Charlie McCarthy: Difference between revisions

Charlie McCarthy
Charlie McCarthy
	Charlie (left) with Bergen
First appearance	The Goldwyn Follies
Last appearance	The Muppet Movie
Created by	Edgar Bergen; Theodore Mack; Frank Marshall
Voiced by	Edgar Bergen (1930–1978)
In-universe information
Species	Human ventriloquist mannequin
Gender	Male
Occupation	Stand-up comedian
Home	Smithsonian Institution (After Bergen's Death)
Nationality	American

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Charlie McCarthy was the famed dummy partner of American ventriloquist Edgar Bergen. Charlie was part of Bergen's act as early as high school, and by 1930 was attired in his famous top hat, tuxedo and monocle. The character was so well known that his popularity exceeded that of his performer, Bergen.^[1]

History

Charlie's personality was that of a mischievous little boy, who could wisecrack, misbehave and flirt shamelessly in a way that Bergen could not. Bergen's original dummy was built by noted carpenter/dummy-maker Theodore Mack, and was later rebuilt by Frank Marshall. A 1938 magazine article reported that “When Edgar Bergen was a high school student in Chicago in the post-war [WWI] period, he got the notion that he wanted a dummy so that he could become a ventriloquist. He came to Mr. [Charlie] Mack’s workshop who assigned [Frank] Marshall to the problem. Bergen wanted a fresh Irish kid, resembling a newsboy that he knew, and the present Charlie McCarthy was made and sold to Bergen for $35 in 1923. However, it was not until 1933 that Charlie and Bergen breezed into Broadway and were an instantaneous hit which was climaxed by their appearance on the radio.”^[2]

Charlie and Bergen made their radio debut on NBC's The Royal Gelatin Hour in 1936, where they proved such a hit that the following year the network gave them a starring role on The Chase and Sanborn Hour, where they were initially supported by emcee Don Ameche, singer Nelson Eddy,^[3] actress Dorothy Lamour and comedian W. C. Fields. The following year Charlie would be joined by a much dumber dummy, "Mortimer Snerd". After a famous mock feud with Fields on the program (during which Charlie often vowed to the comedian that he would "mow him down"), the dummy soon became a true icon.

By 1939, Charlie was commanding 35.7% of the audience share ^{[citation needed]} and was referenced by Barbara Stanwyck in 1945's hit comedy Christmas in Connecticut.

Though shortened to thirty minutes as The Chase and Sanborn Program, it wasn't until 1947, in a rare case of star taking precedent over sponsor in the title, that the series was officially renamed The Charlie McCarthy Show.^[4] After a year's hiatus while the duo toured onstage, 1949 brought a switch to CBS and change of sponsors to Coca-Cola. In 1955, Charlie and Bergen entered their last format, with the ventriloquist taking top billing for once, in The New Edgar Bergen Hour, which ran until 1956.

During this lengthy tenure, Charlie's guest roster was filled by many of the biggest stars of the day, including Henry Fonda, the Andrews Sisters, Rosemary Clooney, Roy Rogers, Frank Sinatra, Carol Channing, Groucho Marx, Dinah Shore, Liberace, Bergen's wife Frances Bergen, and in occasional appearances, Charlie's "sister" Candice Bergen. Bergen and McCarthy also co-starred with Mickey Mouse in the 1947 Disney film Fun and Fancy Free. McCarthy also had a cameo in the 1938 Disney cartoon Mother Goose Goes Hollywood, tormenting W.C. Fields, who appeared as Humpty Dumpty.

In 1977, Charlie appeared with Bergen and Mortimer Snerd on Episode 207 of The Muppet Show. Fozzie's dummy "Chuckie" is based on Charlie.

Bergen and McCarthy made their final film appearance in The Muppet Movie, as guest judges of the Bogen County Fair beauty contest. Bergen died in 1978 shortly after filming this sequence, and the film is dedicated to his memory. One of the original Charlie dummies is now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History.

