EDGAR BERGEN &
MAX TERHUNE:
In the Movies …
The Big Screens'
Most Frequently
Featured Vents

by J.C. Johnson / Comedy Profiles Editor T a l k i n g C o m e d y . c o m

Two of the top box office draws of the day weren't leading men … they weren't even men … they were wooden dummies. One's name is legendary when it comes to ventriloquism the other is less remembered with the passing of time. But in the 30s and 40s both were pulling large audiences into theaters. They were Charlie McCarthy and Elmer Sneezeweed and, of course, their 'partners' ventriloquists Edgar Bergen and Max Terhune, respectively.

Both ventriloquists were influenced by the popular vaudeville ventriloquist … The Great Lester. And both dummies were crafted by expert woodworkers of the day. The renowned ventriloquist figure maker … Frank Marshall custom crafted Max Terhune's Elmer, and Mack and Son (where Marshall worked before going on his own) crafted Edgar Bergen's Charlie McCarthy.

In the 30s and 40s Dummies were larger than life because they had found their way onto the big screen along with many other stars from the vaudeville circuit. But vaudeville was on the decline. Americans were turning more and more to movies and radio for their entertainment. The death of vaudeville seemed to be approaching quickly and as it was dying it appeared to many to be taking the art of ventriloquism with it. But two vaudeville vents would come to the rescue playing a big role in keeping ventriloquism in front of the American eye … by making the jump onto the silver screen.

EDGAR BERGEN and Charlie McCarthy

While still in elementary school Edgar Berggren developed an interest in magic and sent away for a 25-cent instruction book, "The Wizard's Manual." It taught the secrets of magic, black art, mind-reading, hypnotism and … ventriloquism. Young Edgar would go off for hours at a time and practice projecting his voice, controlling his diaphragm, developing his diction and the flexibility of his lips … and … perfecting his skills as a ventriloquist. In a short amount of time young Edgar was driving his family crazy with his prankish voice-throwing tricks.

As his ventriloquism skills improved he longed to do more with his talent then make inanimate objects speak … or put words into farm animals mouths … or trick people into opening doors because they thought someone was crying for 'help' from the other side. So young Edgar began crafting his own ventriloquist figures. By high school his skills for ventriloquism had outgrown his dummy making skills. It was time for Edgar to have a professional ventriloquist figure created for himself … it was time for a real partner… a character he could team up with.

In his hometown, everyday on a corner of Decatur, Illinois, Edgar would pass a redheaded Irish boy selling newspapers. The bright and brassy, quick-witted boy caught Edgar's attention and he began making sketches of the boy in the margins of his schoolbooks. After he had made enough sketches Edgar brought them to Theo Mack & Son, a woodcarver in Chicago, and had a wooden ventriloquist head custom made from the sketches. To save a little money he paid $35 for the head alone and fashioned the body himself. Although it was a simple head with only one moving part … it's mouth, it was a well carved professional quality head with charm and personality. Edgar gave his figure the name Charlie McCarthy … Charlie, it is believed, after the newsboy and McCarthy, a slightly more Irish sounding name then the woodworking company that inspired it … Mack (of Mack & Son).

The pair's first public appearance was at an amateur tryout in Chicago. Their act featured ventriloquism and magic. From this performance came an offer for steady paying work if they cut the magic from their act. Edgar agreed … not only cutting the magic, but, a couple of letters from his last name while he was at it. And … the famous comedy duo of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy was born.

By the time Bergen was entering college his ventriloquism had become a source of enough income that Bergen could put himself through medical school at Northwestern University. He didn't pay his whole way through medical school by performing his small-time ventriloquist act … although he could have. No, to his mother's disappointment, instead of becoming a doctor, Bergen — encouraged by how much money he was now making with his 'hobby' — decided to drop out of college and hit the vaudeville and tent-show circuit.

When he was in his early twenties Edgar Bergen felt awkward, shy and socially unsuccessful but with his dummy Charlie McCarthy at his side Bergen could leave the task of impressing others to the dummy while he bashfully stood behind him watching and listening to Charlie along with the audience. Edgar Bergen once said of Charlie … “When I ask him these questions and he answers, I haven't got the faintest idea what he's going to say, and what he says astounds me with his wisdom. It is so much more than I know.”

Bergen would achieve the first big dream of his career in 1930 when he got the chance to play the Palace. The Palace, at the corner of 47th and Broadway, was the greatest variety theater in New York. It was the peak of achievement for a performer's career to play the Palace. No other ventriloquist had ever played the Palace before. Playing the Palace was such a thrill for Edgar Bergen he would relish his memories of it for the rest of his life.

