Texaco Star Theater (comedy-variety, hosted by Milton Berle)
(NBC Primetime, 1948 - 1953)
[aka: "The Milton Berle Show";
The first mega-hit TV show, which caused sales of TV sets to
take off, proving that television was not just a passing fad...
derived from a radio show of the same name on NBC and CBS from
1932 - 1948 which featured hosts other than Berle sponsored by
the Texaco Oil Company.
This is the FIRST of 4 comedy-variety shows which were hosted
by Milton Berle (known as "Mr. Television" because of the way
his first show caught the public's imagination and influenced
the growth of the medium in the late 1940s and early 1950s);
Although we may remember "Uncle Miltie" as being the first big
comedy TV star, he had a 13-year career on network radio that
began a dozen years before his first TV series -- his radio
series was heard from 1936 - 1949; And a fact that not many
people know was that he was supposedly the first person ever
seen on a US TV transmission of an "all-electronic system" as
opposed to a mechanical TV system; This was an experiment that
took place in 1928. (Lights for television in those days were
so hot that they used a toy "Felix the Cat" figurine most of
the time instead of a real person for testing the RCA-Victor
system...but somehow Milton withstood the heat, and went on
to the bright lights of fame some 20 years later on TV.)
His SECOND series was the "The Buick-Berle Show" (NBC, 1953-56),
which see...
The THIRD was "Milton Berle Starring in The Kraft Music Hall"
(NBC, 1958-59), which see...and
The FOURTH series was "The Milton Berle Show" (ABC, 1966-67)
which got slaughtered in the ratings by The Man From U.N.C.L.E.]
Open Theme 1: "We Are The Men of Texaco"
[Texaco Oil Co. jingle, used as an opening,
aka: "The Texaco T.V. Star Theatre Theme Song",
aka: "The Texaco Star Theme".
NOTE: Although written in the late 1940's, the registration below for
the TV version of this jingle wasn't filed until April of 1976.]
Composers: music by Bernard ("Buddy") Arnold (ASCAP), and
words by Heywood ("Woody") Kling (ASCAP)
1978 Publishers: B. Arnold and H. Kling (ASCAP)
1998 Publishers: Milbud Music (ASCAP)
of Los Angeles, CA; and
Heywood Kling Publisher (ASCAP)
of Los Angeles, CA
[Registered under the following title --
"We Are The Men of Texaco; or, The
Texaco T.V. Star Theatre Theme Song"]:
Copyright Date: April 23, 1976; EU 672 692.
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
CD - "TeeVee Toons: The Commercials"
TVT Records TVT 1400 CD (1989)
Open Theme 2: "Texaco Opening / Allen Roth"
[New Copyright application states "portions derived from
the 'Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2' by Franz Liszt"; also references
"We Are the Men of Texaco", aka "Texaco Star Theatre T.V.
Theme Song", listed above...]
Composer: Franz Liszt (predates ASCAP & BMI), and
Adapter: Allen Roth (not affiliated)
Orig. Publisher/Claimant: Texaco, Inc.
1998 Publisher: [no publisher listed in ASCAP or BMI]
Original Version Creation Date: 1948
[new words, some music]:
Revision Copyright Date: July 10, 1981, PAu-359-618.
Revision Renewal Date:
Recordings:
Close Theme 3: "Near You"
[a 1947 pop song, which became Milton Berle's signature theme,
for many years to come.]
Composers: music by Francis Craig (ASCAP), with
lyric by Kermit Goell (ASCAP)
1978 Publisher: Supreme Music Corp. (ASCAP)
1998 Publisher: Warner Bros., Inc. (ASCAP)
(Warner Bros Music Division)
c/o Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., of
Los Angeles, CA
Copyright Date: (1947, on sheet music)
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
78 and 45rpm singles by
Francis Craig and his Orchestra, with
vocal chorus by Bob Lamm
(78rpm) Bullet 1001
(45rpm) Dot 45-16038 (1947)
(45rpm) MCA 2710
New Sponsor Logo Theme 4: "New Corporate
Logos (Texaco)"
[above is the title as listed in the 2001 ASCAP ACE
Repertoire Database; apparently these were variations
on a short phrase used as an introduction to the show]
Composer: William Strickland (ASCAP)
1978 Publisher: [not listed in the 1978 ASCAP Index
of Performed Compositions]
2001 Publisher: [listed without publisher in the 2001
ASCAP ACE Repertoire Database]
Copyright Date:
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
New Main Theme 5: "Star Theater (Op/Cl
Theme)"
[above is the title as listed in the 2001 ASCAP ACE
Repertoire Database; most likely this is a new arrangement
of the New Sponsor Logo #4 above in combination with other
THEMEs for the show...arranged by Roy Eaton]
Composers: William Strickland (ASCAP) and
Roy Felix Eaton (ASCAP/BMI)
1978 Publisher: [not listed in the 1978 ASCAP Index
of Performed Compositions]
2001 Publisher: Rhahm Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
of Roosevelt Island, NY
Copyright Date:
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
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