Jim J. Bullock Recalls Working with ‘A--hole’ Milton Berle on Hollywood Squares

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https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...155900365.html

‘The Hollywood Squares’ first premiered on NBC in 1966.

Tereza Shkurtaj, Mark Marino
Sat, July 18, 2026 at 8:59 AM PDT

NEED TO KNOW

• On July 10, 2026, Jim J. Bullock attended the Too Close for Comfort reunion panel at Fanboy Expo in Knoxville, Tenn.
  
• During the event, he shared a behind-the-scenes story about his uncomfortable experience working with Milton Berle on The Hollywood Squares
  
• Bullock also opened up about the planned comedy bit, his reaction to how it played out, and his lasting feelings about the legendary entertainer

Jim J. Bullock didn't hold back when reflecting on one of his least favorite memories from his early television career.

While attending the Fanboy Expo Knoxville Too Close for Comfort Reunion Panel on July 10 in Tennessee, the actor looked back on working alongside the late Milton Berle during an appearance on The Hollywood Squares.

"I don't want to say anything bad about the dead, but he was an a--hole," Bullock, 71, said.

Speaking on the panel, Bullock explained that the encounter occurred during one of his earliest appearances on The Hollywood Squares — a long-running game show where celebrity panelists occupied a giant tic-tac-toe board while contestants tried to match their answers.

At the time, Bullock was still a guest on the series and had not yet earned his own permanent square.

Recalling how the comedy bit was supposed to play out, Bullock said producers wanted him to climb into Berle's square while Berle held a pie. Bullock was meant to marvel at being beside the television legend before Berle smashed the pie in his face. However, before the cameras rolled, Bullock said the atmosphere changed dramatically.

According to Bullock, Berle made it clear he wanted complete control over the sketch.

"I just remember he was such a dick about. He was like, 'Kid, none of that gay s--- that you do. You follow exactly what I tell you to do, because I created this bit.' "

Looking back, Bullock admitted he "ignored every instinct" he had at the time because he assumed Berle's experience meant he "knew best."

While producers thought it would "be so uproariously funny," in the end, Bullock said the bit didn't land the way they had hoped.

"It was so tired and so old," Bullock told the panel. "I had to go back up to my square, literally with whipped cream dripping down on my shoulder and going into my underwear. And, yeah, I just...I didn't care for him."

The Hollywood Squares first premiered on NBC in 1966, and Berle was a frequent celebrity panelist across various decades. Its revival, The New Hollywood Squares, aired in 1986.

Bullock was a regular panelist and frequent guest host on the 1980s series.

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(response to unpleasant language in news article posted here: a reminder of a need for more people or creatures to learn to always be polite and considerate, along with a certain Biblical verse regarding unpleasant language)

Jim J. Bullock didn't hold back when reflecting on one of his least favorite memories from his early television career.

(note: unobjective (or opinionated) news writing quoted above)