Making a Name in the Borscht Belt
Max Coleman, a burlesque comedian who had worked with Lewis’ father, convinced him to try again. Comedian Irving Kaye saw Lewis’ Record Act and how much the audience loved it, and he became Lewis’ manager and guardian for his Borscht Belt appearances. (The Borscht Belt is a term for the summer resorts in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, which were a popular vacation spot for NYC Jews between the 1920s and 1960s).
My Friend Irma – 1949, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis. Photo By Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
As the world was in the midst of its Second World War, Lewis applied to the military. But due to a heart murmur, he was rejected. As soon as the war was over in 1945, Lewis met the man who would become his brother from another mother.