America’s first major star of television’s Golden Age, Milton Berle, was born on July 12, 1908, in New York City. His variety show, Texaco Star Theater, became so popular on Tuesday evenings that many entertainment venues and eateries closed because viewers stayed home to watch.
Known affectionately as Uncle Miltie, Berle’s manic energy and slapstick humor practically forced the American public to buy television sets just to see what he would do next. The drop in water pressure nationwide during his show’s commercial breaks became legendary, as millions waited until the exact same moment to use the restroom.
Yet beneath the flashy showmanship, Berle was a trailblazer for civil rights. He routinely insisted on featuring Black performers during an era of intense segregation, using his star power to break television’s unwritten racial barriers.
Photograph of Milton Berle in 1943 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
