Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and television. As the host of NBC's '' Texaco Star Theatre'' (1948–1953), he was the first major American television star and was known to millions of viewers as "Uncle Miltie" and "Mr. Television" during the first Golden Age of Television. He was honored with two stars on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

for his work in both radio and TV.

Early life

Milton Berle was born into a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in a five-story walkup at 68 W. 118th Street in the

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. His given name was Mendel Berlinger, but he chose Milton Berle as his professional name when he was 16. His father, Moses Berlinger (1872–1938), was a paint and varnish salesman. His mother, Sarah (Sadie) Glantz Berlinger (1877–1954), changed her name to Sandra Berle when Milton became famous. He had three older brothers (from oldest to youngest): Phil, Frank, and Jack Berle. For many years, the latter two worked on Berle's TV production staff while Phil was a programming executive at NBC.

Child actor

Berle entered show business in 1913 at the age of five when he won a children's Charlie Chaplin contest. He also worked as a child model and was "Buster Brown" for "

Buster Brown Buster Brown is a comic-strip character created in 1902 by Richard F. Outcault. Adopted as the mascot of the Brown Shoe Company in 1904, Buster Brown, along with Mary Jane, and with his dog Tige, became well known to the American public in th ...

" shoes.The Child Wonder
. ''Time'', May 16, 1949. He appeared as a child actor in

silent films A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

. He claimed '' The Perils of Pauline'' as his first film appearance, playing the character of a young boy, though this has never been independently verified. In ''Milton Berle: An Autobiography'', he explained that the director told him he would portray a little boy who would be thrown from a moving train. He said, "I was scared shitless, even when he went on to tell me that Pauline would save my life. This is exactly what happened, except that at the crucial moment they threw a bundle of rags instead of me from the train. I bet there are a lot of comedians around today who are sorry about that." By Berle's account, he continued to play child roles in other films: ''Bunny's Little Brother'', '' Tess of the Storm Country'', ''Birthright'', ''Love's Penalty'', ''Divorce Coupons'', and ''Ruth of the Range''. Berle recalled, "There were even trips out to Hollywood—the studios paid—where I got parts in ''

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' is a classic American 1903 children's novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin that tells the story of Rebecca Rowena Randall and her aunts, one stern and one kind, in the fictional village of Riverboro, Maine. Rebecca's jo ...

'', with

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

; '' The Mark of Zorro'', with Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.; and '' Tillie's Punctured Romance'', with

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is conside ...

Mabel Normand Amabel Ethelreid Normand (November 9, 1893 – February 23, 1930), better known as Mabel Normand, was an American silent film actress, screenwriter, director, and producer. She was a popular star and collaborator of Mack Sennett in their ...

, and

Marie Dressler Marie Dressler (born Leila Marie Koerber, November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934) was a Canadian stage and screen actress, comedian, and early silent film and Depression-era film star. In 1914, she was in the first full-length film comedy. Sh ...

." However, Berle's claim to have appeared in ''Tillie's Punctured Romance'' has been disputed by film historians including Glenn Mitchell, who in his book, ''The Chaplin Encyclopedia'', writes that Berle's alleged role was most likely played by child actor Gordon Griffith. In 1916, Berle enrolled in the Professional Children's School.Newcomb, Horace. Editor, ''Encyclopedia of Television'', vol. I, Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, (1997) pp. 163-165

Career

Vaudeville

Around 1920 at age 12, Berle made his stage debut in a revival of the musical comedy '' Florodora'' in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, which later moved to Broadway. By the time he was 16, he was working as a master of ceremonies in vaudeville. He is also known to have played small bit parts in several silent films in the 1910s and 1920s, though his presence in some is disputed (see Filmography, below). In 1932, he starred in Earl Carrol's "Vanities," a Broadway musical. By the early 1930s, he was a successful stand-up comedian, patterning himself after one of vaudeville's top comics,

Ted Healy Ted Healy (born Charles Ernest Lee Nash; October 1, 1896 – December 21, 1937) was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. Though he is chiefly remembered as the creator of The Three Stooges and the style of slapstick comedy ...

Rising star

In 1933, Berle was hired by producer Jack White to star in the theatrical featurette ''Poppin' the Cork'', a topical musical comedy concerning the repealing of Prohibition. Berle also co-wrote the score for this film, which was released by Educational Pictures. Berle continued to dabble in songwriting: with Ben Oakland and Milton Drake, he wrote the title song for the

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

release ''Li'l Abner'' (1940), an adaptation of

Al Capp Alfred Gerald Caplin (September 28, 1909 – November 5, 1979), better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip ''Li'l Abner'', which he created in 1934 and continued writing and (wi ...

