Bergen & McCarthy: Smile a While

By: Edgar Bergen

Narrated by: Edgar Bergen, Don Ameche, Dale Evans

You can't join the army when you're three feet tall and made of wood - but honorary sergeant Charlie McCarthy found a way to help the war effort by entertaining on the home front! Here are some of Charlie's funniest wartime escapades from 1943 - many of which have never before been available! Oh, and Edgar Bergen's around, too - that guy who somehow makes us believe that Charlie, Mortimer, and Effie are real. Regulars Don Ameche, Dale Evans, and Ray Noble are on hand along with guest stars Roy Rogers, Carmen Miranda, Sydney Greenstreet, Lena Horne, William Bendix, and many more!

Episodes include: Guest Ken Murray 01-03-43; Guests Florence Lake and Gene Krupa 01-10-43; Guest Paulette Goddard 01-17-43; Guest Bert Lahr 01-31-43; Guest Teresa Wright 02-07-43; Guests Bill Thompson and Charles Ruggles 02-14-43; Guest Carmen Miranda 02-21-43; Guest Ida Lupino 02-28-43; Guest Sidney Greenstreet 03-07-43; Guests Cornelia Otis Skinner and Greer Garson 03-14-43; Guest Lupe Valez 03-21-43; Guest Charles Laughton 10-03-43; Guest Roy Rogers 10-17-43; Guest Mary Boland 11-14-43; Guest William Bendix 11-28-43; Guests Lupe Valez, Bert Lahr and Lena Horne 12-19-43.

©2016 The Bergen Foundation, under license from The Bergen Foundation. All Rights Reserved. For home use only. Unauthorized duplicating strictly prohibited. (P)2016 RSPT, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Charlie couldn’t romance Lena Horne-even on radio?

I agree with the other comment. It always puzzles me if it was a race issue with the sponsor, or for all we know Lena had to make a quick phone call or something. But she sang two songs separately.

But, yes. In every other episode, each glam performer (including the Wimbledon female tennis player and her girlfriend coach) - they were thoroughly committed to the romance angle. Carole Lombard, Rita Hayworth, Dale Evans, even Dorothy Lamour who portrayed an Asian, and Brazilian Carmen Miranda, they really play up Charlie romance gimmick. The Fats Waller episode was great, and he, Charlie, and the rest of the cast sounded like they were really whooping it up. So no segregation there. Maybe the Lena thing appears in some biography. I think it’s because she was black. Ironically she was perhaps the most talented, beautiful woman among them all. 😒😍