Bergen, Edgar (1903-1978), became one of the most popular ventriloquists of all time. With his wisecracking dummy, Charlie McCarthy, Bergen became highly successful in radio and motion pictures. Bergen and Charlie McCarthy starred in a popular weekly radio program from 1937 to 1956. The program also featured another dummy, the dopey Mortimer Snerd. The comedian W. C. Fields was a frequent guest on the program, engaging in a long-running feud with Charlie McCarthy. Bergen appeared with his dummies in several motion-picture comedies during the late 1930’s and the 1940’s.
Bergen was born on Feb. 16, 1903, in Chicago. Using Charlie McCarthy as a partner, he worked as an entertainer to pay for his college education at Northwestern University. Bergen performed in vaudeville and nightclubs before making his radio debut in 1936. He died on Sept. 30, 1978. His daughter, Candice Bergen, became a motion-picture and television star.
