"Mr. Television"...
Like most great comics of his era, Milton Berle came out of vaudeville, did some radio, but as far as TV went he was a virtual unknown. He was, that is, until June 8, 1948. That was the night that the curtain lifted and there were the men from Texaco who would serenade us each tuesday night with this: "Oh we're the men from Texaco, we work from Maine to Mexico, there's nothing like this Texaco of ours. Our show is very powerful, we'll wow you with an hour full of howls from a shower full of stars. We're the merry Texaco men, tonight we may be showmen, tomorrow we'll be servicing your cars!".
| Then the merry men from Texaco would do an intro something like this, "And now, ladies and gentlemen, the man with jokes from the stone age...Milton Berle". And out would come Uncle Miltie with nothing on but a barrel. There was enough shtick for 8 years of tuesday nights. It is said that The Texaco Star Theater with Milton Berle was responsible for the sale of some 30 million TV sets. The show had the highest rated Nielsen ratings in the 1950-51 season, the year that Nielsen debuted with their service. That rating was a phenomenal 61.6... Milton Berle would become "Mr. Television" and his presence on the tube was magical even after his show ended in 1956. He came back with another show in the '58-'59 season, then again in '66-'67 and although his star had faded, he was still a comedic icon and one of the greatest comedians of his time. He turned to serious acting and mastered that as well. In 2002 Milton Berle died from colon cancer at the age of 93... Milton Berle ended each show with this theme song: "There's just one place for me, near you... It's like heaven to be, near you... If my hours could be spent, near you... I'd be more than content, near you... Make my life worthwhile... by telling me that I'll... Spend the rest of my days near you"... Meeting "Mr. Television" will follow in my commentary... More June 8 Memories... 1786] Commercial ice cream is manufactured for the 1st time (in New York City)... 1869] Ives W. McGaffey receives a U.S. patent for the suction vacuum cleaner (is it okay to say his product sucked ?)... 1872] Congress authorizes the penny postcard (does anyone buy these any more ?)... 1921] Babe Ruth is arrested for speeding, is fined $100, is held in jail...until game time. Police give him an escort to Yankee Stadium... 1942] Bing Crosby records "Silent Night" (funny time of year to record this but then again, Mel Torme wrote "The Christmas Song" during a heatwave in Los Angeles)... 1948] Milton Berle debuts as the host of "The Texaco Star Theater" (feature story)... 1955] The Dodgers try to tell pitcher Tommy Lasorda something. Let's see, Sandy Koufax-Tom Lasorda, Sandy Koufax-Tom Lasorda, Sandy Koufax-Tom Lasorda...you know the decision they made... 1963] The Essex release "Easier Said Than Done"... 1966] The 47-year old NFL and the 7-year old AFL agree to merge in 1970 (FYI for those who thought the decision was made after the Jets won the Super Bowl)... 1968] Suspected Martin Luther King Jr. assassin, James Earl Ray is captured in London... 1968] The Rolling Stones release "Jumpin' Jack Flash"... 1968] "Lady Will Power" is released by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap... 1969] The Yankees retire #7 on Mickey Mantle Day... 1969] Mick Taylor replaces Brian Jones on guitar for the Rolling Stones... 1970] The Beatles climb that "Long and Winding Road" to the top of the charts... 1976] The Red Sox draft future Hall of Famer Wade Boggs... 1983] This is a huge day at the box office as these 3 movies open: "Trading Places", "Ghostbusters" and "Gremlins"... 1985] Chris Evert finally beats Martina Navratilova to win the French Open becoming the #1 ranked woman tennis player... 1986] The Boston Celtics win their 16th NBA title led by Larry Bird's 29 points, 11 boards and 12 assists against Houston in Game 6 (this was the last title for the Celts who are due...any year now)... 1986] Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald are #1 with their duet, "On My Own"... 1991] Bruce Springsteen on lead with Patti Scialfa on backup sing "I Do"... 1995] Air Force pilot Captain Scott O'Grady is rescued by the Marines after surviving alone in Bosnia since June 2nd when he was shot down in his F-16... 1998] Surviving Beatles Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, joined by Sting, Pete Townshend and Sir Elton John are among the mourners at a private service for the late Linda McCartney at St. Martins-in-the-Fields church in London. The crowd sings "Let it Be" and a quartet performs songs written by Paul for Linda... 2001] British Prime Minister Tony Blair is elected to a second term in a landslide... [To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]... Commentary... I was with the legendary New York promotion guy Juggy Gayles in either 1976 or 77 and for years Juggy had bragged about introducing the woman who would become Mrs. Berle to Uncle Miltie and how close he and Berle were. I don't think there was a sole who believed Juggy (on this and other matters, by the way). We were headed out of the RCA building for lunch when the elevator door opens and there stands Milton Berle clutching his famous (non-lit) cigar. Juggy has this big smile on his face but doesn't say anything. Berle on the other hand yells out, "Juggy". So this character really does know Berle well. I was impressed. I was also introduced to Berle who I expected to do shtick on the elevator but didn't. He was taller than I expected. On that day I started believing Juggy (but only half of the time)... "Happy Birthday...happy birthday"... 1925] Barbara Bush... 1927] Jerry Stiller... 1933] Joan Rivers... 1940] Nancy Sinatra... 1942] Three Dog Night's Chuck Negron... 1944] Don (Robbie on "My Three Sons") Grady... 1944] Boz Scaggs... 1953] Bonnie Tyler... 1967] Julianna (ER, Sopranos) Margulies... Coming Up... This comes from former WNBC Promotions Director and friend, Gloria "Gibby" Gibson who lost her niece Melinda Leigh Saxon who succumbed to Crohn's Disease in October of 2005 at the age of 16: Vermont's 1st Annual Guts & Glory Walk will be held on Saturday, June 24th, starting at Rice Memorial High School in South Burlington, Vermont at 9 a.m. Money raised will help find a cure for Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis. To register and for more event information, visit: www.ccfa.org or contact the New England Chapter Office at 781.449.0324 or you may email: ne@ccfa.org Good luck to you Gibby... [Today is the 159th day of 2006 with 206 days remaining in the year and 26 days until July 4th] ... |
