A Brief History
On January 17, 1949, American television audiences were treated to a new form of entertainment, the situation comedy, or more familiarly known as the sitcom.
Digging Deeper
The Goldbergs, a show about a New York Jewish family living in a Bronx tenement. The main character was the matriarch, Molly Goldberg, played by actress Gertrude Berg. The show had been a radio program from 1929 to 1946, at first weekly but due to great success becoming a daily show in 1931. The public was already familiar with the premise of the show and the characters, so taking to the television version was more or less assured. In fact, of radio comedies only Amos ‘n’ Andy had a longer run.
Prior to hitting television, Berg adapted the radio show as a Broadway play called Me and Molly in 1948, so a visual presentation was already accepted by the public when the television version first aired. All the episodes were written by Berg, who won the Best Actress Emmy for 1950. She insisted on not having a studio audience and avoided controversial subjects while maintaining the Jewish nature of show’s family.
The first seasons aired for 30 minutes per episode on CBS with Sanka coffee as a sponsor. After the 1951 season, NBC insisted on the replacement of the leading man, Phillip Loeb who played Molly’s husband, Jake. The show was picked up by NBC for 1952-1953, now a 15 minute show but with a new title, Molly. In 1954 the show once again became a half hour program, this time aired by the Dumont television network. (No, I never heard of Dumont either.)
Despite Nielson ratings indicating 10 million viewers watched Molly, the troubled network could not afford to pay for the show, and the final seasons of 1955 and 1956 were released in syndication, picked up by local stations.
Gertrude Berg played the Molly Goldberg character on a few television appearances on other shows, and returned to television with a new show, Mrs. G Goes to College in 1961-1962.
Today our televisions boast of numerous sitcoms available all day and night of every day of the week, all of them the children and grandchildren of The Goldbergs. Question for students (and subscribers): Please tell us your favorite sitcoms currently playing and of all time in the comments section below this article.
If you are interested in watching this pioneering television show, it has been restored to DVD by Shout! Factory and from the UCLA Film and Television Archive. You can find the DVD’s available at Amazon.com.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
McKee, Wess and Henry Salinger, dir. The Ultimate Goldbergs. Shout Factory, 2011.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="12634 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=12634">94 Comments
Welcome back. I missed you.
It’s crazy to think that sitcoms have advanced so much throughout the years.
It’s interesting to learn that the TV show started out as a radio show. I bet people were ,in general, much better listeners back then than we are today since they got most of their news and entertainment with their ears and not their eyes.
It’s neat the Gertrude Berg wrote all the shows.
I won’t cover the quality of these shows or how funny it is because my generation cannot laugh at these shows but still it is great jump to change the show from the radio to daily TV shows.
I never knew this started out as a radio show. Imagine listening to all the shows we like instead of seeing them.
I have heard of this show before, but I have never seen it. I did not know it was originally a radio show.
I never knew that The Goldbergs was the first sitcom.
I find it interesting that Berg wrote all the episode and also starred in them.
I have never heard or watched this show. I was unaware that it was the first sitcom.
I have never heard of this show before. But I thought it was interesting that it started out being a radio show and the first sitcom.
I knew about the more modern Goldbergs, but I did not realize that there was another Goldbergs that started in 1949.
I think its interesting how this was such a popular show that there is a remake
I thought the name sounded familiar and sure enough the Goldbergs were brought back in a modern casting recently.
It’s interesting that this show has been re-made and it is airing today, in 2016.
The Goldbergs were probably such a huge hit as well because the imitated the ‘american dream’ or so it sounds. People at this time probably loved to find comedy within the live style they dreamed of living.
Its really cool how popular this show was.
I have heard about The Goldbergs before. I wouldn’t mind watching an episode or two.
The avoidance of controversial topics certainly has changed. I feel like today’s sitcoms are very controversial.
Sitcoms have come a long way. I don’t think anything is off limits now. My favorite sitcom of all time is Everybody Loves Raymond. Ray Romano was the best at comedy! Today, I love watching Last Man Standing with Tim Allen. He’s great!
My favorite sit com was Three’s Company. John Ritter was an amazing comedian.
There is a new version of The Goldbergs on TV now and it is very entertaining. My favorite sitcom is According to Jim, but it is hard to find on TV now.
I watch sitcoms daily so it was interesting to read about the first one. I have never seen the original but I watch the new version from time to time.
I have heard of The Goldbergs before but my favorite sitcom on TV now is Last Man Standing.
My parents used to talk about this show. Good clean comedy!
I have never heard of this version of the Goldbergs but my dad enjoys watching the new version of the Goldbergs on Wednesday nights. Reading this article made me miss my family back home being that they frequently have this show on our television.
I never heard of the Goldbergs and never really cared about such a show on television
This is cool because a lot of shows today are like this.
I’m sure sitcoms like the Goldbergs influenced many of the shows that we have today.
I found this article interesting because I never realized that the current show, The Goldbergs, was a remake of the one from 1949.
I am not familiar with The Goldbergs but this article was interesting to see how it was influenced.
