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Charlie McCarthy
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Edgar Bergen sits beside his ventriloquist dummy Charlie McCarthy, who is dressed in a tuxedo, top hat, and monocle, in a black-and-white portrait. Charlie McCarthy, Detective
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Charlie McCarthy

ventriloquist’s dummy
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Edgar Bergen sits beside his ventriloquist dummy Charlie McCarthy, who is dressed in a tuxedo, top hat, and monocle, in a black-and-white portrait.
Edgar Bergen Edgar Bergen with his ventriloquist's dummy Charlie McCarthy.

Charlie McCarthy was a famous ventriloquist's dummy created by Edgar Bergen. Bergen, an American ventriloquist and comedian, gained widespread popularity with his dummy, particularly on their radio show, The Edgar Bergen-Charlie McCarthy Show, which aired from 1937 to 1957. Bergen began carving Charlie McCarthy's head in high school, and the dummy became a central figure in his performances, alongside other characters like Mortimer Snerd. The term "Charlie McCarthy" has also entered the lexicon to describe someone who is a stooge or under another's domination, akin to a dummy. Bergen and McCarthy entertained troops during World War II and continued to appear on television shows after their radio program concluded.12

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