BILLY CRYSTAL SAYS COMEDY LEGEND MILTON BERLE SLAPPED HIM IN THE FACE TWICE DURING WILD ENCOUNTERS. (PHOTO).

 Billy Crystal says comedy legend Milton Berle slapped him in the face twice during wild encounters

Billy Crystal recently recalled two unforgettable encounters with comedy legend Milton Berle, both of which ended with him being slapped. 

Speaking with Stephen Colbert, Crystal explained that during a taping of Steve Allen’s show, he sat between Berle and Carl Reiner. 

When technical issues paused the recording, Berle seized the moment to entertain the audience with his trademark antics. 

After receiving a standing ovation, Berle returned to his seat and unexpectedly smacked Crystal, telling him he needed to be “hipped into the ground.”

A couple of weeks later, Crystal ran into Berle again at Spago in Los Angeles while dining with comedian Alan King. Berle, seated nearby, spent the evening making faces and gestures at Crystal before approaching their table. 

He then performed a hilarious impression of Jerry Lewis directing a movie, which left Crystal in stitches. 

Once again, Berle capped off the bit by slapping him across the face, reinforcing his eccentric way of “teaching” comedy.

Crystal also remembered Berle’s antics during his televised 90th birthday celebration in 1998, where Berle kissed him on the lips mid-performance and joked that Crystal was a “lousy straight man.” Known as “Mr. Television,” Berle had a reputation for stealing jokes, which Crystal playfully referenced during the event. 

Despite the slaps and surprises, Crystal’s stories highlight Berle’s unpredictable humor and the larger-than-life personality that made him a pioneer of early television comedy.