The Goldbergs had been a radio hit, created and guided by Gertrude Berg, and made an easy and successful transition to television in 1949.
Berg herself starred as Molly Goldberg, a lovable, nurturing and forever-wise Jewish mother who lived in apartment 3B at 1030 East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx, New York.
The series dealt with family relationships and Jewish immigrant adjustments to be made in American society.
Berg tightly controlled the creative details – writing many episodes herself – and produced a series of remarkable integration and quality that introduced the ways of yentas to heartland America.
Philip Loeb co-starred as Molly’s husband Jake until revelations about Communist affiliations drove him from the cast, at which time he was replaced by near-look-alike Harold Stone without explanation. Stone was later replaced by Robert H Harris.
Loeb was never able to recover his acting career and took his own life.
Larry Robinson and later Tom Taylor featured as son Sammy, with Arlene McQuade as daughter Rosalie, and Eli Mintz as Uncle David.
Since Molly, Jake and Uncle David were first-generation Americans and spoke with heavy eastern European accents, their mispronunciations and malapropisms were the source of much of the show’s humour.
A recurrent scene on every show had Molly leaning out of her apartment window, calling “Yoo hoo, Mrs Bloom”, whenever she had something good to gossip about with her neighbour who lived in the apartment next door.
Mrs Bloom was played by Olga Fabian, and other regular characters were Dora Barnett (Sammy’s fiancee), her mother, Carrie, and neighbours Daisy and Henry Carey.
During its early years, The Goldbergs was broadcast live to air (like most telecasts of the day) which often made for amusing on-camera mistakes, such as windows that wouldn’t open, forgotten lines, and characters who were late for a scene.
The show was cancelled after five seasons.
Molly Goldberg
Gertrude Berg
Jake Goldberg
Philip Loeb (1)
Harold J Stone (2)
Robert H Harris (3)
Sammy Goldberg
Larry Robinson (1)
Tom Taylor (2)
Rosalie Goldberg
Arlene McQuade
Uncle David
Eli Mintz Mrs Bloom Olga Fabian Dora Barnett Goldberg
Betty Bendyke Carrie Barnett
Ruth Yorke Daisy Carey
Susan Steel Henry Carey
John Lormer
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Since Molly, Jake and Uncle David were first-generation Americans and spoke with heavy eastern European accents, their mispronunciations and malapropisms were the source of much of the show’s humour.
Molly Goldberg
