At the Big Eddy Film Festival in Narrowsburg next weekend, filmmakers Caroline Laskow and Ian Rosenberg will attend the Catskills premiere of "Welcome to Kutsher's," their documentary about the legendary Borscht Belt resort that inspired the film "Dirty Dancing."
"Welcome to Kutsher's" takes a close look at the last chapter of the 100-year history of Kutsher's Country Club, which was sold and demolished in 2014 to make way for an Ayurvedic wellness center.
The film reminisces about the resort's role as a mainstray of American Jewish culture for an entire generation, and explores how Kutsher's influenced the development of comedy, professional basketball and vacationing.
From the documentary's promo materials:
Watch Wilt Chamberlain both playing ball and working as a bellhop at Kutsher’s; Red Auerbach as the Kutsher’s Sports Director; and Kutsher’s Maurice Stokes benefit game create an All-Star basketball tradition. Laugh with appreciation at Freddie Roman as his classic Borscht Belt routine still brings down the house, and wonder in amazement as Andy Kaufman wrestles a female Kutsher’s guest for $50. Marvel at the abundance of hearty kosher feasts where no one can get away with ordering just one main dish, and the non-stop whirl of recreational activities.
Other big films showing at the film festival, now in its fourth year, are "Tumbledown," a comedy about a woman whose "solitary life in the mountains" is interrupted by a brash New Yorker; "Peggy Guggenheim – Art Addict," a documentary biopic about "the complex bohemian life and storied loves of a fascinating woman;" and "The Night of the Hunter," a classic horror film starring Robert Mitchum. Lots of shorts, some shot by local kids, will screen, too.
The Big Eddy Film Festival. Friday, Sept. 18 through Sunday, Sept. 20. The Tusten Theatre, 210 Bridge St., Narrowsburg. bigeddyfilmfest.com.
