Milton Berle,: An Autobiography, with Haskel Frankel

I have this set aside for winter reading. I did some skimming and it looks like fun. Fine service

This bio was actually written years ago. It is entertaining and expresses the wishes of its subject and the style that was most accepted at the time for publishing purposes. If you are interested in a biography of legend Milton Berle from another perspective, his son Billy's, pick up a copy of My Father, Uncle Miltie. You will be treated to an insider's view of Milton's life as well as the entertainment industry. However, the Frankel book is nonetheless a good read, but My Father, Uncle Miltie shows more of the man.

I bet you think you know Uncle Milty. I bet you think Uncle Milty was funny. I bet you think Uncle Milty only wore woman's clothes when he was on stage. I bet you think he was endowed with what looked like a catfish with an apple in its mouth. I don't begrudge Milton. He had a great career and was funny for his era -- but I do not think it would work today. Not that cross-dressing doesn't still work (Tyler Perry is a genius) but his jokes were unnuanced and flat when compared with today's hyper-genius standups like: Carlos Mencia, Dennis Leary, Colin Quinn, Jackie Martling, Jim Belushi, Gallagher, Jeff Foxworthy, Dustin Diamond, Norm Crosby and Sally Field in "Punchline."

Although the publishers try to pump up this book as being extremely racy, I found Berle's descriptions of his sexual exploits hilarious. I'm not justifying having children out of wedlock, but the man was very funny.But the story of Milton Berle's life is also touching and full of real affection for his family and friends. He either lived with or was in close contact with his mother (the original stage mother!) on a daily basis, and even made it into a record book for doing just that. His description of his mystical visits with her after her death was charming.Eventually, Berle settled down with a down-to-earth woman, to whom he stayed married until his death. He was very proud of her. While he and many other entertainers were either 4F or doing entertainment duties during the war, she was a veteran.This book is also insightful into the history of stand-up comedy. Theft of material was rampant, and Berle was famous for being one of the most thieving. He was proud of it, but justifies it by proving that lots of others did it, too, and that his material was also stolen.This was a fun autobiography, and I recommend it. I also recommend A Dreadful Man, which is a biography of George Sanders based on letters from his last wife.

Lemme tell ya, this book deserves 5 stars just for Uncle Miltie's graphic depiction of his steamy affair with evangelist Aimee Semple MacPherson ... not to mention a ton of other raunchy Hollywood gossip. Way to go, Milt! Let me know when you're available ...