REEL FACE: | REAL FACE: |
Sean Giambrone
Born: May 30, 1999 Birthplace: Michigan, USA | Adam F. Goldberg
Born: April 2, 1976 Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
Wendi McLendon-Covey
Born: October 10, 1969 Birthplace: Bellflower, California, USA | Beverly Goldberg
Born: October 8, 1943 |
Jeff Garlin
Born: June 5, 1962 Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA | Murray Goldberg
Born: September 25, 1940 Death: February 1, 2008, Pennsylvania, USA |
Troy Gentile
Born: October 27, 1993 Birthplace: Boca Raton, Florida, USA | Barry Goldberg
Born: October 15, 1969 |
Hayley Orrantia
Born: February 21, 1994 Birthplace: Highland Village, Texas, USA | Eric Goldberg
Born: August 18, 1967 |
George Segal
Born: February 13, 1934 Birthplace: Great Neck, Long Island, New York, USA | Albert 'Pops' Solomon
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If you've watched The Goldbergs TV show, you've likely noticed a lot of Philadelphia memorabilia, including Flyers shirts, etc. In researching the true story, we discovered that, like on the show, the real Goldbergs lived in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, a suburban borough located about ten miles north of downtown Philadelphia. During the episode "Kara-te," Barry even wears a Jenkintown t-shirt that reads, "Jenkintown Karate Studios".
Yes. Although the show overlooks certain 1980s time frame issues, it has included some post-eighties elements in its story lines. "I know I've slipped up a couple times," admits the real Goldberg. Near the end of the premiere episode, "The Circle of Driving," non-1980s cars can be seen in the background as Murray (Jeff Garlin) sings REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling." In another instance, they used the term "re-gift," which wasn't said until after the 1980s (Vulture.com).
Yes. Not only has Adam confirmed this is true, his close childhood friend, Chad Kremp (portrayed in the episode "The Kremps"), who lived across the street, remembers seeing Adam's dad Murray walking around their house in his underwear and a t-shirt. -MontgomeryNews.com
Yes. In fact, in an effort not to dissuade viewers, creator Adam Goldberg toned down the yelling for the show. "In my family, all we did was yell," says Adam. "...if I really showed what my mom was like, no one would watch the show. ... This is a Disney version for America." (Vulture.com) Adam says that he had "a dad that could scream and call you a moron and it wasn't a big deal." "Of course, I would never, ever say that to my kids now," confesses Adam. "I think it would shatter them to their core." (Salon.com).
Adam says that he used a "huge, clunky RCA camera," which is the same brand young Adam (Sean Giambrone) uses on the TV show (Nerdist.com). See the photo below. "I definitely liked being an observer," says Adam of his obsession with videotaping. "I think when you're the youngest, overlooked child, that's what you are a lot of times. ... My siblings were so much older than me that they didn't want anything to do with me, they were kind of ignoring me." -The Goldbergs: Meet the Family
Yes. Adam recalls that his father, Murray, had to pay for the damage caused by Pops's accident, "which really pissed him off," notes Goldberg. At a press conference, a journalist was critical of the scene, implying that it was somewhat ageist. "It's hard to argue about the veracity of the show when it's all true," says Goldberg. The incident is depicted in the season one episode, "The Circle of Driving." -JewishJournal.com
Yes. Though it's not focused on heavily on the show, Adam's grandfather (Pops), portrayed by George Segal, displays mild symptoms of what could possibly be the beginnings of Alzheimer's. In the episode "The Circle of Driving," after Pops crashes the car into the burger joint, Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) tells him, "Dad, your mind is not what it used to be." In high school, the real Adam wrote the play Dr. Pickup, which was inspired by his grandfather's battle with the disease. It won him the 1992 Philadelphia Young Playwrights competition. He was only fifteen at the time. -Philly.com
Not exactly. On The Goldbergs TV show, the dad, Murray (Jeff Garlin), runs a discount furniture business. He had taken over the operation of the business when his father-in-law, Albert 'Pops' Solomon (George Segal), retired. This is where the show deviates somewhat from the true story. In real life, Murray's dad (not his father-in-law) owned a furniture store called "Goldbergs" and Murray worked there until college. Instead of taking over the business like on the show, the real Murray Goldberg went on to become a doctor.
In fact, the real Adam came from a family of doctors. His grandfather on his mother's side (the basis for Pops) was a Russian immigrant who was the first Jew to graduate from the University of Kentucky Medical School. He went on to become a psychologist. As stated, Adam's father Murray, who passed away in 2008, was also a doctor, and his two brothers, Eric (Erica's real-life counterpart) and Barry, both grew up to become doctors (Eric specializes in neurology and sleep medicine, and Barry is a radiologist). In addition, Adam's wife, who he met when he was 16 at a summer theater program for high school students at Northwestern University, is a therapist (Philly.com).
Not exactly. Based on his videotapes, the production crew was able to recreate many of the interiors of his former Jenkintown, Pennsylvania home on a Sony Studios soundstage. However, the real Adam Goldberg did not grow up in an average suburban home as depicted on the show. He grew up in a large historic Tudor home that was built in 1925 and consisted of 6 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, a mahogany library, a hand carved chestnut staircase and a private tennis/sport court. Located in a prestigious neighborhood, its current estimated value is approximately $669,182 (Zillow.com). As for the home's interior, it was much more grandiose than what is seen on the show, which attempts to depict an average middle-class family.
