I just saw "Yoo-hoo, Mrs.Goldberg" -- a documentary about Gertrude Berg

[Orangepeel]

I can't believe I never heard of her before. She won the first Emmy award for her role on a show she created, wrote, produced and starred in, and, apparently, created the concept of the situation comedy on radio and TV. It was "The Rise of the Goldbergs" about an immigrant Jewish family in the Bronx. Her co-star was blacklisted and the show went off the air while she fought the network to keep him on the show. I Love Lucy took the timeslot.

[TreasonousBastard]

1. I was a little kid when it was on, but...

I remember it was popular viewing in the house when we finally got a TV.

I can still see Mrs. Goldberg leaning out of that window.

[Orangepeel]

6. I was too young to remember it airing, but I know I Love Lucy, Ozzie and Harriet, Mr. Ed, etc.

I'm pretty well versed in popular culture, so after I heard about everything she'd done I was really surprised I'd never even heard of her. The doc said she was consistently the second most admired woman in America after Eleanor Roosevelt and ran her own production company. She was like the Oprah of her time!

[busybl]

2. oh I loved the Goldbergs

I was a kid but it was one of my favorites. I didn't know why it went off.
I remember it as being such a gentle show.

[Orangepeel]

7. from the movie, it seemed gentle but also groundbreaking

particularly the earlier radio version when there was so much antisemitism at the time

[Kingofalldems]

3. She also had her own segment on the Garry Moore Show

[Orangepeel]

8. see, I'd *heard* of the Garry Moore Show, even though I don't remember

:-)

I'm just flabbergasted that I'd never even heard of a woman who was so well known

[BuelahWitch]

9. If the show wasn't syndicated, it was forgotten

Same goes for Kukla, Fran and Ollie. Harry Truman's daughter Margaret and Boris Karloff were among its fans, but it's not very well known today.
Funny that Ms. Berg didn't work out some sort of syndication for her show before she passed. Or perhaps the networks didn't feel it was PC enough.

[Captain Hilts]

13. Yeah, it was big on radio, then TV. Moore is known for giving Carol Burnett her start. nt

[BuelahWitch]

4. Where did you see it, Orangepeel?

A friend of mine in LA went recently was well. He told me that many people were upset that Gertrude Berg was not included in the recent Early TV Memories stamp set, as she was truly a female pioneer in television. All the TV history docs seem to think it all began with Lucy, but it didn't.

Hope they put it out on DVD or someplace online.

[Orangepeel]

5. a movie theater that plays mostly indie and foreign films

I'm sure it will be released on DVD. Rottentomatoes.com has reviews (very favorable). I checked hulu for episodes of the tv show, but they didn't have any.

[BuelahWitch]

10. Thanks, I'll be on the lookout for it

I love that sort of thing...

[WinkyDink]

11. Never heard of her?! I WATCHED her!

[Captain Hilts]

12. I plan to head to the Avalon to see it. That show was hugely popular. nt