The Goldbergs (broadcast series)

Last updated

The Goldbergs
TheGoldbergs.jpg
Original television series DVD-release cover
Other namesThe Rise of the Goldbergs
GenreDaytime serial drama: Weekly (1929), Daily (1931)
Running time15 minutes (12-13 minutes excluding ads), 30 minutes (24-26 minutes excluding ads)
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
Syndicates NBC, CBS
TV adaptationsThe Goldbergs
Starring Gertrude Berg
Philip Loeb
Harold J. Stone
Robert H. Harris
Eli Mintz
Larry Robinson
Arlene McQuade
Announcer Clayton "Bud" Collyer
Created by Gertrude Berg
Written byGertrude Berg, Cherney Berg
Directed byWess McKee,
Henry Salinger
Original releaseNovember 20, 1929 
1956
Audio formatMono
Opening theme Enrico Toselli's "Serenade"
Sponsored byDuz
Oxydol
Pepsodent
Sanka
Vitamin Corp. of America
RCA
Rybutol
Ekco Flint
Podcast Stream Radio Program
from Archive.org

The Goldbergs is a comedy-drama broadcast from 1929 to 1946 on American radio, and from 1949 to 1956 on American television. It was adapted into a 1948 play, Me and Molly ; a 1950 film The Goldbergs , and a 1973 Broadway musical, Molly . It also briefly spun off a comic strip from June 8, 1944, to December 21, 1945, with art by Irwin Hasen, a comic book artist who worked on various DC Comics titles and would later do the Dondi comic strip. [1]

Contents

Radio

The program was devised by writer-actress Gertrude Berg in 1928 and sold to the NBC radio network the following year. It was a domestic comedy featuring the home life of a Jewish family, supposedly located at 1038 East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx. In addition to writing the scripts and directing each episode, Berg starred as bighearted, lovingly meddlesome, and somewhat stereotypical Jewish matriarch Molly Goldberg. The show began as a portrait of Jewish tenement life before later evoking such growing pains as moving into a more suburban setting and struggling with assimilation while sustaining their roots.

The Goldbergs began as a weekly 15-minute program called The Rise of the Goldbergs on November 20, 1929, going daily in 1931. The series moved to CBS in 1936 with the title shortened to The Goldbergs. Like other 15-minute comedies of the day, such as Amos 'n' Andy , Lum and Abner , Easy Aces , Vic and Sade and Myrt and Marge, The Goldbergs was a serial with running storylines. Berg's usual introduction (in character as Molly, hollering); "yoo-hoo! Is anybody...?" became a catchphrase. In the 1940s, this was followed by Bud Collyer announcing; "here she is, folks: that's Molly Goldberg, a woman with a place in every heart and a finger in every pie".

When Gertrude Berg missed a couple of weeks due to illness, stations carrying the popular show were flooded with get-well mail. [2] At the height of the show's popularity, Life wrote: "for millions of Americans, listening to The Goldbergs... has been a happy ritual akin to slipping on a pair of comfortable old shoes that never seem to wear out". [3]

Radio historians Frank Buxton and Bill Owen, in The Big Broadcast 1920–1950, noted the series (which they considered a soap opera as much as a comedy) "differed from most of the other 'soaps' in that its leading characters lived through relatively normal situations. Even though it was the story of a poor Jewish family in the Bronx, New York, it had identification for a wide segment of listeners". Of the 15-minute serial comedies, only Amos 'n' Andy enjoyed a longer radio life than The Goldbergs.

The role of husband Jake Goldberg was originally played by Himan Brown and later, James R. Waters. When Waters died suddenly in 1945, Berg resisted recasting the role. Instead, she simply had Molly refer to Jake, occasionally setting up dialogue in which his reply was not heard when she spoke to him.

