CLASS ACT #15

Milton Berle (1908 – 2002) was an American comedian and actor. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years.

In 1914 he appeared in the film ‘Bunny’s Little Brother’, and took the stage on Broadway in 1920 as one of a baby sextette for a revival of the musical comedy, ‘Floradora. He later went into radio and television. As the host of NBC’s ‘Texaco Star Theatre’ (1948-55), he was the first major American television star and was known to millions of viewers as "Uncle Miltie" and "Mr. Television".

Many in the industry credited Berle with television's success in the U.S.A., because he was able to attract major sponsors. Some even felt he was responsible for selling television sets. Within one season the number of sets in the country increased from 500,000 to one million.

He pirated other comedians' material so shamelessly that he was dubbed "The Thief of Badgags". In his defence he stated that he “…never stole a joke in my life. I just find them before they’re lost.”

He also said, “If you don’t have a directional point of view or a style, you’d better toss out what you’ve got and find yourself.”… good advice.

Also… “Funny is funny. Nothing’s old if you haven’t heard it before and nothing’s new if you have.” That’s my kind of quote!

The teeterboard routine is simple  and it's silly, but notice how the performers don't try and add their own contributions. Nobody wants to hog the show. When Mitlon Berle indicates that the 'sofa' should be relocated he does it with small movements of the hand, but there are so many small movements that the "sofa" ends up off the stage. Collapse of stout party! Subtleties can work in comedy.