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.

[@frankstroveliii6229]

This is the oldest surviving entertainment show in original colour. The tape was found at Berle's estate.

[@quizmaster85]

Oldest by just over a week, I think?

[@dw438]

@@quizmaster85 yep "An Evening With Fred Astaire" was 10/17/1958!

[@davedee4382]

Amazing.

[@jehobden]

His widow was kind enough to donate it to UCLA.

[@ericsamuelson5656]

0:30 this is the first time anyone born after 1963 seeing TPIR with Bill Cullen in raw color. For those of you over 70 still stuck with B&W until the late 60s & early 70s, this is a real treat.

[@fromthesidelines]

None of his NBC episodes exist on color videotape, either. 😐

[@90293Mike]

We got a color set in 1968. We had to save 6 months for it. It cost $800. In today’s money, that is obviously much much more. But it was glorious. 25 inches.

[@glennmillerfan]

@@90293MikeI only know of 4 people who had color TV sets prior to 1960. Most people that I know transitioned to color between 1965 and 1980.

[@wmbrown6]

@@fromthesidelines - Sadly. Only that one snippet.

[@fromthesidelines]

🙁

[@piddles11]

This was incredible. Bob and Milton in color way back when. Berle could dance!

[@retrovideoinc8089]

This show was "live" from Burbank to New York, AND because Kraft insisted on the voice of Ed Herlihy doing the commercials he did them LIVE from NY in living color.

[@andyrose5616]

That explains the loss of sync around the commercials.

[@will89687]

@@andyrose5616 And the telltale AT&T Long Lines audio

[@wmbrown6]

@@will89687 - Which was 100 Hz - 5 kHz in frequency response.

[@VectraQS]

WOAH, color videotape of Cullen Price!!!

[@anthologybroadcast1889]

Very cool to see the old paper credits. A layout artist had to actually transfer to a roll of paper, which was then spooled in front of the camera. "The Price Is Right" credits were the same, but printed black on white and then keyed in and inverted to white. Television engineers over 50 will recognize the loss of sync every time they switched from live show to taped commercial.

[@RyanSchweitzer77]

Indeed, I noticed the mostly vertical sync glitches as well during the switch to and from the Bat Masterson promo. Interesting that most broadcasted network tv was "hard-switched" asynchronously between sources back then. I've seen the same sync "burps" when watching recordings of the network coverage of the JFK assassination in '63--when Walter Cronkite would cue to switch to Dallas or DC, a massive sync-fit would be on display for a few seconds after. :). But then the frame synchronizer came about in the mid-70s and changed everything. (I think NEC was the first to offer such a product in '75.)

[@WPM_in_ATL]

I fit that demographic COMPLETELY! 😀

[@danielanderson4726]

@@RyanSchweitzer77 By 1976, when switching between sports events, the sync-fit didn't happen. Every time Brent Musburger (who was doing the Braves-Celtics game) threw it to Don Criqui at the Warriors-Pistons game, the picture stayed in sync. By that time, the vertical sync glitches were a thing of the past.

[@wmbrown6]

@@danielanderson4726 - I.I.N.M., by then time-base correctors were invented and applied at TV studios, stations and production companies.

[@jeffmacauley5984]

The restoration looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing this color video to your channel. I'd love to see some of the Dinah Shore Chevy Show color tapes from this period that UCLA has as well. The Chevy Show production team really took advantage of the color technology. Matt Damon should play Bill Cullen in the biopic.

[@davedee4382]

Wow! Price is right in color!!!!

[@Lampshade51]

Kudos to the preservationists! The transfer was wonderful. Crystal clear and sharp. Added treat to see the last few minutes of the previous program -- the original Price is Right -- in color. The only thing is that I wish it was a stronger show. Aside from Bob Hope's brief appearance and Gene Barry's quick plug for Bat Masterson, it was a show of unknown 'guest stars".

[@danielanderson4726]

My grandmom watched the original Price is Right in color, she also saw The Nutcracker in color too with June Lockart, and maybe To tell The Truth.

