Throwback Thursday Comedy Showcase: Milton Berle Teaches Ed Sullivan How to Get Laughs

In the 1970s Milton Berle was the host of the Texaco Star Theater. One night Ed Sullivan appeared as a guest on the show with a complaint -- he likes to tell jokes but nobody laughs at them. Berle is quick to offer solutions -- each one funnier than the previous one.

The skit continues with Berle performing his usual shtick, showing Sullivan how to get big laughs.

Enjoy!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Milton Berle and Fozzie Bear in "Top Banana"

In 1977, Milton Berle appeared on The Muppet Show with Fozzie Bear, singing "Top Banana."

In this episode, Fozzie Bear is so intimidated by the thought of meeting Milton Berle, "the King of Comics," that he spends the whole show hiding from the guest star.

Finally, they get together and sing the duet "Top Banana."

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO. 

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Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Milton Berle in "Musical Humor" with Al Hirt

Back in 1963, in one of his appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, Milton Berle tried to play a duet with trumpeter and bandleader Al Hirt, with hilarious results.

We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane to the early days of TV.

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Milton Berle in the World of Vaudeville

From the early 1880's until the early 1930's vaudeville was the most popular form of mass entertainment in America. Dandy Danno and Diva G have posted archive video footage of some of the stars of vaudeville who made the move to radio and television.

One of the greatest comedy stars of vaudeville, radio, and TV was Milton Berle. In this undated excerpt from one of his comedy sketches, Berle runs into and performs most of the sight gags that you'll ever see on stage.

Enjoy!

SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: The "Every Man for Himself" Scene from "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"

Here's a wacky scene -- "Every Man for Himself" -- from a really wacky movie -- one of our favorite comedies, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

The story begins during a massive traffic jam, caused by reckless driver Smiler Grogan (Jimmy Durante), who, before kicking the bucket, cryptically tells the assembled drivers that he's buried a fortune in stolen loot, under the Big W. 

The drivers, who meet by chance, include Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney, Sid Caesar, Milton Berle, Phil Silvers, Ethel Merman, and Jonathan Winters. When negotiations for dividing up the buried treasure break down, everyone runs to their cars and the race for the money is on.

The 1963 movie runs three and a half hours and it's worth taking the time to watch it all.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO. 

 

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Henny Youngman Heckles Milton Berle on Hollywood Palace

The year was 1966. Yes, that's 54 years ago. Milton Berle was hosting on The Hollywood Palace when Henny Youngman started to heckle him from the balcony.

Heckling Berle was a regular activity during the 1960s and 1970s, starting when Berle hired comedian Irving Benson to look down from the balcony overlooking the stage of Berle's variety show and banter with Berle about the host's alleged lack of talent and originality. 

Youngman and Benson heckled on Berle's shows The Hollywood Palace and The Milton Berle Show. The heckling routine was picked up years later by the muppet characters Statler and Waldorf on The Muppet Show.

Enjoy! 

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Milton Berle and Harpo Marx on the Kraft Music Hall

The original Kraft Music Hall was a radio series that aired from 1933 to 1949. It was one of the most popular programs of its type, particularly during the period (1936–1946) when it was hosted by Bing Crosby, then by Al Jolson (1947-1949).

By 1958, Kraft was prepared to revive the Music Hall for television. The first host was "Mr. Television", Milton Berle, who had become television's first superstar by hosting an earlier NBC program, the Texaco Star Theater. 

Let's go back 60 years to the night in 1959 when Harpo Marx was Berle's guest on the show.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.



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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Milton Berle as Elvis Presley's Twin Brother Melvin

With Yom Kippur in the rear view mirror, we hope you all had an easy and meaningful fast.

Now in this festive month of one holiday after another, we're taking a Throwback Thursday comedy break and turning the clock back to 1956. That's 62 years ago. 

Back then, color TV was just beginning to become available and most programming was in black and white. Milton Berle was in his prime and on his way to becoming the king of television. In 1956 he did a special with Elvis Presley on the deck of the U.S.S. Hancock in which Elvis introduced him as his twin brother Melvin Presley. 

After a couple of minutes of patter, they put their guitars to work in a rendition of Blue Suede Shoes. 

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.



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Throwback Thursday Nostalgia Special: The Origin of "Sam, You Made the Pants Too Long"

In May 2002 Red Buttons delivered a tribute to Milton Berle at a memorial service for the great comedian at the Friars Club in New York City. The tribute was in the form of a song that got Berle started in his show business career. 

In 1932 Berle co-wrote a parody on a song that was very popular that year, Lawd, You Made the Night Too Long.

Here's the original, played and sung by Louis Armstrong.


Here's Buttons singing the parody the way Berle wrote it in 1932:


The most played version of the song is the one recorded by Barbra Streisand in her Color Me Barbra album in 1966: 


Allan Sherman also recorded it in 1966:


Diana Ross and the Supremes performed the song on TV in 1969:


And who do we have to credit for this? Uncle Miltie, for whom this parody was just a small episode at the start of his long comedy career. 

But the question that remains is "Who was Sam?"

According to Barry Popik, editor of The Big Apple website,

"Sam, You Made the Pants Too Long" (1932) is probably most familiar to audiences from singer Barbra Streisand. Comedian/singer Joe E. Lewis earlier had popularized the song.

The "Sam" in the song is not identified (one of the songwriters was named Sam), but it is probably Samuel Beckenstein, who ran a popular fabric and clothing store at 130 Orchard Street. Social Security Death Index records show a Samuel Beckenstein, born 5 June 1893 and who died December 1968.

The song does not specifically mention "New York City," and for that reason it was probably left out of Nancy Groce's book of New York City songs. However, the song breathes the atmosphere of the Jewish Lower East Side.

http://www.lyricmania.com/l3967
You made the coat and vest fit the best
You made the lining nice and strong
But Sam, you made the pants too long

You made the peak lapel look so swell
So who am I to say you're wrong?
But Sam, you made the pants too long

Enjoy!

#Throwback Thursday   #TBT