Review: ‘Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg’

Most of us adults now have some memory of watching family-oriented television sitcoms growing up. For every era, there was a popular family show on TV that many of us gathered around the tube to watch. For me, there was WONDER YEARS, THE COSBY SHOW and FAMILY TIES. For generations before me, there was LEAVE IT TO BEAVER and FATHER KNOWS BEST. But, where did it all begin?

YOO-HOO, MRS. GOLDBERG is a new documentary from Aviva Kempner (THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HANK GREENBERG) that tells the story of Gertrude Berg. The tag-line of the film is “the most famous woman in America you’ve never heard of” and this couldn’t be more true. Gertrude Berg was a radio and television pioneer. She created a character by the name of Molly Goldberg and the radio program called THE GOLDBERGS. This radio serial would be incredibly popular in the 20’s and 30’s, surviving and even thriving through the great depression.

Gertrude would continue her success when she took the concept to television, which eventually earned her an Emmy for acting, making her the first woman to receive such an honor. Amongst her other extraordinary factual statistic were her ranking as the second most influential women of her time, right behind Eleanor Roosevelt and the highest paid woman at the time, with the first lady ranking second.

The film is an intimate and extremely detailed account of Gertrude Berg’s life, both public and private. The film paints a wonderfully vivid portrait of the woman who was a maverick in so many ways, most of which had never before been tackled by a woman at the level at which Berg insisted upon herself. YOO-HOO, MRS. GOLDBERG has plenty of positive things to divulge about Berg, but also plays fair in also depicting the less-appealing aspects of this true-life character, such as her reputation as being a tough professional to work with.

YOO-HOO, MRS. GOLDBERG is a straight-forward documentary. You’ll find no glitz nor fancy, stylistic intrusions by the filmmaker here. This is a simple, honest and astoundingly researched documentary film that reveals as fascinating character that many have never heard of, especially amongst the younger generations. While her reign over radio and TV occurred long before many of us were born, her legacy can live on through this motion picture.

As she is called by one of the many reputable interviewees in the film, Gertrude Berg was the Oprah Winfrey of her time, but I’d have to say she’s an even more dynamic person than words can describe. Her influence and her significant contribution to her country and society in general went well beyond entertainment. Gertrude Berg used her power and influence to help push major causes of the times, including women’s and civil rights, and sold war bonds to support the United States military after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.

The film is filled with tons of archival footage and old photographs, film reels and television clips. For a relatively young enthusiast of all things old, I found this dip into the well of historical media absolutely enchanting. Of the many individuals from all walks of life that were interviewed, YOO-HOO, MRS. GOLDBERG features recollections from family, friends and colleagues as well as recognizable people including Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginzburg and NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg.

While it becomes very clear early in the film, Kempner does not focus on the fact that Gertrude Berg was Jewish. Nearer to the end, she does touch on some of the impact Gertrude Berg’s faith had on her life and career, but the film is designed to show how important this woman was to the country, regardless of her personal beliefs. The film respectfully works around this part of her life without completely removing it’s influence on everything she accomplished.

YOO-HOO, MRS. GOLDBERG is not a glamorous undertaking, but more of an admirable contribution to the archives of our American cultural history. The film should get a decent turn out during it’s theatrical run, while likely to attract an older audience, deserves to be seen by people of all ages and backgrounds. As such, I recommend this film to everyone as a valuable piece of our ongoing education as American citizens and endless pursuit to better understand ourselves and each other.