Edgar Bergen 1947 11 16 (459) Guest Lana Turner

# The Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy Show

## November 16, 1947

Settle into your favorite chair and prepare for an evening of impeccable comedy as Edgar Bergen and his irreverent wooden ventriloquist's dummy Charlie McCarthy welcome the incomparable Lana Turner to the NBC stage. This November broadcast crackles with the kind of witty banter that made America tune in faithfully every Sunday night—Bergen's smooth, measured tones playing the perfect straight man to Charlie's impertinent remarks and razor-sharp one-liners. When Turner graces the studio, the dynamic shifts into pure entertainment gold: her glamorous presence becomes the target of Charlie's relentless ribbing, while Bergen orchestrates the whole affair with the timing of a master conductor. The studio audience roars with laughter, their applause and gasps captured in vivid stereo as this Hollywood legend exchanges quips with a wooden character who somehow steals every scene. You can almost smell the cigarette smoke and anticipation that filled Studio 8-H at NBC's Radio City.

The Bergen-McCarthy partnership represents the very pinnacle of radio entertainment's golden age. Bergen's genius lay not merely in ventriloquism—he performed without the audience seeing his lips move, a feat impossible to fully appreciate over the airwaves—but in creating a fully realized character whose personality seemed genuinely autonomous. Charlie McCarthy became a phenomenon, receiving fan mail by the thousands and commanding fees that rivaled top Hollywood stars. This episode exemplifies why: the chemistry between Bergen and his creation transcended the mechanical nature of their partnership, offering listeners an escape into a world where wit reigned supreme and nothing was sacred.

Don't miss this sparkling encounter between old Hollywood glamour and radio's most mischievous wooden star. Press play and experience the magic that captured the nation's imagination.