VARIETY: THE SPICE OF THE NETWORK VARIETY SHOWS HIT IT BIG WITH MILTON BERLE, NBC'S - AND TV'S - FIRST HUGE STAR.

Byline: - Valerie Kuklenski

You wanted variety? NBC gave you variety - pratfalls, pies in the face, one-liners, rim shots from the orchestra, sketches that had the audiences and the stars roaring with laughter, Hit Parade singers, beautiful girls, and men dressed up like beautiful girls.

And that was just on Milton Berle's show.

``Texaco Star Theater'' producers in 1948 offered Berle as one of its guest hosts. The veteran of vaudeville and motion pictures had not been a major star on radio, but his very visual brand of humor was just what the TV audience wanted. He was the show's permanent host the following fall, defining the TV variety genre and earning his nickname, ``Mr. Television,'' with his astounding ratings. The show ran on NBC until 1959.

``The Dinah Shore Chevy Show'' (1956-63) offered a comfortable, folksy style and the star said goodbye each week with a big smacker of a blown kiss.

``The Perry Como Show'' (1948-63) showcased the ultra-mellow King of Easy Listening music.

On ``Sing Along With Mitch'' (1961-66), record exec Mitch Miller made clear his distaste for rock 'n' roll by dredging up familiar oldies and instructing viewers to ``follow the bouncing ball'' over the scrolling lyrics.

``The Dean Martin Show'' (1965-74) was one of the last to succeed in variety, with an hour show that had a rather substantial company of sketch players and a bevy of leggy dancers dubbed the Golddiggers. Martin often crooned beside - or on top of, or under - a grand piano, booze in hand.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) The late Milton Berle defined early comedy-variety with his ``Texaco Star Theater.''

(2 -- color) For nine seasons, the leggy Golddiggers welcomed viewers to their world on ``The Dean Martin Show.''