History Creator / EdgarBergen

Self-taught from the age of 11, Bergen became a professional performer as a teenager, complete with commissioning a professional woodcarver to create his most famous dummy, [=Charlie McCarthy=]. He went on to become a popular star on {{Vaudeville}} and in film shorts, before landing a regular engagement (on a recommendation from Creator/NoelCoward) at the upscale Manhattan restaurant the Rainbow Room. There, he attracted the attention of a couple of Creator/{{NBC}} radio producers, who booked him an appearance on Rudy Vallée's popular variety program ''The Royal Gelatin Hour'' in 1936.

* SitcomArchNemesis: Creator/WCFields served as one to Charlie on ''The Chase & Sanborn Hour'', with the two of them VolleyingInsults each week. This carried over into the 1939 film ''You Can't Cheat an Honest Man''.

* SitcomArchNemesis: Creator/WCFields served as one to Charlie on ''The Chase & Sanborn Hour'', which carried over into the 1939 film ''You Can't Cheat an Honest Man''.

* HighClassGlass: Charlie [=McCarthy=] sported a monocle along with his trademark formal attire and top hat.

* HighClassGlass: Charlie [=McCarthy=] sported a monocle along with his trademark morning suit and top hat.

That appearance turned out so well that the following year he became the headline act on ''The Chase & Sanborn Hour'', which soon proved a top-rated series for the network. The admittedly strange circumstance of a ventriloquist performing on the non-visual medium of radio was easily countered by Bergen's flair for voicing comedic characters that could get away with the kind of moderately risqué gags which got other performers banned in that era. (In fact, the program was such a ratings powerhouse that Creator/OrsonWelles's competing series on Creator/{{CBS}}, ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', had to be sustained at network expense without sponsorship for months until its classic radio adaptation of ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds''--and the infamous mass panic it supposedly produced--boosted its profile.) Bergen continued on the series (later cut to a half-hour and retitled ''The Chase & Sanborn Program'') through 1948, then went over to CBS and ''The Charlie [=McCarthy=] Show'' from 1949–56.

Self-taught from the age of 11, Bergen became a professional performer as a teenager, complete with commissioning a professional woodcarver to create his most famous dummy, [=Charlie McCarthy=]. He went on to become a popular star on {{Vaudeville}} and in film shorts, before landing a regular engagement (on a recommendation from Creator/NoelCoward) at the upscale Manhattan restaurant the Rainbow Room. There, Bergen attracted the attention of a couple of Creator/{{NBC}} radio producers, who booked him an appearance on Rudy Vallée's popular variety program ''The Royal Gelatin Hour'' in 1936.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/RankinBassProductions approached Bergen in the 1960s about creating a weekly StopMotion animated series starring him and his dummies, and even produced an unaired {{pilot}} episode, but health problems ultimately prevented Bergen from committing.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/RankinBassProductions approached Bergen in the 1960s about creating a weekly StopMotion animated series starring him and his puppets, and even produced an unaired {{pilot}} episode, but health problems ultimately prevented Bergen from committing.

Edgar John Bergen (February 16, 1903 – September 30, 1978) was an American entertainer, and easily the most famous [[{{Ventriloquism}} ventriloquist]] of the 20th century.

That appearance turned out so well that the following year he became the headline act on ''The Chase & Sanborn Hour'', which soon proved a top-rated series for the network. The admittedly unusual circumstance of a ventriloquist performing on the non-visual medium of radio was easily countered by Bergen's flair for voicing comedic characters that could get away with the kind of moderately risqué gags which got other performers banned in that era. (In fact, the program was such a ratings powerhouse that Creator/OrsonWelles's competing series on Creator/{{CBS}}, ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', had to be sustained at network expense without sponsorship for months until its classic radio adaptation of ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds''--and the infamous mass panic it supposedly produced--boosted its profile.) Bergen continued on the series (later cut to a half-hour and retitled ''The Chase & Sanborn Program'') through 1948, then went over to CBS and ''The Charlie [=McCarthy=] Show'' from 1949–56.

Self-taught from the age of 11, Bergen became a professional performer as a teenager, complete with commissioning a professional woodcarver to create his most famous dummy, [=Charlie McCarthy=]. He went on to become a popular star on {{Vaudeville}} and in film shorts before landing a regular engagement (on a recommendation from Creator/NoelCoward) at the upscale Manhattan restaurant the Rainbow Room. There, Bergen attracted the attention of a couple of Creator/{{NBC}} radio producers, who booked him an appearance on Rudy Vallée's popular variety program ''The Royal Gelatin Hour'' in 1936.

