Eric Morecambe
Encyclopedia
John Eric Bartholomew OBE
(14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984), known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian
who together with Ernie Wise
formed the award-winning double act
Morecambe and Wise
. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death of a heart attack in 1984. Eric took his stage name from his home town, the seaside resort
of Morecambe
.
He is best remembered for the television series The Morecambe & Wise Show, which for some of its Christmas episodes gained UK viewing figures of over twenty-eight million people. The duo's reputation enabled them to have a number of prestigious guests on the show, including Angela Rippon
, Princess Anne
, Cliff Richard
, Laurence Olivier
, John Mills
, the Dad's Army
cast, Glenda Jackson
, Tom Jones
, Elton John
, The Beatles
and even former Prime Minister Harold Wilson
.
in 1940, the prize for which was an audition with Jack Hylton
. Also present was another young talent named Ernest Wiseman, already a familiar voice from Arthur Askey
's radio
series Band Waggon
. This was the first meeting of what was to become one of the United Kingdom's most loved comedy partnerships, although it was to be a further two years before they would team up. Three months after the audition, Hylton invited Eric to join a revue called Youth Takes a Bow at the Nottingham
Empire, where once more he encountered Ernie. The two soon became very close friends, and with Sadie's encouragement started to develop a double act
. In 1940, Eric left school at the age of 14.
When the two were eventually allowed to perform their double act on stage (in addition to their solo spots), Hylton was impressed enough to make it a regular feature in the revue. However, the duo split when they began their National Service during World War II
. Wise served in the Merchant Navy
. Morecambe was a Bevin Boy: conscripted to work in a coal mine in Accrington
from May 1944. He was invalided out 11 months later because of a heart defect.
to make a television show. However, Running Wild (1954), their first series, was a critical failure. One reviewer gave a definition of television as "the box they buried Morecambe and Wise in". Morecambe was particularly upset by this, and carried a cutting of that review in his wallet for the rest of his life. It was several years before the pair would work on television again. They returned to the stage to hone their act, and eventually made well-received appearances on Sunday Night at the London Palladium
and Double Six
, raising their profile and increasing their popularity.
On the back of their success on stage and on screen, in 1961 Lew Grade
offered the duo a series for the London-based ITV
station ATV
. Entitled Two of a Kind and written by Sid Green and Dick Hills
, the series fared poorly to start with. Early episodes saw Hills and Green writing for the comedians as if Morecambe and Wise were alter egos of the writers. There was an argument between the writers and the talent. This was ended by an Equity
strike, which left the autumn television schedules in tatters. Green commented to Morecambe, "You're done for", to which Morecambe replied "Not at all, we belong to VAF" — a reference to The Variety Artists' Federation, then a separate trade union unaffiliated with Equity. Morecambe and Wise were not bound to participate in the strike.
From then on, Morecambe and Wise got their way. The sketches began to reflect their stage work and the series became a success. Indeed, Hills and Green even appeared in the series as "Sid and Dick": two all-purpose stooges. The series introduced several popular catchphrases (such as "Get out of that!"; "That's not nice"; "I'll smash your face in"; and "More tea Ern?") which would stay with them throughout their careers. Also introduced was Morecambe's famous paper bag trick, as well as an original opening segment which saw the pair parody other series, such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
, Dixon of Dock Green
and Take Your Pick
. Morecambe and Wise were very popular in Blackpool, and while starring in Show Time, at the North Pier in Blackpool in 1963, Eric's portrait was sculpted by Victor Heyfron, MA.
The show also attracted special guests, such as Pearl Carr, Teddy Johnson and The Beatles
. The celebrities were generally teased by the pair, and especially by Morecambe's playful insults. Guests were not offended, however, recognising that the joke was not so much on them as on Morecambe's supposed failure to recognise them, or inability to get their names right. For example, during The Beatles' appearance he persistently addressed Ringo Starr
as "Bongo".