I have heard of the Goldberg’s before but I have never before seen it. I enjoy seeing all of the different renditions that have been created today and still think that family sitcoms are funny.
It is interesting to learn about when shows were being converted to TV from radio. I am curious about what types of changes were made now that they had the visual aspect of entertainment.
I’ve heard of the show, but never knew much about it or what it was about it. I think it’s interesting that it first started out as a radio show. I’m definitely asking my grandparents about it next time I see them!
My dad used to watch this, but I myself have never seen it. I never knew that it started out as a radio show. I always like watching some of the older type of shows because they are so different from the movies that are made today.
I’ve never heard the show before. The oldest TV show I have watched in the United States was “The Friends.” The Goldbergs may interesting for me. I will watch it sometime.
This should be another milestone of the US Media Industry. Lots of fun to knowing about these old TV show.
I’ve never watched this show, but it seemed interesting.
Never seen this show, but i would like to watch it sometime.
I sometimes watch this show, and I think that it is rather funny!
I have never heard of this show. I bet it was good back then.
Iv’e never heard of this show before. I must have been good, any show back then was good for the people.
This show lasted a long time and had many different versions!
Its strange how we have stuck to the same kind of things that people enjoy in entertainment over the years.
Sitcoms have come a long way! It was an awesome article to read about the first one.
Dumont was actually a network for 4 years who then struggled to because of FCC regulations.
My grandparents used to talk about this show, but I’ve never seen it. I always thought that it would be a good show though
The first sitcom was in 1949 and they still come and go today.
It’s really cool how they were first radio shows then they were on tv
There is a current sitcom by the same name, although that seems to be where the similarities end.
I’d never heard of this sitcom. There have been so many really great sitcoms it’s hard to pick one, but Seinfeld really stands out to me.
This is new to me, I have never head of the Goldbergs, a little before my time.
I kept relating this to a sitcom today! This is neat to see how things progressed from radio to t.v. based on the popularity of the show.
I’ve never heard of this sitcom before, but I think its awesome that it went from being on the radio to a popular t.v. show.
I have never heard of the older version, but saw where a new sitcom had the same name. It’s amazing how TV has changed since then. They had so many viewers, but still couldn’t afford to keep it on air. I enjoys many sitcoms, from older Full Houses, Family Matters, Saved by the Bell, to newer shows like, Grey’s Anatomy and How I met your Mother.
That would be a cool experience to hear a show and then get to see it on television. Its amazing how far entertainment has come.
House was a great show, much different than these first family oriented shows. The evolution of television was very influential to American culture.
Where would we be today without sitcoms or the like of Jerry Seinfeld. Those shows help to establish our personalities and character. Too many life questions have been answered by Seinfeld.
How I Met Your Mother is by far one of the best sitcoms of all time! I am thankful for the existence of the Goldberg’s because I wouldn’t have gotten the exposure to so many amazing shows throughout the years!
I never heard TV shows on radio, but my grandmother would tell me that it was great to hear it because you can add your own image in your head. There are plenty of good sitcoms out there, but Full House was one of my favorites.
I find it interesting that a lot of pioneering TV shows were originally radio programs such as the Goldbergs and Candid Camera. What is most amazing about these shows is how they were not only TV shows, but created TV sitcom and comedy generous cemented in our society today.
Growing up in loved shows like Threes Company, Good Times and later on Martin and Fresh Prince of Bellaire. Martin is my all time favorite.
Well, I do find it interesting that the first television sitcom was originally broadcast-ed over radio (Prior to it being a television show). I have never heard of the Goldbergs, I am going to have to try and find a couple of episodes to watch.
I am a huge fan of the 80’s era, so my favorite sitcom is Taxi and Moonlighting. The 80’s were also another time that t.v. were the first adventure off into different subjects.
I used to watch a lot of t.v back then and if I remember right that is when knight rider, chips, airwolf was on I watched them a lot.
Friends was pretty funny. My wife watches American Housewife. That’s funny too.
would be interesting compare TV shows that were funny back then to TV shows that are funny now. I bet there would be a huge difference in the two different shows.
I remember hearing my family members talk about this show.
The 80’s sitcom’s was the best, big difference from todays televison shows
One of my favorite sitcoms would be The Big Bang Theory. Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, and Howard aren’t your average Pasadena post-grads. They are, each in his own right, geniuses, which makes for an interesting storm of nerdy antics and comical conundrums. Socially awkward, romantically-challenged, and professionally driven, the four stars play out more like brainy boys. Another favorite sitcom would be Fuller House. In a continuation of Full House (1987), Widowed DJ Tanner-Fuller asks her best friend Kimmy Gibbler, who is now a single mom of three boys, and sister Stephanie Tanner to move in with her to help raise her family.
