An exhibit in
Chicago explores
Jewish humor.

ooking for a laugh?
You'll find more than one
at the Spertus Museum in
Chicago, where the interac-
tive exhibition "Let There Be
Laughter! Jewish Humor
in America” runs
through next
February.

The ex-
hibition,
which
goes from
the humor
SUZANNE CHESSLER
of Brice to
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Jewish differ-
Bruce and Cae-
ence."
sar to Seinfeld and
beyond, includes more
Kugelmass is a professor
than 400 artifacts, photographs of cultural anthropology and
and documents as well as televi- folklore at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison. Romeyn is a
sion, movie and radio clips.
Jewish comedy writers doctoral candidate at the Universi-
and Jewish comedy ty of Minnesota in the department
researchers have of American studies.
The curators have traced the
been scheduled for
special programs to roots ofJewish humor back to Yid-
Groucho Marx
in a publicity
enhance the display.
dish culture in Eastern Europe, con-
still from
"For American Jewry, humor is veying contradictions and anxieties
1930.
more than just a ticket of entry to they believe still characterize Jews
the 'host culture,' " write curators today.
The tradition of poking fun, they
Professor Jack Kugelmass and Es-
ther Romeyn in the exhibition cat- say, was transplanted to the New
alogue.
World by the mass influx ofJewish
"For a large number of Ameri- immigrants. As early as the 1880s,
can Jews, humor has become a Jews performed as dialect comedi-
cornerstone of identity. It is a ans.
The exhibition shows the wide-
style of communication, of
speaking and even think- spread appeal of later jokesters such
ing — in short, a coded as the Marx Brothers and Eddie
language used by Cantor outside the Jewish commu-
Jews to mark, nity. It also points out the standup
perform and comics who developed their skills
sometimes in the "Borscht Belt," the resort area
flaunt outside New York City.
Current Jewish humor reflects a
greater degree of comfort within
American society and the effects of
assimilation, the curators assert.
Jim Abrahams, author of popu-
lar comic films such as The Naked
Gun and Airplane, appeared at
the exhibit to trace the roots of
his parody films and how they
Entertainment Weekly recently published a list of "The 50
fit into the context of the ex-
Funniest People Alive." Most of the comedians on its list,
hibit.
says the magazine, are "outsiders, while much of
"I have a fear in talking
American comedy is ethnic with an emphasis on
about comedy—Jewish com-
Jewish humor." More than one-third of the "fun-
edy or any comedy — of try-
niest people alive" are Jewish comics.
ing to sound like a scientist
In the magazine's Top Ten are Jerry Seinfeld,
because it isn't a science,"
the "titan of trivialities"; Roseanne, "head of the
Abrahams commented. "It's
crass"; Albert Brooks, "neuroses by any other
an art, and it's subjective.
name"; and Garry Sha.ndling, "late-night paro
"What I love about parody
dy animal."
is that when it's working, it
Other Jews making the list were Walter
makes us laugh at ourselves and
Matthau, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Billy
at the things that we take seri-
Crystal., Howard Stern, Bette Midler, Bill
ously that frequently aren't worth
Maher, Goldie Hawn Alan King, Jackie
taking so seriously. It probably is at
Mason, Ben Stiller, Paul Reiser, Joan
the crux ofJewish humor, and I'm
Rivers, Rodney Dangerfield and
sure I was a benefactor of my par-
Nathan Lane.
ents and their traditional Jewish
humor.

,

"Jews
probably have
used humor as
survival instincts because of the per-
secution they have endured, but I
don't think that's where my humor
comes from. I was just a guy grow-
ing up in the Midwest
during a time when
everything was pret-
ty sanguine.
"The big influence
in my life was not any
persecution; it was
television of the late
'50s and '60s, which
portrayed life very
black and white, good
guys and bad guys. I
think that I had this
sort of instinct that
maybe life wasn't all
that simplistic, and we
didn't have to take
those shows quite so
seriously."
Abrahams, whose
current project for Dis-
ney is a parody of
Mafia movies, said his
favorite comedian at
one time was Woody
Allen because Allen's
humor was at his own
expense.
Abrahams used to
keep a Woody Allen
quote on his desk:
`The biggest mistake you can make
in comedy is to find out what works
and then stick with it." El

Let There Be Laughter! Jewish
Humor in America continues
through next February at the
Spertus Museum, 618 S. Michigan
Ave., Chicago. For information,
call (312) 322-1747.

