Background
Edgar Bergen was born Edgar John Berggren on February 16, 1903, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, one of five children of John Berggren, a factory worker, and Nellie Swanson, who had emigrated from Sweden.
( Charlie is going to meet his French pen pal. Mortimer S...)
Charlie is going to meet his French pen pal. Mortimer Snerd tries to remember the months of the year. Guest Charles Boyer is going to be Charlie's interpreter as he romances his French friend.
https://www.amazon.com/Edgar-Bergen-Charlie-McCarthy-Guest/dp/B00RKLNVB2?SubscriptionId=AKIAJRRWTH346WSPOAFQ&tag=prabook-20&linkCode=sp1&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00RKLNVB2
( You can't join the army when you're three feet tall and...)
You can't join the army when you're three feet tall and made of wood - but honorary sergeant Charlie McCarthy found a way to help the war effort by entertaining on the home front! Here are some of Charlie's funniest wartime escapades from 1943 - many of which have never before been available! Oh, and Edgar Bergen's around, too - that guy who somehow makes us believe that Charlie, Mortimer, and Effie are real. Regulars Don Ameche, Dale Evans, and Ray Noble are on hand along with guest stars Roy Rogers, Carmen Miranda, Sydney Greenstreet, Lena Horne, William Bendix, and many more! Episodes include: Guest Ken Murray 01-03-43; Guests Florence Lake and Gene Krupa 01-10-43; Guest Paulette Goddard 01-17-43; Guest Bert Lahr 01-31-43; Guest Teresa Wright 02-07-43; Guests Bill Thompson and Charles Ruggles 02-14-43; Guest Carmen Miranda 02-21-43; Guest Ida Lupino 02-28-43; Guest Sidney Greenstreet 03-07-43; Guests Cornelia Otis Skinner and Greer Garson 03-14-43; Guest Lupe Valez 03-21-43; Guest Charles Laughton 10-03-43; Guest Roy Rogers 10-17-43; Guest Mary Boland 11-14-43; Guest William Bendix 11-28-43; Guests Lupe Valez, Bert Lahr and Lena Horne 12-19-43.
https://www.amazon.com/Bergen-McCarthy-Smile-a-While/dp/B01N5ACW9F?SubscriptionId=AKIAJRRWTH346WSPOAFQ&tag=prabook-20&linkCode=sp1&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B01N5ACW9F
( Casanova...Don Juan...Charlie McCarthy? Ventriloquist ...)
Casanova...Don Juan...Charlie McCarthy? Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen achieved stardom playing both straight man and comedian with his wooden alter ego, Charlie McCarthy. The Charlie McCarthy Show was one of radio's top-rated shows for nearly two decades. Button-down and bow-tied, the gentlemanly Bergen would never behave improperly with a lady. Charlie, on the other hand, is frisky, flirtatious, and brave enough to bring his game to guests Bette Davis and Hedy Lamarr, among others. His love of the ladies leads him to many an entertaining exchange. Joined by a bevy of beauties (including Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Dorothy Lamour, and more) and a bunch of boys (including Abbott & Costello, W. C. Fields, and Mickey Rooney), Edgar Bergen and his provocative puppet star in 16 digitally restored and remastered episodes. Episodes include: Guest: Sonja Henie 06-27-37, Guest: Ida Lupino 09-05-37, Guest: Bette Davis 09-12-37, Guest: Maureen O' Sullivan 01-29-39, Guest: Hedy Lamarr (aka "Charlie's Orchestra") 11-30-41, Guest: Judy Garland 12-07-41, Guest: Lana Turner 12-14-41, Guest: Billie Burke (aka "Raising Frogs") 10-22-44, Guest: Signo Hasso 12-10-44, Guest: Dorothy Lamour (aka "Ransom Note") 02-11-45, Guest: Gene Tierney (aka "Charlie the Hero") 02-25-45, Guest: Anne Baxter (aka "Charlie's Rich") 03-04-45, Guest: Joan Blondell (aka "Charlie's Bodyguard") 03-11-45, Guest: Maria Montez (aka "Joint Bank Account") 03-18-45, Guest: Lynn Bari (aka "Red Riding Hood") 03-25-45, Guest: Linda Darnell 10-12-47
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( Twenty years after they first convulsed the nation over...)