[@JoseMorales-lw5nt]

Meanwhile, there's a great piece of TV history here on KZbin from 1959. The very same program, same host. Vivid NBC Color. The guests? Count Basie, Joe Williams, and Jack Carter. Great videotape remastering...❤

[@davedee4382]

He could really dance!!!!

[@LandondeeL]

I had always thought that picture of him, surrounded by banners proclaiming "Welcome Back, Mr. Television" (circulating in many TV history books) was from this show. While we're on the subject of Berle, I remember his 1966 ABC show. I raved to my mother, "Mom, there's this brand-new comedian named Milton Berle, he's the funniest thing ever!", to which Mom just laughed out loud!

[@troysvisualarts]

Thank you so much UCLA for sharing this excellent historic 2 inch quad colour videotape for all to see and enjoy!!! 🙂 I'm an early colour TV show enthusiast from Australia and was unable to make the screening for the mere fact I live in Australia but was so over the moon to see this program here on KZbin!🙂 Was so good to also see a bit of The Price Is Right too prior to Kraft Music Hall, that was an extra treat I did not expect! Anyhow excellent restoration work and excellent quality colour and picture, it's these early surviving colour videotapes that gives us an accurate idea of how live colour television looked in the 50s.

[@gregjones2376]

Don Pardo announcing for the Price Is Right hosted by Bill Cullen!

[@Rob_Kates]

Even from that short clip, Cullen's charm was obvious.

[@mikepeterson8388]

What a fantastic find! Thanks for putting this on KZbin!!!

[@a1wireless1964]

Thank you UCLA, this is a program that i now stream to my RCA CTC11 color set from back in the day.

[@dougmilesmedia]

The great Uncle Miltie! He did the tap dancing act with the Dunhills on his Texaco Show a few years earlier. Great talent!

[@nilson_video]

totally incredible, the color is beautiful! also love the casserole at the end haha great work

[@Twentythousandlps]

Tony Roberts' Make Me Feel So Young is a carbon copy of Sinatra's, even his melodic variants.

[@geraldbaker4019]

Not to mention one of the exact same bands he recorded with

[@andrewm5402]

The best parts: The clip from The Price is Right with Bill Cullen and the Commercials. Berle & Lou Jacobi, though, made me feel like I was in a 2nd class Catskills resort.

[@jasonbeard4713]

I agree. Bravo for the Cullen footage. Blah for Berle.

[@gabeh7923]

Color footage of the price is right with bill cullen to start!

[@trantrum]

Very nice UCLA - I'm 80 years old and I remember color TV back then. The quality here is very high and I don't see any scanning lines (I watch KZbin on a 75" 4K Android TV). Did you fill-in the gaps or was it recorded using some other technology on the 2" tape? Well done.

[@HDCAMAN]

Incredible

[@sooke54]

I seem to remember NBC was the only network broadcasting in colour until about 1965.

[@WPM_in_ATL]

Yup. CBS waited until Norelco (Philips) came out with their color cameras.

[@LostsTVandRadio]

Amazing that this tape was extant and usable. I too though the Fred Astaire tape was the earliest entertainment show taped in colour that survived. I wonder if there's anything else out there gathering dust!

[@lawrenceharris8919]

Thank you, Lorna Burle and UCLA! Are there additional complete episodes from the 1958-1959 season of the Kraft Music Hall with Milton Berle in color. that are available for viewing on KZbin? Right now, there are just a couple of segments of Milton Berle in 1959 on KZbin in color. The colors. produced by the RCA TK-41 cameras of Milton Berle, Dinah Shore, Fred Astaire (1958-1960), Lawrence Welk, the Hollywood Palace, Red Skelton (1962), Cinderella (taped in 1964, but broadcast in 1965), and Johnny Carson (from 1964 and 1968-1970) are great. The first generation Plumbicom cameras from Norelco, RCA, and GE, produced more realistic colors, but were less vivid. The Plumbicom cameras were much more reliable and maneuverable than the bulky TK-41, but the colors were boring.

