Milton Berle Starring in The Kraft Music Hall (10/8/1958)

Three-quarters of a century after his debut on the small screen, the name Milton Berle remains synonymous with the medium of television. Inducted into the inaugural Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1984, comedy legend Berle (“Mr. Television”) hosted NBC’s "The Texaco Star Theatre" in 1948, becoming the first major star of the cathode ray tube. Berle’s Texaco ratings decimated competing shows, forcing businesses to close as viewers stayed home glued to their sets. The comedian’s pioneering place in early television extended into the late 1950s, as he took on hosting duties for the launch of the "Kraft Music Hall" variety series, videotaped in the still-evolving technological wonder of “living color” on NBC.

Until recently, for most of the general public, the oldest entertainment program known to survive on color videotape was "An Evening with Fred Astaire," broadcast live on October 17, 1958, on NBC. The original 2 in. videotape of that acclaimed special was preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive in 1987, garnering engineers Ed Reitan, Don Kent, television archivist Dan Einstein and the Archive itself Emmy Awards for the technically challenging project. Last year, thanks to Milton Berle’s widow, Lorna Berle, a rare color videotape of the "Kraft Music Hall" that predates the Astaire special by nine days (airdate October 8, 1958) was deposited at UCLA. Through the extensive efforts of engineer David Crosthwait of DC Video in Burbank, CA, this historic 2 in. color videotape starring Milton Berle (a.k.a. “Uncle Miltie”) has been preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

"Milton Berle Starring in The Kraft Music Hall"
U.S., 10/8/1958

In this debut episode, the enormously popular "Kraft Music Hall" radio variety program is adapted for television in NBC’s living color. Hosted by comedy legend Milton Berle, the live broadcast boasts cameos from Bob Hope and Gene Barry, the big band sounds of musical director extraordinaire Billy May, and an impressive demonstration of the unexpected hoofing prowess of Uncle Miltie. Recently preserved from the oldest known surviving color videotape of an entertainment program. The air check includes a brief excerpt of "The Price is Right" in color.

NBC. Producer: Hal Kanter. Directors: Selwyn Touber, Hal Kanter Writers: Hal Goodman, Larry Klein, Milt Josefberg, Hal Kanter. With: Milton Berle, Bob Hope, Gene Barry.

Preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive from original 2 in. videotape. Video transfer at DC Video. Engineering services by David Crosthwait. Special thanks to Lorna Berle, Paul Brownstein, Dan Wingate, Bill DiCicco, Ian Marshall. Preservation funded by the John H. Mitchell Television Preservation Endowment.