Statler and Waldorf vs. Milton Berle

“Hey. Hey Berle.”

Saw this on MetaFilter and it just made me laugh and laugh. I forgot how funny Statler and Waldorf are, and how they’re even more so when paired with a good comedian like Berle.

Great stuff, even though it was filmed from oh so long ago.

I didn’t grow up when Berle was in his prime, and never knew of him as “Uncle Miltie” until much, much later. In fact, if I had to guess… I’d say that I probably first saw him on the Muppet Show.

Berle has a fascinating Wikipedia page. It’s really worth reading over, if you’ve got the chance.

Berle’s radio series, Texaco Star Theater, was moved over to television in 1948. At the time, the show’s popularity helped increase the sale of televisions. Purportedly, less movie tickets were sold on Tuesday nights (when the show aired), and some restaurants/stores went so far as to close their doors, working around the timeslot.

As you make your way down the Wikipedia entry, it gets a bit weirder. There’s some sad stories about his SNL appearance, rumors about the size of his penis (yeah, I know), and get this – the man appeared in drag, for the music video to “Round and Round”, by Ratt. I did not know that.

Well, this blog post ended in a very different place from where it began. Wasn’t really expecting that.

Milton Berle, ladies and gentlemen!

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