 The Texaco Star Theatre was one of the most popular shows in the history of television. In the first year, Milton Berle was not the permanent emcee, but once he replaced the rotation, the show soared to ratings dominance (Number One in 1950-51), NBC dominated Tuesday night, and Berle became the first great star of the new medium, "Mr. Television". The basic format was modeled after a vaudeville variety hour, spotlighting Berle s jokes, sight gags, and costumes.