By Jeffrey Catalano
Assistant Editor
On Thursday, January 15, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., the Mayerson JCC will be hosting the virtual event, “From Milton Berle to David Letterman: A History of TV Comedy. This fun and immersive program promises to entertain as well as educate.
This virtual event will be led by Brain Rose, who taught at Fordham University in New York for nearly forty years. He’s now a Professor Emeritus, and his former department in academia was Communications and Media studies. He’s an expert in the field of entertainment, and has written a number of books on television history.
In “From Milton Berle to David Letterman: A History of TV Comedy,” participants will learn how, from the earliest days of television, one of the main goals of TV programing was to make audiences laugh. When hit radio programs like sitcoms and variety shows began to migrate to TV in the late 1940s, making people laugh became one of television’s top priorities.
As TV began to boom, it gave birth to its own, enduring creation: the late-night comedy talk show. The late night talk show, beloved by many for generations now, helped revolutionize TV comedy, and remains a staple of television today.
In “From Milton Berle to David Letterman: A History of TV Comedy,” Brian Rose will tackle the storied career of television comedy, talking about icons like Milton Berle and David Letterman at length. If you’ve ever been curious about how the landscape of TV comedy became what it is today, this event almost certainly appeals to you.
Milton Berle was the first major American television star, known to millions of viewers as “Uncle Miltie” and “Mr. Television.” He was also a major part of television’s first Golden Age.
David Letterman, as many know, was the host of “Late Night with David Letterman” and the “Late Show with David Letterman.” Next to Johnny Carson, he’s considered one of the greatest talk show hosts and a trailblazer of TV comedy.
Berle, Letterman and more will be analyzed in-depth at this informative event.