Orson Welles

Charlie and Bergen were programmed opposite The Mercury Theatre on the Air on CBS, a program helmed by Orson Welles. On October 30, 1938, many listeners fiddled with the dial during Nelson Eddy's musical interlude, intending to switch back for Charlie's next comedy spot, and stumbled on Welles' production of The War of the Worlds, allegedly engendering a panic.^[5] As later reported,^{[by whom?]} noted critic and wit Alexander Woollcott sent the young Welles a telegram on the subject: "This only goes to prove, my beamish boy, that the intelligent people were all listening to the dummy, and that all the dummies were listening to you." By 1944, Welles had become a recurring guest, with the dummy puncturing the pomposity of the genius.

Filmography

1938: The Goldwyn Follies
1938: Letter of Introduction
1939: You Can't Cheat an Honest Man with Mortimer Snerd
1939: Charlie McCarthy, Detective
1941: Look Who's Laughing
1942: Here We Go Again with Mortimer Snerd
1943: Stage Door Canteen
1944: Song of the Open Road
1947: Fun and Fancy Free with Mortimer Snerd
1950: Charlie's Haunt
1970: The Phynx
1979: The Muppet Movie
2009: I'm No Dummy (archival footage)

References

^ McCarthy, Jimmy (October 10, 1937). "Splintering the Charlie McCarthy Hoax". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
^ Rutledge III, William A. ”The Man Who made Charlie McCarthy.” The Studebaker Wheel, January 1938, 9.
^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 226–230. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
^ Barfield, Ray (2010). Sterling, Christopher H.; O'Dell, Cary (eds.). The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio. Taylor & Francis. p. 248. ISBN 9781135176846. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
^ Cantril, Hadley, The Invasion from Mars: A Study in the Psychology of Panic. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1940. ^{[ISBN missing]}

Tollin, Anthony. Comedy from the Golden Age of Radio. Booklet for tape/CD set. Radio Spirits Inc., 1996.

External links

Charlie McCarthy at IMDb

[1] McCarthy, Jimmy (October 10, 1937). "Splintering the Charlie McCarthy Hoax". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved 19 July 2020.

[2] Rutledge III, William A. ”The Man Who made Charlie McCarthy.” The Studebaker Wheel, January 1938, 9.

[Dunning-3] Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 226–230. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 6 June 2020.

[4] Barfield, Ray (2010). Sterling, Christopher H.; O'Dell, Cary (eds.). The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio. Taylor & Francis. p. 248. ISBN 9781135176846. Retrieved 19 July 2020.

[Cantril-5] Cantril, Hadley, The Invasion from Mars: A Study in the Psychology of Panic. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1940. ^{[ISBN missing]}

