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Edgar John Bergen (born Edgar John Berggren; February 16, 1903 – September 30, 1978) was an American ventriloquist, actor, comedian, vaudevillian and radio performer, best known for his proficiency in
ventriloquism Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is v ...
and his characters Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. He was the father of actress Candice Bergen.


Early life

Bergen was born in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...
, one of five children and the younger of two sons of
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
immigrants Nilla Svensdotter (née Osberg) and Johan Henriksson Berggren. He lived on a farm near Decatur, Michigan until he was four, when his family returned to Sweden, where he learned the language. After his family had returned to Chicago, when he was eleven, he taught himself ventriloquism from a pamphlet called "The Wizard's Manual". He attended Lake View High School. After his father died, when Edgar was 16, he went out to work as an apprentice accountant, a furnace stoker, a player-piano operator, and a projectionist in a silent-movie house. Edgar so impressed the famous ventriloquist Harry Lester that he gave the teenager almost daily lessons for three months in the fundamentals of ventriloquism. In the fall of 1919, Edgar paid Chicago woodcarver Theodore Mack $36 to sculpt a likeness of a rascally red-headed Irish newspaper boy he knew. The head went on a dummy named Charlie McCarthy, which became Bergen's lifelong sidekick. He had created the body himself, using a nine-inch length of broomstick for the backbone, and rubber bands and cords to control the lower jaw mechanism of the mouth. For college, he attended
Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...
, where he enrolled in the pre-med program to please his mother. He later switched to speech and drama, but never completed his degree. He gave his first public performance at Waveland Avenue Congregational Church located on the northeast corner of Waveland and Janssen. He lived across the street from the church. In 1965, he gave the church a generous contribution, a thoughtful letter, and a photograph of himself which had been requested by the minister and was displayed in the church's assembly room which was dedicated to Bergen. He cut out an "R" and a "G" from his family name and went from Berggren to Bergen on the showbills. Between June 1922 and August 1925, he performed every summer on the professional
Chautauqua circuit Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua bro ...
and at the Lyceum theater in Chicago. Bergen had an interest in aviation, becoming a private pilot.


''The Chase and Sanborn Hour''

