Billy Crystal is reflecting on being slapped not once but twice by the late comedian Milton Berle. Despite things getting physical, Crystal reflected fondly on the comedian.
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Appearing on the The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Crystal opened up about Berle. He once was on a panel with him and Carl Reiner on the Tonight Starring Steve Allen.
"I sat in between the two of them, these two bookends, the giants of television," he said. "This was a man who sold more television sets — Milton was Mr. Television for a reason. He helped kill the movie business in the beginning because people stayed home to watch this new amazing thing called television."
Billy Crystal Reflects on Comedian
Berle decides to entertain the audience when production had camera issues.
"Milton Berle turns to me and says, 'Looks like I'm on,' " Crystal said. "He then asks for a — 'Give me a mic, give me a mic!' So, now he goes out in front of the audience and he does a bunch of time, and it's just hilarious, but weird."
"He's doing it, he's walking on his ankles, he's doing everything," he continued. 'And he finishes, comes back, we give him a standing ovation, and he looks at me, and he slaps me in the face."
That wasn't the last time the comedian slapped Crystal. He later saw him while Crystal was eating with comedian Alan King in Los Angeles. Berle approached the table doing a Jerry Lewis impression.
"Now, listen, your wife has left you, you're lonely, you've been drinking too much. Life is meaningless," Crysta said. "You're in a hotel all by yourself, right? You have to reach inside yourself, Bill."
"Just think about any loss in your life, any pain. You have to summon it and say, 'This really is sucky,' " he continued. "And then he got up and he slapped me in the face again. He hipped me into the ground."