Self-taught from the age of 11, Bergen became a professional performer as a teenager, complete with commissioning a professional woodcarver to create his most famous character, [=Charlie McCarthy=]. He went on to become a star on {{Vaudeville}} and in film shorts before landing a regular engagement (on a recommendation from Creator/NoelCoward) at the upscale Manhattan restaurant the Rainbow Room. There, Bergen attracted the attention of a couple of Creator/{{NBC}} radio producers, who booked him an appearance on Rudy Vallée's popular variety program ''The Royal Gelatin Hour'' in 1936.

That appearance turned out so well that the following year Bergen became the headline act on ''The Chase & Sanborn Hour'', which proved a top-rated series for the network. The admittedly unusual circumstance of a ventriloquist performing on the non-visual medium of radio was easily countered by Bergen's flair for playing comic characters that could get away with the kind of moderately risqué gags which got other performers banned in that era. (In fact, the show was such a ratings powerhouse that Creator/OrsonWelles's competing series on Creator/{{CBS}}, ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', had to be sustained at network expense without sponsorship for months until its classic radio adaptation of ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' led to the infamous mass panic that boosted its profile.) Bergen continued on the series (later cut to a half-hour and retitled ''The Chase & Sanborn Program'') through 1948, then moved over to CBS and ''The Charlie [=McCarthy=] Show'' from 1949–56.

That appearance turned out so well that the following year Bergen became the headline act on ''The Chase & Sanborn Hour'', which proved a top-rated series for the network. The admittedly unusual circumstance of a ventriloquist performing on the nonvisual medium of radio was easily countered by Bergen's flair for playing comic characters that could get away with the kind of moderately risqué gags which got other performers banned in that era. (In fact, the show was such a ratings powerhouse that Creator/OrsonWelles's competing series on Creator/{{CBS}}, ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', had to be sustained at network expense without sponsorship for months until its classic radio adaptation of ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' led to the infamous mass panic that boosted its profile.) Bergen continued on the series (later cut to a half-hour and retitled ''The Chase & Sanborn Program'') through 1948, then moved over to CBS and ''The Charlie [=McCarthy=] Show'' from 1949–56.

* VirtualCelebrity: Despite being a character created by Edgar Bergen, Charlie [=McCarthy=] existed in the same space as other celebrities of his era. Not only did he interact with other radio personalities as if he were also a real person, but he was [[CharacterAsHimself credited as himself]] in films and there were magazine articles describing his activities just with like any other celebrity. Some people who heard him on the radio didn't even realize he was a wooden dummy!

* WTHCastingAgency: A radio show... headlined by a ''ventriloquist''? Nonetheless, it was a smash hit.

That appearance turned out so well that the following year Bergen became the headline act on ''The Chase & Sanborn Hour'', which proved a top-rated series for the network. The admittedly unusual circumstance of a ventriloquist performing on the nonvisual medium of radio was easily countered by Bergen's flair for playing comic characters that could get away with the kind of moderately risqué gags which got other performers banned in that era. (In fact, the show was such a ratings powerhouse that Creator/OrsonWelles's competing series on Creator/{{CBS}}, ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', had to be sustained at network expense without sponsorship for months until its classic radio adaptation of "Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds" led to the infamous mass panic that boosted its profile.) Bergen continued on the series (later cut to a half-hour and retitled ''The Chase & Sanborn Program'') through 1948, then moved over to CBS and ''The Charlie [=McCarthy=] Show'' from 1949–56.

* SelfDeprecation: Bergen knew very well that he was not the most skilled ventriloquist around, and his Charlie [=McCarthy=] often jabbed that he could see Edgar's lips moving.

* HighClassGlass: Charlie [=McCarthy=] sported one of these, along with his trademark morning suit and top hat.

* CountryMouse: Mortimer Snerd, whose hayseed clothes, buck teeth, and simple-mindedness contrasted with Charlie [=McCarthy=]'s tuxedo and lively wit.

That appearance turned out so well that the following year Bergen became the headline act on ''The Chase & Sanborn Hour'', which proved a top-rated series for the network. The admittedly odd circumstance of a ventriloquist performing on the non-visual medium of radio was easily countered by Bergen's flair for playing comic characters who could get away with the kind of moderately risqué gags that got other performers banned in that era. (In fact, the show was such a ratings powerhouse that Creator/OrsonWelles's competing series on Creator/{{CBS}}, ''Radio/TheMercuryTheatreOnTheAir'', had to be sustained at network expense without sponsorship for months until its classic radio adaptation of "Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds" led to the infamous mass panic that boosted its profile.) Bergen continued on the series (later cut to a half-hour and retitled ''The Chase & Sanborn Program'') through 1948, then moved over to CBS and ''The Charlie [=McCarthy=] Show'' from 1949–56.