His first performances were in
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic compositio ...
, at which point he legally changed his last name to the easier-to-pronounce "Bergen". He worked in one-reel movie shorts, but his real success was on the radio. He and Charlie were seen at a New York party by Elsa Maxwell for
Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combina ...
, who recommended them for an engagement at the famous Rainbow Room. It was there that two producers saw Bergen and Charlie perform. They then recommended them for a guest appearance on
Rudy Vallée Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, musician, actor, and radio host. He was one of the first modern pop stars of the teen idol type. Early life Hubert Prior Val ...
's program. Their initial appearance (December 17, 1936) was so successful that the following year they were given regular cast roles as part of '' The Chase and Sanborn Hour''. Under various sponsors (and two different networks), they were on the air from May 9, 1937, to July 1, 1956. The popularity of a ventriloquist on radio, when one could see neither the dummies nor his skill, surprised and puzzled many critics, then and now. Even knowing that Bergen provided the voice, listeners perceived Charlie as a genuine person. In 1947, Sam Berman caricatured Bergen and McCarthy for the network's glossy promotional book, ''NBC Parade of Stars: As Heard Over Your Favorite NBC Station''. Bergen's skill as an entertainer, especially his characterization of Charlie, carried the show (many recordings of which have survived). Bergen's success on radio was paralleled in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
by Peter Brough and his dummy Archie Andrews ('' Educating Archie''). For the radio program, Bergen developed other characters, notably the slow-witted Mortimer Snerd and the man-hungry Effie Klinker. The star remained Charlie, who was always presented as a highly precocious child (albeit in
top hat A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally m ...
, cape, and monocle)—a debonair, girl-crazy, child-about-town. As a child, and a wooden one at that, Charlie could get away with double entendres which were otherwise impossible under broadcast standards of the time. :Charlie: "May I have a kiss good-bye?" : Dale Evans: "Well, I can't see any harm in that!" :Charlie: "Oh. I wish you could. A harmless kiss doesn't sound very thrilling." Charlie and
Mae West Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...
had this conversation on December 12, 1937. :Charlie: "Not so loud, Mae, not so loud! All my girlfriends are listening." :Mae: "Oh, yeah! You’re all wood and a yard long." :Charlie: "Yeah." :Mae: "You weren’t so nervous and backward when you came up to see me at my apartment. In fact, you didn’t need any encouragement to kiss me." :Charlie: "Did I do that?" :Mae: "Why, you certainly did. I got marks to prove it. An' splinters, too." Charlie's feud with W. C. Fields was a regular feature of the show. :W. C. Fields: "Well, if it isn't Charlie McCarthy, the woodpecker's pinup boy!" :Charlie: "Well, if it isn't W.C. Fields, the man who keeps Seagram's in business!" :W. C. Fields: "I love children. I can remember when, with my own little unsteady legs, I toddled from room to room." :Charlie: "When was that? Last night?" :W. C. Fields: "Quiet, Wormwood, or I'll whittle you into a venetian blind." :Charlie: "Ooh, that makes me shutter!" :W. C. Fields: "Tell me, Charles, is it true that your father was a gate-leg table?" :Charlie: "If it is, your father was under it." :W. C. Fields: "Why, you stunted spruce, I'll throw a Japanese beetle on you." :Charlie: "Why, you bar-fly you, I'll stick a wick in your mouth, and use you for an alcohol lamp!" :Charlie: "Pink elephants take aspirin to get rid of W. C. Fields." :W.C. Fields: "Step out of the sun Charles. You may come unglued." :Charlie: "Mind if I stand in the shade of your nose?" Bergen was a technically skilled ventriloquist, but after his talent moved to radio, it was more important that Charlie McCarthy be clearly understood, so Bergen's skill at not moving his lips was allowed to slip—and Charlie McCarthy frequently twitted him for moving his lips—but Bergen's sense of comedic timing was superb, and he handled Charlie's snappy dialog with aplomb. Bergen's wit in creating McCarthy's striking personality and that of his other characters was the making of the show. Bergen's popularity as a ventriloquist on radio, where the trick of "throwing his voice" was not visible, suggests his appeal was primarily the personality he applied to his characters. Bergen and McCarthy are sometimes credited with "saving the world" because, on the night of October 30, 1938, when
Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
performed his '' War of the Worlds'' radio play that panicked many listeners, most of the American public had instead tuned to Bergen and McCarthy on another station and never heard Welles' play. Conversely, it has also been theorized that Bergen inadvertently contributed to the hysteria. When the musical portion of Bergen's show, ''The Chase and Sanborn Hour'', aired approximately 12 minutes into the show, many listeners adjusted their dial and found the ''War of the Worlds'' presentation already underway with a realistic-sounding reporter detailing terrible events. Ray Noble was the musical director and composer, and teenage singer Anita Gordon provided the songs on his show. Gordon was said to have been discovered by Charlie, who had a crush on her. In the fall (autumn) of 1948, Edgar and Charlie faced serious competition from ABC's "jackpot" quiz show, '' Stop the Music'', which suddenly drew more listeners ( Fred Allen faced a similar problem because he directly appeared before them). In December 1948, Edgar announced he was temporarily "retiring" from radio, admitting that ''Stop the Music'' was too popular to compete with. His final NBC broadcast was on December 26, 1948.


''The Charlie McCarthy Show''

In October 1949, Bergen went to CBS, with a new weekly program, ''
The Charlie McCarthy Show ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...
'', sponsored by
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atla ...
. After their sponsorship ended in June 1952, Richard Hudnut, on behalf of "Lanolin Plus" cosmetics, primarily sponsored the series until the end of the 1953–54 season. In October 1954,
Kraft Foods The second incarnation of Kraft Foods is an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz in 2015. A merger with Heinz, arra ...
sponsored a new ''Edgar Bergen Hour''. After Kraft's departure, the series continued with participating sponsors as a 55-minute series in the fall of 1955. However, because more people were watching television on Sunday nights than listened to radio (and advertisers preferred to sponsor TV shows by then), the series finally ended on July 1, 1956.


