Classic Comedy: Milton Berle Duels In One-Liners With Henny Youngman And Muppets

Oh, the old days of classic comedy.  And among the best of the best Jewish comedians were Milton Berle and Henny Youngman, king of the one-liners.

Back in 1965, when Berle was a guest host on the ABC TV show Hollywood Palace, he engaged in a four minute long one-liner verbal duel with Youngman, who was positioned in a balcony box.  We came across this rare treasure in an amazingly high quality video clip from that era.

It's funny what you can find surfing YouTube.  We also disovered another Berle one-liner duel, this time with the Muppets' grouchy old men, Statler and Waldorf, similarly positioned in a balcony box.  

We don't know the exact date, but it had to be at least 11 years later because The Muppet Show didn't debut until 1976.  But it seemed obvious to us where the Muppets got the idea for a one-liner duel with Berle, and maybe also the idea for a pair of grouchy hecklers launching their verbal missiles toward the stage.

Take a look at both videos and see if you agree.  Enjoy!