CLASSIC VIDEO SHOWPLACE: “The Milton Berle Show”
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.
For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.
Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.
One of the new programs added to the RCN-TV lineup this year is a television show that excelled because of a comedian’s mediocrity on radio. While Milton Berle was a popular entertainer, film star and comedian, he did not have the greatest success in radio in the 1930s and 40s. He was a hit as a guest, would get good reviews as a fill-in star, and had a two-year run as host on a panel show. However, his physical brand of humor never could really resonate with audiences .. .until television came along.
Initially, The Texaco Star Theatre (the first name of his television program) targeted fellow comedian Jack Carter as the host — one of several the sponsor wanted to “try out” to lead their new 60-minute comedy show. However, Berle (comic contestant #2) was such a success when his “month” to host came, that they made Milton their permanent star.
The reason for his success? Berle took all the physical comedy from his radio program, combined it with the pure slapstick from his vaudevillian days and mixed in some outrageous attire (Berle was frequently dressed in drag).
Berle dominated Tuesday night television for the next several years, reaching the number one slot in the Nielsen ratings. At his height he would also bring in as high as a 97% share of the viewing audience, meaning all but 3% of everyone whose TV was turned on, was watching Berle.
Here are a few other barometers that showed how popular his TV show was.
Movie theatres either closed or offered less showings on Tuesday nights because few people left home to see movies on the night Berle’s show aired. Restaurants and other businesses would also shut down for the hour or closed for the evening so their customers would not miss Berle’s antics. According to his 1974 autobiography (co-written by Haskel Frankel), he notes that in Detroit, an investigation took place when the water levels took a drastic drop in the reservoirs on Tuesday nights between 9:00 pm and 9:05 pm. It turned out that everyone waited until the end of the Texaco Star Theatre before going to the bathroom.
Wrap up your Memorial Day weekend with a mini-marathon of some of the best moments of Berle’s television show, starting this Monday at 9:00pm. Make sure you tune in or set your DVRs to RCN TV. And when you do, make sure to listen for a rather “unique” and quite loud laugh in the audience. It belongs to Milton’s mother, Sadie. She was often used as a “plant” by Berle to help ignite the audience to laugh at jokes Milton wasn’t sure about or to make sure the audience gave a wild reaction when he came out in some of his more bizarre costumes.
To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.
