In his four-hour interview, Milton Berle (1908-2002) fondly recalls "Mama Berle" and her influence on his early career when he started performing as a child in vaudeville. He discusses how his vaudeville background prepared him for television, talks extensively about the success ofTexaco Star Theater, and reveals how he earned the moniker "Uncle Miltie." He speaks of the challenges of performing live and creating fresh material each week, and openly discusses his reputation as a "perfectionist" and the legendary rumor that he stole jokes from others. Dan Pasternack conducted the interview on June 11, 1996 in Los Angeles, CA.

"One Tuesday night, we had four minutes to go and I had to stall. I had to start ad-libbing. I said, 'I want to thank you, especially the boys and girls, and my little nephews and nieces that are watching, this is your Uncle Miltie saying good night.' I said it once. The next day, I went to Boston and pass two hardhat workers. One of them said, 'Hi, Uncle Miltie!' First person that ever called me Uncle Miltie. I told this story to my mother. She said, 'That's a very good moniker for you.' From then on, I said, 'Uncle Miltie.'"