[@wmbrown6]

Based on that short snippet of the color Cullen "TPIR," greater care was taken in terms of what picture the TK-41 class emanated at their Burbank studios than their counterparts in New York. That last "Howdy Doody" episode from 1960, the colors weren't nearly as good. The Burbank lot were still at top operating condition by the time of Elvis' 1968 comeback special.

[@banjochris]

Thank you for posting this!

[@fromthesidelines]

2:28- Well.......not really. After Bing fulfilled his Kraft contract (and started his "PHILCO RADIO TIME" program for ABC in the fall of 1946), Kraft kept the "MUSIC HALL" on the air with a new host: Eddie Duchin, with vocalist Milena Miller, and support from Nat "King" Cole and his Trio and comedy relief by Edward Everett Horton {they were replaced by the Mills Brothers and Eddie Foy, Jr. in January 1947}. Yet, Kraft wasn't quite satisfied with that version of their program....and revamped it for the fall of 1947, bringing in Al Jolson as host, with Oscar Levant as his comedic sidekick. That lasted for two more seasons. Finally, after a summer featuring Nelson Eddy and Dorothy Kirsten, Kraft finally closed the radio "MUSIC HALL" for good on September 22, 1949.

[@slingblade6858]

I never knew Milton could sing and dance.

[@budmcneely1571]

saw him live at The Cave in Vancouver BC, 1977. he was very funny.

[@PopWrappedEntGroup]

This is spectacular.

[@andrewm5402]

Thank You!!!

[@fromthesidelines]

Milton was featured on "THE KRAFT MUSIC HALL" in the 1958-'59 season. His ratings were not quite as strong as "THE MILLIONAIRE" on CBS at the same hour, and Kraft decided to replace him with "Mr. Relaxation" himself- easy-going Perry Como, in the fall of 1959. Unfortunately, while Perry appeared for Kraft until 1967 {the last four seasons as monthly specials}, *NONE* of his "MUSIC HALL" shows are known to exist on color videotape.

[@WPM_in_ATL]

Given that we were just inside a time machine, who dares complain about the gremlins, what few there are? I know this was before the time the Frame Sync and digital TBC were available.

[@bleepiestofbloops]

The set is so monochromatically brown. I looked up some episodes, and they evidently realized their mistake by January.

[@user-tj4br4it7f]

What a great find and restoration job. Interesting to see that NBC decided to burn off some of Berle's long-term contract with them by having him host here although I gather it was just for the first season. Regardless, it is fabulous to see this in such fine quality and the performances of people who have left us. Unfortunate that YT interrupts it so often with ads.

[@jehobden]

Yes, there's a later episode of this show where Berle announces that Perry Como would be taking over the show for the next season. Berle was dumped to JACKPOT BOWLING a year later.

[@kengeorgejones6855]

Thanks for all the time taken on this treasure. I'm glad anything of these years is saved. So much I wish I could see.

[@HilltopperVault]

Fantastic!

[@pata299]

Don Pardo!

[@jimnugent3851]

Tim Meaddddoooooooows!

[@Rob_Kates]

17 years before SNL.

[@jefflyons6157]

I love those dance moves at 25:50.

[@jnadle1]

This special was shot at NBC in Burbank.

[@batterymakermarkii2654]

Next best thing to time travel

[@barbaraeffros4804]

Bravo!

[@clarkhum]

Tony Roberts, son of longtime radio/TV announcer Ken Roberts, a decade before becoming Woody Allen's straight man.

[@geraldbaker4019]

Nepotism at its finest

[@dennisdivine7448]

For context, the bandleader Billy May worked with Sinatra, and (for laughs) provided big band arrangements on Stan Freberg's Capitol comedy records in the '50s and '60s.

[@jeffpiegari4942]

Anymore please

[@tterrace]

Let's hear it for the great and hilarious Lou Jacobi as the leader of the Russian ballet troupe.

[@dw438]

And those great Jacobi character roles in Richard Benjamin's MY FAVORITE YEAR (1982) (Did you shtup her? Did you go all the way? ... What am I from Minska Pinsk?) and Barry Levinson's AVALON (1990) who was miffed when they cut the turkey without him!

