美国名人 电影喜剧演员电视节目主持人 米尔顿·伯利.docx

美国名人电影喜剧演员，电视节目主持人米尔顿伯利MiltonBerlewas"MisterTelevision"totheMillionsofAmericansWhoWatchedHimplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-15:43repeatByGeorgeGrow2006-9-9VOICEONE:mMaryTillotson.VOICETWO:AndmDougJohnsonwiththeVOASpecialEnglishprogramPEOPLEINAMERICA.Today,wetellthestoryofMiltonBerle.HewasfamousforhisfunnyprogramsintheearlyyearsofAmericantelevision.TomanyAmericans,hewasknownsimplyasMisterTelevision.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:MiltonBerleperformedintheaters,onradioandinmovies.Yetheisbestknownasatelevisionperformer.Hebeganworkingintelevisioninnineteenforty-eight.Atthetime,televisionwassonewthatfewpeoplecouldreceiveit.MiltonBerle'sweeklyprogramwassopopularthatitmayhaveinfluencedmanyAmericanstobuytheirfirsttelevision.Yearsago,Americanswhodidnotownatelevisionoftenwenttothehomeofsomeonewhodidtowatchhisshows.Manyotherswatcheditinstoresthatsoldtelevisions.MiltonBerlebecamesofamousthatsomeAmericansconsideredhimaspartoftheirfamily.HewasoftencalledUncleMilty.Likeafamilymember,hewaslovedwhenhisjokeswerefunnyandevenwhentheywerenot.VOICETWO:HewasborninNewYorkCityonJulytwelfth,nineteen-oh-eight.Hisparents,MosesBerlingerandtheformerSarahGlantz,wereJews.TheynamedhimMendelBerlinger.Hewasoneoffivechildren.Oneday,Mendelputonsomeofhisparents'oldclothes.AlltheadultswhosawhimsaidhelookedlikeasmallversionofthefilmactorCharlieChaplin.Sozattheageoffiveyears,heentered-andwon-alocalChaplinlook-alikecompetition.Hebecameachildactorashorttimelater.Innineteenfourteen,heappearedinhisfirstfilmz"ThePerilsofPauline."Hewasjustsixyearsold.Thesameyear,heappearedwithCharlieChaplininanothermovie.VOICEONE:Mendelwasgivenachancetojoinavaudevilleact.VaudevillewasthemostpopularformofshowbusinessintheUnitedStatesintheearlynineteenhundreds.Vaudevilleshowspresentedshortplays,singers,comedianswhotoldjokes,andotheracts.SarahBerlingersupervisedherboy'sriseinshowbusiness.Shepushedhimtobeasuccess.MissusBerlingerattendedallofherson'sperformances.(SOUND:MiltonBerle)"Ireachedmillionsofpeople,whofortunatelycouldn'treachme.Therewasonelaughthatprojectedoutofthetopofthemall.Thatwasmymother.And,ifpeopledidn'tlaughthatsatnexttoher;sheusedtoshovethemwiththearmandsay,'Laughitup.That'smyson."'VOICETWO:Innineteentwenty-attheageoftwelve-MendelfirstappearedinashowonBroadwayinNewYorkCity.HeformedavaudevilleactwithagirlnamedElizabethKennedy.Later,heformedhisowngroup.Astheyearspassed,hisactimprovedandheworkedasasingleperformer.Bytheageofsixteen,hewasforcedtomakechanges.Hehadgrowntootalltobeachildactor.MendelBerlingerchangedhisnametoMiltonBerle.HebeganperformingatNewYork'sfamousPalaceTheaterinnineteenthirty-one.Hewastwenty-threeyearsold.Later,heappearedinseveralBroadwayshows,including"ZiegfeldFollies."VOICEONE:Earlyinhisadultlife,MiltonBerlewasmoderatelysuccessfulinmoviesandonradio.Hewasbetterknownasacomedianwhotoldjokesinnightclubshowsforadults.Hewasreportedtobeoneofthebest-paidperformersinthecountry.Yet,Berledidnotbecometrulyfamousuntilheappearedonthe"TexacoStarTheater"televisionprograminJune,nineteenforty-eight.ThreemonthsIatectheTexacoCompanyofferedhimapermanentpositionwiththeprogram.The"TexacoStarTheater"openedwithfourmenwholookedlikegasolinestationemployees.Theysangasongthatthecompanyusedtosellitsoilandgasolineproducts.