I first remember seeing Edgar Bergen on television as a guest on various shows - I couldn't tell you which ones, but I know his guest appearances were fairly frequent.
And then I remember him as the original host on Do You Trust Your Wife? which later became Who Do You Trust? When the show changed titles it also changed hosts, and a very young and unknown Johnny Carson took over and replaced Charlie McCarthy with Ed McMahon.
As a kid I didn't think Bergen was all that great a ventriloquist because I could see his mouth moving when he was talking for his dummies. That was when I was young and didn't get how talented this guy really was.
He was a great ventriloquist for radio, which, by the way, was pretty ground breaking in the 1930s when Bergen's old radio show became a smash hit. Think about it - putting a ventriloquist on the radio?
As the years passed, I took on a whole new appreciation for Edgar Bergen's genius.
His was not a kid's act. His routines were not designed for a child's birthday party or a Saturday morning show. His bits were smart and sophisticated, sassy, and, at times, even a bit ... shall we say, risqué?
He had great chemistry with his characters. Bergen appeared as the mild, almost timid father figure to Charlie's witty, sarcastic, rebellious "son." Their exchanges would fire past you like lasers with Bergen going in and out of Charlie's voice at an amazing clip.
It's no wonder many in the radio audience back then thought Charlie was a real boy.
And who can forget Mortimer Snerd? What a great alter-ego to Charlie.
Mortimer was gracious and funny and completely innocent. He knew he was stupid, but because he was stupid, he didn't care. Unlike the sarcastic Charlie, he never said an unkind word to anyone.
When I was a kid Mortimer was my favorite because he was more of a cartoon character.
I still love to listen to the Bergen and McCarthy old radio shows, especially when, as the show's second segment is introduced, Mortimer's theme music comes on. The audience breaks into applause and you can hear them laughing as (obviously) Mortimer is ushered onto the stage.
Bergen made a splash on radio after being introduced on The Rudy Vallee Show in the early 30s. Edgar had his own show for many years thereafter, and it became fashionable for the stars of the era to want to appear on the show and trade barbs with Charlie.
Perhaps the most famous adversary of Charlie was W.C. Fields who referred to Charlie as the son of a gate-leg table and the after thought of a woodpecker.
Another famous (or infamous) bit on The Edgar Bergen Show involved an appearance by Mae West in 1939. West played Eve in the Garden of Eden --- however she played our original mother with the famous Mae West spin and the appearance got her banned from radio and almost cost Bergen his job with Chase and Sanborn, his long time sponsors.
In fact, you can hear all of these shows on my blog -- including a very interesting late-in-her-life interview Mae West gave to Frank Bresee, the living legend of old time radio. Frank can still be heard live on Yesterday USA, a non-profit internet radio station that plays commercial free old time radio shows 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Bob Bro has a collection of over 7,000 old time radio shows. He shares his passion on his blog: http://theoldtimeradioshow.com, where he invites you to drop in anytime and listen to some of his favorite great old radio shows, including Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy! You can also hear Bob on his daily one hour radio show onYesterday USA.
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