Edgar Bergen 1937 06 20 (7) Guest May Robson, Grisha Goluboff

# The Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy Show: June 20, 1937

Step into the NBC studios on this warm summer evening as America's most beloved ventriloquist brings his wooden sidekick to life before a roaring studio audience. Edgar Bergen's fingers work their invisible magic as Charlie McCarthy delivers his trademark wisecracks with impeccable timing, the wooden dummy's voice so convincingly alive that listeners forget they're experiencing pure theatrical illusion. Tonight's program features the incomparable May Robson, the silver-haired stage legend whose cutting wit matches Charlie's quip for quip, creating a sparkling verbal duel that crackles with the elegance of vaudeville. Between musical interludes and comedy sketches, violinist Grisha Goluboff offers classical selections that provide the sophisticated counterpoint that made this show a mandatory listening experience for families across America—the kind of wholesome yet irreverent entertainment that defined the golden age of radio.

What makes this June evening particularly significant is that Bergen and Charlie were only months into their NBC tenure, still establishing the formula that would make them icons of American popular culture. In an era when radio was the nation's primary entertainment medium, Bergen's act represented something revolutionary: a visual performer who had conquered the invisible medium through sheer force of comedic personality and technical virtuosity. Charlie McCarthy became more real to millions of listeners than many flesh-and-blood actors, spawning merchandise, film appearances, and a devoted fanbase that treated the dummy with genuine affection. This episode captures the show at its precise moment of breakthrough success.

Tune in to experience radio's most magical illusion—a piece of wood that became a legend, and the man who gave voice to the American unconscious's favorite wise guy.