For years, artist Drew Friedman has chronicled a strange, alternate universe populated by forgotten Hollywood stars, old Jewish comedians and liver-spotted elevator operators. Drew Friedman: Vermeer of the Borscht Belt is an in-depth documentary tracing artist Friedman's evolution from underground comics to the cover of The New Yorker. The film, directed by Kevin Dougherty, features interviews with Friedman's friends and colleagues, including Gilbert Gottfried, Patton Oswalt, Richard Kind, Mike Judge, Merrill Markoe and many others.
Direction
Dougherty lets the art breathe without over-explaining
Writing
Interview subjects who actually knew the guy
Editing
Seamless blend of process footage and archival chaos
Director
Kevin Dougherty
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Friedman's work essentially created a visual language for 'vanished showbiz'—his portraits of Milton Berle and Joe Franklin in their final years helped spark a renaissance of interest in pre-Carson comedy.
The 'Vermeer' comparison in the title isn't just hype—Friedman paints with single-haired brushes under magnifying lamps, spending months on pieces most people see at 2 inches on a phone screen.
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