The sixth Morecambe and Wise series for ATV was planned from the start to be aired in the United Kingdom as well as exported to the United States and Canada. It was taped in colour and starred international guests, often American. Prior to its British run, it was broadcast in North America by the ABC network as a summer replacement for re-runs of The Hollywood Palace under the title The Piccadilly Palace from 20 May to 9 September 1967.
The duo had appeared in the US on The Ed Sullivan Show
and hoped to become stars there, but negotiations for a longer run broke down when the show's ratings were strong in Canada but weak in the US. Lew Grade, who represented the comedians in the negotiations, said in his autobiography that the disappointing American ratings were a result of the comedians' refusal to slow down their fast-paced act. In 1968, as a result of problems with contract negotiations with Lew Grade (they were not offered enough money or allowed to continue making their shows in colour), Morecambe and Wise left ATV to return to the BBC.
as part of a summer season, Morecambe noted, "I have a slight pain on the left side around my heart. It's most likely wind, but I've had it for about four days. That's a hell of a time to have wind."
In retrospect, these pains may have been the first warning signs of the heart attack he was to suffer the following year. Morecambe was a hypochondriac, but he rarely wrote about his health concerns, until after his heart attack. At the time, Morecambe was smoking 60 cigarette
s a day and drinking more than he should have. Combined with stress and overwork, and possibly the heart defect that led him to be invalided out of the coal mines, he was to suffer a massive heart attack
in the early hours of 8 November 1968 at the age of 42, after a show, whilst driving back to his hotel outside Leeds
.
Morecambe had been appearing with Wise during a week of midnight performances at the Variety Club in Batley
, Yorkshire. Morecambe and Wise appeared there in December 1967 for a week, making £4,000. After that, they were booked to play a New York
nightclub, the Royal Variety Performance
and then eight weeks in pantomime in winter.
Morecambe had complained of pains in his right arm from the beginning of the week but thought little of it, thinking the pains were perhaps tennis elbow
or rheumatism
.
Morecambe headed back to his hotel, and recounted in an interview with Michael Parkinson
in November 1972 that, as the pains spread to his chest, he became unable to drive. He was rescued by a man named Walter Butterworth ("I'll never forget him," said Morecambe. "That wasn't his real name, but I'll never forget him"), as he stopped the car. It was now 1am and the streets were almost deserted. When Morecambe asked Butterworth to drive the car as he felt unable to, he received the reply, "I'm in the Territorials – I've only ever driven a tank
!".
The first hospital they found had no Accident and Emergency. At the second one, Butterworth left Morecambe in the car as he went to search for a wheelchair. Then Morecambe walked in himself. A heart attack was immediately diagnosed. Morecambe, by this time laid on a trolley, thanked Butterworth, who in return asked for an autograph, asking "before you go, can you sign this piece of paper? My mates will never believe me about this." Morecambe scribbled away, convinced it was the final autograph he would ever sign, before he was taken away.
Upon his release from hospital, two weeks after the heart attack, Morecambe learned that Des O'Connor
had told his audience in Paignton
to pray for Morecambe's recovery as he was fighting for his life. When told, Morecambe's reply was "Tell him that those six or seven people made all the difference."
After leaving hospital, Morecambe gave up his cigarette habit to start smoking a pipe, as he mentioned that he was trying to do in August 1967. He also stopped doing summer and winter seasons and reduced many of his public engagements. Morecambe took six months off, returning for a press call at the BBC Television centre in May 1969. In August of that year, they returned to the stage at the Wintergarden Theatre in Bournemouth
, and received a four minute standing ovation.
