Milton Berle’s career was one of the longest and most varied in show business, spanning silent film, vaudeville, radio, motion pictures, and television. He started in show business at the age of five, appearing as a child in The Perils of Pauline and Tillie’s Punctured Romance. Through the 1920s Berle moved up through the vaudeville circuit, finding his niche in the role of a brash comic known for stealing the material of fellow comedians. He also became a popular master of ceremonies in vaudeville, achieving top billing in the largest cities and theaters. During the 1930s Berle appeared in a variety of Hollywood films and further polished his comedy routines in night clubs and on radio.

Berle is best known for his role as host of Texaco Star Theater, television’s most popular program during its early years. The show had begun on the ABC radio network in the spring of 1948, and Berle took part in a television test version for Texaco and NBC in June of that year. He was selected as host, and the first east coast broadcast of the TV series began in September. Within two months Berle became television’s first superstar, with the highest ratings ever attained and was soon referred to as “Mr. Television,” “Mr. Tuesday Night,” and “Uncle Miltie.” Restaurants, theaters, and nightclubs adjusted their schedules so patrons would not miss Berle’s program at 8:00 P.M. on Tuesdays. Berle is said to have stimulated television sales and audience size in the same way Amos ’n’ Andy had sparked the growth of radio.

Although the budget for each program was a modest $15,000, many well-known entertainers were eager to appear on Texaco Star Theater for the public exposure it afforded, providing further viewer appeal and popularity for the program. The one-hour, live shows typically included visual vaudeville routines, music, comedy, and sketches. Other regular features included the singing Texaco station attendants and the pitchman commercials by Sid Stone. Berle was noted for interjecting himself into the acts of his guests, which, along with his opening appearance in outlandish costumes, became a regular feature. His use of sight gags, props, and visual style seemed well suited for the TV medium. In 1951 Berle signed a contract with NBC granting him $200,000 a year for 30 years, providing he appear on NBC exclusively.

His was one of the first television shows to be promoted through merchandising, including Uncle Miltie T-shirts, comic books, and chewing gum. When other programs evolved to compete with Berle’s popularity, his dominance of the television audience began to wane, and Texaco ended its sponsorship. In the 1953–54 season, the Buick-Berle Show, as it was retitled, was set into the 8:00 P.M. Tuesday time slot. Facing greater competition and sensing the need for more determined effort to compensate for the dwindling novelty of both the program and the medium, Berle’s staff and writers changed focus from the zany qualities of the show’s early days to a more structured format. Berle continued to attract a substantial audience, but he was dropped by the sponsor Buick at the end of the season in 1955. Hour-long variety shows had become more difficult to orchestrate due to higher costs, increasing salary demands, and union complications. Also, Berle’s persona had shifted from the impetuous and aggressive style of the Texaco Star Theater days to a more cultivated, but less-distinctive personality, leaving many fans somehow unsatisfied. The show was produced in California for the 1955–56 season, but it failed to capture either the spirit or the audience of Uncle Miltie in his prime.

Berle was featured on Kraft Music Hall in the late 1950s and Jackpot Bowling, a 1960s game show. In 1965 he renegotiated his 30-year contract with NBC, allowing him to appear on any network. He later made guest appearances in dramas as well as comedy programs, earning an Emmy nomination for one of his last TV roles, a dramatic part on Beverly Hills 90210, when he was 87 years old. In addition to television, Berle’s career in the later years included film, night club acts, and benefit shows. He was the subject of nearly every show business tribute and award, including an Emmy and TV specials devoted to his contributions and legacy in broadcasting. Because of declining health, Berle’s television appearances in the final years of his life were limited to brief interviews. He died in his home in Los Angeles in March 2002.