's comic strip, featuring

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

as Lonesome Polecat. Berle wrote a Spike Jones B-side, "Leave the Dishes in the Sink, Ma."

Radio

From 1934 to 1936, Berle appeared frequently on '' The Rudy Vallee Hour'' and attracted publicity as a regular on ''The Gillette Original Community Sing'', a Sunday night comedy-variety program broadcast on CBS from September 6, 1936, to August 29, 1937. In 1939, he was the host of '' Stop Me If You've Heard This One'' with panelists spontaneously finishing jokes sent in by listeners. Milton Berle - 1943

In the late 1940s, he canceled well-paying nightclub appearances to expand his radio career. ''Three Ring Time'', a comedy-variety show sponsored by

Ballantine Ale P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company was an American brewery founded in 1840, making Ballantine one of the oldest brands of beer in the United States. At its peak, it was the 3rd largest brewer in the US. The brand is currently owned and ope ...

, was followed by a 1943 program sponsored by Campbell's Soups. The audience participation show ''Let Yourself Go'' (1944–1945) could best be described as "

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such ...

radio" with studio audience members acting out long-suppressed urges—often directed at host Berle. ''Kiss and Make Up'' on CBS in 1946 featured the problems of contestants decided by a jury from the studio audience with Berle as the judge. Berle also made guest appearances on many comedy-variety radio programs during the 1930s and 1940s. Scripted by

Hal Block Harold Block (August 2, 1913 – June 16, 1981) was an American comedy writer, comedian, producer, songwriter and television personality. Although Block was a highly successful comedy writer for over 15 years, today he is most often remembered as ...

and Martin Ragaway, ''The Milton Berle Show'' also featured Arnold Stang, later a familiar face as Berle's TV sidekick. Others in the cast were

Pert Kelton Pert or PERT may refer to: Ships * - see List of United States Navy ships: P * , a World War II corvette, originally HMS ''Nepeta'' * ''Pert'' (sidewheeler), a 19th-century steamboat that operated in British Columbia, Canada Statistics * PE ...

, Mary Schipp, Jack Albertson, Arthur Q. Bryan, Ed Begley, Brazilian singer Dick Farney, and announcer Frank Gallop. Sponsored by

Philip Morris Phil(l)ip or Phil Morris may refer to: Companies *Altria, a conglomerate company previously known as Philip Morris Companies Inc., named after the tobacconist **Philip Morris USA, a tobacco company wholly owned by Altria Group ** Philip Morris Inte ...

, it aired on NBC from March 11, 1947, until April 13, 1948. Berle later described this series as "the best radio show I ever did ... a hell of a funny variety show." It served as a springboard for Berle's emergence as television's first major star.

Mr. Television

Berle first appeared on television in 1929 in an experimental broadcast in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

which he hosted in front of 129 people. He would return to television 20 years later. Berle would revive the structure and routines of his vaudeville act for his debut on commercial TV, hosting The '' Texaco Star Theatre'' on June 8, 1948, over the NBC Television Network. They did not settle on Berle as the permanent host right away; he was originally part of a rotation of hosts (Berle himself had only a four-week contract). Jack Carter was the host for August. Berle was named the permanent host that fall. Berle's highly visual style, characterized by vaudeville slapstick and outlandish costumes, proved ideal for the new medium.Young, William H. and Young, Nancy K. (2010
''World War II and the Postwar Years in America: A Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia, Volume 1''
p.706 quotation: Berle modeled the show's structure and skits directly from his vaudeville shows and hired writer Hal Collins to revive his old routines.Epstein, Lawrence J. (2002
''The Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America''
ch.6 ''The Magic Box'', pp. 86–7, quotation: Madigan, S.P. ''Texaco Star Theatre'' entry in Browne, Pat (2001
''The guide to United States popular culture''
p.833, quotation: Berle dominated Tuesday night television for the next several years, reaching the number one slot in the

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

with as much as a 97% share of the viewing audience. Berle and the show each won

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s after the first season. Fewer movie tickets were sold on Tuesdays. Some theaters, restaurants, and other businesses shut down for the hour or closed for the evening so their customers would not miss Berle's antics. Berle's autobiography notes that in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, "an investigation took place when the water levels took a drastic drop in the reservoirs on Tuesday nights between 9 and 9:05. It turned out that everyone waited until the end of the ''Texaco Star Theatre'' before going to the bathroom."Sackett, Susan (1993
''Prime-time hits: television's most popular network programs, 1950''
p.1954 quotation: Television sales more than doubled after ''Texaco Star Theatre''s debut, reaching two million in 1949. Berle's stature as the medium's first superstar earned him the sobriquet "Mr. Television". He also earned another nickname after ending a 1949 broadcast with a brief ad-libbed remark to children watching the show: "Listen to your Uncle Miltie and go to bed."

