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You Want Funny? You Want Old Jokes?Go to "Old Jews Telling Jokes"

February 2, 2009

New Comedy Website Goes Online With Old Jews Telling Jokes"

by staff writer

NEW YORK (RUSHPRNEWS)02/02/09 -- "Storytelling is a Jewish tradition," says Sam Hoffman, one of the people behind a funny new website titled "Old Jews Telling Jokes." Every Tuesday and Thursday a new video storytelling a good, old joke -- told by an everyday, normal Jewish person over the age of 60 -- goes online and viewers around the world can tune in, according to Manhattan resident Hoffman, 42.

When RushPRnews asked him what the purpose of the comedy website was, Hoffman replied: "You know the musical, and the movie, 'Fiddler on the Roof", and whenever they ask the rabbi a question, he tugs thoughtfully on his beard and says" Let me tell you a story." And then they sing...."

"Well," Hoffman continued, "jokes are like stories, but shorter and funnier. Old jokes tend to have a stigma, but they only last if they're good. Some of the best ones provide a window to the culture of a bygone era. They can reveal the concerns of a generation or even the generation before. Anxieties of coming to a new country, of prospering, of assimilating, of having families, of fearing and worrying about, well, everything. Humor was and is the ultimate anti-depressant."

Hoffman told RushPRnews how the website grew, noting: "My father gathered twenty of his friends to share their favorite jokes. We set three rules for the video production: the joke-tellers were to be Jewish, at least sixty years of age and they were to tell their favorite joke -– the one that always 'kills'."


Among those telling jokes on the website now are Larry Donsky, with "McCoy", Louis Goldstein, with "Golf" and Diane Hoffman, with "Broccoli". The jokes are not necessarily Jewish jokes, they are just good, old jokes that these storytellers like to tell. It's a hilarious website, and one can envision new sites coming online sooner with names like "Old WASPS Telling Jokes," "Old African-Americans Telling Jokes" and "Old Hispanics Telling Jokes", among other ethnic groups around the world. For the time being, set your dial to "Old Jews Telling Jokes" here:

http://www.oldjewstellingjokes.com

The website is a production of Jetpack Media, located in Los Angeles and New York, and formed by GreeneStreet Films in 2008, with the idea of bringing the talent and sensibilities of the independent film community to the world of online content, company president Eric Spiegelman told RushPRnews.

Hoffman grew up in New Jersey and now lives in Manhattan, he told this reporter in a recent email. "I was an English major at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated 1988," he added. "I produce independent movies now."

When asked why he thinks the new website is attracting lots of eyeballs, he told RushPRnews:

"I think that in times like these, with the economy in such difficult straights, and people struggling to make ends meet, it's nice to have a website that will just put a smile on your face in a minute or so.

And you know, it's a bit ironic that the Internet, the most up-to-date form of communication on Earth, allows us to do just what we've always done -- have older people tell us stories."

When asked about future plans for the website and its "stars", present and future, Hoffman said: "If things work out, I'd really like to go on tour and shoot some people telling jokes in various regions of the

country: a South Florida group, Chicago, Los Angeles -- maybe even overseas. It would be really interesting to see how the jokes and the people change from place to place."

"In the end, I am excited just to be able to preserve these stories and these people as a testament to a particular culture," he added.

Reactions from viewers has been very positive, according to Hoffman and Speigelman.

One comment on the video site's blog noted: "This could be my new favorite website. I'm a 59 year old who is a decent story teller. I'm not Jewish, but I'm thinking of converting on my 60th birthday and asking Mr Hoffman for camera time."

Said another fan: "This is a brilliant website --funny, heart-warming, and well, just perfect. I am so glad that your father brought these people together. What a wonderful 'mitzvah', and your insights into jokes are right on."

The webiste is safe for work and home, but be warned, says veteran Dallas Morning News religion reporter, Jeffrey Weiss: "This bunch of 'alta kakers' (Yiddish for, basically, "old farts") works blue. Meaning there is some 'adult' language ....not to mention humour that was already old when Myron Cohen was still doing Ed Sullivan."

Enough said. Enjoy!

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