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Movies / Upcoming / Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg
Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg

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Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg (2009)

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Reviews Counted:60

Fresh:55

Rotten:5

Average Rating:7.3/10

Consensus: Equal parts edification and entertainment, Kempner's tender tribute to a forgotten pioneer of American entertainment is both richly deserved and long overdue.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 90 mins

Genre: Musical & Performing Arts

Theatrical Release:Jul 10, 2009 Limited

Box Office: $722,545

Synopsis: For more than 25 years, Gertrude Berg was one of the most beloved figures in American pop culture as the creator, writer, producer, and star of THE GOLDBERGS--first on radio (where it was... For more than 25 years, Gertrude Berg was one of the most beloved figures in American pop culture as the creator, writer, producer, and star of THE GOLDBERGS--first on radio (where it was originally known as THE RISE OF THE GOLDBERGS) and then on television. Berg, who was best known to the public in the identity of her character, Molly Goldberg, occupied a unique niche in the fabric of American life: throughout the 1930s, she and Eleanor Roosevelt competed annually in polls for the title of most prominent woman in America. Berg was called The First Lady of Radio at a time when radio was king; later on, in the television era, she invented the family sitcom as we came to know it, and did battle against the Red Scare and the Hollywood blacklist. Director Aviva Kempner's documentary gives an intimate and detailed a look at the life of Berg, who died in 1966 virtually forgotten by the executives of the industry that she helped build. In the process, Kempner explains how this woman--an articulate and intelligent first-generation Jewish-American with little formal background in writing and no knowledge of the media--rose to such success in just a few years, and why she was forgotten and swept aside almost as quickly at the other end of her career. Participants and interviewees include such admirers as producer Norman Lear, actor Edward Asner, and United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. [More]

Director: Aviva Kempner

Director: Aviva Kempner
Studio: International Film Circuit Inc.

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Reviews for Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg

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It is only in the sequence about Berg's popular costar Philip Loeb that Aviva Kempner's documentary resonates.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
12/16/09
Andrea Gronvall
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader

We're left with an impression of a vivacious pioneer; but warm shouldn't have to mean fuzzy.

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
08/27/09
Joe Williams
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

It’s puzzling that a paean to Gertrude Berg’s Jewish New York housewife, Mrs. Goldberg -- a character so beloved and enduring that she could serve as a travel guide through early-to-mid–20th-century history -- could fall so flat.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
10/30/09
Justin Strout
Justin Strout
Orlando Weekly

Unlike Kempner’s previous documentary, The Life And Times Of Hank Greenberg, his latest has too much 'life' and not enough 'times.'

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
07/09/09
Noel Murray
Noel Murray
AV Club

[A] fawning and formulaic documentary about Gertrude Berg.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
07/10/09
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post

Accurately subtitled 'The Most Famous Woman in America You Never Heard Of,' Aviva Kempner’s well-intentioned portrait of Gertrude Berg continues the director’s focus on unsung Jewish-American heroes.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
07/08/09
Andrew Grant
Andrew Grant
Time Out New York

Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg is really a lament for contemporary Jewish comedy’s loss of ethnic confidence. Kempner’s nostalgia becomes irrefutable in those faded images of Berg’s beaming face and discreet intelligence.

Full Review Source: New York Press | comment 1 Comment
07/08/09
Armond White
Armond White
New York Press

This was a very informative documentary that is told with a subtle passion. I found it very warm and welcoming. If you have interest in entertainment history, this is a must see!

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment Comment
08/29/09
Austin Kennedy
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine

A captivating and illuminating documentary filled with charm and good-natured humor. It finds just the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them intellectually.

Full Review Source: NYC Movie Guru | comment Comment
07/08/09
Avi Offer
Avi Offer
NYC Movie Guru

The Goldbergs has been dismissed as schmaltz. Kempner convinces that it deserves better, as does its groundbreaking creator.

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
08/07/09
Betsy Sherman
Betsy Sherman
Boston Phoenix

No matter the accomplishments during her lifetime, Gertrude Berg remains an integral part of the modern media's formation. Thankfully, we now have a permanent testament to how important - and irresistible - she was.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
10/23/09
Bill Gibron
Bill Gibron
PopMatters

Not being a student of classic radio or television, I'd never heard of Gertrude Berg before this film. After watching the documentary on her life, I never want to forget her.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
07/09/09
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

In Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, Kempner gives us a balance of artist and alter ego, introducing us to a woman we'd like to know even better.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
08/14/09
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's delightful, if a mite sketchy.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
08/28/09
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

...puts encyclopedic perspective on the rich career of the pioneer who paved the way for Lucile Ball in specific, and all situation comedies in general.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment 1 Comment
07/14/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Aviva Kempner's documentary Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg is a delightful introduction to Berg, who began writing and performing skits at her father's resort hotel in the Catskill Mountains, then studied drama at Columbia University.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
08/27/09
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg is amiable and formally conventional, a portrait that doesn't mean to provoke, but to revere.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
07/10/09
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

Although not forgotten in the broadcast history books, Berg's immense impact on mid-twentieth century American popular culture needs a fresh examination.

Full Review Source: The Jewish Advocate | comment Comment
08/11/09
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
The Jewish Advocate

An engaging, straightforward documentary on Gertrude Berg (1898-1966).

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/13/09
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Technique is nothing fancy in this straightforward chronological account that leaves a warm glow for the linked personalities, the programs and the era.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/09/09
Donald J. Levit
Donald J. Levit
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
 
 
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