Francis Craig Francis Craig (September 10, 1900 – November 19, 1966) was an American songwriter, honky tonk piano player, and leader of a Nashville dance band. His works included "Dynamite" and " Near You", the latter being the first Billboard #1 hit out of ...

and Kermit Goell's ''

Near You "Near You" is a popular song written and originally recorded by Francis Craig and His Orchestra at Castle Studio in 1947, with lyrics by Kermit Goell, that has gone on to become a pop standard. Background The recording by Francis Craig (the ...

'' became the theme song that closed Berle's TV shows. Berle risked his newfound TV stardom at its zenith to challenge Texaco when the sponsor tried to prevent black performers from appearing on his show:

I remember clashing with the advertising agency and the sponsor over my signing
the Four Step Brothers The Four Step Brothers were an American dance group. The group started out as a trio in 1925, with the original members, Maceo Anderson, Al Williams and Red Walker. Although their original name was the ''Step Brothers,'' because that was also th ...
for an appearance on the show. The only thing I could figure out was that there was an objection to black performers on the show, but I couldn't even find out who was objecting. "We just don't like them," I was told, but who the hell was "we?" Because I was riding high in 1950, I sent out the word: "If they don't go on, I don't go on." At ten minutes of eight-ten minutes before showtime—I got permission for the Step Brothers to appear. If I broke the color-line policy or not, I don't know, but later on, I had no trouble booking
Bill Robinson Bill Robinson, nicknamed Bojangles (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid African-American entertainer in the United States during the f ...
or
Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...
.

Berle's mother, Sadie, was often in the audience for his broadcasts; she had long served as a "plant" to encourage laughter from his stage show audiences. Her unique, "piercing, roof-shaking laugh" would stand out, especially when Berle made an entrance in an outrageous costume. After feigning surprise he would "ad-lib" a response; for example: "Lady, you've got all night to make a fool of yourself. I've only got an hour!" Berle asked NBC to switch from live broadcasts to film, which would have made possible reruns (and residual income from them); he was angered when the network refused. However, NBC did consent to make a

kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 194 ...

of each show. Later, Berle was offered 25% ownership of the TelePrompTer Corporation by its inventor,

Irving Berlin Kahn Irving Berlin Kahn (September 30, 1917– January 22, 1994) was an American media proprietor. He was a founder of TelePrompTer Corporation and an early proponent and developer of cable television.Barron, James"Irving B. Kahn, 76, a Founder Of T ...

, if he would replace

cue cards Cue cards, also known as note cards, are cards with words written on them that help actors and speakers remember what they have to say. They are typically used in television productions where they can be held off-camera and are unseen by the au ...

with the new device on his program. He turned down the offer. A frequent user of tranquilizers, Berle frequently endorsed Miltown on his show and became one of its leading advocates in 1950s America. Due to his promotion of the drug, Berle was dubbed "Uncle Miltown" by ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' magazine. For Berle's contribution to television, he was inducted to the

in 1960. Berle's imperious, abrasive and controlling manner on the show was the inspiration for the 1957 CBS

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of th ...

production of "The Comedian". starring

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

as egomanaical TV comic Sammy Hogarth, who ran his weekly show through explosive tantrums, intimidation, bullying and cruelty. Writer Ernest Lehman had been assigned to profile Berle for a magazine, and captured Berle's high-handedness so completely that the magazine declined to run it, but suggested he fictionalize it and recast it as a novella. When it was picked up for the show,

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ...

wrote the teleplay. John Frankenheimer directed the live production which received considerable acclaim. The cast included Edmond O'Brien,

Kim Hunter Kim Hunter (born Janet Cole; November 11, 1922 – September 11, 2002) was an American theatre, film, and television actress. She achieved prominence for portraying Stella Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams' ''A Streetcar ...

and jazz singer Mel Torme in his first dramatic role, portraying Hogarth's spineless brother Lester. While some speculated the play was based on

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

's loud, controlling personality, Berle, aware the production echoed his own reputation, was quoted as saying, "I wasn't that bad." The episode won two

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

TV decline

In 1951, NBC signed Berle to an unprecedented 30-year exclusive television contract at a million dollars a year. In 1953, Texaco pulled out of sponsorship of the show but

Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...

