I have to admit, I had never heard of the Goldbergs before I heard about this movie. Sorry. I guess it's a generational thing. Though, I think this is also part of the reason that Aviva Kempner made this documentary - to bring to light a remarkable and significant woman whose legacy has been somewhat forgotten.
This documentary traces the life and work of Gertrude Berg, a playwright, radio and television writer, actor and arguably the first media superstar of the broadcast era. Her show, the Goldbergs, was a huge hit on the radio in the 1930s and 1940s and then an even bigger hit on television in the late 1940s and early 1950s. She wrote every script and played the matriarch, Molly, the whole time.
Similar to Kempner's style in her previous doc on Hank Greenberg, she interviews people about their memories of the show and what it meant to them. Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Norman Lear are just two of the people who talk about how she was the most important pop cultural figure of their childhoods. (After Greenberg and Berg/Goldberg, one has to wonder if a Ginsberg doc is up next for the film maker ;).)
Largely forgotten now, Berg won the first Emmy for lead actress in a comedy (in 1950) and was basically Lucille Ball/Arnaz before Lucy was on the air. (Lucy apparently took the Goldbergs' time slot when the show was cancelled due to advertising pressure during the Red Scare in the early 1950s.)
Overall, this is a very interesting movie filled with info and details that I never knew. It was done well and was generally compelling. I must say, it is a bit antiseptic in its content and style, though I don't know how Kempner could have gotten away from that. Overall a nice film, if a bit unexciting.
Stars: 2 of 4
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