While Morecambe was recuperating, Hills and Green, who believed that Morecambe would probably never work again, quit as writers. Morecambe and Wise were in Barbados
at the time and learned of their writers' departure only from the steward on the plane. John Ammonds
, the show's producer, replaced Hills and Green with Eddie Braben
, who had just parted from Ken Dodd
. With Braben as chief writer, Morecambe and Wise became the most successful comedy duo the country had ever seen. The humour had always been largely derived from their on-stage relationship, but whereas Hills and Green had cast Morecambe as the comic and Wise as the straight man, Braben inverted the relationship; as theatre critic Kenneth Tynan
noted, Braben made Wise's character a comic who was not funny, while Morecambe became a straight man who was funny. Braben made them less hostile to one another, even depicting them as sharing a bed. Originally Morecambe and Wise objected to sharing a bed (which would become one of their most popular and fondly remembered character traits), but Braben countered that if it was good enough for Laurel and Hardy
it was surely good enough for Morecambe and Wise. Morecambe was appeased and congratulated Braben, saying, "It stays!"
Morecambe and Wise became so popular that their annual BBC
Christmas
shows were almost mandatory viewing in the United Kingdom from 1968 to 1977. Despite his heart condition, he and Ernie still managed energetic song and dance routines and superbly timed visual comedy. So much effort was placed into their 1977 Christmas show that Eric and Ernie did not even do a television series that year. An estimated 28,385,000 viewers watched it. Des O'Connor
was frequently the butt of their humour, often because of his allegedly awful singing.
O'Connor once asked Morecambe and Wise whilst appearing as a guest, if he could sing on their show. Morecambe replied, "Sing on our show? You can't even sing on your own show!". In reality, O'Connor was a close friend of both Morecambe and Wise and would meet them in later years to devise jokes about himself.
signing a contract with the London station Thames Television
, which made front page news. Reasons given were a higher salary but crucially the clincher was the opportunity to make another movie, something Thames could offer through their Euston Films
subsidiary. Eddie Braben, however, opted to remain at the BBC (signing an exclusive contract with the corporation shortly thereafter); Barry Cryer
and John Junkin
were brought in to contribute to the early Thames shows (Braben eventually made the switch when his BBC contract expired).
However, once more the stress of being such a popular entertainer affected Morecambe and his health. His wife Joan recalled that he would start worrying about the Christmas Special in June, and would frequently worry himself about how a certain routine would work. As a result, and probably because his heart had been damaged by the first attack ten years earlier, he suffered a second heart attack at home in Harpenden, Herts in January 1979, which led to a heart bypass operation by Magdi Yacoub
in June 1979. After the heart attack, Morecambe asked Yacoub what would happen if he did not have the operation, then in its infancy. Yacoub replied that he would not expect Morecambe to live for more than a few months. Morecambe answered, "What are you doing this afternoon?"
Morecambe increasingly wanted to move away from the double act and into writing. In 1980 he played the Funny Uncle in a dramatisation of the John Betjeman
poem "Indoor Games Near Newbury", part of an ITV special titled Betjeman's Britain that also starred Peter Cook
and Susannah York
. That saw the start of a relationship with producer/director Charles Wallace that led to a follow-up in 1981 for Paramount Pictures
titled Late Flowering Love that saw Eric play a WWII major. The film was released in the UK with Raiders of the Lost Ark and many others, becoming the most successful UK short film ever. The project spawned two more solo performances. In 1981, Morecambe published Mr Lonely, a tragicomic
novel
about a stand-up comedian. He focused more on writing during what were to be the final years of his life.
Morecambe and Wise made a series for showing during the autumns of 1980 to 1983. They also appeared together recalling their music hall days in a one-hour special on ITV on 2 March 1983, called Eric & Ernie's Variety Days. During this time Morecambe published two other novels: The Reluctant Vampire (1982) and its sequel, The Vampire's Revenge (1983).
Morecambe and Wise's final show together was the 1983 Christmas special for ITV. Many believe that, had he lived longer, he would not have recorded another series because of worries about his heart disease. He was quoted as saying to his wife that "If I have another heart attack it will kill me, and if I do another Morecambe and Wise series, I will have another heart attack."