picked it up, prompting a renaming as ''The Buick-Berle Show''. The program's format was changed to include the backstage preparations for the variety show. Critics generally approved of the changes, but Berle's ratings continued to fall, and Buick pulled out after two seasons. In addition, "Berle's persona had shifted from the impetuous and aggressive style of the ''Texaco Star Theater'' days to a more cultivated but less distinctive personality, leaving many fans somehow unsatisfied." By the time the again-renamed ''Milton Berle Show'' finished its only full season (1955–56), Berle was already becoming history—though his final season was host to two of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

's earliest television appearances, April 3 and June 5, 1956. The final straw during that last season may have come from CBS scheduling '' The Phil Silvers Show'' opposite Berle. Silvers was one of Berle's best friends in show business and had come to CBS's attention in an appearance on Berle's program. ''Bilko's'' creator-producer, Nat Hiken, had been one of Berle's radio writers. Berle knew that NBC had already decided to cancel his show before Presley appeared. He later hosted the first television version of the popular radio variety series, The ''

Kraft Music Hall ''The Kraft Music Hall'' was a popular old-time radio variety program, featuring top show business entertainers, which aired first on NBC radio from 1933 to 1949. Radio ''The Kraft Program'' debuted June 26, 1933, as a musical-variety program ...

'' from 1958 to 1959, but NBC was finding increasingly fewer showcases for its one-time superstar. By 1960, he was reduced to hosting a

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

program, ''

Jackpot Bowling ''Jackpot Bowling'' (also known as ''Phillies Jackpot Bowling'' and ''Jackpot Bowling Starring Milton Berle'') was a professional bowling show on NBC from January 9, 1959, to March 13, 1961. Broadcast history Short-form version ''Jackpot Bowling'' ...

'', delivering his quips and interviewing celebrities between the efforts of that week's bowling contestants.

Life after ''The Milton Berle Show''

In Las Vegas, Berle played to packed showrooms at

Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesar ...

the Sands The Sands Hotel and Casino was a historic American hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, United States, that operated from 1952 to 1996. Designed by architect Wayne McAllister, with a prominent high sign, the Sands was the seventh ...

, the

Desert Inn The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was th ...

, and other casino hotels. Berle had appeared at the El Rancho, one of the first Vegas hotels, in the late 1940s. In addition to constant club appearances, Berle performed on Broadway in Herb Gardner's '' The Goodbye People'' in 1968. He also became a commercial spokesman for the thriving Lum's restaurant chain. He appeared in numerous films, including '' Always Leave Them Laughing'' (released in 1949, shortly after his TV debut) with Virginia Mayo and Bert Lahr;'' Let's Make Love'' with

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

and

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (), better known as Yves Montand (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), was an Italian-French actor and singer. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer, Ivo held stron ...

; '' It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World;'' ''

The Loved One ''The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy'' (1948) is a short satirical novel by British novelist Evelyn Waugh about the funeral business in Los Angeles, the British expatriate community in Hollywood, and the film industry. Conception ''The ...

;'' ''

The Oscar The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

;'' '' Who's Minding the Mint?;'' '' Lepke;''

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

's '' Broadway Danny Rose;'' and ''

Driving Me Crazy "Driving Me Crazy" is a song by American rapper Sammy Adams, released on March 4, 2010 from his debut EP '' Boston's Boy'' as the second single. Produced by him and Matty Trump, it contains a sample of "Walking on Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox. ...

''. Freed in part from the obligations of his NBC contract, Berle was signed in 1966 to a new weekly variety series on ABC. The show failed to capture a large audience and was canceled after one season. He later appeared as guest villain Louie the Lilac on ABC's ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

'' series. Other appearances included stints on '' The Barbara Stanwyck Show'', '' The Lucy Show'', ''

The Jackie Gleason Show ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' is the name of a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms. ''Cavalcade of Stars'' Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMon ...

'', '' Get Smart'', '' Laugh-In'', '' The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'', '' The Hollywood Palace'', '' Ironside'', '' F Troop'', ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tatto ...

'', ''

The Mod Squad ''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III ...

'', ''

I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series, created by Sidney Sheldon that starred Barbara Eden as a sultry, 2,000-year-old genie and Larry Hagman, as an astronaut with whom she falls in love and eventually mar ...

'', '' CHiPs'', ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as ...

