Charlie Waiting
by Cheri Randolph
Title
Charlie Waiting
Artist
Cheri Randolph
Medium
Photograph
Description
This composition highlights the Charlie McCarthy figure on a 1936 Majestic radio.
Charlie McCarthy was the invention of ventriloquist, Edgar John Bergen, who was the son of Swedish immigrants. He grew up in Decatur, Michigan, and taught himself ventriloquism from a pamphlet when he was 11. A few years later, he commissioned Chicago woodcarver Theodore Mack to sculpt a likeness of a rascally Irish newspaperboy he knew. The head went on a dummy named Charlie McCarthy, who became Bergen's lifelong sidekick.
His first performances were in vaudeville, and he worked in one-reel movie shorts, but his real success was on the radio. He and Charlie were seen at a New York party by Elsa Maxwell for Noël Coward, who recommended them for an engagement at the famous Rainbow Room. It was there that two producers saw Bergen and Charlie perform. They then recommended them for a guest appearance on Rudy Vallée's program. Their initial appearance (December 17, 1936) was so successful that the following year they were given their own show, as part of The Chase and Sanborn Hour.
Bergen and McCarthy are sometimes credited with "saving the world" because, on the night of October 30, 1938, when Orson Welles performed his War of the Worlds radio play hoax that panicked many listeners, most of the American public had instead tuned in to Bergen and McCarthy on another station and never heard Welles' play.
Uploaded
May 10th, 2012
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Viewed 183 Times - Last Visitor from Fairfield, CT on 04/20/2024 at 6:37 AM
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Comments (22)
Cheri Randolph
Sandra, Thanks so much for featuring "Charlie Waiting" in the Memories & Nostalgia Group! I greatly appreciate your support!
Cheri Randolph
Nadine & Bob, I greatly appreciate your feature of "Charlie Waiting" in the Artists News!
Cheri Randolph
Hi William, No, it's not mine, although I wish that it was. I saw it at an antique store in the Quarter and really admired it. Thanks for the v/f!
William Fields
Wonderful Cheri! Are these from your personal collection? I love that you've placed Charlie in front of a moon for his portrait. voted, favorite
Cheri Randolph
Kaye, thanks for your comment. I enjoyed discovering him and the framing just kind of happened - almost like he was captured in a stage spotlight. Thanks also for the V/F!
Cheri Randolph
Steve, thanks for your nice comment and generous support. I appreciate vintage radios, but had never seen one like this.