History
Bert the Ventriloquist was in show business in the 1940s with his dummy Ollie. In 1946 he was literally booed off stage and fired by his employer Hal Peters. Bert, oblivious to how horrible he was, told Peters that he would eventually come crawling back to him.
Bert then decided to turn to crime, using his technical know-how to convert Ollie into a remote control robot. He then used Ollie to break into wealthy homes through small spaces, making a great deal of money and attracting the attention of the Human Torch and Toro to begin investigating. While on patrol, the two heroes spotted Bert as Ollie was committing another robbery. Having seen Bert's act, they recognized him and managed to chase him down. However, Ollie knocked the two heroes out with a bus stop sign and they managed to escape.
Bert then followed the heroes as they attempted to track him down. The Torch and Toro split up to search for Hal Peters. In order to trip up their search, Bert dressed Ollie up like Toro and sent him to fight a random stranger on the street and then flee. Thinking he was really attacked by Toro, the man pressed charges and Toro was arrested for assault.
When the Torch eventually found Hal Peters, they used radio announcer Sammy Starbrite to trick Bert into making a meeting with Hal to renew his ventriloquism career. Bert invited Hal to his place, but when the Torch attacked he trapped them, spraying the Torch with a chemical "32O" that retards fire. He then placed the two men on a hydrollic press while watching their next robbery. By this point, public pressure forced the authorities to let Toro free. Toro then went after Bert and Ollie but was also doused with 32O. But before Bert could shoot Toro, the Torch and Hal broke free and messed with Ollie's control.
Bert then went after his creation, distracting him long enough for the Torch to arrive on the scene. The Torch and Toro then easily captured Bert, destroying Ollie in the process.[1]
Bert's subsequent fate is unknown.Paraphernalia
Equipment
Bert's primary piece of equipment is his ventriloquist dummy Ollie. It was a fully functional ventriloquist dummy which was modified into a robot. From a remote control, Bert could control Ollie's movements. The robot does not appear to be able to operate independently.
Bert also created a chemical called 32O, a chemical that could prevent the Torch from flaming on.