Sunday, November 1, 2015

Racist Batman Sketch With Green Hornet & Kato


Milton Berle was the hottest thing on the tube in the early fifties but TV audiences cooled to him quickly. Fortunately, he had negotiated a 'pay or play' contract with NBC for one million dollars a year; an exclusive, unprecedented 30-year deal.

In 1966 rival network ABC gave the comic an hour in primetime for one stinkeroo of a variety show. Problem was, no one thought Berle was a funny as Berle thought he was. So he lazily fell back on outlandish costumes and blatant stereotypes for laughs - as he does in this lame skit with guests Adam West (Batman), Van Williams (Green Hornet) and Bruce Lee (Kato).



Milton Berle had been previously seen with the Dynamic Duo on the ABC Fall Preview Show in 1966 and would later appear as a villain on Batman, Louie the Lilac.

Classic TV at TVparty!