Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy

Charlie Answers Ad for Edgar

English · Radio, Humor, Dramatic Readings

Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy brings ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his wisecracking wooden dummy together for a comedy program built around their lively, often argumentative partnership. Charlie’s mischievous confidence plays against Bergen’s patient, exasperated manner, giving their exchanges the feel of a comic conversation between two sharply contrasting personalities.

The show combines the Bergen-and-Charlie routines with the broader variety of a radio comedy program, including sketches, musical performances, and appearances by other entertainers. The title points to a comic exchange involving an advertisement for Edgar, while the program’s central pleasure is hearing Charlie turn ordinary situations into opportunities for teasing and verbal mischief.

Warm, theatrical, and rooted in character comedy, the series makes the unusual ventriloquist act work through voice, timing, and the audience’s imagination. Bergen’s straight-man composure and Charlie’s irreverence create an easygoing but spirited listening experience, with the supporting variety elements adding texture around the duo’s familiar banter.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.