Berg played family matriarch Molly Goldberg and wrote the scripts. On the radio, “The Goldbergs’’ ran in 15-minute episodes five nights a week; on television, it was a weekly half-hour. Berg also wrote a version of “The Goldbergs’’ for Broadway in 1948 and co-wrote a 1950 movie version.
Kempner is best known for her 1998 documentary “The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg.’’ That, too, told the story of an iconic Jewish figure from the middle years of the 20th century, the slugging Detroit Tigers first baseman. Instead of baseball footage, Kempner has kinescopes to work with here: grainy black-and-white excerpts from the series, as well as other period film and photographs.
Big on heartwarming, “The Goldbergs’’ was not big on hilarious. Its historical place may be secure, but wit and style weren’t what secured it. Those old enough to remember the series then will enjoy the documentary now, as will anyone interested in a unique window on American Yiddishkeit. Others, especially those with a low sentiment tolerance, might want to pass.
The documentary, like the series, is haimish in the extreme - cozy, warm, homey. It touches on such larger issues as feminism, acculturation, suburbanization, and the blacklist (Philip Loeb, who played Molly’s husband, ran afoul of it and committed suicide). But “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg’’ (that’s how neighbors would greet Berg’s character across the air shaft of their apartment building) does so to underscore the importance of the series and its creator.
Ed Asner recalls how uncomfortable the show made him feel growing up Jewish in Kansas. Asner wonders if people were laughing at the Goldbergs rather than with them. His is the sole dissenting voice. The documentary is a lovefest otherwise. The roster of talking heads extends to Berg’s grandchildren and son-in-law. Also there’s her biographer, a man named Glenn Smith Jr. He bears an alarming resemblance to Kenneth, the NBC page on “30 Rock.’’ Sitcom past meets sitcom present.
Mark Feeney can be reached at mfeeney@globe.com.