Yes. On the show, Beverly Goldberg (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is determined to make friends with her uptight and standoffish neighbors, the Kremps, specifically the mother, Virginia Kremp (Jennifer Irwin). She invites the Kremps over for a BBQ and the situation implodes. In real life, the families were indeed opposites. "We were your everyday family," says the real Chad Kremp, whose parents, like on the show, had purchased the house across the street. "There were four boys, and we all got along and did things together. There wasn't the bullying and the picking on each other like they did across the street. That was an eye-opening experience. The [brothers] punched each other — we weren't used to seeing that."
"Yes, it's real," says Adam, "and yes, there were many rules. Some even involve back rubs." During The Goldbergs season one Thanksgiving episode "Stop Arguing And Start Thanking," Adam and his brother play an indoor game that they made up called Ball-Ball. In a post on the official Goldbergs TV show Facebook page, Adam F. Goldberg shared the rules of Ball-Ball, which we've re-posted (click image to enlarge the rules).
"YES — in a sense," writes Adam in a reply to Dinosaur Dracula's article about the toys seen in the episode "You're Under Foot." Adam states, "My best friend Chad Kremp who lived across the street (seen in the episode The Kremps) owned Flagg and almost every Joe. And my house was his house and vice versa (we all had a friend like this growing up) so I constantly had his toys. Did I OWN Flagg? No. Did I play with it like it was mine? Yes. So I bought no G.I. Joes cause Chad had that covered. My jam was Transformers, Go-Bots, Thundercats, He-Man, M.A.S.K., Star Wars and my favorite — Godaikins (especially Go Lion i.e. Voltron)." Adam states that he also owned Jetfire (Transformers) but sold it along with his Godaikins to help pay for his wedding.
Yes. "She is real!" says Adam, though he admits that he never gave the Caldwell girl's brother his toys like his character does in the season one episode "You're Under Foot." The episode depicts Adam (Sean Giambrone) giving away his toys as a gesture of manlihood in hopes that it will help score him his first kiss. -Dinosaur Dracula
Yes. On the show, Adam's mom Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is labeled a "smother." In other words, she is a mother who can't help but smother her children, to an absurd extent. In fact, an entire episode is dedicated to her smothering, titled "The Other Smother," during which Beverly does battle with another mother who smothers (say that three times fast). In addition to what's seen on the show, the real Adam offered another extreme example of his real-life mother's smothering, saying that she "was so unable to part with [him] that she slept over in his dorm room the first weekend he was at college." -The Goldbergs Official Facebook Page
Yes. "The Goonies is my favorite movie of all time," Goldberg told TVGuide.com. "It's the reason I'm a writer. I've seen it a billion times. I would reenact it. I wrote Goonies scripts as a kid. I collect props and memorabilia." He pays tribute to The Goonies with the episode "Goldbergs Never Say Die," during which Adam (Sean Giambrone) finds a treasure map in the attic, sparking him to embark on a Goonies-like adventure with his siblings. The episode is not meant to be based on real life. Instead, it is meant to mirror the film and be a homage. Goldberg admits that the episode was never part of his show pitch to ABC.
Adam Goldberg is such a huge fan of The Goonies that he developed a pitch for a sequel and a 20-page pitch for a Goonies musical. Doing so got him a meeting with Goonies director Richard Donner, one of Goldberg's idols. He calls it the "greatest meeting and moment of my life and career." -TVGuide.com
Yes. "...I did that," Adam F. Goldberg confirms. -Vulture.com
The Goldbergs narrator is comedian/actor Patton Oswalt, who delivers a Wonder Years-esque voice-over on the show, portraying a grown up Adam (Sean Giambrone) recalling memories of his crazy 1980s family. This ode to The Wonder Years was no accident, as it is the real Adam Goldberg's "favorite show of all time." Patton Oswalt has starred in a number of television shows and films, including as Constable Bob Sweeney on the FX TV series Justified. Other actors who were interested in doing the voice-over include Tobey Maguire. -HollywoodReporter.com
In addition to The Goldbergs true story information above, below you can view a preview for The Goldbergs TV series on ABC, which is based on Adam F. Goldberg's videotapes that he made as a kid during the 1980s. Also, check out several 1980s commercials for products that are featured prominently on the show.
WATCH G.I. Joe USS Flagg Aircraft Carrier Commercial (1986)If you were a fan of G.I. Joe in the
mid-1980s, then you will certainly
recognize the iconic toy in this G.I. Joe
aircraft carrier commercial. The USS Flagg
appears in The Goldbergs season
one episode "You're Under Foot." Adam
(Sean Giambrone) shows his toys, including
the Flagg, to his crush, Dana Caldwell
(Natalie Alyn Lind). At 7'6", the aircraft
carrier is the largest G.I. Joe play set
to date. |
WATCH Reebok Pump Banned Bungee Jump CommercialIn early 1990, this Reebok Pump Bungee
Jump Commercial was banned by several
major networks and eventually pulled by
Reebok after complaints from parents over
the dangers of bungee jumping. On The
Goldbergs TV show, Barry (Troy
Gentile) becomes very excited about the
Reebok Pump shoes during the episode "Mini
Murray," leading him to attempt a dunk in
front of his family that doesn't go as
planned. |
WATCH The Goldbergs TrailerWatch the trailer for the ABC TV show
The Goldbergs. Highlights from
season one are shown, including an
introduction to the characters, how they
interact as a family and scenes from the
premiere episode, "The Circle of Driving." |