,'' and '' The Jack Benny Program''. Like his contemporary

, Berle proved a solid dramatic actor and was acclaimed for several such performances, most notably his lead role in "Doyle Against the House" on '' The Dick Powell Show'' in 1961, a role for which he received an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nomination. He also played the part of a blind survivor of an airplane crash in ''Seven in Darkness'', the first in ABC's '' Movie of the Week'' series. He also played a dramatic role as a talent agent in ''

'' (1966) and was one of the few actors in that movie to get good notices from critics. During this period, Berle was named to the ''

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' for the greatest number of charity performances made by a show-business performer. Unlike the high-profile shows done by

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

to entertain the troops, Berle did more shows, over a period of 50 years, on a lower-profile basis. Berle received an award for entertaining at stateside military bases in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

as a child performer, in addition to traveling to foreign bases during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. The first charity telethon (for the

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (Damon Runyon) is an American not-for-profit cancer research organization focused on "discovering the talent to discover the cure". The organization states that its goals are to: "identify the best an ...

) was hosted by Berle in 1949. A permanent fixture at charity benefits in the Hollywood area, he was instrumental in raising millions for charitable causes.

Late career

On April 14, 1979, Berle guest-hosted NBC's ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

''. Berle's long reputation for taking control of an entire television production—whether invited to do so or not—was a cause of stress on the set. In addition, he appeared skeptical about the show's satirical bent. One of the show's writers,

Rosie Shuster Rosie Shuster (born June 19, 1950) is a Canadian-born comedy writer and actress. She was a writer for ''Saturday Night Live'' during the 1970s and 1980s. Biography Shuster was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to Ruth (''née'' Burstyn), an inte ...

, described the rehearsals for the Berle ''SNL'' show and the telecast as "watching a comedy train accident in slow motion on a loop." Upstaging, camera mugging, doing

spit-take A spit-take is a comedic technique or reaction in which someone spits a drink, or sometimes food, out of their mouth as a reaction to a surprising or funny statement. An essential part of the spit-take is comedic timing. The person performing the ...

s, inserting old comedy bits, and climaxing the show with a maudlin performance of " September Song" complete with a pre-arranged standing ovation (something producer Lorne Michaels had never sanctioned) resulted in Berle being banned from hosting the show again. The episode was also barred from being rerun until surfacing in 2003 because Michaels thought it brought down the show's reputation. As a guest star on ''

'', Berle was memorably upstaged by the heckling theater critics

Statler and Waldorf Statler and Waldorf are a pair of Muppet characters best known for their cantankerous opinions and shared penchant for heckling. The two elderly men first appeared in '' The Muppet Show'' in 1975, where they consistently jeered the entirety of ...

. The Statler and Waldorf puppets were inspired by a character named Sidney Spritzer, played by comedian

Irving Benson Irving Benson (January 31, 1914 – May 19, 2016) was an American actor and comedian. He was one of the last survivors of the vaudeville era. Having enjoyed a long and successful run on the east coast American Burlesque circuit, Benson travelled ...

, who regularly heckled Berle from a box seat during episodes of the 1960s ABC series. Milton Berle also made a cameo appearance in ''

The Muppet Movie ''The Muppet Movie'' is a 1979 American musical road comedy film directed by James Frawley, produced by Jim Henson, and the first theatrical film featuring the Muppets. A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, the fil ...

'' as a used car dealer, taking Fozzie Bear's 1951 Studebaker in trade for a station wagon. In 1974, Berle had a minor altercation with a younger actor/comedian Richard Pryor when both appeared as guests on '' The Mike Douglas Show''. At the time, Berle was discussing the emotional fallout from an experience he had with impregnating a woman with whom he was not married, having to then decide whether or not they would keep the child. During his talk, Pryor let out a laugh, to which Berle took exception and confronted him, stating, "I wish, I wish, Richard, that I could have laughed at that time at your age when I was your age, the way you just laughed now, but I just couldn't ... I told you this nine years ago, and now I'll tell you on the air in front of millions of people: Pick your spots, baby." This prompted Pryor to mockingly quip back, "All right, sweetheart" in a Humphrey Bogart voice. Milton Berle at the 41st Emmys

Another well-known incident of upstaging occurred during the 1982

s, when Berle and Martha Raye were the presenters of the Emmy for Outstanding Writing. Berle was reluctant to give up the microphone to the award's recipients from ''

Second City Television ''Second City Television'', commonly shortened to ''SCTV'' and later known as ''SCTV Network'' and ''SCTV Channel'', is a Canadian television sketch comedy show that ran intermittently between 1976 and 1984. It was created as an offshoot from T ...