Behind the scenes

Berg was not averse to incorporating serious real-world issues which affected Jewish families. One 1939 episode addressed Kristallnacht and Nazi Germany (including a rock through the family window as the Goldbergs had their Passover Seder); other World War II-era episodes alluded to friends or family members trying to escape the Holocaust. But these were sporadic deviations from the show's main theme of family, neighborhood and the balance between old world values and new world assimilation. Molly demonstrates to the audience the strong matriarch she is by constantly helping others with their dilemmas and proving to be the hero time and time again. [4]

The Goldbergs was so popular that performing stars in other arts sought to appear on it. Berg cast Metropolitan Opera star Jan Peerce almost annually to sing on Yom Kippur and Passover. Another famous singer of the day, Ernestine Schumann-Heink, asked Berg personally to appear, and Berg wrote her into three episodes. Regina Resnik (an international soprano, later mezzo who had an international career, including the Met Opera) starred in a TV episode. The radio cast included Roslyn Silber and Alfred Ryder as children Rosalie and Sammy, Menasha Skulnik as Uncle David, Arnold Stang as Seymour Fingerhood, Garson Kanin as Eli Edwards, and Zina Provendie as Sylvia Allison, among others.[ citation needed ]

Moves into stage and television

In 1948, Berg wrote and staged Me and Molly, a Broadway version of the show. A year later, she brought The Goldbergs to a national audience on television. [5]

Television

Gertrude Berg and Philip Loeb (1949) Gertrude Berg Philip Loeb Molly and Jake Goldberg 1949.JPG
Gertrude Berg and Philip Loeb (1949)

The television version ran on CBS Television from 1949 to 1951 and co-starred Philip Loeb as Jake Goldberg. He and Gertrude Berg reprised their roles in a 1950 film of the same name. The show almost didn't get to the small screen at all: CBS executives were uncertain that the show would work on television as well as it did on radio. Berg prevailed, however, and picked up General Foods (Sanka coffee) as its sponsor. Berg, who continued to write every episode, insisted that no studio audience be used and made sure everyday events formed the base for the stories; [6] she was once quoted as saying she avoided "anything that will bother people ... unions, fund raising, Zionism, socialism, intergroup relations. ... I keep things average. I don't want to lose friends." [7] Berg's hard work and determination paid off. In 1950, she won the first Best Actress Emmy Award for her role as Molly on The Goldbergs.

The Goldbergs was destined to spend almost a decade on television—but not without disruptions. In 1950, Philip Loeb was blacklisted and pressure was placed on Berg (who owned the television version as she had the radio original) to fire him. When she refused, General Foods cancelled their sponsorship, and CBS dropped it from their schedule by June 1951. [8]

Eight months later, however, NBC the show's original broadcasting homepicked up the series for the 1952–53 season, but informed Gertrude Berg that if she persisted in allowing Philip Loeb to remain with the series, it would never be seen on television again. She finally gave in, and the series reappeared in a twice-weekly, early-evening 15-minute format (with another change in title, to Molly, in due course), with Harold Stone and then Robert H. Harris replacing Loeb as Jake, though Berg quietly continued to pay a salary to Loeb. [9] After The Goldbergs ended its CBS run, Tom Taylor replaced Larry Robinson in the role of Molly's son, Sammy. The rest of the television cast included Eli Mintz as Uncle David, Arlene McQuade as Rosalie and Betty Bendyke as Dora Barnett. On radio, Sammy and Rosalie had grown up and gotten married; on television, the characters were revived as teenagers. During this time, Gertrude Berg and Arlene McQuade appeared as their characters of Molly and Rosalie, respectively, when they guested on NBC-TV's Buick-Berle Show starring Milton Berle.

In 1954, the show reverted to a weekly half-hour, moving to the DuMont network for a run from April to October. The series was originally intended to run for six months on DuMont, but, due to financial difficulties, the network was unable to fulfill the $5 million contract, despite Nielsen ratings estimated at ten million viewers. [10] The DuMont shows were aired live.