Morecambe and Wise worked on their much-desired film, a television movie in 1983, Night Train to Murder
, with which both were unhappy: recorded on videotape
using the new medium of lightweight ENG
cameras instead of 16mm or 35mm film, they felt it looked "cheap". It was broadcast on ITV in January 1985. The final piece that Eric did (without Ernie) was a short comedy called The Passionate Pilgrim in which he was joined by Tom Baker
and Madeline Smith
. Again produced by Charles Wallace for MGM/UA, it was released in the cinema with the James Bond film Octopussy
, and later Wargames. Wallace and Eric were half way through filming a fourth film when Eric died. It was never completed.
at the Roses Theatre
in Tewkesbury
, Gloucestershire on a Sunday evening. His wife, Joan, who was in the audience, recalled that Morecambe was "on top form". He recounted, and joked to the audience about, the tales of his childhood, his career, the influence of his mother, Sadie, his time as a Bevin Boy, about Diana Dors
, who had recently died, and Tommy Cooper
, who had died of a heart attack live on stage six weeks earlier while appearing on television. Morecambe said he would hate to die like that. He discussed his first heart attack, and his open heart surgery five years earlier.
After the show had ended and Morecambe had left the stage, the musicians returned and picked up their instruments. He rushed back onto the stage to join them and energetically played various instruments. He then left the stage only to return moments later. All in all, he made six curtain calls. Finally, he said "That's your lot!", waved to the audience, and left the stage. He walked into the wings and joked "Thank goodness that's over." A few moments later, Morecambe collapsed, dead of a heart attack. He was rushed to Cheltenham
General Hospital.
in 1973). In his leisure time, Eric was a keen birdwatcher, and the statue of him at Morecambe shows him wearing his binoculars.
He was also an enthusiastic football fan and a director of Luton Town
, Luton being only a few miles from his home in Harpenden
. Shortly after becoming a director of Luton, Morecambe briefly grew a rather sparse moustache of only about two dozen hairs, which he explained to his fans was "a football moustache: eleven a side!". He would often fondly tell the story of how once, when 2-0 down at half time, the Luton fans chanted, 'What do you think of it so far' to which Eric replied, 'Rubbish'. He also had a love of Long John Silver
impressions, which never left him through his life (one can be seen in the 'Monty on the Bonty' sketch with Arthur Lowe
).
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984), known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
who together with Ernie Wise
Ernie Wise
Ernest Wiseman OBE , known by his stage name Ernie Wise, was an English comedian, best known as one half of the comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, who became an institution on British television, especially for their Christmas specials.-Career:Ernest Wiseman was the eldest of five children, and changed...
formed the award-winning double act
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
Morecambe and Wise
Morecambe and Wise
Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, usually referred to as Morecambe and Wise, or Eric and Ernie, were a British comic double act, working in variety, radio, film and most successfully in television. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984...
. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death of a heart attack in 1984. Eric took his stage name from his home town, the seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
of Morecambe
Morecambe
Morecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...
.
He is best remembered for the television series The Morecambe & Wise Show, which for some of its Christmas episodes gained UK viewing figures of over twenty-eight million people. The duo's reputation enabled them to have a number of prestigious guests on the show, including Angela Rippon
Angela Rippon
Angela M. Rippon, OBE, born 12 October 1944, Plymouth, Devon, England, is an English television journalist, newsreader, writer and presenter. Rippon presented radio and television news programmes in South West England before moving to BBC One's Nine O'Clock News, becoming a regular presenter in 1975...
, Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
, Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
, John Mills
John Mills
Sir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
, the Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
cast, Glenda Jackson
Glenda Jackson
Glenda May Jackson, CBE is a British Labour Party politician and former actress. She has been a Member of Parliament since 1992, and currently represents Hampstead and Kilburn. She previously served as MP for Hampstead and Highgate...
, Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and even former Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
.