The same year he played the Palace Bergen would begin a series of one-reel short subjects for Vitaphone, which he would continue from 1930 through 1935. In these early films top billing would often go not to Bergen but to the boy in the now famous top hat and monocle … Charlie McCarthy.

In his vaudeville days Bergen's most popular dummy, Charlie McCarthy, was a merry, impish Irish newsboy which he dressed in sweater and cap. The two had much success with vaudeville and tent show audiences. But only two years after Bergen played the Palace the Palace had closed and with the closing of the palace also came the end of vaudeville. Bergen felt he had to recreate himself if he were to survive the end of vaudeville. He decided to take a classier more sophisticated approach to his act and tried to get nightclub bookings. It was a challenge because ventriloquists were not known for playing nightclubs at the time. Bergen would have to blaze new frontiers.

Eventually after playing second-rate joints and dive bars Bergen obtained a booking to play the Helen Morgan Club in Manhattan. Bergen didn't feel his newsboy dummy was right for the booking. So he asked permission of Esquire to create a dummy based on their mascot 'Esky.' At first Esquire agreed to Bergens idea … but as Bergen's booking got closer Esquire had conditions that Bergen was reluctant to agree to. Bergen had a whole act worked out for the club based on the 'Esky' mascot. So when he couldn't use 'Esky' he took his Charlie McCarthy head and used it with the body and outfit he had created for his 'Esky' character. And newsboy Charlie got a brand new look … all the way down to the glass monocle.

Edgar Bergen once said … “You find out your mistakes from an audience that pays admission.” Audiences not only let you know your mistakes they let you know when you've struck gold. For it was Bergen's live audiences that 'told' Edgar Bergen what direction in which to take Charlie McCarthy. And in time Charlie McCarthy the low-brow street kid newsboy became Charlie McCarthy the top hat and tails, high-brow sophisticate. This was the Charlie McCarthy that would end up becoming the most famous ventriloquist figure that ever 'lived.'

Noel Coward saw the two performing at a Hollywood party and enjoyed them so much that he recommended them for an appearance on Rudy Vallee's radio program - the appearance was so successful that it lead to Bergen getting his own highly successful radio series which ran from 1937 through 1956.

With Bergen's success on radio and Max Terhune's sucess in movies Bergen would get offers to do movies again. This time around the offer would come from MGM and Bergen would get the chance to do feature length films. Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy made their feature film debuts in "The Goldwyn Follies" (1938). The famous comedy duo went on to appear together in eight more films between 1938 and 1948. Fellow ventriloquist Jimmy Nelson's favorite of these films is "You Can't Cheat An Honest Man" (1939) which co-starred radio rival W.C. Fields. “Bergen and McCarthy and Fields do their usual feuding. It was a carnival type story that can be enjoyed over and over again.”

In the one-reel shorts Charlie McCarthy often got top billing … with the features McCarthy went so far as to get his name IN one of the titles. "Charlie McCarthy, Detective," which was released in 1939.

On his own, Edgar Bergen co-starred in such movie classics as "I Remember Mama" (1948) as the shy Norwegian suitor of spinster Ellen Corby. Bergen also played supporting parts in "Captain China" (1949) and "Don't Make Waves" (1965). And in the seventies he played the grandfather in the movie "Homecoming: A Christmas Story" on which the TV series "The Waltons" was based.

Not all the ventriloquist and dummies on the silver screen were actual acts written into movie roles … a trend was developing in the film world towards creating fictitious stories of a macabre fashion that used actors as ventriloquists. During the time when vaudeville was dying and American audiences were being exposed to less and less to ventriloquism fictitious films began coming into popularity that painted ventriloquists as depraved and their dummies as demonic. Movies like "The Unholy Three" with Lon Chaney or "The Great Gabbo" with Eric Von Stroheim or the 1945 British made "Dead of Night" with Michael Redgrave were doing much to contribute to the negative image ventriloquism was starting to receive in the eyes of the American public. But Edgar Bergen and his lovable wooden sidekick Charlie McCarthy did all they could to reverse that image. After the death of vaudeville their popular movies and radio show contributed immensely to keeping ventriloquism alive for later generations and building up a strong affection in the hearts of the American public for the art form.

