EDDIE O’ROURKE-ON THE ROAD/MILTON BERLE
by eddie on Sep.03, 2010, under E
Long before my career as an Elvis Tribute Artist, I toured the United States and beyond as guitarist for a few
well known celebrities. The work afforded me the opportunity to be in the company of some of the greatest names in the entertainment community. One of these encounters put me in a gathering which included the renowned comic Milton Berle. Milton had his early success in burlesque and then motion pictures. But, his lasting notoriety came as one of the early pioneers of television. In the late forties, Berle signed an unprecedented thirty year contract with NBC and ruled the TV airwaves as “Mr. Television.” Elvis fans will recognize the name as one of several personalities who gave The King early national exposure. Milton delighted in surrounding himself with young performers and recounting tales from his early career. The following is one of those stories as Berle told it.
Milton Berle with Elvis in 1956
In the early days of live TV, long before video tape and the luxury of editing programs, they employed “back-timers.” A back-timer calculated the length of all the intricate parts for a show, including commercials, and guaranteed that…from start to finish the program would be exactly the right time duration. One evening a gal new to the job was in charge of timing . Milton thanked the audience and was saying good night as a stage-hand held up a card which read “FIVE MINUTES!” The girl had goofed and Berle was left with a surplus five minutes to ad-lib. Five minutes in live television can feel like an eternity. Milton pulled out some additional chatter, looked at the stage-hand who then held up THREE FINGERS! Berle ‘s mind was racing for something to fill the remaining time when he suddenly remembered a recent letter from a fan. He continued; I’d like to say a few words to the kids who are viewing the show. I’m happy that you like watching, but your parents are upset ’cause you’re up late and it’s hard to wake you for school in the morning. Still reaching in the recesses of his mind…Berle issued the line…so I want you to listen to your “UNCLE MILTIE” and go to bed when your mom and dad tell you to. He had finally brought the show to a close. Next day on the streets of Manhattan Milton sat, stopped at a red light, in the back of his limo. A cab pulled alongside and the driver, noticing the comic, yelled out “HEY, UNCLE MILTIE!” Berle instantly recognized that something special had taken place the night before. And, the rest is TV history folks!