Comic strip

In addition to his work as a ventriloquist, Bergen was also an actor and comic strip creator. He established the syndicated comic strip ''Mortimer & Charlie'', which ran in newspapers from July 10, 1939, to May 1940, illustrated first by
Ben Batsford Ben Batsford (June 5, 1893 - February 11, 1977) was an American cartoonist. He is best known for a celebrity comic based on the puppet duo Mortimer Snerd and Charlie McCarthy. Biography Batsford worked for the Winnipeg Free Press as an editoria ...
and then by Carl Buettner. The comic strip's writer was uncredited, but some of the gags certainly were lifted from the hit radio show. Between 1947 and 1954 Harvey Eisenberg also drew a comic strip based on Charlie McCarthy, scripted by Bergen.


Films

Bergen and his alter ego Charlie McCarthy were given top billing in several films, including the
Technicolor Technicolor is a series of color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films running through a special ...
extravaganza '' The Goldwyn Follies'' (1938), opposite the Ritz Brothers. That year they also appeared in '' You Can't Cheat an Honest Man'' with W. C. Fields. At the height of their popularity in 1937, Bergen was presented an Honorary Oscar (in the form of a wooden Oscar statuette, the only wooden Oscar given so far) for his creation of Charlie McCarthy. Bergen, along with Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd, was also featured in the 1938 film '' Letter of Introduction''. As an actor alone, Bergen portrayed the timid suitor of the sister Trina in '' I Remember Mama'' (1948), and appeared in '' Captain China'' (1949), '' The Hanged Man'' (1964) and '' Don't Make Waves'' (1967). Other film roles for the team include '' Look Who's Laughing'' (1941) and '' Here We Go Again'' (1942), both with Fibber McGee and Molly. Charlie McCarthy wore a US Army uniform in '' Stage Door Canteen'' (1943) with Mortimer Snerd. Bergen, McCarthy and Snerd were also featured in
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
's '' Fun and Fancy Free'' (1947). He later cameoed in all-star films such as '' The Phynx'' (1970), '' Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood'' (1976), and '' The Muppet Movie'' (1979). In 1977, Bergen had made a guest appearance on a second-season episode of '' The Muppet Show'', the highly acclaimed television comedy/variety program produced by
Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) an ...
who considered Bergen a major inspiration. His daughter Candice had also guest-starred on the show during its first season. Bergen died shortly after filming his ''Muppet Movie'' scene, which was also his final public appearance, and was subsequently dedicated to him. In 2009 Bergen was featured in the comedy documentary '' 'I'm No Dummy'', directed by Bryan W. Simon.