Twenty years after they first convulsed the nation over the air, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy were still going strong - in a slick, entertaining full-hour series featuring an array of interesting and unusual guests! Join Bergen and his friends Jack Kirkwood, Ray Noble, Gary Crosby, Carol Richards, and the Mellomen - plus Charlie's friends Mortimer Snerd and Effie Klinker - for 10 digitally restored and remastered episodes from the fall of 1955. Episodes include: 10-02-55; 10-9-55; 10-16-55; 10-23-55; 10-30-55; 11-06-55; 11-11-55; 11-18-55; 11-25-55; 12-04-55.
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Edgar Bergen was born Edgar John Berggren on February 16, 1903, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, one of five children of John Berggren, a factory worker, and Nellie Swanson, who had emigrated from Sweden.
Edgar attended Lane Tech and Lakeview High School in Chicago. In the fall of 1921, he enrolled as a drama student at Northwestern University, but never completed his degree.
In the fall of 1919, Bergen paid a carpenter $36 to construct the head of a ventriloquist's dummy. He added a monocle, a top hat, and tails. At the Lakeview High School winter recital he introduced the world to Charlie McCarthy, his wisecracking alter ego. For the next fifty-nine years Bergen acted as the genteel foil for Charlie's one-line insults. Much of his material was developed from a mail-order wizard's manual he bought so he could become a magician.
Between June 1922 and August 1925, Edgar performed professionally every summer on the Chautauqua circuit and at the Lyceum Theater in the Chicago area as a ventriloquist and magician. During this time he perfected his act with Charlie and legally changed his name to Edgar Bergen.
In 1925, Bergen began his full time, professional career in vaudeville. He developed the characters of Mortimer Snerd and Effie Klinker, both the opposites of McCarthy. Snerd was a country hayseed who, despite his ignorant appearance, often got the best of both Bergen and slickster McCarthy. The same held true for spinsterish Klinker, whom Bergen used less in later years. On December 17, 1936, Bergen and Charlie first appeared on NBC Radio in New York City with W. C. Fields. With this program Bergen began a twenty-year radio career, and Charlie and Fields also began their famous feud.
Less than six months later, Bergen and McCarthy began their own show on NBC Radio for Chase and Sanborn Coffee. During the late 1930's and early 1940's, Bergen's program became the number-one show on radio. Ultimately, Bergen earned as much as $10, 000 per week. In this golden era of radio, with rival programs like "The Jack Benny Show, " "The Fred Allen Show, " "Fibber McGee and Molly, " "The Green Hornet, " "The Mercury Theater, " and "The Walter Winchell Show, " Bergen and McCarthy remained a prime-time hit until the advent of television in the mid-1950's. Opposing networks, primarily CBS, tried to unseat Bergen with comedy and dramatic shows in his time slot. Finally, when they could not beat him, they joined him. On February 11, 1949, CBS announced it had hired Bergen and company, beginning September 1, 1949.
Beginning in the 1930's, Bergen played a variety of character roles in twenty-five full-length movies or shorts. In 1956, Bergen retired from radio. He continued his career in television, on stage, and in nightclubs. On September 21, 1978, in Hollywood, he announced his final retirement. He declared he was making one last tour with singer Andy Williams. Bergen also announced that Charlie McCarthy would also retire and be sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C. , to be preserved as a national treasure. Ironically, Bergen never got to retire. Following his September 30, 1978, performance at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, he returned to his room, where he died in his sleep. Thousands sent their condolences, including President Jimmy Carter. As an Atlanta Constitution editorial assured its readers, "For sure with Edgar Bergen's death there will be less laughter in Washington and throughout the land. "
( Twenty years after they first convulsed the nation over...)
( You can't join the army when you're three feet tall and...)
( Charlie is going to meet his French pen pal. Mortimer S...)
( Casanova...Don Juan...Charlie McCarthy? Ventriloquist ...)
Edgar Bergen married Frances Westerman, a model; they had two children. Their daughter, Candice, became a film and television actress, notably in the CBS television situation comedy "Murphy Brown. "