Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg: Critic Reviews

[An] engrossing documentary portrait of a once-beloved radio and television star who died in 1966 and today is barely remembered.

This generally excellent portrait does much to fill the void, restoring an unfortunately forgotten figure to her rightful place among broadcasting's trailblazers.

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.

Celebratory but clear-eyed.

There's far more to this groundbreaker who built an empire in the face of formidable challenges.

The documentary Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg salutes Berg and her far-reaching influence.

Born Tillie Edelstein, Berg honed her talent writing skits at her father's resort, Fleischmann's, in the Catskill Mountains. But Molly's kitchen belonged to the nation.

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

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.

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.

Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg does an exemplary job of celebrating the seminal achievements of Gertrude Berg and reaffirming her status as a broadcasting pioneer.

[A] fawning and formulaic documentary about Gertrude Berg.

Yoo-Hoo suggests that, yes, Berg broke new ground and, no, she shouldn't be forgotten. But it doesn't explain why she endured, or why she is so forgotten today.

History has been unfair to Berg, a fact that filmmaker Aviva Kempner hopes to correct with this illuminating documentary.

Charming.

This wonderful doc about radio and TV icon Gertrude Berg is a cornucopia of nostalgia for viewers of a certain age.

Kempner creates a poignant reminder of one of the most influential, if now largely forgotten, great ladies of entertainment.

Aviva Kempner's documentary is a real eye-opener on an influential woman whose once central place in American popular has been mostly forgotten.

Gertrude Berg was the Queen of All Media long before Howard Stern ever dreamed about being King.

Berg's professional story is worthy enough to be retold, although one wishes for something a little more emotionally compelling.

Kempner has made The Goldbergs informative, entertaining, poignant, and ... nostalgic. A piece of history has been saved.

A remarkable story, all the more remarkable for the era in which it happened, an era when most women had almost no opportunities to become famous, rich and powerful. Gertrude Berg not only triumphed during this time, she was the Oprah Winfrey of her time.

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.

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.

Stylistically unpretentious but highly informative and enjoyable documentary [on] one of radio's great stars and a television pioneer.