Television appearances

Although his regular series never made the transition to
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...
, Bergen made numerous appearances on the medium during his career. His first appearance was with Charlie McCarthy on NBC's pioneering television variety show '' Hour Glass'' in November 1946. In a filmed
Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...
special, billed as his official TV debut, sponsored by
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atla ...
on CBS in 1950, the new character Podine Puffington was introduced; this saucy Southern belle was as tall as a real woman, in contrast to Bergen's other sit-on-the-knee sized characters. On Christmas Day that same year, Bergen and McCarthy appeared as guests on
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
's first television show, '' One Hour in Wonderland''. In 1954, Bergen was a co-host on a memorable TV musical special, '' General Foods 25th Anniversary Show: A Salute to Rodgers and Hammerstein''. On December 26, 1954, Bergen appeared on '' What's My Line'' as a mystery guest. Bergen also hosted the television game show '' Do You Trust Your Wife?'' in 1956–1957, later succeeded, in a daytime edition, by
Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six P ...
. He appeared in the
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
1957 episode of NBC's '' The Gisele MacKenzie Show''. In 1958, Bergen appeared with his 12-year-old daughter
Candice Candice is a given name and a variant spelling of the name Candace. People Notable people with the name include: *Candice Accola, American actress (''The Vampire Diaries'') *Candice Carty-Williams, British writer *Candice Bergen, American actre ...
on an episode of ''
You Bet Your Life ''You Bet Your Life'' is an American comedy Game show, quiz series that has aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. Th ...
'' starring Groucho Marx. In 1959, he appeared in the second episode titled "Dossier" of the NBC
espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tang ...
series '' Five Fingers'' starring David Hedison. On May 21, 1959, he guest-starred with Charlie McCarthy on NBC's '' The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford''. Bergen continued to appear regularly on television during the 1960s and into the 1970s, appearing on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...
'' as late as 1977. He guest-starred as Charlie in the 1960 episode "Moment of Fear" of CBS's '' The DuPont Show with June Allyson''. He did a stint as one of the ''
What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity paneli ...
'' mystery guests on the popular Sunday night CBS series. His colleague
Paul Winchell Paul Winchell ('' né'' Wilchinsky; December 21, 1922 – June 24, 2005) was an American actor, comedian, humanitarian, inventor and ventriloquist whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1950 to 1954, he hosted ''The Paul Winchell ...
happened to be a panel member during that episode. Bergen appeared on the NBC interview program '' Here's Hollywood''. Bergen appeared as Grandpa Zeb Walton in the original '' Waltons'' television movie, '' The Homecoming: A Christmas Story'' (1971). The role was played by Will Geer in the subsequent TV series. During the run of ''The Waltons''—which took place throughout the 1930s and 1940s—the voices of Bergen and Charlie McCarthy were sporadically heard from the Waltons' radio, as family members regularly tuned in for that program. He appeared on '' The Muppet Show'' in Season 2. His daughter, Candice Bergen, who closely resembled her mother, appeared in Season 1.


Family

In 1941, Bergen met 18-year-old Frances Westerman, a young fashion model, who had graduated from Los Angeles High School the prior year. He spotted her in the live audience of his radio program, where she was the guest of one of his staff members. From Westerman's front-row seat, her legs caught the attention of 38-year-old Bergen, who asked to meet her. A long-distance courtship, spanning years, ensued. The two were eventually married, in Mexico, on June 28, 1945. On May 9, 1946, Frances gave birth to future actress Candice Bergen, whose first performances were on Bergen's radio show. In 1950, the family were living on Beverly Grove Drive in Los Angeles. The couple's second child was film and television editor Kris Bergen. Frances also acted, appearing in several movies, co-starring in the 1958 television series '' Yancy Derringer'', and guest-starring in many other shows.


Death

In mid-September 1978, Bergen announced that he was retiring after more than 50 years in show business, and sending his monocled, top-hatted partner, Charlie McCarthy, to the
National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...
, at the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
in Washington, D.C. He opened at
Caesar's Palace Hotel Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesars ...
Las Vegas on September 27, for a two-week "Farewell to Show Business" engagement. Three days later, on September 30, 1978, he died of kidney disease. Bergen was interred with his parents (who are buried under their true surname of "Berggren"), in Inglewood Park Cemetery,
Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...
. In his will, according to Candice Bergen's memoir, 'A Fine Romance,' he left his daughter nothing, but bequeathed his dummy, Charlie McCarthy, $10,000. "I’d chased my father's approval all my life, and here was proof I’d never get it," the actress wrote. "I was hurt, shocked, when I discovered he had left me out of his will." She further explained that her father had provided this inheritance for the dummy, so that the funds could be managed, invested, and reinvested to provide for his future performances. She said her father wrote in his will: "I make this provision for sentimental reasons, which to me are vital due to the association with Charlie McCarthy, who has been my constant companion and who has taken on the character of a real person and from whom I have never been separated even for a day." Throughout the book, she suggested that her father seemed to have a stronger kinship with Charlie than with her. The dummy "dominated" her childhood, she explained, and even had his own bedroom in their house. "Those were unique circumstances to grow up in," she wrote. "Sometimes I have to give myself credit for being a functional human being. I knew my father loved me, but with his Swedish reserve, it wasn’t his nature to tell me." On October 2, 2006, Bergen's wife of 33 years, Frances Westerman Bergen, died at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2, ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
, aged 84, from undisclosed causes. Unlike her husband, she is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills). In 1990, Bergen was elected to the Radio Hall of Fame, the same year that ''The Charlie McCarthy Show'' was selected as an honored program. A message in the closing credits dedicates '' The Muppet Movie'' (which featured Bergen and Charlie in their last screen appearance) to the memory and magic of Bergen. In 1991, the United States Postal Service honored him with a 29-cent commemorative stamp.