A final version, aired in syndication, was filmed in 1955 and aired on local stations until 1956. This version moved the Goldbergs from the Bronx to the New York suburb of Haverville. In a way this mirrored the real life journey of many Jewish families from the Bronx to the suburbs and other parts of New York during this period. However, this was considered the death knell of the show, as it was felt that the Goldbergs were only the Goldbergs in the Bronx. Also in 1955, Philip Loeb, beset by depression and unable to find other work, committed suicide. [11] In 1957, Gertrude Berg made her last two appearances as Molly Goldberg: first on an episode of the NBC-TV variety series Washington Square with Ray Bolger, and then on a Kate Smith special that aired on ABC-TV.

Aftermath

Gertrude Berg returned to television six years later in a situation comedy, Mrs. G. Goes to College , playing Sarah Green, a Molly Goldberg-like character. Despite being retitled The Gertrude Berg Show in mid-year, the program was cancelled after one season. The Goldbergs is available to collectors and fans in a large number of surviving radio episodes and some surviving television episodes, many of which have lapsed into the public domain. Aviva Kempner's documentary Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg (2009) deals with the show, and to an extent, Gertrude Berg's personal life.

Most of the DuMont episodes survive at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, while the 39 filmed episodes survive intact.

Since 2009, the series can be seen on the JLTV cable network.

Home media

In March 2010, Shout! Factory released The Goldbergs: The Ultimate Goldbergs on DVD via their retail website. [12] The release includes all 71 extant episodes of the television series. Episodes are also available to stream on their ShoutFactoryTV service.

The UCLA Film and Television Archive digitally restored all of the episodes, as well as provided 12 radio episodes for the DVD release and the pilot for the short lived series Mrs. G Goes To College (1961). The box set is available from UCLA. [13] The UCLA archive also holds 130 transcription discs of the radio series, which it has released on YouTube.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DuMont Television Network</span> American television network (1942–1956)

The DuMont Television Network was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being first overall in the United States. It was owned by Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, a television equipment and television set manufacturer, and began operation on April 13, 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Cantor</span> American comedian and actor (1892–1964)

Eddie Cantor was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gertrude Berg</span> American actress, screenwriter and producer

Gertrude Berg was an American actress, screenwriter, and producer. A pioneer of classic radio, she was one of the first women to create, write, produce, and star in a long-running hit when she premiered her serial comedy-drama The Rise of the Goldbergs (1929), later known as The Goldbergs. Her career achievements included winning a Tony Award and an Emmy Award, both for Best Lead Actress.

<i>The Jackie Gleason Show</i> American TV series or program

The Jackie Gleason Show is the name of a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Loeb</span> American actor

Philip Loeb, was an American stage, film, and television actor, director and author, perhaps best remembered for playing Jake Goldberg in The Goldbergs. He was blacklisted under McCarthyism and committed suicide in response.

<i>Admiral Broadway Revue</i> American TV series or program

Admiral Broadway Revue is an American live television variety show that ran from January 28 to June 3, 1949. The show was notable for being "television's first full scale Broadway type musical revue."

The 1948–49 network television schedule for the four major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1948 through March 1949. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1947–48 season. This was the first season in which all four networks then in operation in the United States offered nightly prime time schedules Monday through Friday.

The 1949–50 network television schedule for the four major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1949 through March 1950. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1948–49 season. This was the first season in which all four networks offered at least some prime time programming all seven nights of the week.

The Morey Amsterdam Show is an American sitcom which ran from 1948 to 1949 on CBS Television and 1949–50 on the DuMont Television Network, for a total of 71 episodes.

<i>The Wendy Barrie Show</i> American TV series or program

The Wendy Barrie Show is an American talk show hosted by Wendy Barrie, which aired from November 10, 1948, to September 27, 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviva Kempner</span> American filmmaker (born 1946)

Aviva Kempner is a German-born American filmmaker. Her documentaries investigate non-stereotypical images of Jews in history and focus on the untold stories of Jewish people. She is most well known for The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg.

<i>Star Time</i> (TV series) American TV variety series (1950–1951)

Star Time is an American variety series that aired on the DuMont Television Network from September 5, 1950, to February 27, 1951, and starred singer-actress Frances Langford. It was broadcast from 10 to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays.