“Maybe it is the war or the movies or because this generation was bred on radio comedy, but I found out that they want bombastic stuff with a lot of drive. They have little time for whimsy,” said Edgar Bergen of the changing tastes in comedy over his career. “It varies, of course, from town to town. The Hartford audience was sharper on some things than the Buffalo audience,” noted Bergen, of the differences. “Political jokes go, depending upon how the community votes.” And as far as subtle comedy not being appreciated as much as it once was he also found that … “A Negro audience will pick up subtle comedy quicker than anyone else.”

Although Edgar Bergen may be remembered most today for his work in radio it is certainly apparent that during the '30s and '40 when Bergen was busy making films he was highly regarded for his work on the silver screen as well. In fact Bergen was the recipient of the only wooden Oscar statuette ever awarded in history. The special Honorary Oscar was bestowed upon Bergen and his wooden comedy partner in 1938 for his creation of the character Charlie McCarthy. And the father figure image that Bergen created for himself so he could engage in humorous banter with his famous sidekick Charlie McCarthy would become the man millions consider to be the Father of Modern Day Ventriloquism.

MAX TERHUNE and Elmer Sneezeweed

Max Terhune, although not the first of the two to make his way onto the silver screen, was the first to do feature length films. It may have been Terhune's sucess in features that inspired Goldwyn to use Bergen in eatures as well. Terhune was born, modestly enough, in a log cabin in Franklin, Indiana in 1891. A talent for whistling and bird calls at a very young age lead Terhune to win a whistling contest. From there he would go on to perform bird and animal imitations, card tricks, song, and magic in vaudeville. After meeting The Great Lester … Max Terhune's interest in ventriloquism was awakened and Terhune added ventriloquism to his act. The first 'Elmer,' originally known as 'Skully,' became his wooden comedy partner and a hit with audiences.

In 1932, Terhune became the master of ceremonies of radio's WLS Barn Dance. It was as master of ceremonies that Max Terhune made the acquaintance of a young crooning cowboy named Gene Autry. Autry uses Terhune and his little wooden pal in Autry's radio show and eventually, in the mid 1930s, when Autry headed out to Hollywood to make his break into movies he urged Terhune to join him. Although reluctant at first, Max Terhune came along and made two movies with Autry for Republic Pictures 'Ride, Ranger, Ride' and 'The Big Show' (1936).

Republic Pictures wanted to use Max Terhune in the movies but they became reluctant to cast Terhune as a ventriloquist in a western … as Terhune envisioned himself. Terhune, not wanting to leave his comedy partner and little wooden buddy out in the cold when his big break in Hollywood arrived, continued to push for a part for his wooden partner.

When Republic Pictures began filming with their two newcomers, Gene Audry and Max Terhune, they liked what they saw in the two … or should we say three … because Max Terhune performed with his ventriloquist dummy partner in tow after all … having been able to convince Republic that ventriloquists did in fact exist in the wild west and that his wooden sidekick wouldn't seem out of place in a Republic western.

Max Terhune was signed to his own contract with Republic and Terhune became part of the popular cowboy trio The Three Mesquiteers, making twenty-one feature films as 'Lullaby' Joslin (the first six of them were with John Wayne) for Republic. "Ghost Town Gold" (1936) is said to have been Max Terhune's favorite Three Mesquiteers film because it is the movie in which Max's character is shown winning Elmer in a poker game. Terhune's ventriloquist dummy was given the name "Elmer Sneezeweed" for these movies and the name would stick for the rest of Terhunes career.

After Republic Pictures Max Terhune and fellow Three Mesquiteers star Ray 'Crash' Corrigan moved to Monogram Pictures and appeared in the Range Busters movie series … Terhune made two dozen of these westerns. The Range Busters were a western trio much like the Mesquiteers which featured Terhune's humorous banter with his dummy Elmer as they rode alongside Corrigan through more than twenty Western features between 1940 and 1943. Terhune would become one of the biggest box office attactions of the '30s and '40s. His success in the movies would continue for over a decade with Elmer becoming a popular box office draw as well. As far as serial western stars go … Max Terhune and Elmer Sneezeweed were among the great ones of their day.

(Banter between Max and Elmer from the Range Buster movie "Arizona Stage Coach" ):
Elmer Sneezeweed (vent dummy): Alibi, come here.
Max 'Alibi' Terhune: What's bothering you, Elmer?
Elmer Sneezeweed: Who's going to take that money to the stage office?
Max 'Alibi' Terhune: Well, I am, I reckon.
Elmer Sneezeweed: That's what I was afraid of. You better take me along to protect you.

Co-star Gene Autry has stated that …“Max Terhune was one of the best liked of all western actors.”

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