The groundbreaking live variety show hosted by Milton Berle, who, more than being merely `Uncle Miltie,' was, as Larry Gelbart wrote, `the medium's founding father.' Whether in drag, punching out one-liners or winging it with guests, `Mr. Television' was a brash comic pioneer whose popularity in the late `40s---at its peak, his show drew an astonishing 80 percent of the audience---sold countless TV sets. Though Texaco dropped its sponsorship in 1953, he remained a TV fixture for years to come.