[@tterrace]

@@dw438 “JOLSON is HERE?!?!”

[@user-iu9fc5yb9k]

He was great as the florist in Arthur too.

[@gnirolnamlerf593]

Great piece of TV history, but where were they performing? In a janitor's closet? I've never seen such a small studio. I'm surprised Berle agreed to this kind of set-up. As a little kid, I loved The Price is Right, remember Bat Masterson and The Kraft Music Hall ran for years and years, but who knows if I saw this back then. Certainly not in color. My father kept fixing the B & W Magnavox set forever.

[@geraldbaker4019]

The set is based off a nightclub showroom, so it gives off the illusion of Berle performing his nightclub routines which kept him busy after his last show was cancelled.

[@MCO18]

29:59 Original blue box Kraft mac & cheese in glorious 1950s color

[@goodiesguy]

Fantastic to see, I only wish it was uploaded in 60p so we could have the 'video look' intact.

[@tedrobinson372]

It was originally recorded in 59.94i or interlaced. No such thing as progressive scan in those days.

[@VectraQS]

@@tedrobinson372 This _was_ recorded in as 29.97 frame/59.94 field. Playing this back on a CRT from the raw videotape would yield a "60fps" image.

[@tedrobinson372]

@@VectraQS playing back from the raw videotape would be 29.97 frames per second. Where are you getting the 60 from?

[@VectraQS]

@@tedrobinson372 Videotape only has 29.97/sec _frames_ but its smoothness comes from the fact that it has the 59.94/sec interlaced fields that build the frame.

[@tedrobinson372]

@@VectraQS I know that. But why do you say 60fps image?

[@terryaichele9265]

This is a great find in early color videotape programming. I have read that the Kraft Music Hall was a 60 minute program. Was some of the program missing, damaged or had poor synch that couldn't be corrected?

[@geraldbaker4019]

That’s the Perry Como version, which didn’t start until 59-60, when Kraft offered Como a $25 million dollar contract (a record at the time)

[@wmbrown6]

For those who knew their announcers: Who, at the very end, promo'd Ed Wynn?

[@stationminute]

0:33 Wow! I had no idea that Drew Carey had been hosting The Price Is Right since the 1950s.

[@geraldbaker4019]

That’s Bill Cullen

[@jimhilliker2450]

Was the NBC Peacock opening of this color program cut or edited out? Or left out? I thought all color shows on NBC began with the In Living Color announcement with the Peacock.

[@geraldbaker4019]

They probably had to leave it out for the special intro with the Crosby impersonator. The announcer still states the program is in living color at the beginning.

[@rockinyouallnight]

Uncle Milty for the win!

[@pgh45rpms]

This aire on a Wednesday night..

[@magicchord]

...and all done with Vacuum Tubes.

[@geraldbaker4019]

Could you post the Ella Fitzgerald episode?

[@jehobden]

6:40 - I wouldn't have heard of TOMBSTONE TERRITORY, but it's now being rerun on FETV. It was a non-network Western syndicated by ZIV. 13:12 - I hadn't heard of this Tony Roberts before. He's not the actor, and Wiki doesn't have anything about him.

[@dunebasher1971]

Great uploiad, but a real shame that it's not 1080p60 - that would have preserved the original video-style motion.

[@thephotoplayer]

KZbin’s 1080p60 stinks-lots of compression that ruins the motion. 720p60 would be a better choice for this material.

[@TNT-km2eg]

Step dance was the most ridiculous form of entertainment . However , great show and great reminder in general

[@hugginkiss1027]

Bill Cullen is as convivial and engaging as Berle is grating and annoying.

[@user-iu9fc5yb9k]

I couldn’t stand him either

[@andrewm5402]

Agreed. Berle is hard to watch, and that singer was cheesier than Philadelphia Cream cheese! Love this clip for historical purposes, but not Berle.

[@davedee4382]

Every time the switcher goes from one thing to another you get horrible video roll I wonder why?

