Newsletter December 2024

Carl’s Corner

by Carl Amari

THE EDGAR BERGEN & CHARLIE McCARTHY SHOW

By Carl Amari and Martin Grams

Vaudeville in the 1930s had its fair share of ventriloquists but none was more successful than Edgar Bergen.  After the entertainer made a guest appearance on Rudy Vallee’s variety program in 1936, many doubted the wisdom of launching a radio ventriloquist.  This, however, was a gable executives at Chase and Sanborn were willing to take.  From 1937 onwards, Edgar Bergen and his “innocent” teenage dummy, Charlie McCarthy, proved that radio listeners did not need to see the act to enjoy the jokes.  The hour-long Sunday evening program quickly became fashionable with Hollywood celebrities making guest appearances and the trading of insults between Charlie and cast regulars W.C. Fields and Don Ameche was always a high point.  Within two years The Chase and Sanborn Hour overtook Rudy Vallee on the ratings charts and became the most prestigious Sunday evening radio broadcast.  Bergen introduced other dummy characters, notably slow-witted Mortimer Snerd and man-chasing Effie Klinker, but the spotlight never strayed far from Charlie.  The wisecracking dummy exchanged risqué remarks with celebrities from radio, Broadway, and motion pictures with the dual aim of entertaining audiences and introducing the up-and-coming stars of stage and screen.  Singers Dorothy Lamour and Nelson Eddy became household names owing to their regular weekly appearances.  The show’s scriptwriters were instructed to slip in as much innuendo and as many double entendres as possible during Charlie’s exchanges and a lot of the material made it past the NBC censors.  One script in particular (written by Arch Oboler), however, created a momentary public outcry.  On the evening of December 12, 1937, legendary sex symbol Mae West participated in an “Adam and Eve” sketch with Charlie, exchanging lines so risqué that thousands of listeners wrote in to the network accusing it of offending good taste. 

After an investigation and a court order, Mae West was officially banned from radio for 15 years.  Soon after switching to CBS in 1949 and now with a new sponsor, Coca-Cola, Bergen produced two television pilots.  Following viewings, the company’s executives felt that the act, which ironically started out as visual vaudeville, wouldn’t make the successful transition from radio to television and they rejected Bergen’s proposal to star in a televison series. 

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These are past Classic Radio Club audio CDs so if you’re a Classic Radio Club member, you may not want to order these as you will likely receive CDs that you already own. 

Get these CDs at our cost to manufacture while supplies last.  Makes a great Christmas or Hanukkah gift!  To order, call 1-815-900-7535.  Your CDs will ship within 24 hours of receiving your order. 

LEND ME YOUR EARS by Lisa Wolf

FIX YOU, by Coldplay

RELEASED: 2005

Watch On YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4V3Mo61fJM

“Fix You’ was about him trying to put me back together after my dad died. I think it’s pretty nice.”   ~  Gwyneth Paltrow (on The Howard Stern Show, 2015)

Coldplay’s 2005 single “Fix You,” from their album X&Y, is deeply tied to the experiences of Chris Martin, Coldplay’s lead vocalist, and his then-wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow. In October 2002, Paltrow’s father, Bruce Paltrow, a renowned television producer and director, passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer. Chris Martin, who was married to Paltrow at the time, sought to support her through this challenging period.

The song is filled with themes of consolation and hope, reflecting Martin’s attempt to provide solace during Paltrow’s period of mourning: “Lights will guide you home” and “And high up above or down below / When you’re too in love to let it go.”

Coldplay’s “Fix You” has been featured in various television shows, including Grey’s Anatomy, in 2006.

Debuting on August 1, 2005, the music video earned a nomination at the 15th annual Music Video Production Association Awards in the Adult Contemporary category. Despite being filmed prior to the tragic events of the 2005 London bombings, it later served as a poignant tribute to the victims.

Watch On YouTube