Normally, when I find a red-letter day, I post
that day's schedule from somewhere (usually
Atlanta or North Carolina). Well, today I
don't have a schedule (no TV yet in these parts,
except in Richmond), but it is the anniversary
of Milton Berle's debut, June 8, 1948.
So what? Well, Berle, as I'm sure most of you
know, was television's first superstar, and
was responsible for the sale of the first set
for many (or, as he liked to joke, "My father
sold his, my uncle sold his...").
Texaco Star Theater, Berle's Tuesday-night
extravaganza, was everything television was
supposed to be in 1948: frenetic, visual (Berle
in drag or taking pies or water in the face).
No wonder it shot to the top of the ratings and
stayed there for three years; Berle continued,
with some changes in format and sponsor, until 1956,
but three other shows were much less successful.
By the way, Berle did just four shows in June 1948,
not becoming permanent host of Texaco until September.
Two other comedians hosted the show in July and August.
I was stunned the other day when one of my students
pointed out to me that Berle flopped on radio before
becoming television's biggest attraction, especially
because it's true but she was born long after Texaco
Star Theater was history. Berle had to be seen.
Milton Berle may not have been the most creative comedian
who ever lived, but he played a major role in guaranteeing
the survival of the new medium of television.
And June 20 is the anniversary of the debut of another
figure who made an even more lasting impact on the medium:
Ed Sullivan, whose name (as you all know) will be forever
linked with Elvis and the Beatles, and who presented just
about every major entertainment figure of the mid-twentieth
century in his 23 years (1948-71) on the air.
that day's schedule from somewhere (usually
Atlanta or North Carolina). Well, today I
don't have a schedule (no TV yet in these parts,
except in Richmond), but it is the anniversary
of Milton Berle's debut, June 8, 1948.
So what? Well, Berle, as I'm sure most of you
know, was television's first superstar, and
was responsible for the sale of the first set
for many (or, as he liked to joke, "My father
sold his, my uncle sold his...").
Texaco Star Theater, Berle's Tuesday-night
extravaganza, was everything television was
supposed to be in 1948: frenetic, visual (Berle
in drag or taking pies or water in the face).
No wonder it shot to the top of the ratings and
stayed there for three years; Berle continued,
with some changes in format and sponsor, until 1956,
but three other shows were much less successful.
By the way, Berle did just four shows in June 1948,
not becoming permanent host of Texaco until September.
Two other comedians hosted the show in July and August.
I was stunned the other day when one of my students
pointed out to me that Berle flopped on radio before
becoming television's biggest attraction, especially
because it's true but she was born long after Texaco
Star Theater was history. Berle had to be seen.
Milton Berle may not have been the most creative comedian
who ever lived, but he played a major role in guaranteeing
the survival of the new medium of television.
And June 20 is the anniversary of the debut of another
figure who made an even more lasting impact on the medium:
Ed Sullivan, whose name (as you all know) will be forever
linked with Elvis and the Beatles, and who presented just
about every major entertainment figure of the mid-twentieth
century in his 23 years (1948-71) on the air.