'' and interrupted actor/writer Joe Flaherty's acceptance speech several times. After Flaherty made a joke, Berle replied sarcastically, "That's funny!" However, Flaherty's response of "Sorry, Uncle Miltie ... go to sleep," flustered Berle. ''SCTV'' later created a parody sketch of the incident, in which Flaherty beats up a Berle look-alike, shouting, "You'll never ruin another acceptance speech, Uncle Miltie!" In 1984, Berle appeared in Drag (clothing), drag in the video for Round and Round (Ratt song), "Round and Round" by the 1980s metal band Ratt (his nephew Marshall Berle was then their manager). He also made a brief appearance in the band's "Back For More" video as a motorcyclist. In 1985, he appeared on NBC's ''Amazing Stories (1985 TV series), Amazing Stories'' (created by Steven Spielberg) in the episode "Fine Tunin'". In it, friendly aliens from space receive TV signals from the Earth of the 1950s and travel to Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood in search of their idols, Lucille Ball,

, The Three Stooges, Burns and Allen, and Milton Berle. When Berle realizes the aliens are doing his old material, Uncle Miltie is thunderstruck: "Stealing from Berle? Is that even possible?" Speaking gibberish, Berle is the only person able to communicate directly with the aliens. One of the most popular performances in his later years was guest-starring in 1992 in ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' as womanizing, wise-cracking patient Max Jakey. Most of his dialogue was improvized and he shocked the studio audience by mistakenly blurting out a curse word. He also appeared in an acclaimed and Emmy-nominated turn on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' as an aging comedian befriended by Steve Sanders (90210), Steve Sanders, who idolizes him, but is troubled by his bouts of senility due to Alzheimer's disease. He also voiced the Prince of Darkness, the main antagonist in the Canadian animated television anthology special ''The Real Story of Au Clair De La Lune''. He appeared in 1995 as a guest star in an episode of ''The Nanny'' as her lawyer and great uncle. In 1994, Berle released a fitness videotape titled "Milton Berle's Low Impact/High Comedy Workout" which was targeted towards seniors. Berle was again on the receiving end of an onstage gibe at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards when RuPaul responded to Berle's reference of having once worn dresses himself (during his old television days) with the quip that Berle now wore diapers. A surprised Berle replied by recycling a line he had delivered to Henny Youngman on his ''Hollywood Palace'' show in 1966: "Oh, we're going to ad lib? I'll check my brain and we'll start even."

Berle offstage

In 1947, Milton Berle was one of the founding members of the Friars Club of Beverly Hills at the old Savoy Hotel on Sunset Boulevard. In 1961, the club moved to Beverly Hills. The Friars is a private show business club famous for its celebrity members and roast (comedy), roasts, where a member is mocked by his club friends in good fun. Berle avoided consuming drugs and alcohol, but was an avid cigar smoker, Promiscuity#Male promiscuity, womanizer, and gambler; primarily gambling on horse racing. His enjoyment of the latter may have been responsible for Berle never equaling the wealth of many of his contemporaries. Berle was famous within show business for the rumored human penis size, size of his penis. Phil Silvers once told a story about standing next to Berle at a urinal, glancing down, and quipping, "You'd better feed that thing, or it's liable to turn on you!" In the short story "A Beautiful Child", Truman Capote wrote

as saying: "Christ! Everybody says Milton Berle has the biggest schlong in Hollywood." At a memorial service for Berle at the New York Friars' Club, Freddie Roman solemnly announced, "On May 1st and May 2nd, his penis will be buried." Radio shock jock Howard Stern barraged Berle with an endless array of penis questions during his appearances on Stern's morning talk show in 1988 and 1996. In Berle's 1988 appearance, when fielding phone calls, Stern purposely asked his producer to only air callers whose questions dealt with Berle's penis. In his autobiography, Berle tells of a man who accosted him in a steam bath and challenged him to compare sizes, leading a bystander to remark, "Go ahead, Milton, just take out enough to win." Berle attributed this line to comedian

and said: "It was maybe the funniest spontaneous line I ever heard." In the oral history "Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live", SNL writer Alan Zweibel describes how Berle opened his bathrobe in his dressing room to show his penis size to Zweibel, only to have cast member Gilda Radner walk in on the uncomfortable scene. Though Berle "clean comedy, worked clean" for his entire career, excepting the Friars Club private celebrity roasts, he reportedly used profane language extensively in private.