[@geraldbaker4019]

The show was done (LIVE!) between New York and California. Main show was done at Burbank, the commercials in New York City (Ed Herlehy wouldn’t move for this program, I guess?)

[@wmbrown6]

@@geraldbaker4019 - It was also long before time base correctors were invented and put into service.

[@adf3comcast1]

Earliest color video of cheapskate Hope!

[@dw438]

Yep Hope didn't go color on his videotaped, studio NBC shows until 1965! ($) He looked good on this show ...

[@lambertman]

innat wild?

[@fromthesidelines]

If Bob had his way, he would have preferred to continue taping his monthly comedy specials for Chrysler in black and white. But NBC converted virtually all of their programming in "Living Color" for the fall of 1965 [billing themselves as "The Full Color Network"], with a few exceptions......and one of them was Hope. While his weekly "CHRYSLER THEATRE" anthology series was produced in color on film {Chrysler and MCA/Universal paid the extra costs for those episodes}, he continued to tape his specials in black and white. NBC finally got impatient, and warned him to find the extra money for color videotape.....or they'd part company with him. His first color special was telecast on December 15, 1965.

[@tonypanzarella9387]

@@fromthesidelines It's surprising that Hope didn't "find" the extra money for color production by stiffing his co-stars' salaries, or hiring young unknowns who would be forced to work for scale. When Hope and Crosby formed a syndicate to acquire the distribution rights to their "Road" pictures, they left Dorothy Lamour out altogether.

[@davedee4382]

This is live TV. That’s why you have the mistakes.

[@TNT-km2eg]

Absurd and morbid coincidence : Uncle Milt died of cancer . Which was his horoscope sign

[@stevenfanale4553]

When television was television. We have nothing good on TV today because nobody is creative anymore. That is why our society is going downhill.

[@radio63]

Too bad the dumb “UCLA” bug in the lower right corner is there. Ruins the illusion of what it was like to see this program back when it originally aired. Also love the Bill Cullen Price is Right segment at the beginning.

[@jehobden]

I'm sure UCLA just wants to keep others from claiming credit for this program. I think "bugs" have been added to network & cable programs since the 1990s.

[@martyneff4008]

Half of this show is talk. Color can't bring it into the modern age. Root Canal is more laughs

[@geraldbaker4019]

It’s a great piece of history, and we should be glad it survived alongside the NBC network’s other programs and bumpers, but yeah this first show is awful, but then again, it’s wall to wall mayonnaise (and we’re not talking about Kraft’s) so what do you expect? Count Basie and Joe William’s apperance was great

[@davedee4382]

Not a great monologue! Why?

[@gnirolnamlerf593]

Because it's Berle, I'm afraid. Not a great monologist. Funny, in an absurd and silly way, in sketches. And we could see that he was an entertaining dancer, with a bit of literal support from the Dunhills. I never liked him much because, similar to Red Skelton, he telegraphed the fact that he found his own jokes funny.

[@Tom_Space]

looks colorized

[@jamesnicholson6510]

It's restored by UCLA. Plus the color cameras RCA TK-41s had vivid rich colors.

[@tterrace]

I remember what color TV used to look like, and it looked just like this. Thanks for playing.

[@jamesnicholson6510]

@@tterrace the colors were so bold, vibrant. Just think what it must have been like to have experienced early color television! The TK-41 camera set the standard back in the day.

[@tterrace]

@@jamesnicholson6510 First color TV I ever saw was around 1954-55 at a Radio/TV/ dealer in San Rafael, California when I was 9 years old. After that it was occasional glimpses in store windows or on a rare occasion when visiting somebody who had a set. We finally got one in 1965, and I started watching nearly everything if it was in color, even My Mother the Car. I also got fascinated with color broadcast equipment and wrote letters to engineers at San Francisco and Sacramento stations as they started acquiring gear around that time, asking what kind of cameras, film chains and color VTRs they were getting, and kept track of it all. One chief engineer even phoned me and thanked me for showing interest, and was surprised when I told him I was just 19.

[@michaelstein7427]

I never knew that Uncle Miltie was such an amazing tap dancer. This early color video is a real treasure.