Edgar Bergen 1946 01 13 (390) Guest Chester Morris

# The Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy Show

## January 13, 1946

Settle into your favorite chair and prepare for an evening of wit, wonder, and the kind of comedic timing that made America fall in love with a wooden dummy. On this January night in 1946, Edgar Bergen brings his irrepressible dummy Charlie McCarthy back to the microphone alongside guest star Chester Morris, the dashing film and stage actor known for his charm and quick repartee. What unfolds is a masterclass in live radio comedy—Bergen's ventriloquism somehow translating flawlessly through the airwaves, Charlie's impudent wisecracks landing with perfect comedic precision, and Morris gamely sparring with both the master and his wooden companion. The audience roars with laughter as Bergen and Charlie trade barbs, the dummy's high-pitched voice cutting through the orchestra's musical interludes, creating that magical theater-in-the-round experience that brought millions of families together around the radio dial.

By 1946, the Bergen-McCarthy partnership had become an American institution, a phenomenon that defied logical explanation yet captivated the nation for nearly a decade. Bergen's uncanny ability to make audiences forget they were watching ventriloquism—or in radio's case, simply hearing it—earned him international acclaim and proved that radio's intimate medium could somehow make the impossible feel utterly real. Charlie had become a genuine celebrity with his own personality, receiving fan mail and marriage proposals, a testament to Bergen's artistry and the unique power of radio to transform imagination into something tangible.

Don't miss this vintage broadcast, a sparkling gem from radio's golden age when laughter was live, spontaneous, and utterly unpredictable. Tune in and discover why millions of listeners tuned in week after week to hear what the wooden wit and his creator would say next.