Nu (So), You Think That's Funny? A Century of Jewish Humor in America

From Myron Cohen to Rita Rudner, Jewish jokesters have had a disproportionate influence on 20th century American comedy. Hear and see vintage recordings and clips and learn why and how Jews have made us laugh for a hundred years.

Act 1: Oy Vey Iz Mir examines the types of jokes and venues Jewish comedians found to express their feelings as immigrants in a new country, honing their skills in vaudevile, on the streets and on early recordings.

Act 2: Jewish Comics Go Mainstream traces the careers of some of the most successful mid-20th century Jewish comedians who moved up onto the Broadway and Hollywood stage and screen as well as national radio airwaves. Some changed their names, like Fanny Price, Jack Benny and George Burns, but their humor still retained a uniquely Jewish ring. Come hear and see them as well as the Marx Brothers and others in action on vintage clips and have a good laugh for this heyday of entertainment.

Act 3: Jew 'R Us! During the latter half of the 20th century, Jewish comedians began coming out openly and using their experiences as Jews in America as material, feeling a bit more comfortable to keep their names and air dirty laundry. Funny.

Mark Levy has performed and taught in the San Francisco Bay Area for 25 years. He has appeared throughout the country and abroad and is a singer and lecturer who specializes in older Judaic folk music in Yiddish, Hebrew, Ladino, Klezmer history and theory and Jewish music history in general. He has performed for Yeshiva University Sephardic department's Semana Sepharad in New York and is a cantorial soloist in California. He recently released a fourth album of Workmen's Circle, a fraternal order of Jewish workers and their families. He taught several courses for OLLI at SJSU and also teaches for a number of Elder hostels.