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Milton
Berle, born Mendel Berlinger in 1908, was well known for
his television shows that spanned from the 1950's all
the way up to the mid 1960's. Known as "Uncle Miltie,"
his success started at the age of 5 when his mother put
him on the street to perform dance routines and comedy skits; usually impersonations of Charlie Chaplin were
at his disposal. It was from here that, one day, a talent
agent discovered him, and immediately put Berle in silent
films. Berle became a silent film commodity, starri2ng
in over 50 films, with such actors as Charlie Chaplin,
Marie Dressler, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Marion
Davies and Mabel Normand. It was soon time for little
Berle to unleash his wave of comedy on television.
Text on OTRCAT.com ©2007 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved-Reproduction is prohibited. During an experimental broadcast in New York City, in
1928, Milton Berle became the first person that the world
has ever seen through the television! This set off a chain
of events that led to the rise in "Miltonism."
Text on OTRCAT.com ©2007 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved-Reproduction is prohibited. Instantly,
audiences around the world fell in love with "Uncle
Miltie's" recipe for great, bellowing laughs. Although
it wasn't readily apparent to his radio listeners, he
always opened his show by making an entrance in a different
costume each week. Every week, his television show would
do battle with another early television super giant, I
Love Lucy. This didn't faze "Mister Television"
because his best friend was Lucille Ball. There were even
rumors that Lucy and Milton actually dated. Lucy came
out one day and said that a "romantic relationship
with [Berle] was impossible because [Milton's] mother,
Sarah, was always around."
In 1984, Milton was one of the first seven to be inducted
into the new Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Hall of Fame. Even after all these years, "Uncle
Miltie" still entertains us with his goofy persona.
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