MILTON BERLE, AGE 93, DIES:

MILTON BERLE, AGE 93, DIES: The Washington Post is reporting that Milton Berle, “the acerbic, cigar-smoking vaudevillian who eagerly embraced a new medium and became “Mr. Television” in the dawn of the video age, died Wednesday, a spokesman said. He was 93.

“He was responsible for the television set in your home today,” [publicist Warren Cowan] said. “He put television on the map.”

“Uncle Miltie” was the king of Tuesday nights, and store owners put up signs: “Closed tonight to watch Milton Berle.” The program’s popularity spurred sales of television sets and helped make the new technology a medium for the masses.