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{About|the ventriloquist dummy}}
 {{Infobox character
-| name               = Charlie McCarthy
+| name        = Charlie McCarthy
-| series             =
+| series      =
-| image              = Charlie McCarthy.jpg
+| image       = Comedian-Edgar-Bergen-with-his-dummy-Charlie-McCarthy-in-Stockholm-352109929160.jpg
-| color              = #000000
+| caption     = Charlie (left) with Bergen
-| caption            = Charlie McCarthy
+| first       = ''[[The Goldwyn Follies]]''
-| first              = ''[[The Goldwyn Follies]]''
+| last        = ''[[The Muppet Movie]]''
+| creator     = [[Edgar Bergen]]<br>Theodore Mack<br>[[Frank Marshall (puppeteer)|Frank Marshall]]
-| last               = ''[[The Muppet Movie]]''
-| creator            = [[Edgar Bergen]]<br>Theodore Mack<br>Frank Marshall
+| voice       = Edgar Bergen (1930–1978)
+| nickname    =
-| voice              = Edgar Bergen (1930-1979)
-| nickname           =
+| alias       =
-| alias              =
+| species     = Human ventriloquist mannequin
+| gender      = Male
-| species            = Human Ventriloquist Mannequin
+| occupation  = [[Stand-up comedy|Stand-up comedian]]
-| gender             = Male
+| title       =
-| occupation         = [[Stand-up comedy|Stand-up comedian]]
-| title              =
+| family      =
+| nationality = American
-| family             =
-| nationality        = American
+| franchise   =
-| franchise          =
+| alt         =
-| alt                =
+| first_major =
-| first_major        =
+| first_minor =
-| first_minor        =
+| first_issue =
-| first_issue        =
+| first_date  =
-| first_date         =
+| last_major  =
-| last_major         =
+| last_minor  =
-| last_minor         =
+| last_issue  =
-| last_issue         =
+| last_date   =
-| last_date          =
+| firstgame   =
-| firstgame          =
+| based_on    =
-| based_on           =
+| adapted_by  =
-| adapted_by         =
+| portrayer   =
-| portrayer          =
+| full_name   =
-| full_name          =
+| origin      =
-| origin             =
+| home        = [[Smithsonian Institution]] (''After Bergen's Death'')
-| home               = [[Smithsonian Institution]] '''('''''After Bergen's Death''''')'''
 }}
-'''Charlie McCarthy''' is [[Edgar Bergen]]'s famed ventriloquist dummy partner. Charlie was part of Bergen's act as early as high school, and by 1930, was attired in his famous top hat, tuxedo, and monocle. The character was so well-known that his popularity exceeded that of his partner, Bergen.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McCarthy |first1=Jimmy |title=Splintering the Charlie McCarthy Hoax |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/26049658/?terms=%22charlie%20mccarthy%22&match=1 |accessdate=19 July 2020 |work=The Fresno Bee |date=October 10, 1937}}</ref>
+'''Charlie McCarthy''' was the famed dummy partner of American [[ventriloquism|ventriloquist]] [[Edgar Bergen]]. Charlie was part of Bergen's act as early as high school, and by 1930 was attired in his famous top hat, tuxedo and [[monocle]]. The character was so well known that his popularity exceeded that of his performer, Bergen.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McCarthy |first1=Jimmy |title=Splintering the Charlie McCarthy Hoax |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/26049658/?terms=%22charlie%20mccarthy%22&match=1 |accessdate=19 July 2020 |work=The Fresno Bee |date=October 10, 1937}}</ref>
+== History ==
-Charlie's personality was that of a mischievous little boy (with an Irish lilt), who could crack wise, misbehave, and flirt shamelessly in a way that Bergen couldn't (much the same way that the Muppet characters behaved more outrageously than any of their human co-stars). The original McCarthy dummy was built by noted carpenter/dummy-maker Theodore Mack, and was later rebuilt by Frank Marshall.
+Charlie's personality was that of a mischievous little boy, who could wisecrack, misbehave and flirt shamelessly in a way that Bergen could not. Bergen's original dummy was built by noted carpenter/dummy-maker Theodore Mack, and was later rebuilt by Frank Marshall. A 1938 magazine article reported that “When Edgar Bergen was a high school student in Chicago in the post-war [WWI] period, he got the notion that he wanted a dummy so that he could become a ventriloquist. He came to Mr. [Charlie] Mack’s workshop who assigned [Frank] Marshall to the problem. Bergen wanted a fresh Irish kid, resembling a newsboy that he knew, and the present Charlie McCarthy was made and sold to Bergen for $35 in 1923. However, it was not until 1933 that Charlie and Bergen breezed into Broadway and were an instantaneous hit which was climaxed by their appearance on the radio.”<ref>Rutledge III, William A. ”The Man Who made Charlie McCarthy.” The Studebaker Wheel, January 1938, 9.</ref>
