Enjoy two free comedy episodes of The Charlie McCarthy Show w/ Edgar Bergan

A) 3/4/51 w/ guest, Robert Cummings

B) 3/14/54 w/ guest, Jane Wyman

Vaudeville in the 1930s had its fair share of ventriloquists but none was more successful than Edgar Bergen. After the entertainer made a guest appearance on Rudy Vallee’s variety program in 1936, many doubted the wisdom of launching a radio ventriloquist. This, however, was a gamble executive at Chase and Sanborn were willing to take. From 1937 onwards, Edgar Bergen and his “innocent” adolescent dummy, Charlie McCarthy, proved that radio listeners did not need to see the act to enjoy the jokes. The hour-long Sunday evening program quickly became fashionable with Hollywood celebrities making guest appearances and the trading of insults between Charlie and cast regulars W.C. Fields and Don Ameche was always a high point. Within two years The Chase and Sanborn Hour overtook Rudy Vallee on the ratings charts and became the most prestigious Sunday evening radio broadcast. Bergen introduced other dummy characters, notably slow-witted Mortimer Snerd and man-chasing Effie Klinker, but the spotlight never strayed far from Charlie. In 1940, the series switched to a 30-minute format that would last until the late 1950s. Bergen tried a few times to bring the series to television but it did not stick. He would, however, father the very talented future actress, Candice Bergen.