Remembering Charlie McCarthy

It was 40 years ago today the world lost Charlie McCarthy. McCarthy has been called the greatest comedian of the radio era. Following the death of his personal and professional partner Edgar Bergen, McCarthy spent the remaining years of his life a recluse.

McCarthy was most famous for his comic on air feuds which he conducted with only the most highly respected public figures of the era; Ed Wynn, Frank Fay, Baby Snooks, Judy Canova and Mae West. Some of these feuds were reputed to be more personal than others. McCarthy notoriously called Mae West “a f*-*ing c**t” on air. In that long ago era such a banal everyday exchange was considered inappropriate. McCarthy’s show was cancelled. He did not return to radio for two years, largely due to a campaign in his defense led by Father Charles Coughlin. Coughlin himself often referred to West as “a radical communistic feminist.”

Following a heralded performance on the Bob Hope Show McCarthy was once again given his own program.