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For serious collectors of Edgar
Bergen items, I have recreated his three most famous figures;
Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd and Effie Klinker. Because
these are made to order, there will be slight variations in
things like Mortimer's suit, hat and Charlie's, Mortimer's and
Effie's shoes, because I always use vintage fabrics, shoes and
boater hats. I will always send pics during the process, as well
pics when the figure is ready to ship, for your approval.
Charlies run $2995 (both versions). Mortimer also runs $2995 and
Effie runs $3895. The reason Effie is substantially higher in
price is due to the fact that her custom human hair wig costs
quite a bit more, her body takes more time to construct and her
wardrobe is entirely custom made, including her glasses, which
were made from scratch. A $1,500 deposit is required to place an
order and completion time is 8-12 weeks, unless I happen to have
one underway.
I offer two Charlie options; his classic black tux with tails
and white pique vest and bow tie, or the morning suit version,
with grey pinstriped pants, morning suitcoat and grey double
breasted vest with white shirt and ascot. Both come with a hard,
detachable wing collar and both are outfitted in vintage black
leather shoes. The morning suit version also includes spats.
Charlie's wig is entirely hand made, with every strand hand
knotted. Each wig takes 6 weeks to made and they are made from
human hair. Charlie's eyes are made from wooden spheres, inset
with brown glass irises. His eyes are constructed differently
from Mortimer and Effie's eyes.
Mortimer comes dressed in a suit made from vintage wool
(generally a herringbone pattern). He is also dressed in vintage
leather boots, a vintage boater hat, with customized hat band
coordinated to his vintage bow tie and white shirt with rounded
hard detachable collar. He has blue glass eyes.
As I stated previously, other than her shoes, her wardrobe is
entirely hand made. She is wearing a striped, Victorian style
blouse, with sheer overlay at her shoulders and chest, accented
with lace trim on the collar, around the edging of the sheer
overlay and at the cuffs. She has a black velvet bow around her
collar, a wool skirt with pink ric rac and a black belt. Her
Victorian boots also include dark grey spats. Her custom made,
human hair wig is styled with pin curls at the front and a high
bun in the back. Glasses are removable and held on by two small
pins. She has brown glass eyes.
All figures are crafted from resin (head, hands and lower legs)
with upper legs and body frame made from white pine. Body is
then upholstered in foam and quilted fabric. Head stick is made
from poplar wood with a poplar trigger mouth control. All
figures have spring loaded head locks to secure their head in
place. All figures have vented openings in their wardrobe backs.
These figures were a genuine labor of love, as I have loved the
artistry of Bergen since I was a small child. I began by
recreating Charlie. I intended to only make one, due to the fact
that I always wanted one, but could never find a reproduction
that I could afford. I located two options... One was priced at
$5000, but was non-functioning and the other was over $7000,
which did not even include his wardrobe. Having a background in
sculpting, drawing and painting people, I decided to create my
own Charlie about 5 years ago. I created these as art pieces, to
be displayed. Although they are functional figures, I prefer
that they be displayed rather than performed with. They are not
intended for heavy travel.
Not only did I study every online image I could find, but I also
visited the Charlies on display in Washington, D.C. and Chicago,
taking a multitude of pics of each (which are actually quite
different). I studied the paint color, texture, eye
construction, etc. Every part of Charlie was scrutinized.
One part of Charlie you never see are his legs. I was lucky
enough to have obtained one of Bergen's authentic Charlie legs
(he had many extra parts) at a Disney Studios auction in the
1990's, so I was able to sculpt a second, mirror image leg,
based on the Bergen leg. I have never seen another reproduction
figure with solid legs. All three figures come with solid legs.
The legs are an upper thigh piece (I make this piece from white
pine) and a lower leg/foot piece cast in resin. They are
connected at the knee with screws and heavy elastic. Legs are
attached to the body via a threaded rod. Legs are removable, if
need be.
Please email me with any questions you may have. Shipping on
each figure runs $225 (within the US). This includes
professional packaging, shipping and full insurance. I know this
seems expensive, but this is what it costs me to ship and I do
not profit off the shipping. I would rather have the figures
packaged properly than run the risk of damage.
Please email me with any questions you may have at
chrisalanstudios@yahoo.com . |