<i>Mrs. G. Goes to College</i> American TV series or program

Mrs. G. Goes to College is a 26-episode American sitcom which aired on CBS from October 4, 1961, to April 5, 1962. The series starred Emmy Award-winning actress Gertrude Berg.

Me and Molly is a three-act play with eight scenes by Gertrude Berg, based on Berg's long-running radio drama The Goldbergs. It has a large cast, one setting, and moderate pacing. It is a domestic situation comedy, bordering on soap opera, as Jake Goldberg tries to start his own business while his family adjusts to life in a new apartment.

<i>Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg</i> 2009 American film

Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg is a 2009 documentary film on the broadcast career of Gertrude Berg and her radio and television serials, The Goldbergs. Aviva Kempner directed the film, interviewing family members of Berg, cast members of the Goldbergs and historians of radio and television. She also includes interview statements by non-celebrities, and celebrities, including All Things Considered anchor Susan Stamberg, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, television sitcom producer Norman Lear and Mary Tyler Moore Show actor Ed Asner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Smith (American actor, born 1929)</span> American actor (1929–2006)

Arthur Paul Smith was an American comic character actor with a perpetually perplexed or, alternatively, bemused expression, who, during the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, appeared in scores of television episodes, primarily sitcoms, including regular roles in five series, and was also seen in numerous theatrical features, television films and commercials, frequently in brief, sometimes unbilled, comedic bits. Best known for The Doris Day Show (1969-1971).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dialect comedy</span> American genre of ethnic humor shows

Dialect comedies are a genre of radio sitcoms that were popular between the 1920s and the 1950s. They relied on the exaggerated and highly stylized portrayal of stereotypes, usually based on ethnic humor. The term "dialect comedy" was coined by David Marc in his essay, Origins of the genre.

The Goldbergs is a 1950 American comedy film directed by Walter Hart and written by Gertrude Berg and N. Richard Nash. It is based on Berg's radio and television dramedy of the same name, which ran from 1929 to 1956. The film stars Gertrude Berg, Philip Loeb, Eli Mintz, Eduard Franz, Larry Robinson and Arlene McQuade. The film was released on December 23, 1950, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>House of Glass</i> (radio program) American old-time radio serial drama

House of Glass is an American old-time radio serial drama. It was broadcast on the Blue Network from April 17, 1935, until December 25, 1935, and revived on NBC from October 23, 1953, until March 12, 1954.

References

  1. "Irwin Hasen". lambiek.net.
  2. "The success of this slice of specifically ethnic, but far from atypical, American experience resulted in eighteen thousand letters pouring into NBC's office when Berg's illness forced the show off the air for a week."
  3. Life, April 25, 1949, pg. 59
  4. Hoberman, J. (2003). Entertaining America: Jews, Movies, and Broadcasting. Princeton: Princeton.
  5. "The Goldbergs". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  6. David Bianculli. "McCarthyism killed laughter of 'The Goldbergs', The Augusta Chronicle (reprinted from New York Daily News), January 14, 1999, page B3.
  7. A. James Rudin. "Ugly stereotypes of Jews on television threaten pluralism" (opinion column), The Dallas Morning News, December 30, 2000, page 5G.
  8. "Sponsor". October 8, 1951: 78–79. Retrieved September 2, 2015.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. Paul Lomartire. "Have I got news for you about Molly," The Palm Beach Post, June 18, 1994, page 1D.
  10. Smith, Glenn D. Jr. (2007). Something on My Own: Gertrude Berg and American Broadcasting, 1929–1956. Syracuse University Press. ISBN   978-0-8156-0887-5.
  11. Wisehart, Bob (May 24, 1985). "How golden were the '50s?". The Sacramento Bee.
  12. Latchem, John (February 26, 2010). "Shout! Factory Maxing Out". Home Media Magazine. Archived from the original on March 1, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  13. UCLA

Listen to