Milton Berle was American television's first mass-audience star. As host of 'Texaco Star Theater' from 1948 he drew such crowds that he was credited with selling sets, and the nickname 'Mr. Television' stuck. His humour came out of vaudeville: broad, fast, frequently in drag, and unembarrassed about stealing a joke. Television tastes moved on and his ratings fell in the mid-1950s, but he kept working for decades in guest roles and films, including 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'. Read more