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Mr. Television has signed off for the last time...

Published at:  Mar 30, 2002 11:20:03 AM CST

and ITS A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD !!!

Father Geek here... Well what to say... I've been putting this off, hoped Herc would write something, but I've got to address it.

I met Uncle Milty through the "Boob Tube" back in 1948 when I was barely out of diapers. He was an institution at the Knowles House back then. San Antonio had only one TV station at the time and our family was the first on our middle class block to get a Television. When THE TEXACO STAR THEATER aired friends came over, my mom baked up some rice chex and mixed nuts, mixed up big pitchers of Ice Tea and Kool Aid (No Air Con back then) and we partied... EVERY WEEK! I was so proud of this show as a little kid... I thought it was from Texas. Later after the friends had their own sets and the parties stopped in 1953 the show's title changed to THE BUICK BERLE SHOW and that year my dad brought home a 1953 Buick Special, a giant green "Bulge Mobile" and even though San Antonio then had 2 TV stations we still watched Milton's show every week.

He introduced TV appearances to the old Hollywood stars. Common guests included Jimmy Durante, Eddie Cantor, The Marx Brothers, Zsa Zsa Gabor and her sisters, Ronald Reagan, Cyd Charisse, Mitzi Gaynor, Ester Williams, even an upcoming future star Carol Channing. He had outstanding musical guests like Harry James, Peggy Lee, Gene Krupa, The Andrews Sisters, Buddy Rich, Vic Damone and on April 3rd 1956 he introduced the world to Elvis Presley. Then in a real one two knockout punch Milty brought Elvis back on May 6th of 56, what a coup. He was always cutting edge, in the mid sixties rocker Bobby Rydell was a regular cast member. He established the rules for the variety show genre. He employed the best comic writers, you never knew which way his wit would turn. He was quite simply "Mr. Television" and the industry owes him alot more than it ever paid. Before there was Leno or Letterman or Obrien, before there was Johnny Carson or Steve Allen or Sullivan, There was Milton Berle. Damn he was even in 1914's silent serial THE PERILS OF PAULINE and the 1920 Fairbanks classic THE MARK OF ZORRO.

If you want to visit a list of tons of his motion picture and TV appearances Just Click Right Here

Well, ol' Father Geek is off to watch one of Milty's later flicks with a room full of kids under 12 years of age. We're showing our free SATURDAY MORNING FILM CLUB a beautiful print of THE MUPPET MOVIE today. We were going to show Pal's THE TIME MACHINE, buuuuuuut....

Here's some thoughts from a co-worker of his in recent years...




Farewell Milton Berle

Our lives will always be better because of the wit and humor he brought us. We grieve along with his family and are saddened with this loss. Knowing him personally and working with him on some of his favorite projects including the Night of 100 Stars Oscar party and the launch of Milton Magazine will be cherished memories forever. When we first met in 1979, Milton had just given me an interview. I had just arrived from New York and was awe-struck with him and overwhelmed by the task ahead for me in public relations in this town. He was nice enough to give me some advice in promotoing personalities. "When the going gets tough..the tough get going" and "Don't let the bastards wear you down" were spoken by him. Now I know what it meant.

And CANCER ! Well the dreaded disease has scored again. His battle with cancer was kept low key but it was a win as far as I am concerned. In her book "Mind, Body & Soul: A Guide to Living With Cancer (Taylor Hill Publishing) , Nancy Hassett Dahm states-" My message is not that we should embrace death and stop fighting for life, but we can come to see ourselves within the greater scheme of life, and know that we are indeed going to a place of infinite love and compassion". Milton Berle knew this..and I almost envy him for it will be one hell of a reunion with those he knew and loved who left before him.

Farewell Milton.

Edward Lozzi



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    Readers Talkback

  • Mar 30, 2002 11:37:21 AM CST

    I will not bitch about how late this is, I will not bitch about

    by darth tater

    Damnit, a whole generation of Hollywood greats is passing on. This is a very sad time.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 30, 2002 12:04:28 PM CST

    I thought someone else had passed on

    by holidill

    Also do you notice how some big names die after the Oscars? It's happened before.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 30, 2002 12:15:36 PM CST

    TV owes its entire existence to two men: Philo T Farnsworth and

    by xocxoc

    It has been said the Berle sold more TV's than anyone in in history. Berle was ahead of my time for the most part, though I do remember his numerous guest appearances on Carson, and Bob Hope specials. I think one of the most bizarre Berle appearances was on Spielberg's "Amazing Stories" where a group of space aliens visit Earth after being enthralled by Earth TV signals they were picking up. Of course due to the speed of light, they were picking up 30 year old TV. The Aliens adored "Uncle Milty".

