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