Listen to a Goldbergs Radio Show episode by clicking on a link below:
Money For Seeds (Audition) – March 18, 1938 – 13 Minutes
First Episode: November 20, 1929
Last Episode: June 24, 1950
Number of Episodes: Approximately 1270
Network: Blue Network (11/20/29-5/23/31), NBC (5/23/31-7/6/34), CBS (1/12/36-7/10/36), NBC (9/13/37-12/31/37), CBS (1/3/38-3/30/45), CBS (9/2/49-6/24/50)
Cast Members: Gertrude Berg (Molly Goldberg), Roslyn Silber (Rosalie Goldberg), Alfred Ryder (Sammy Goldberg), Menasha Skulnik (Uncle Davis), Garson Kanin (Eli Edwards), Arnold Stang (Seymour Fingerhood), Zina Provendie (Sylvia Allison)
Producer/Director/Series Creator/Writer: Gertrude Berg
Announcers: Art Millet, Don Hancock, James Fleming, Bud Collyer
Sound Effects: Unknown
Music: Unknown
Opening Theme: Enrico Toselli’s “Serenade”
Creators/Writers: Gertrude Berg, Cherney Berg
Sponsor: Oxydol, Duz, Pepsodent, Sanka, Vitamin Corporation of America, and RCA
Typical Episode Length: 10, 15, and 30 Minutes
The Goldbergs radio show was created by Gertrude Berg who also wrote the scripts, produced, and directed the show in addition to portraying the lead character! She was a dynamic powerhouse at the beginning of the 1930s in an industry that generally saw women as objects to clothe in pretty dresses so that men would find them attractive.
The Goldbergs was a family comedy series by a Jewish woman and about a Jewish family living in New York City but it appealed to a large audience because most of the situations that the Goldbergs faced in their lives were similar to those of the average non-Jewish American. Occasional scripts addressed “current-day” Jewish issues such as the rise of the Nazi Party under Hitler and the horrible crimes they committed against Jews. Once in a while the Goldbergs would have to personally deal with religiously-based hatred. In general though, the Goldbergs were just another American family who just happened to be Jewish.
The Goldbergs was the second-longest running 15 minute serial radio show with only “Amos ‘N’ Andy” remaining on the air longer. Gertrude Berg also produced a theatrical version of the Goldbergs that appeared on Broadway in 1948 and the show was also adapted for television, becoming one of TV’s first comedies in 1949 and running for several seasons!
Gertrude Berg took this show to television on January 17, 1949 with The Goldbergs TV Series ant then she returned to television again in the early 1960s in another sitcom about a widow who returned to school after her husband passed away titled, “Mrs. G Goes To College“. Gertrude’s character was very similar to the one she played on The Goldbergs. The series only lasted one season for 26 episodes.
Another sitcom also called “The Goldbergs” came to television in the 2013-2014 season.
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