On the Media – "The Forgotten History of the First Sitcom"

Episode Date: January 7, 2026
Host: Brooke Gladstone
Guest: Emily Nussbaum, Staff Writer at The New Yorker

Episode Overview

This episode revisits the overlooked story of Gertrude Berg, creator and star of "The Goldbergs"—arguably the first American sitcom and a pioneering force in radio and television. Host Brooke Gladstone interviews journalist Emily Nussbaum, whose new piece explores Berg’s groundbreaking work, early representation of Jewish-American life, and the chilling impact of the Red Scare on her show's legacy. Together, they draw vital connections between mid-century media and today's climate of institutional capitulation and censorship.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Gertrude Berg: Sitcom Pioneer (03:31–04:29)

• Background: Berg was the first true showrunner—writing, directing, producing, and starring as Molly Goldberg in her own radio program (1929–1945) and, later, the first family sitcom on TV ("The Goldbergs" from 1949).
• Character Roots: While she played the iconic, bustling Jewish mother from a working-class Bronx family, Berg herself came from a more complex, entrepreneurial background, running theater productions at her family’s Catskills hotel as a teen.

2. The Goldbergs—Subversive Yet Universal (04:38–07:49)

• Evolution of the "Yiddishe Mama": Molly Goldberg countered stereotypes, moving away from the “traumatized, self-sacrificing mother” to a source of independent humor, agency, and cleverness—careful with language, but "incredibly canny and clever" (Emily Nussbaum, 05:35).
• Implicit Politics: The show weaved issues of poverty, unemployment, unions, and civil rights into domestic plots:

  "The portrayal of unemployed and poor people within this immigrant community...People found that incredibly moving and poignant." (06:00)

• Boldly Jewish: Notably featured a Seder, Yom Kippur, and even addressed Kristallnacht in 1939—radically explicit for the medium at the time.

3. Mass Media and Representation (07:34–08:56)

• Audience Reach: "During that period, radio was the mass medium. Everybody listened...an incredible platform.” (Emily Nussbaum, 07:44)
• Counterprogramming Hate: "Because of a positive, layered, humane portrait...made Jews feel like full Americans." (08:30)
• Cultural Backdrop: Show aired as demagogues like Father Coughlin filled U.S. airwaves with antisemitism, heightening its significance.

4. The Rise and Fall: TV, Blacklisting, and the Red Scare (09:11–17:47)

• Transitioning to TV: "The Goldbergs" was a massive hit on early television; Berg received the first Emmy for Best Actress. She evolved melodrama into the sitcom template, creating elements still central today.
• Distinct from ‘50s Sitcoms: Unlike later, sanitized "WASP" family sitcoms, "The Goldbergs" remained grounded in immigrant, city-based, working-class realities—often incorporating live political debate (11:52).
• Red Channels and Blacklisting:
  • Red Channels (13:21): A self-published blacklist outed alleged communists in broadcast media, targeting not only actual party members but unionists and civil rights supporters.
  • Philip Loeb: The show’s beloved on-screen father and real-life union organizer became a prominent victim, pressured by networks and sponsors.
  • Gertrude Berg’s Resistance:

    “She basically said to CBS and General Foods, I will tell everybody to boycott your product if you do not let me keep Loeb and keep the Goldbergs going.” (15:50)

  • Aftermath: Ultimately, sponsors and networks forced out Loeb, blacklisting him; the burden contributed to his suicide in 1955.

5. The Muzzling of Political Content and Historical Erasure (17:47–18:17)

• Self-Censorship: In a 1956 interview, Berg admitted:

  “You see, darling, I don’t bring up anything that will bother people...Unions, politics, fundraising, Zionism, socialism, intergroup relations—I don’t stress them.” (17:47)

• Loss of Legacy: Nussbaum underscores the sadness and inevitability of the erasure, with "I Love Lucy" overwriting "The Goldbergs" in cultural memory.

6. Parallels to Today's Media Landscape (19:21–20:32)

• Prescience: Nussbaum notes the relevance to modern media, institutional cowardice, and political pressure:

  “By the time I actually started writing, I wasn’t interested in [the representation debate] at all. And I was interested much more in the politics of it and how right now, how prescient her story is, how meaningful it is, what a warning it is.” (19:30)

• Current Events Echo: Cites recent CBS and 60 Minutes turmoil, canceled investigations, and late-night show removals as unsettling parallels.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Molly Goldberg as a new archetype:

  “She is the source of the humor...It’s a kind of dialect humor where she gets English wrong. But despite the fact that she doesn’t seem sophisticated, she’s actually incredibly canny and clever. She’s kind of a trickster.” (05:31–05:46; Emily Nussbaum)

• On Kristallnacht episode’s cultural impact:

  “Just as Pepsodent acts as a disinfectant, so does your broadcasting to dispel hatred and bring humanity closer together.” (07:17; Telegram to Gertrude Berg)

• On the sudden shift in the industry:

  “The minute [Red Channels] came out, everything changed in television...when politics changes and people are accused of being dangerous subversives, institutions fold.” (13:21–15:40; Emily Nussbaum)

• On historical memory:

  “When you look at the history of television, most people remember [I Love Lucy] as the beginning of the family sitcom and Lucille Ball as the first lady of television.” (16:12–16:31; Brooke Gladstone)

• On legacy and warning for today:

  “...when you look at that period, you see entire institutions dropping to their knees, flipping and firing people because of the slightest hint of rumor.” (18:17–19:21; Emily Nussbaum)

Important Timestamps

• [01:49–02:42]: "What's My Line?"—Gertrude Berg’s TV appearance in 1954
• [03:31]: Introduction to Gertrude Berg’s legacy
• [05:11]: Challenging Jewish stereotypes through her work
• [06:47]: Political content woven into the show (Depression, civil rights, Kristallnacht)
• [13:21]: The Red Scare, Blacklisting, and its fallout
• [16:12]: "I Love Lucy" replaces "The Goldbergs"
• [17:47]: Berg self-censors to keep the show on air
• [19:21]: Nussbaum on the piece’s contemporary relevance

Conclusion

The conversation repositions Gertrude Berg and "The Goldbergs" at the heart of both television history and the ongoing American struggle over representation, power, and political expression in mass media. Nussbaum’s revelations sound a distinct warning about fragile institutions and the erasure that follows political pressure, resonating powerfully in today's media environment.

Guest: Emily Nussbaum
Host: Brooke Gladstone
Podcast: On the Media
Episode: "The Forgotten History of the First Sitcom"

For further reading, see Emily Nussbaum’s New Yorker article, "The Forgotten Inventor of the Sitcom."