(MUSIC:TexacoTheme)"0hzwe'rethemenofTexaco.WeworkfromMainetoMexico.There'snothinglikethisTexacoofours.Ourshowtonightispowerful.We'llwowyouwithanhour-fullofhowlsfromashowerfulofstars.We'rethemerryTexacomen.Tonightwemaybeshowmen.Tomorrow,wellbeservicingyourcars."VOICETWO:MiltonBerlewasaperformerwhowontheloveofacrowdbynotbeinglovable.Hedevelopedashowbusinesspersonalitythatwasfunnyryetnotalwayspleasant.Heactedaggressive,andoftenappearedtobeselfishoruncivilized.Sometimes,hegreetedpeoplewiththesayingz"Goodevening,ladiesandgerms."OnethingthatmadeBerle'stelevisionshowspopularwasthewayheappeared.Heknewhowtousefunnymovementsandclothingtomakepeoplelaugh.Hewoulddoanythingforalaugh.Hesometimesworewomen'sclothingandbeautyproducts.Inoneshow,heexplainedthathehadjustpaidhistaxes.Heworeonlyanemptywoodencontainer,whichsuggestedthatthegovernmenthadtakeneverything,includinghisclothes.VOICEONE:OthercomediansaccusedBerleofstealingtheirjokes.Yetmanyofthebest-knownperformersintheUnitedStatesappearedonthe"TexacoStarTheater."Likeanyvaudevilleshow,hisprogramalsoofferedamixofsingers,dancersandanimalacts.OneTuesdaynight,trainedelephantsappearedontheprogram.Theanimalsleftlargedroppingsonthefloor.Thiswasabigsurprisetothenextact-agroupofdancers.Berle'sprogramswerefilledwithlotsofenergy,aswehearinthisexample.(SOUND:TexacoStarTheater)TEXACOMEN:"Andnowladiesandgentlemen,introducingAmerica'snumberonetelevisionstar,whogetshisnoseintoeverybody'sact,yourCyranodeBergeraczMiltonBerle."BERLEinGoodevening,ladiesandgentlemen."(laughing)"Don'tIaughzlady.YouandIgotothesameplasticsurgeon."(laughing)"That'syourownnose.Ilikeit.It,smybasketballnose.Ijusthaditfixed."VOICETWO:MiltonBerlehadaweeklytelevisionseriesfromthelatenineteenfortiesintothemiddleofthenineteenfifties.Morethanonehundredshowscompetedonothernetworksagainsthisprogram.Theyallfailed.Duringoneperiod,fouroffiveAmericanswhowatchedtelevisiononTuesdaynightswatchedtheprogram.Innineteenfifty-one,Berlesignedalong-termagreementwithNBC,thenetworkthatprovidedhisprogramtotelevisionstationsacrossthecountry.Undertheagreement,NBCagreedtopayhimtwohundredthousanddollarsayearforthirtyyears,evenifhedidnotwork.VOICEONE:Berlewastiredfromperformingcountlessshows.Sohedemandedtherighttotakearestfromtheprogramoneweekineverymonth.Helatersaidthatdecisionprovedtobeamistake.Theprogrambegantoloseitspopularity.ThetasteoftheAmericanpublicwaschanging,andnewfunnyactsweredeveloping.Theprogramalsolostpopularitywhenanopposingnetworkaddedaseriesofreligioustalks.Berleleftweeklytelevisioninnineteenfifty-six.Inthelatenineteenfifties,heappearedinafewNBCshows,butthentheworkseemedtostop.VOICETWO:Berlereturnedtohisrootsasacomedianwhotoldjokes,mainlyatnightclubshows.Heappearedinplaysandmovies.Theyincluded,"Let'sMakeLove/'"It'saMadzMad,Mad,MadWorld/'and"BroadwayDannyRose."Healsomadeappearancesontelevision.MiltonBerlewasknownforhisworkwithnon-profitgroups.HeperformedforsoldiersduringWorldWarTwo.Heappearedinthousandsofshowsthathelpedtoraisemoneyfordifferentkindsoforganizations.Innineteenforty-nine,hehelpedtoorganizeatelevisionshowfortheDamonRunyonMemorialCancerFund.Itmayhavebeenthefirsttimethattelevisionwasusedtoraisemoneyforanon-profitgroup.BerlewasmarriedtwotimestoashowgirlnamedJoyceMatthews.Eachtime,theyagreedtoendtheirmarriage.Latehewasmarriedmorethanthirty-fiveyearstoanotherwoman,JoyceCosgrove.Aftershediedinnineteeneighty-nine,hemarriedLornaAdams.VOICEONE:Formanyyears,MiltonBerleremainedafunnymanlovedbyAmericans.Heproducedprojectsforseveralmedia,andcollectedawardsforhisworkintelevision.TheTelevisionAcademyHallofFameaddedhimasoneofitsmembers.Thestoryofhislifeledtothenineteenninety-twofilmz"MisterSaturdayNight."Healsowrotebooksofjokesandhismemories.MiltonBerlehadcoloncancer.HediedathisLosAngeleshomeonMarchtwenty-seventh,twothousandtwo.Hewasninety-threeyearsold.Hehadspentmorethaneighty-fiveyearsmakingpeoplelaugh.(MUSIC)VOICETWO:ThisSpecialEnglishprogramwaswrittenandproducedbyGeorgeGrow.I'mDougJohnson.VOICEONE:AndmMaryTillotson.JoinusagainnextweekforanotherPEOPLEINAMERICAprogramontheVoiceofAmerica.