Milton Berle Movies

Irrepressible kiddie-sitcom icons Kenan and Kel ( Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell) are the whole show in this made-for-cable comedy, described by one dim viewer as "Sleepy Hollow for idiots." Vacationing in New England with Kenan's family, our two heroes are stranded in the middle of nowhere when the car breaks down. Offering to go to the nearest village for help, K & K find that the locals are held in the terrifying thrall of the legendary Headless Knight. In the fine tradition of Abbott and Costello, the boys vow to overcome their own fears and take on the ghostly knight--before he manages to claim their heads (empty though they may be) for his collection. The great Milton Berle makes his final acting appearance in this film, which may or may not say something about the evolution of TV comedy since the heyday of "Uncle Miltie". Two Heads Are Better Than None made its Nickelodeon service debut on July 15, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This somewhat offbeat 30-minute cartoon special was originally part of Cinar's The Real Story of... anthology, wherein the histories of such popular songs as "O Christmas Tree" and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" were recounted in a highly fanciful fashion. On this occasion, Milton Berle provides the voice of the evil Prince of Darkness, who despises sunlight and especially moonlight. Hoping to plunge the world into eternal night, the Prince casts a spell over Pierrot, guardian of the moon, sending the poor fellow into a deep, deep slumber. Pierrot's pal, Marvin, realizes that the only person who can save Pierrot and restore the moonlight is a young boy named Jamie -- who, alas, is so scared of the dark that he dares not venture from his home. First seen on Canadian television, Au Clair de la Lune made its U.S. cable bow via the HBO service on January 15, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The big news during The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's fourth season is the arrival of new cast member Daphne Maxwell Reid, replacing Janet Hubert-Whitten in the role of Vivian Banks, the wealthy but down-to-earth aunt of wise-guy West Philly transplant Will Smith (Will Smith). Otherwise, the rest of the main cast is pretty much the same, with Will continuing to enrich and sometimes complicate the lives of his rich Bel-Air relatives, including Vivian's lawyer husband Philip (James Avery), their mild-mannered son Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro), their trend-conscious daughters, Hilary (Karyn Parsons) and Ashley (Tatyana M. Ali), and their new baby son Nicholas (who would grow up real fast within the next year or so). Also on hand, as ever, is the Banks family's devastatingly sardonic butler Geoffrey (Joseph Marcell). It is during this season that Will and Carlton graduate from high school and begin attending the University of Los Angeles. To celebrate their "independence," the boys move into their new pad -- which turns out to be the pool house on the Banks family's Bel-Air estate. In another development, Will is reunited with his ex-girlfriend from West Philadelphia, Jackie Ames (Tyra Banks). An unusually high number of guest stars grace this season. Among them are Hugh Hefner in the episode "Fresh Prince After Dark," Branford Marsalis in "Sleepless in Bel-Air" and "Stop Will in the Name of Love," Robert Guillaume in "You'd Better Shop Around," Pam Grier in "M Is for the Many Things She Gave Me," Ben Vereen (as Will's long-missing father) in "Papa's Got a Brand-New Excuse," Donald Trump in "For Sale By Owner," and Dick Clark in "The Philadelphia Story." Though the last-named episode was originally intended as the series finale with Will leaving Bel-Air and returning home to Philadelphia, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was renewed for a fifth season at the very last moment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Happy Birthday, Bugs: 50 Looney Years is a television special celebrating 50 years of Bugs Bunny cartoons, complete with testimonials from various celebrities and a terrific end-piece "50 Years of Bugs in 3 Minutes," which features a manic collection of highlights compiled by Academy Award-winner Chuck Workman (he won for his animated short, Precious Images). ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Three giants of early television--Milton Berle, Sid Caesar and Danny Thomas--combine their talents in the made-for-TV Side by Side. Berle and Caesar play a couple of 65-year-olds who've just been forcibly retired; Thomas portrays a widower, who's been aimless and lethargic since the death of his wife. The trio gains a new lease on life when they team up to manufacture a line of clothing exclusively designed for senior citizens. Their zeal intensifies when Berle's old boss Richard Klein spitefully develops a rival wardrobe line. Marjorie Lord, who'd played Danny Thomas' wife on TV in the late 1950s and early 1960s, is here cast as Sid Caesar's spouse. Side By Side first aired on March 6, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Milton Berle hosts this look at the world of drag-queens and female impersonators, courtesy of La Cage. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

This entertaining video features Fozzie Bear and his scrapbook. Find out why he is the first bear of comedy! ~ All Movie Guide

Based on Dick Goldberg's play, the made-for-TV Family Business stars Milton Berle as wealthy, truculent and dying toy manufacturer Isaiah Stern. Once more Stern has gathered together his grown sons to once more revise his will. Three of the four boys are used to these idiosyncratic changes, and have come to accept them: the fourth son (David Rosenbaum), a married psychologist, is heavily in debt and doesn't like his thin share of the pie, which sparks the play's second act confrontation. The remaining sons, for the record, are a bachelor who runs the family store (Richard Greene), an indecisive sort who still lives at home (David Garfield), and daddy's favorite, a closet homosexual (Jeffrey Marcus). Milton Berle, whose skills as a straight actor should be a "given" by now, is as brilliant as ever in this 1983 PBS American Playhouse presentation. Also in the cast is Brian Benben, billed curiously as Ben-Ben. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Narrated by Milton Berle, Hey Abbott! is a compilation of highlights from Abbott & Costello's numerous television programs. Includes routines like "Who's on First," "The Birthday Party," "Floogle Street" and "Oyster Stew." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide