Edgar Bergen
Edgar John Bergen (born Edgar John Berggren; February 16, 1903 – September 30, 1978) was an American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, vaudevillian and radio performer. He was best known for his characters Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. Bergen pioneered modern-day ventriloquism and has been described by puppetry organization UNIMA as the “quintessential ventriloquist of the 20th century”.[1] He was the father of actress Candice Bergen.
Edgar Bergen
September 30, 1978 (aged 75)
- Ventriloquist
- comedian
- actor
- vaudevillian
- radio performer
1919–1978
2; including Candice
The Charlie McCarthy Show[edit]
In October 1949, Bergen went to CBS, with a new weekly program, The Charlie McCarthy Show, sponsored by Coca-Cola.[7] After their sponsorship ended in June 1952, Warner-Hudnut, Inc., on behalf of "Lanolin Plus" cosmetics, primarily sponsored the series until the end of the 1953–54 season. In October 1954, Kraft Foods 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[edit]
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,[8] illustrated first by Ben Batsford[9] and then by Carl Buettner.[10] The comic strip's writer was uncredited, but some of the gags certainly were lifted from the hit radio show.[11] Between 1947 and 1954 Harvey Eisenberg also drew a comic strip based on Charlie McCarthy, scripted by Bergen.[12]
Hollywood Walk of Fame[edit]
Bergen was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with three stars in 1960, for his contributions to television, motion pictures, and radio. The stars are located at 6425, 6766, and 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, respectively.[20]