-Charlie and Bergen made their [[old-time radio|radio]] debut on [[NBC]]'s ''[[The Chase and Sanborn Hour]]'' (sponsored by a noted coffee brand) in 1937, supported by singer [[Nelson Eddy]] (a role later filled by [[Dale Evans]], amongst others).<ref name=Dunning>{{cite book |last1=Dunning |first1=John |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |date=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-507678-8 |accessdate=6 June 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/onairencyclop00dunn/page/226/mode/2up |pages=226-229}}</ref> The following year, Charlie would be joined by a much dumber dummy, "''Mortimer Snerd''". After a famous feud with [[W. C. Fields]] in the 1930s (during which Charlie often vowed to the comedian that he'd "mow him down"), the dummy became a true icon.
+Charlie and Bergen made their [[old-time radio|radio]] debut on [[NBC]]'s ''[[The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour|The Royal Gelatin Hour]]'' in 1936, where they proved such a hit that the following year the network gave them a starring role on ''[[The Chase and Sanborn Hour]]'', where they were initially supported by emcee [[Don Ameche]], singer [[Nelson Eddy]],<ref name=Dunning>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EwtRbXNca0oC&pg=PA226 |last=Dunning |first=John |author-link=John Dunning (detective fiction author) |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |date=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-19-507678-3 |pages=226-230 |edition=Revised |access-date=6 June 2020}}</ref> actress [[Dorothy Lamour]] and comedian [[W. C. Fields]]. The following year Charlie would be joined by a much dumber dummy, "Mortimer Snerd". After a famous mock feud with Fields on the program (during which Charlie often vowed to the comedian that he would "mow him down"), the dummy soon became a true icon.
-By 1939, Charlie was commanding 35.7% of the audience share. {{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
+By 1939, Charlie was commanding 35.7% of the audience share {{citation needed|date=May 2020}} and was referenced by [[Barbara Stanwyck]] in 1945's hit comedy ''[[Christmas in Connecticut]]''.
-Though shortened to 30 minutes as ''The Chase and Sanborn Program'', it wasn't until 1947, in a rare case of star taking precedent over sponsor in the title, that the series was officially renamed ''The Charlie McCarthy Show''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Barfield |first1=Ray |editor1-last=Sterling |editor1-first=Christopher H. |editor2-last=O'Dell |editor2-first=Cary |title=The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio |date=2010 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781135176846 |page=248 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Concise_Encyclopedia_of_American_Rad/dmmLAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1 |accessdate=19 July 2020}}</ref> After a year's hiatus while the duo toured the stage, 1949 brought a switch to [[CBS]] and change of sponsors to [[The Coca-Cola Company|Coca-Cola]]. In 1955, Charlie and Bergen entered their last format, with the ventriloquist taking top billing for once, in ''The New Edgar Bergen Hour'', which ran until 1956.
+Though shortened to thirty minutes as ''The Chase and Sanborn Program'', it wasn't until 1947, in a rare case of star taking precedent over sponsor in the title, that the series was officially renamed ''The Charlie McCarthy Show''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Barfield |first1=Ray |editor1-last=Sterling |editor1-first=Christopher H. |editor2-last=O'Dell |editor2-first=Cary |title=The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio |date=2010 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781135176846 |page=248 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dmmLAgAAQBAJ |accessdate=19 July 2020}}</ref> After a year's hiatus while the duo toured onstage, 1949 brought a switch to [[CBS]] and change of sponsors to [[The Coca-Cola Company|Coca-Cola]]. In 1955, Charlie and Bergen entered their last format, with the ventriloquist taking top billing for once, in ''The New Edgar Bergen Hour'', which ran until 1956.
-During this lengthy tenure, Charlie's guest roster was filled by many of the biggest stars of the day, including [[Henry Fonda]], [[the Andrews Sisters]], [[Rosemary Clooney]], [[Roy Rogers]], [[Frank Sinatra]], [[Carol Channing]], [[Groucho Marx]], [[Dinah Shore]],  [[Liberace]], Bergen's wife [[Frances Bergen]], and in occasional appearances, Charlie's "''sister''" [[Candice Bergen]]. Bergen and McCarthy also co-starred with [[Mickey Mouse]] in the 1947 [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] film ''[[Fun and Fancy Free]]''. McCarthy also had a cameo in the 1938 Disney cartoon "Mother Goose Goes Hollywood," tormenting [[W.C. Fields]], who appeared as [[Humpty Dumpty]].
