Edgar Bergen Times 3
As I’ve mentioned, I’m a big fan of Edgar Bergen, and this is a wonderfully fun video and nice primer for those who don’t know his work since he performs with all three of his characters – Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd (who might be my favorite) and the rarely seen (especially in YouTube clips) Effie Klinker.
What I always love about Bergen and was impressed by is not just the humor of the writing and performance, but above all, I think, how he creates such involving and distinctive characters. And the latter is likely why he had such huge success on radio, a medium that one would otherwise think was not just contrary to a ventriloquist, but ludicrous.This comes from 1978, the year he passed away, so it’s wonderful to have captured the performance. It’s a TV special, The Vent Event, hosted by Steve Allen that presented ventriloquists Bergen, Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop, and The Muppets.
Comments