Phillip Loeb
Because The Goldbergs (not that one) was produced in the days before videotape made syndication possible, the early 1950s comedy is mostly forgotten now. But the show the BBC calls “TV’s first family sitcom” was a massive hit. The Goldbergs starred Gertrude Berg as the family matriarch, sweet, assertive and meddling in the manner of Ball and other comedy wives of the era. Her exasperated husband, Jake, was played by Phillip Loeb — at least until he was labeled a Communist by Red Channels, a right-wing journal looking to take down treasonous entertainers. Seriously? Does this guy look like he’s about to overthrow the government?
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Despite Loeb’s ties to nefarious labor unions like the socialist thugs over at the Screen Actors Guild, he was no threat to any government, here or abroad. But Loeb had nowhere near Ball’s stature, and despite his denials about being a Communist, sponsor General Foods demanded his firing. Berg refused to sack her leading man, leading to CBS canceling her show in 1951. Loeb eventually resigned, and the show was only picked up by NBC after Loeb was replaced by a new actor.
“He’s out of work on television and he hustles around on Broadway for a while, but he’s not getting jobs,” explains Doherty. Finally, in 1955, a depressed Loeb commits suicide in a lonely hotel room. “He’s really a tragic character of the blacklist.”