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 30, 2002 12:21:49 PM CST

    On a good note

    by coop

    He did live to a ripe old age and he did get to do quite a bit throughout his life. If I could have his life and lived as long as he did I would be grateful. He had to be one strong old coot to have fought cancer at his age. I don't think he was cursing the unfairness of the situation in the end. I'm sure he was fondly looking back at what he had accomplished in his life. He will always be remembered.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 30, 2002 3:25:36 PM CST

    IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU MENTION THE GREAT MILTON BERLE

    by kikstad

    May he rest in peace. He arguably singlehandedly made television the mass-medium it is today. People told him to stick to radio, not to waste his time and talent on the new "TV fad" but he ignored the naysayers and became one of the first superstars to jump to a new medium -- and he was such a hit people went out and bought TVs just so they could see his weekly shticks. The guy deserves to be remembered as the one and only MISTER TELEVISION. May he rest in peace.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 30, 2002 6:17:48 PM CST

    Dudley Moore, Milton Berle, Billy Wilder, Queen Elizabeth

    by drak_tanner

    So, is the "rule of three" null and void here, or does the Queen Mum not count because she wasn't in entertainment? If that's the case, who's next to complete her trio? My money's on the Pope and Yasser.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 30, 2002 10:57:18 PM CST

    I didn't know you, but...

    by azlam orlandu

    I appreciate this site's ability to be ever so varied. On one hand a bunch of bitter McDonalds employees are crying because Episode II may or may not be good although only one person known has actually seen the flick. Ah on the other side; everyone wants to think that they have this great appreication for a classic comedian who changed the face of TV. I know that the main reason that people come here is to rant about pop culture and sci-fi. If you really have a love for Uncle Milty then say it, otherwise don't be some two-faced burger flipping scum that seems to be the usual clientell for this site.

    RIP Uncle Milty. I didn't know you enough to appreciate you, and I'm sure some of you can say the same.

    "I hate you all",
    -AZ

    http://www.electricalwinter.cjb.net

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 30, 2002 11:08:44 PM CST

    Hey, Supah Soljah....

    by ericalan69

    Do you mean James Marsters, instead of James Marsden? 'Cause, you know, the whole 'Buffy' thing would make sense, but the reference to the pathetic star of 'X-Men', I'm just not grokking....

    // e.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 31, 2002 12:33:23 AM CST

    And another one...

    by darth bad guy

    All the good celebrities die. Douglas Adams. Phil Hartman. Mister Belvedere. At least Milton Berle had the advantage of actually living to a ripe old age. And to believe- I actually blasphemed his good name just a few days ago! My head is hung in shame. On the positive side, at least the gods managed to take down Sonny Bono before he could cause any more damage. Now to see about Cher...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 31, 2002 3:52:37 AM CST

    Member of the club

    by vulcan bob

    Kikstad, coop, Xocxoc, and Evil Reader, have the most interesting and informative posts so far. I don't think I could add anything at all to their tributes. Darth Bad Guy's, was just plain funny and odd. Rumor has it that he had one of the biggest penises in showbiz. I don't know why I am so fixated by that. I'm not gay or anything but there ya go. I think the best way to remember him is to go rent a video or dvd of one of his movies or tv show episodes. That's what I am going to do.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 31, 2002 9:56:51 AM CST

    RIP Uncle Miltie

    by martinblank

    He'd been off the air for years before I was even born, but for some reason we had his 1973 autobiography around the house when I was a kid. I still have it. Great reading. Would've made a kickass Scorsese movie with say Robert Carradine (a dead ringer for Miltie in his younger days). It has sex (Berle fathered an illegitimate child with an unnamed movie starlet of the '30s, the kid grew up to be a TV producer), violence (like the time Berle and a bunch of cops and gangsters busted in on a Nazi get-together), mobsters (Capone, Bugsy Siegel), and of course show biz. Half of what's in the book is possibly bullshit but it would've still made a better Scorsese movie than the Dean Martin biopic he keeps talking about. But then Billy Crystal had to go and make 'Mr. Saturday Night' and ruin it (the perfect title for a Berle biopic would've been 'Mr. Television'). Anyway go on bookfinder.com or half.com and look up 'Milton Berle: An Autobiography.' He was not a particularly happy man, you'll find. Hope he found some peace in his later years.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 31, 2002 10:21:10 PM CST

    Now that Berle's Dead...

    by darth brooks

    I wonder if Lorne Michaels will finally release the taped episode of Saturday Night Live where Milton Berle hosted the show. Michaels hated Berle's performance so much that he banned the episode from appearing in syndication or on DVD. How about it, Lorne? Still bitter? Is the King of Television dead enough for you?


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