I have more than one favorite sitcom. One of them would be Bob’s Burgers.Bob Belcher is a third-generation restaurateur who runs Bob’s Burgers with his loving wife and their three children. Bob believes his burgers speak for themselves and isn’t afraid to offer a variety of off-beat creations. Bob’s wife, Linda, supports his dream but is becoming sick of the slow times, as the restaurant is constantly in danger of going out of business. Despite the challenges, which includes consistent harassment from Linda’s ex – a health inspector,Bob tries to keep the grill sizzling. Anot
One of my favorite sitcoms would be The Big Bang Theory. Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, and Howard aren’t your average Pasadena post-grads. They are, each in his own right, geniuses, which makes for an interesting storm of nerdy antics and comical conundrums. Socially awkward, romantically-challenged, and professionally driven, the four stars play out more like brainy boys. Another favorite sitcom would be American Dad. The Smith family, who are not quite your ordinary American household. Consisting of Stan, his wife Francine, and their two kids Steve and Hayley, plus their goldfish-with-a-human-brain Klaus, and Roger, an escaped alien from Area 51, things can be pretty crazy in the Smith home. Another favorite sitcom would be Fuller House. It is a spin-off of the hit ABC family sitcom Full House. D.J. Tanner-Fuller is a recently widowed mom to a 13-year-old named Jackson, 7-year-old named Max, and a newborn son named Tommy. After realizing she is unable to cope with the demands of holding a full time job as a veterinarian in addition to raising three kids, her sister Stephanie and childhood best friend Kimmy, who is also the mother of a 13-year-old daughter,offer to move in to bring up her children. My most favorite sitcom of all-time would be M*A*S*H. M*A*S*H” (which stands for “Mobile Army Surgical Hospital”) aired from 1972 to 1983 on CBS and followed doctors and nurses working for the hospital in South Korea during the Korean War, including doctors “Hawkeye” Pierce, “Trapper John” McIntyre, and Frank Burns as well as nurse Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan.
Hawkeye and Trapper John are popularly known by their nicknames, but Pierce’s full name is Benjamin Franklin Pierce, while McIntyre’s is John Francis Xavier McIntyre. It has been noted that while the Korean War only lasted three years, the show aired for 11 seasons.
Fuller House is one of my favorite sitcoms. Fuller House is a spin off of Full House that I watched as a child. It is fun to see the changes throughout the years.
I have many sitcoms that I loved while growing up, many of them are now on Netflix. I get to watch them all over again which is great, I just watched the One Tree Hill series again.
Coincidentally my favorite sitcom is also called the Goldberg’s. I also enjoy Game of Thrones.
I don’t watch as many sitcoms as I did growing up but I always like Cheers. When I was in the military I had the opportunity to visit the Cheers bar in Boston. I don’t think to many of the shows today could stack up to the older sitcoms. The only show I have to watch now is The Walking Dead.
I am convinced that the 80’s and 90’s had some of the best sitcoms of all time. However, no “greatest sitcoms list” would be complete without the legendary sitcom I Love Lucy on it. As for me, some of my first-ballot, Hall of Fame sitcoms are Married with Children, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Golden Girls, and M*A*S*H. As for the TV landscape now, there really aren’t many quality sitcoms that I will take the time to watch.
I thought The Goldbergs that is on TV now was an original, its funny how there was one before it. Also, sitcoms that are at the top of my list are: Full House, Saved By the Bell, Fresh Prince, Big Bang Theory, Modern Family and The Goldbergs.
Older shows are by far the best. Golden girls was my favorite along with Gilligan’s Island, Knight Rider, and Tour of Duty.
Megan, Golden Girls was my favorite show too! I love it still to this day!
With you there. My wife and I have been watching it since Hulu uploaded it a few weeks back. Blanche trips me out!
Interesting that there was a sitcom aired on the radio. That sounds so boring!
I agree with Patrick, and I wonder what exactly went into the script for the radio versions of such shows. I imagine the shift from writing for radio to writing for televisions being somewhat liberating, because less time and fewer lines of dialogue would need to be spent “showing” on a visual medium, and I bet the TV audience was happy to have a concrete representation of the Goldberg family for the first time. Then again, those who lived during the early part of the century and only had radio were probably just happy to take whatever entertainment they could get!
Interesting article but a few of my favorite sitcoms were Married with Children, Full House and I loved the Golden Girls.
This was an interesting article! I had never seen or heard of this show before! My favorite sitcom would have to be Full House.
This article was interesting as my favorite sitcoms would have to be Full House and Gilmore Girls.
We do not have cable and haven’t for years so we are limited on what we can watch. I watched Full House when I was a kid and now my son found Fuller House. When I learned about the latter I found the original on our fire-stick. He couldn’t get enough of it and was sad when he finished all of the seasons.
The best sitcom of all time and never to be beat is Golden Girls. It has great woman playing great roles, which are well written and never boring! I think I’ve watched ever episode a dozen times!
that was an interesting article, i used these information from my history paper.
Television has changed so much since the 40s and 50s. Subject matter and content have drastically changed, We have netflix and tend to watch that more than regular cable. Especially during political times.
Television program had been change from past to present not only at screen area, but also making difference of film making, and TV show.
As television has changed I feel my favorite sitcom would be Full House as I have watched it ever since I was little.
Crazy to think that Sitcoms started so early!
I didn’t realize that sitcoms had started so early! This just goes to show how popular sitcoms are though because they have been around for so long and are still going strong today.