Early life and childhood career
Eric Morecambe was born as John Eric Bartholomew to George and Sadie Bartholomew. Sadie was determined to see her only child make a success of his life, and took work as a waitress to raise funds for his dancing lessons. He didn't enjoy these lessons at the time, although they were to come in handy during his later life. During this period, Eric Bartholomew won numerous talent contests, most notably in HoylakeHoylake
Hoylake is a seaside town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, on Merseyside, England. It is located at the north western corner of the Wirral Peninsula, near to the town of West Kirby and where the River Dee estuary meets the Irish Sea...
in 1940, the prize for which was an audition with Jack Hylton
Jack Hylton
Jack Hylton was a British band leader and impresario.He was born John Greenhalgh Hilton in the Great Lever area of Bolton, Lancashire, the son of George Hilton, a cotton yarn twister. His father was an amateur singer at the local Labour Club and Jack learned piano to accompany him on the stage...
. Also present was another young talent named Ernest Wiseman, already a familiar voice from Arthur Askey
Arthur Askey
Arthur Bowden Askey CBE was a prominent English comedian.- Life and career :Askey was born at 29 Moses Street, Liverpool, the eldest child and only son of Samuel Askey , secretary of the firm Sugar Products of Liverpool, and his wife, Betsy Bowden , of Knutsford, Cheshire...
's radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
series Band Waggon
Band Waggon
Band Waggon was a comedy radio show broadcast by the BBC from 1938 to 1940. The first season featured Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch. In the second season, Askey and Murdoch were joined by Syd Walker, and the third season added Diana Clare for two episodes.Band Waggon was the first comedy show to...
. This was the first meeting of what was to become one of the United Kingdom's most loved comedy partnerships, although it was to be a further two years before they would team up. Three months after the audition, Hylton invited Eric to join a revue called Youth Takes a Bow at the Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
Empire, where once more he encountered Ernie. The two soon became very close friends, and with Sadie's encouragement started to develop a double act
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
. In 1940, Eric left school at the age of 14.
When the two were eventually allowed to perform their double act on stage (in addition to their solo spots), Hylton was impressed enough to make it a regular feature in the revue. However, the duo split when they began their National Service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Wise served in the Merchant Navy
Merchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
. Morecambe was a Bevin Boy: conscripted to work in a coal mine in Accrington
Accrington
Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...
from May 1944. He was invalided out 11 months later because of a heart defect.
Bartholomew & Wiseman
After the war — and a chance reunion in London, where Sadie once again encouraged them to work together — Morecambe and Wise began to make a name for themselves on stage and radio, before managing to secure a contract with the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
to make a television show. However, Running Wild (1954), their first series, was a critical failure. One reviewer gave a definition of television as "the box they buried Morecambe and Wise in". Morecambe was particularly upset by this, and carried a cutting of that review in his wallet for the rest of his life. It was several years before the pair would work on television again. They returned to the stage to hone their act, and eventually made well-received appearances on Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Sunday Night at the London Palladium is a British television variety show produced by ATV for the ITV network, originally running from 1955 to 1967, with a brief revival in 1973 and 1974...
and Double Six
Double Six
Double Six can refer to:* Doublesix, video game producer* Les Double Six, French vocal jazz group of the early 1960s* Traditional set of dominoes* Double Six Records, a subsidiary label of Domino Records...
, raising their profile and increasing their popularity.
Two of a Kind: 1961–68
Lew Grade
Lew Grade, Baron Grade , born Lev Winogradsky, was an influential Russian-born English impresario and media mogul.-Early years:...
offered the duo a series for the London-based ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
station ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
. Entitled Two of a Kind and written by Sid Green and Dick Hills
Dick Hills and Sid Green
Richard Michael Hills, , and Sidney Green, , were a British partnership of comedy writers, most notable for their work on TV in the 1960s...
, the series fared poorly to start with. Early episodes saw Hills and Green writing for the comedians as if Morecambe and Wise were alter egos of the writers. There was an argument between the writers and the talent. This was ended by an Equity
British Actors' Equity Association
Equity is the trade union for actors, stage managers and models in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1930 by a group of West End performers....
strike, which left the autumn television schedules in tatters. Green commented to Morecambe, "You're done for", to which Morecambe replied "Not at all, we belong to VAF" — a reference to The Variety Artists' Federation, then a separate trade union unaffiliated with Equity. Morecambe and Wise were not bound to participate in the strike.