+During this lengthy tenure, Charlie's guest roster was filled by many of the biggest stars of the day, including [[Henry Fonda]], [[the Andrews Sisters]], [[Rosemary Clooney]], [[Roy Rogers]], [[Frank Sinatra]], [[Carol Channing]], [[Groucho Marx]], [[Dinah Shore]],  [[Liberace]], Bergen's wife [[Frances Bergen]], and in occasional appearances, Charlie's "''sister''" [[Candice Bergen]]. Bergen and McCarthy also co-starred with [[Mickey Mouse]] in the 1947 [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] film ''[[Fun and Fancy Free]]''. McCarthy also had a cameo in the 1938 Disney cartoon ''[[Mother Goose Goes Hollywood]]'', tormenting [[W.C. Fields]], who appeared as [[Humpty Dumpty]].
-In 1977, Charlie appeared with Bergen and Mortimer Snerd on Episode 207 of ''[[The Muppet Show]]''. [[Fozzie Bear|Fozzie's]] dummy "''Chuckie''" is based on Charlie.
+In 1977, Charlie appeared with Bergen and Mortimer Snerd on Episode 207 of ''[[The Muppet Show]]''. [[Fozzie Bear|Fozzie's]] dummy "Chuckie" is based on Charlie.
-Bergen and McCarthy made their final film appearance in ''[[The Muppet Movie]]'', as guest judges of the Bogen County Fair beauty contest. Bergen died in 1978 shortly after filming this sequence, and the film is dedicated to his memory. As for Charlie, he's now on permanent display in the [[Smithsonian Institution]].
+Bergen and McCarthy made their final film appearance in ''[[The Muppet Movie]]'', as guest judges of the Bogen County Fair beauty contest. Bergen died in 1978 shortly after filming this sequence, and the film is dedicated to his memory. One of the original Charlie dummies is now part of the permanent collection of the [[Smithsonian Institution]] [[National Museum of American History]].
 ==Orson Welles==
-Charlie and Bergen were programmed opposite ''[[The Mercury Theatre on the Air]]'' on [[CBS]], a struggling intellectual program helmed by [[Orson Welles]]. On October 30, 1938 many listeners fiddled with the dial during Nelson Eddy's musical interlude, intending to switch back for Charlie's next comedy spot, and stumbled on Welles' production of ''The War of the Worlds'', engendering a panic.<ref name="Cantril"/> As later reported, noted critic and wit Alexander Woolcott sent the young Welles a telegram on the subject: "This only goes to prove, my beamish boy, that the intelligent people were all listening to the dummy, and that all the dummies were listening to you." Ironically, by 1944, Orson Welles had become a recurring guest, with the dummy puncturing the pomposity of the genius.
+Charlie and Bergen were programmed opposite ''[[The Mercury Theatre on the Air]]'' on [[CBS]], a program helmed by [[Orson Welles]]. On October 30, 1938, many listeners fiddled with the dial during Nelson Eddy's musical interlude, intending to switch back for Charlie's next comedy spot, and stumbled on Welles' production of ''[[The War of the Worlds (1938 radio drama)|The War of the Worlds]]'', allegedly engendering a panic.<ref name="Cantril"/> As later reported,{{by whom|date=December 2022}} noted critic and wit [[Alexander Woollcott]] sent the young Welles a telegram on the subject: "This only goes to prove, my beamish boy, that the intelligent people were all listening to the dummy, and that all the dummies were listening to you." By 1944, Welles had become a recurring guest, with the dummy puncturing the pomposity of the genius.
 ==Filmography==
@@ Line 66: / Line 67: @@
 * 1947: ''[[Fun and Fancy Free]]'' with Mortimer Snerd
 * 1950: ''Charlie's Haunt''
-* 1970: ''[[The Phynx]]'' (cameo)
+* 1970: ''[[The Phynx]]''
-* 1979: ''[[The Muppet Movie]]'' - (final film role and cameo)
+* 1979: ''[[The Muppet Movie]]''
 * 2009: ''[[I'm No Dummy]]'' (archival footage)
 == References ==
 {{reflist|refs=
-<ref name=Cantril>[[Hadley Cantril|Cantril, Hadley]], ''The Invasion from Mars: A Study in the Psychology of Panic''. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1940.</ref>
+<ref name=Cantril>[[Hadley Cantril|Cantril, Hadley]], ''The Invasion from Mars: A Study in the Psychology of Panic''. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1940. {{ISBN?}}</ref>
 }}
-Tollin, Anthony. ''Comedy from the Golden Age of Radio''. Booklet for tape/CD set. Radio Spirits Inc., 1996.
+* Tollin, Anthony. ''Comedy from the Golden Age of Radio''. Booklet for tape/CD set. Radio Spirits Inc., 1996.
 ==External links==
+* {{IMDb name|nm1706905}}
-* [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1706905/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6 Charlie McCarthy] on IMDb
+{{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Charlie}}
 [[Category:Ventriloquists' dummies]]
 [[Category:Puppets]]
-[[Category:Fictional puppets]]
+[[Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1938]]