ENTERTAINMENT I GOING PLACES I WEEK OF JAN. 8-14 COMEDY DUFFY'S ON THE LAKE 3133 Union Lake Rd., Union Lake, Bob Posch and John Cionca, throughout January, 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, admission, reservations, 363-9469. COMEDY CASTLE AND NORTHWOOD INN 2593 Woodward, Berkley, Bill Engvall, 8:30 p.m. Jan. 16, admission, reservations, 542-9900. THEATER Writer Eleanor Bergstein finds success in a film reminiscing about her youth in the Catskills AVIVA KEMPNER Special to The Jewish News he themes of the movie Dirty Dancing draw from its scriptwriter's own teenage experiences. Eleanor Bergstein, the scriptwriter and co-producer along with Linda Gottlieb, grew up "dirty dancing" during the school year and spent her summers with her family at Grossinger's. Her parents and sister went off to the golf course and she, like Baby, the movie's lead character, spent the summer dancing. Named after Eleanor Roosevelt, Bergstein came from a liberal Jewish family. Her father was a family doc- tor who used to "under charge: $2 for home visits and $1 for office ones." They would plan their summer at Grossinger's according to the delivery dates of her father's patients. Her after-school activities varied from "ringing doorbells . . . for Democratic candidates" since the age of nine to entering dance contests. She recalls "how shocking it was when Eisenhower won because no one remembered having a Republican president." Her political activities did not prevent her from pursuing her other passion. She admitted that "all (she) cared about was dancing." She competed in dozens of "dirty dancing contests and won numerous trophies. She claimed that her parents did not object to her dancing obsession as long as she kept up her grades. Berg- stein explained, "In those days, we were not having sex in high school. I would dance the erotic dances in con- tests and then just go home." She regrets that the sexual revolution has made dancing "less of an event" today. In researching the script, Berg- stein revisited her summer haunts and talked to those Catskills resort owners who still remain there. At first they were very reluctant to talk to her because they were very worried that people were only interested in "satirizing them and making them look like vulgar fools." They claimed they would only give her five minutes, but she won them over and wound up spending days there. She also con- sulted with Peter Davis, director of the documentary The Rise and Fall of the Borsht Belt, who would show her the interviews he shot for his film. FARMINGTON COMMUNITY CENTER 24705 Farmington Rd., Farmington Hills, Murder Mystery at Longacre, 7 p.m. Saturday, admission, 477-8404. RIDGEDALE PLAYERS Crimes of the Heart Jan. 15 through Jan. 24, admission, 644-8328. THE AVON PLAYERS Avon Playhouse, 1185 Washington Rd., Rochester Hills, Night Must Fall 8 p.m. (except Sundays 7:30 p.m.) Friday through Jan. 30, admission, 656-1130. SHAW FESTIVAL Festival Theater in Niagara-on- the-Lake, Ontario, Salute to the Arts and Education, Thursday, admission, 1-416-468-2153. WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY Hiliberry Theatre, Detroit, Tartuffe 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Thursday, admission, 557-2972. BIRMINGHAM THEATRE 211 S. Woodward, Promises, Promises, now through Jan. 31, admission. 644-3533. MEADOW BROOK THEATRE Oakland University Rochester, Educating Rita, 8 p.m. now through Jan. 24, admission. 377-3300. GREAT LAKES DINNER PLAYHOUSE 31 N. Walnut, Mt. Clemens, Showboat, now through Jan. 30, admission, 463-0340. THEATRE GROTTESCO Henry Ford Community College Adray Auditorium, Dearborn, today, free, 845-9634. MUSIC DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Laurence and Judy Liberson, THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 57