From then on, Morecambe and Wise got their way. The sketches began to reflect their stage work and the series became a success. Indeed, Hills and Green even appeared in the series as "Sid and Dick": two all-purpose stooges. The series introduced several popular catchphrases (such as "Get out of that!"; "That's not nice"; "I'll smash your face in"; and "More tea Ern?") which would stay with them throughout their careers. Also introduced was Morecambe's famous paper bag trick, as well as an original opening segment which saw the pair parody other series, such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
, Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
and Take Your Pick
Take Your Pick
Take Your Pick was a UK game show originally broadcast by Radio Luxembourg in the early 1950s. The show transferred to television in 1955 with the launch of ITV, where it continued until 1968...
. Morecambe and Wise were very popular in Blackpool, and while starring in Show Time, at the North Pier in Blackpool in 1963, Eric's portrait was sculpted by Victor Heyfron, MA.
The show also attracted special guests, such as Pearl Carr, Teddy Johnson and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. The celebrities were generally teased by the pair, and especially by Morecambe's playful insults. Guests were not offended, however, recognising that the joke was not so much on them as on Morecambe's supposed failure to recognise them, or inability to get their names right. For example, during The Beatles' appearance he persistently addressed Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
as "Bongo".
The sixth Morecambe and Wise series for ATV was planned from the start to be aired in the United Kingdom as well as exported to the United States and Canada. It was taped in colour and starred international guests, often American. Prior to its British run, it was broadcast in North America by the ABC network as a summer replacement for re-runs of The Hollywood Palace under the title The Piccadilly Palace from 20 May to 9 September 1967.
The duo had appeared in the US on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
and hoped to become stars there, but negotiations for a longer run broke down when the show's ratings were strong in Canada but weak in the US. Lew Grade, who represented the comedians in the negotiations, said in his autobiography that the disappointing American ratings were a result of the comedians' refusal to slow down their fast-paced act. In 1968, as a result of problems with contract negotiations with Lew Grade (they were not offered enough money or allowed to continue making their shows in colour), Morecambe and Wise left ATV to return to the BBC.
First heart attack
In his 2003 book, Life's Not Hollywood, It's Cricklewood, Gary Morecambe reveals that his father mentioned sporadically that he was suffering from pains in his back and arms in both 1967 and 1968 in his diaries. In one diary entry from 17 August 1967, when Morecambe and Wise were appearing in Great YarmouthGreat Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
as part of a summer season, Morecambe noted, "I have a slight pain on the left side around my heart. It's most likely wind, but I've had it for about four days. That's a hell of a time to have wind."
In retrospect, these pains may have been the first warning signs of the heart attack he was to suffer the following year. Morecambe was a hypochondriac, but he rarely wrote about his health concerns, until after his heart attack. At the time, Morecambe was smoking 60 cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s a day and drinking more than he should have. Combined with stress and overwork, and possibly the heart defect that led him to be invalided out of the coal mines, he was to suffer a massive heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in the early hours of 8 November 1968 at the age of 42, after a show, whilst driving back to his hotel outside Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
.
Morecambe had been appearing with Wise during a week of midnight performances at the Variety Club in Batley
Batley
Batley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies southeast of Bradford, southwest of Leeds and north of Dewsbury, near the M62 motorway. It has a population of 49,448 . Other nearby towns include Morley to the northeast, Ossett to the southeast...
, Yorkshire. Morecambe and Wise appeared there in December 1967 for a week, making £4,000. After that, they were booked to play a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
nightclub, the Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
and then eight weeks in pantomime in winter.
Morecambe had complained of pains in his right arm from the beginning of the week but thought little of it, thinking the pains were perhaps tennis elbow
Tennis elbow
Lateral epicondylitis or lateral epicondylalgia, also known as tennis elbow, shooter's elbow and archer's elbow, is a condition where the outer part of the elbow becomes sore and tender...
or rheumatism
Rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...
