For almost two decades, Edgar Bergen was remarkably successful in bringing the most unlikely of vaudeville acts to radio: ventriloquism. The star of the show was Bergen’s dummy, Charlie McCarthy, a precocious child with a quick wit who was perpetually dressed in a top hat and tails. The human co-stars were Don Ameche and Dorothy Lamour, the pair whose skits about a squabbling couple (The Bickerson’s) earned them a show of their own. W. C. Fields, whose verbal battles with Charlie McCarthy were nothing short of legendary, was always on hand as well. A wide variety of guests appeared on the program, including Rita Hayworth, Boris Karloff, Roy Rogers, Carmen Miranda, Donald Duck, and Bergen’s young daughter, “Candy”. Of course, Charlie was joined by dummy guests, including buck-toothed goof Mortimer Snerd and old maid Effie Klinker. Originally Performed on 12/14/1947
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