Voting Station

Texaco Star Theater

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TV Series

The Resume

    (June 8, 1948-May 6, 1956)
    Variety show on NBC
    Regulars included Milton Frome, Ruth Gilbert, Irving Benson, Fatso Marco, Bobby Sherwood and Arnold Stang
    Hosted by Milton Berle

Why Texaco Star Theater might be annoying:

    It frequently featured Texaco propaganda, showing their employees as guardian angels doing good deeds for the local white community.
    The shows opening theme implied that the entertainers you saw could be working on your car at any moment.
    Because of the show, Milton Berle was left over-exposed and burnt-out.
    Its humor is extremely dated.
    The network, thinking Berle was going to be popular forever, signed him to a $6 million 30-year contract without knowing the staying power of TV comedians.
    Berle's persona on the show as a fun-loving 'Uncle Miltie' was completely different from the asshole many reported him as being.
    It was a haven for stolen gags from other comedians.
    The show's motto must have been, 'When all else fails, show Milton in drag.'
    Texaco dropped its sponsorship and the title was bought by Buick as the 'Buick-Berle Hour.'
    The show was revived in 1966 and it failed to attract any viewers.
    Most movie stars would not do the show, as they saw television as beneath them.
    Since it was filmed live, there were many goofs.

Why Texaco Star Theater might not be annoying:

    It was first huge hit on television.
    It made Milton Berle the first television star, earning him the nickname 'Mr. Television.'
    Four out of five TV-owning houses tuned in to his show every Tuesday.
    The show so badly cut into movie theater revenues on Tuesday nights. Theaters would offer premiums on Tuesday night, like free dishes to their patrons.
    Unlike other early television shows, it had lavish production values and treated its audience to a wide variety of entertainment.
    Many cite it as the reason working class families started buying televisions.
    Before it went on the air, only 50,000 TV sets had been sold nationwide. By the time it left the airwaves, the number inflated to over 30 million.
    It lead a revival in vaudevillian comedy.

Credit: Captain Howdy


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 28 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 16 Votes: 18.75% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 16 Votes: 43.75% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 12 Votes: 41.67% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 12 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 23 Votes: 30.43% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 21 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 32 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 53 Votes: 56.60% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 104 Votes: 46.15% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 81 Votes: 44.44% Annoying