Edgar Allen
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Edgar Bergen Was An Old Time Radio Hit
While the idea that a successful Old Time Radio show featuring a ventriloquist sounds a bit out of the box, it turns out that the Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show was a success nonetheless. This was in large part due to the comedic timing and talent of Edgar Bergen.
Bergen was born in 1903 and learned the art of ventriloquism at a young age. Edgar commissioned the creation of a dummy from a local craftsman and gave him the name Charlie McCarthy.
So, the duo Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy started playing at local talent skits while Bergen studied at college. Soon after, he left school to pursue a full-time career as a performer.
His show really took off in the 1930s, with performances across Europe and South America, as well as New York. But eventually he found that vaudeville lost popularity due to new forms of media, film and radio.
By 1936 Edger and Charlie could be heard on NBC's Royal Gelatin Hour. He became a great radio celebrity thanks to his own humor, despite the odd fact that he was a ventriloquist on the radio.
The Edgar and Charlie Show soon followed on NBC in 1937, which was a ratings hit. The show was so popular that it ran until 1956, though it did change networks once.
In the first year of the show, Bergen was involved in a controversy while performing the Mae West "Adam and Eve" skit. By 1938 the FCC got involved, and this was due to the remarks that were made by him, which were generally accepted to have been unnecessary. Ratings and popularity soon returned to highs once the controversy fully passed, and the old time radio shows were back on top.
In the coming years, Edgar would bring more characters to his act, each one essentially being a dummy. Even though it may seem that ventriloquism would be heavily reliant on visuals and appearances, te show still managed to be very successful on the radio. Television appearances were few and far between for Edgar Bergen.
Charlie was soon donated to the Smithsonian following Bergen's decision to retire in 1978. A week later he passed away after performing in a show with Andy Williams.
Today, Charlie along with two other puppets are on display at the Radio Hall of Fame and Museum in Chicago. The Radio Hall of Fame officially welcomed Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy in 1990.
Edgar Allan Poe: The Raven (Narrated by Christopher Walken)