Personal life

1979 milton berle and wife at rose premiere

After twice marrying and divorcing showgirl Joyce Mathews, Berle married publicist Ruth Cosgrove in 1953; she died of cancer in 1989. In 1989, Berle stated that his mother was behind the breakup of his marriages to Mathews. He also said that she managed to damage his previous relationships: "My mother never resented me going out with a girl, but if I had more than three dates with one girl, Mama found some way to break it up." He married a fourth time in 1992 to Lorna Adams, a fashion designer 30 years his junior. He had three children, Victoria (adopted by Berle and Mathews), William (adopted by Berle and Cosgrove) and a biological son, Bob Williams, with showgirl Junior Standish ''(née'' Jean Dunne Arthur; 1925–2006). Berle had two stepdaughters from his marriage to Adams: Leslie and Susan Brown. He also had three grandchildren: Victoria's sons James and Mathew, and William's son Tyler Daniel Roe, who died in 2014. Berle's autobiography contains many tales of his sexual exploits. He claimed relationships with numerous famous women including

and Betty Hutton, columnist Dorothy Kilgallen, and evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. The veracity of some of these claims has been questioned. The McPherson story, in particular, has been challenged by McPherson's biographer and her daughter, among others. In later life, Berle found comfort in Christian Science and subsequently characterized himself as "a Jew and a Christian Scientist." Oscar Levant, when queried by Jack Paar about Berle's adoption of Christian Science, quipped, "Our loss is their loss." Berle endorsed Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1964 United States presidential election.

Final role and death

Berle guest-starred as Uncle Leo in the ''Kenan & Kel'' special "Two Heads Are Better than None", which premiered in 2000. This would be his last acting role. In April 2001, Berle announced that a malignant tumor had been found in his colon, but he had declined surgery. Berle's wife said the tumor was growing so slowly that it would take 10 to 12 years to affect him in any significant or life-threatening way. However, one year after the announcement, on March 27, 2002, Berle died in Los Angeles from colon cancer. He died on the same day as Dudley Moore and Billy Wilder. Berle reportedly left arrangements to be buried with his second wife, Ruth, at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Burbank, California, Burbank, but his body was cremated and interred at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California, Culver City. (Warren Cowan, Berle's publicist, told ''The New York Times'', "I only know he told me he bought plots at Hillside, and it was his idea.") In addition to his third wife, Lorna Adams, Berle was survived by his three children and extended family.

Honors and awards

*Berle won the Emmy for Most Outstanding Kinescoped Personality in 1950, the same year his show, the ''Texaco Star Theater'', won the Emmy for Best Kinescope Show. He was twice nominated for Emmys for his acting, in 1962 and 1995. In 1979, Berle was awarded a special Emmy Award, titled "Mr. Television." * The

, on February 8, 1960, inducted Berle with two stars, for television and radio. * Berle was in the first group of inductees into the Television Hall of Fame in 1984. * On December 5, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Berle into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.

Broadway

*''The Earl Carroll Vanities, Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1932'' (1932) – revue – in the roles of "Mortimer" in the sketch "Mourning Becomes Impossible", "Joe Miller, Jr." in "What Price Jokes", "Frank" in "Two Sailors", "Paul" in "The Cabinet of Doctor X", the "Announcer" in "Studio W.M.C.A." the "Defendant" in "Trial by Jury" and "Milton" in "The Bar Relief" *''Saluta'' (1934) – Musical theatre, musical – co-lyricist and performer cast in the role of "'Windy' Walker" *''See My Lawyer'' (1939) – Play (theatre), play – performer cast in the role of "Arthur Lee" *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1943'' (1943) – revue – performer in the role of "Cecil" in ''Counter Attack'', "J. Pierswift Armour" in ''The Merchant of Venison'', "Perry Johnson" in ''Loves-A-Poppin'', "Escamillio" in ''Carmen in Zoot'', "Charlie Grant" ''Mr Grant Goes To Washington'', "'The Micromaniac' Singer" and "'Hold That Smile' Dancer" *''I'll Take the High Road'' (1943) – Play (theatre), play – co-producer *''Seventeen'' (1951) – Musical theatre, musical – co-producer *''The Goodbye People'' (1968) – performer cast in the role of "Max Silverman"

