WELCOME TO KUTSHER'S: THE LAST CATSKILLS RESORT

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WELCOME TO KUTSHER'S: THE LAST CATSKILLS RESORT

A documentary by Caroline Laskow & Ian Rosenberg

Kutsher's Country Club was the last surviving Jewish resort in the Catskills.  One of the legendary Borscht Belt hotels during its heyday, Kutsher's was family-owned and operated for over 100 years.  Exploring the full Dirty Dancing-era Catskills experience through a close up look at Kutsher's rise and fall, this award-winning documentary captures a last glimpse of a lost world as it disappears before our eyes.   

The Catskills resorts were not only a Jewish refuge and family vacation paradise, they also gave birth to American stand-up comedy, an NBA All-Star tradition, and all-inclusive resorts.  This film brings to life how Kutsher’s thrived at the center of all this growth and excitement.  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.

 

And as the Catskills decline, this film provides unprecedented eye-witness documentation of Kutsher's from its 100th anniversary season through the next seven years until the hotel is sold and demolished in 2014. The story of Kutsher’s is uniquely American, unexpectedly moving and a vital chapter – previously unexplored – of the modern Jewish experience.


About the Film:
Directed and Produced by Caroline Laskow & Ian Rosenberg
Edited and Original Music by D.S. Fuller

Distributed by Menemsha Films
Running Time:  72 Minutes

 

Film Festival Honors: 
New York Jewish Film Festival at Lincoln Center - Closing Night Selection

WINNER! BEST DOCUMENTARY Audience Award at Miami Jewish Film Festival

 

Theatrical Release: New York, California and Florida in 2015

Broadcast: PBS Stations WMHT (NY), WPBT2 (FL) in 2016

DVD & Digital Release: on Amazon, iTunes, GooglePlay & more.

 

"Elegiac" - The New York Times

 

"Extraordinary" - The Jewish Voice 

 

"Amazing. Not only will the film transport you back to the glory days of your youth and thousands of memories, but it will also make you long for a world that is now lost forever. Do not miss this film."

- The Algemeiner

 

"Lovingly lays out the history of the Borscht Belt vacation with a grand smorgasbord of history, photos and film footage, and an appropriate dollop of nostalgic schmaltz." 

- The Jewish Daily Forward

 

"The joy of Welcome to Kutsher’s is that it captures what was unique and special about the hotel while also expounding on the larger significance of the Catskills in the American Jewish consciousness."

- Jewcy

 

"Sheds new light on a vibrant chapter of the American Jewish experience." - JNS

 

"If you remember the Catskills of old, or want to see what it was all about, then check in to Welcome to Kutsher's.  This is the real deal!" - The Jewish Advocate

 

"This evocative... welcome documentary preserves a vital piece of Jewish American history." - ALA Booklist

 

+ Read more great press (from ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, NPR and more) here.