Hollywood Walk of Fame

Bergen was inducted into the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...
with three stars in 1960, for his contributions to television,
motion pictures A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
, and radio. The stars are located at 6425, 6766, and 6801
Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywo ...
, respectively.


Filmography

* 1931: ''The Eyes Have It'' as Dr. Wilbur Grant * 1938: '' The Goldwyn Follies'' as Himself / Charlie McCarthy * 1938: '' Letter of Introduction'' as Himself / Charlie McCarthy / Mortimer Snerd * 1939: '' You Can't Cheat an Honest Man'' as The Great Edgar / Charlie McCarthy / Mortimer Snerd * 1939: '' Charlie McCarthy, Detective'' as Himself / Charlie McCarthy / Mortimer Snerd * 1941: '' Look Who's Laughing'' as Himself / Charlie McCarthy * 1942: '' Here We Go Again'' as Himself / Charlie McCarthy / Mortimer Snerd * 1943: '' Stage Door Canteen'' as Himself / Charlie McCarthy / Mortimer Snerd * 1944: '' Song of the Open Road'' as Himself / Charlie McCarthy * 1947: '' Fun and Fancy Free'' as Himself / Charlie McCarthy / Mortimer Snerd * 1948: '' I Remember Mama'' as Mr. Thorkelson * 1950: '' Captain China'' as Mr. Haasvelt * 1950: ''Charlie's Haunt'' as Himself / Charlie McCarthy * 1953: ''Mystery Lake'' as Dr. Sorenson * 1964: '' The Hanged Man'' (TV Movie) as Hotel Clerk * 1965: ''
One Way Wahine ''One Way Wahine'' is a 1965 American comedy film produced and directed by William O. Brown and starring Joy Harmon, Anthony Eisley, the former star of ''Hawaiian Eye'' and Edgar Bergen.Lisanti p.224 Set in Hawaii, it was one of group of a Beach ...
'' as Sweeney * 1967: '' Don't Make Waves'' as Madame Lavinia * 1968: '' Rogue's Gallery'' as Roy Benz * 1970: '' The Phynx'' as Himself / Charlie McCarthy * 1976: '' Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood'' as Professor Quicksand * 1979: '' The Muppet Movie'' as Himself / Charlie McCarthy (final film role) * 2009: '' I'm No Dummy'' as Himself / Charlie McCarthy (archival footage)


See also


References


Further reading

* Bergen, Candice. ''Knock Wood''.
Grams, Martin Jr.. "''The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show'': An Episode Guide and Brief History"
* Strickler, Dave. ''Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924–1995: The Complete Index.'' Cambria, California: Comics Access, 1995. * Funni, Arthur. Thesis: ''The Radio Years of Bergen and McCarthy''. Margaret Herrick Library, 2000.


External links


"Edgar Bergen"
Website * * * * *


Audio

* Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy's first show fo
The Chase And Sanborn Hour 1937-05-09 (01) Guest: Ann Harding, with a new introduction.

Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy 1942-05-03 Guest: Judy Garland

Zoot Radio, Free Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy old time radio shows


Video

* – ''Eddie in Decatur'', a 15-part documentary about Bergen's early life in Michigan {{DEFAULTSORT:Bergen, Edgar 1903 births 1930s American radio programs 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs 1978 deaths Academy Honorary Award recipients Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award American male film actors American people of Swedish descent American male radio actors Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery Deaths from kidney failure Peabody Award winners People from Van Buren County, Michigan Vaudeville performers Ventriloquists 20th-century American male actors Northwestern University School of Communication alumni Comedy franchises