From Aviva Kempner (Director of 2000 NJFF film, The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg) comes a documentary about the most famous woman in America you’ve never heard of. Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg tells the amazing story of television pioneer, Gertrude Berg. Berg was the Oprah of her time as the creator, writer and star of "The Goldbergs," a radio show that debuted in 1929 and subsequently became a popular weekly TV program (1949-1956). Among being the first Emmy award-winning actress, a Tony award winner on Broadway, and guest celebrity on variety shows, she wrote over 12,000 scripts for the CBS show. Through her character, family matriarch Molly Goldberg, she not only paved the way for women in the entertainment industry, but also introducing to middle America endearing Jewish characters who were proud to share their heritage with a television audience.
The film chronicles the show’s history from its years of success to its rocky battle with the McCarthy blacklist as Berg attempts to save the career of her beloved co-star, Philip Loeb, to the tight-knit family’s move from the Bronx to the suburbs, and finally to its cancellation (only to be replaced with “I Love Lucy”). Combining rare scenes from “The Goldbergs” and insightful interviews with fans such as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, NPR correspondent Susan Stamberg and TV producer Norman Lear, Kempner’s film, like the show itself, blends humor and social commentary to create a fascinating portrait of a woman who pushes the boundaries for television, women, and Jews in the entertainment industry.
WINNER, Audience Award, Best Short, Seattle Jewish Film Festival (2009)
WINNER, Audience Award, Best Short, San Diego Jewish Film Festival (2009)
