Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy was a comedy variety show featuring the unique talents of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his wooden sidekick, Charlie McCarthy. The show was based on a witty and often ribald sense of humor, with Charlie McCarthy delivering irrepressible wisecracks that amused not only the audience but also Bergen himself. This wacky premise was paired with a classy and English tone, thanks to the presence of monocle-wearing Charlie McCarthy, who appeared to be from across the pond. The show also featured other well-loved Edgar Bergen characters, such as the dopey hayseed Mortimer Snerd and the odd Effie Klinker, who was merely Bergen's hand with a kerchief on it.

The radio show aired from 1936 to 1955 and stayed in the top five most popular shows for a decade. After an initial season on The Rudy Vallee Hour, it found a home on the Chase and Sandborn Radio Hour in 1937, where it remained until 1948. Throughout its run, the show featured many famous guest stars, such as W.C. Fields, Marilyn Monroe, Orson Welles, and Lucille Ball. It even made national headlines when Mae West starred in a racy "Adam and Eve" sketch that led to her being effectively blackballed for over a decade. Bergen and McCarthy went on to make numerous TV appearances in the 1950s, proving their enduring popularity despite the unlikelihood of a ventriloquist act succeeding on radio. The show stands as a testament to Edgar Bergen's mastery of witty repartee and the willingness of radio audiences to embrace unique and creative acts.

Sources: otrcat.com