The Sensitive American complains about late-night talk show hosts while double-fisting a phone and remote control.

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When Comedy Went to School is a must-see for not only American Jews, but also for anyone who appreciates the art of stand-up comedy. The 83-minute documentary frequently addresses sensitive and timely topics, but everything links back to a specific time and place in America: the Borsch Belt comedy scene of the mid-20th century. Just as scenes from the aforementioned Dirty Dancing might not hold up decades later, the same concept always applies to comedy routines from the past. The big question is this: are you a Sensitive American who doesn’t understand the nuances of stand-up comedy, or are you someone who appreciates historical context within comedic routines and the complexities of the human condition? If you’re not sure, maybe log off social media and let go of the remote control.

When Comedy Went to School screened at the 2025 Borscht Belt Film Fest on November 1, 2025.

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor. Thank you for reading film criticism, movie reviews and film essays at Vague Visages.

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