Selected filmography

*1914: '' The Perils of Pauline'' (credit disputed) *1915: ''Fanchon the Cricket'' as Bit Role (uncredited) *1917: ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917 film), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' as Bit Part (uncredited) *1920: ''Birthright'' *1920: '' The Mark of Zorro'' as Boy (uncredited) *1921: ''Little Lord Fauntleroy (1921 film), Little Lord Fauntleroy'' as Boy (uncredited) *1922: ''Tess of the Storm Country (1922 film), Tess of the Storm Country'' as Bit Role (uncredited) *1923: ''Ruth of the Range'' as Bit Role (uncredited) *1933: Poppin' the Cork as Elmer Brown *1937: ''New Faces of 1937'' as Wallington Wedge *1938: ''Radio City Revels'' as Teddy Jordan *1940: ''Li'l Abner (1940 film), Li'l Abner'' (title song with Ben Oakland and Milton Drake) *1941: ''Tall, Dark and Handsome'' as Frosty Welch *1941: ''The Great American Broadcast'' as Radio Announcer (scenes deleted) *1941: ''Sun Valley Serenade'' as Nifty Allen *1941: ''Rise and Shine (film), Rise and Shine'' as Seabiscuit *1942: ''A Gentleman at Heart'' as Lucky Cullen *1942: ''Whispering Ghosts'' as H.H. Van Buren *1942: ''Over My Dead Body (1942 film), Over My Dead Body'' as Jason Cordry *1943: ''Margin for Error'' as Moe Finkelstein *1949: '' Always Leave Them Laughing'' as Kipling 'Kip' Cooper *1959: ''Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour'' "Milton Berle Hides Out at The Ricardos'" as himself *1960: ''The Bellboy'' as Himself / Bellboy (uncredited) *1960: '' Let's Make Love'' as Himself (uncredited) *1961: ''The Ladies Man'' (1961) as Himself (scenes deleted) *1963: '' It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' as J. Russell Finch *1965: ''The Loved One (film), The Loved One'' as Mr. Kenton *1966: ''

'' as Kappy Kapstetter *1966: ''Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title'' as Bookstore Customer with Rope (uncredited) *1967: ''The Happening (1967 film), The Happening'' as Fred *1967: '' Who's Minding the Mint?'' as Luther Burton *1967: ''The Big Valley'' (Season 3, Episode 3, A Flock of Trouble) as Josiah Freeman *1967: ''

(Season 3, Episode 7, "Louie the Lilac") as Louie the Lilac *1968: ''Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows'' as The Movie Director: The 'In' Group *1968: ''For Singles Only'' as Mr Parker *1969: ''Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?'' as Goodtime Eddie Filth *1969: ''Seven in Darkness'' as Sam Fuller *1971: ''That Girl'' (Season 5, Episode 15, Those Friars) as Himself *1972: ''Evil Roy Slade'' as Harry Fern *1972: ''Journey Back to Oz'' as The Cowardly Lion (voice) *1975: ''Lepke (film), Lepke'' as Mr. Meyer *1976: ''Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood'' as Blind Man *1976: ''Let's Make a Deal'' (playing for a home viewer) *1978: ''Hey, Abbott!'' as Himself (voice) *1979: ''

'' as Mad Man Mooney *1980: '' CHiPs'' as Himself *1983: ''Cracking Up (1983 film), Cracking Up'' as Ms. Sultry *1984: '' Broadway Danny Rose'' as Himself *1984: ''The 1st TV Academy Hall of Fame'' as himself/winner *1984: ''Music Video with Ratt & Milton Berle, Round and round *1985: ''Pee-wee's Big Adventure'' as Himself (uncredited) *1985: ''Amazing Stories (1985 TV series), Amazing Stories'' as Himself *1988: ''Side by Side'' as Abe Mercer *1989: ''Going Overboard'' as Himself (uncredited) *1991: ''Trabbi Goes to Hollywood'' as Hotel Clerk *1991: ''Shakes the Clown'' as Male Clown Barfly (uncredited) *1992: ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' as Max Jakey *1993: ''Matlock (TV series), Matlock'' "The Last Laugh" as Harvey Chase *1995: ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' as Saul Howard *1995: ''The Nanny'' as Uncle Manny *1995: ''Roseanne (TV series), Roseanne'' as Transvestite at Wedding (uncredited) *1995: ''The 4th of July Parade'' as Ice Cream Man *1996: ''Storybook'' as Illuzor *1996: ''Sister, Sister (TV Series)'' The Volunteers as Edgar Boggs *2000: ''Two Heads Are Better Than None'' as Uncle Leo (final film role)

References

External links

* * * *
Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time

Milton Berle
''Internet archive'' Several entries for free stream or download including Texaco Star Theater and Buick Berle Show.

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

Milton 'Berlinger' Berle's birth certificate

Literature on Milton Berle

Episodes of the 'Milton Berle Show' on Radio
at Internet Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Berle, Milton 1908 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors American Christian Scientists American male child actors American male film actors American male radio actors American male silent film actors American male television actors American stand-up comedians Bowling broadcasters Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery American burlesque performers Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from colorectal cancer Jewish American male actors Jewish male comedians Male actors from New York City People from Harlem RCA Victor artists Vaudeville performers Comedians from New York City Jewish American male comedians Converts to Christian Science from Judaism American male comedy actors