.
Morecambe headed back to his hotel, and recounted in an interview with Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson
Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.- Early life :...
in November 1972 that, as the pains spread to his chest, he became unable to drive. He was rescued by a man named Walter Butterworth ("I'll never forget him," said Morecambe. "That wasn't his real name, but I'll never forget him"), as he stopped the car. It was now 1am and the streets were almost deserted. When Morecambe asked Butterworth to drive the car as he felt unable to, he received the reply, "I'm in the Territorials – I've only ever driven a tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
!".
The first hospital they found had no Accident and Emergency. At the second one, Butterworth left Morecambe in the car as he went to search for a wheelchair. Then Morecambe walked in himself. A heart attack was immediately diagnosed. Morecambe, by this time laid on a trolley, thanked Butterworth, who in return asked for an autograph, asking "before you go, can you sign this piece of paper? My mates will never believe me about this." Morecambe scribbled away, convinced it was the final autograph he would ever sign, before he was taken away.
Upon his release from hospital, two weeks after the heart attack, Morecambe learned that Des O'Connor
Des O'Connor
Des O'Connor, CBE is an English comedian and singer. A former talkshow host, he was the presenter of the long-running Channel 4 gameshow Countdown for two years...
had told his audience in Paignton
Paignton
Paignton is a coastal town in Devon in England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton's population in the United Kingdom Census of 2001 was 48,251. It has...
to pray for Morecambe's recovery as he was fighting for his life. When told, Morecambe's reply was "Tell him that those six or seven people made all the difference."
After leaving hospital, Morecambe gave up his cigarette habit to start smoking a pipe, as he mentioned that he was trying to do in August 1967. He also stopped doing summer and winter seasons and reduced many of his public engagements. Morecambe took six months off, returning for a press call at the BBC Television centre in May 1969. In August of that year, they returned to the stage at the Wintergarden Theatre in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, and received a four minute standing ovation.
With the BBC: 1968–78
The first series of The Morecambe and Wise Show was a success before Morecambe's heart attack. Though now a popular television star, Morecambe felt himself to be placed under a great deal of pressure. As Wise was, at that stage, very much a basic straight man, Morecambe felt the job of making Hills' and Green's writing sparkle was firmly on his shoulders.While Morecambe was recuperating, Hills and Green, who believed that Morecambe would probably never work again, quit as writers. Morecambe and Wise were in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
at the time and learned of their writers' departure only from the steward on the plane. John Ammonds
John Ammonds
John Ammonds MBE is a British television producer of light entertainment programmes. He produced shows in the 1960s and 1970s for such performers as Val Doonican, Lulu, Frankie Howerd, Marti Caine, Les Dawson, Harry Worth and Morecambe and Wise.Ammonds was appointed a Member of the Order of the...
, the show's producer, replaced Hills and Green with Eddie Braben
Eddie Braben
Eddie Braben is a comedy writer and performer who has provided material for such figures as David Frost and Ronnie Corbett, and who is most famous for having written for Ken Dodd and Morecambe and Wise....
, who had just parted from Ken Dodd
Ken Dodd
Kenneth Arthur Dodd OBE is a British comedian and singer songwriter, famous for his frizzy hair or “fluff dom” and buck teeth or “denchers”, his favourite cleaner, the feather duster and his greeting "How tickled I am!", as well as his send-off “Lots and Lots of Happiness!”...
. With Braben as chief writer, Morecambe and Wise became the most successful comedy duo the country had ever seen. The humour had always been largely derived from their on-stage relationship, but whereas Hills and Green had cast Morecambe as the comic and Wise as the straight man, Braben inverted the relationship; as theatre critic Kenneth Tynan
Kenneth Tynan
Kenneth Peacock Tynan was an influential and often controversial English theatre critic and writer.-Early life:...
noted, Braben made Wise's character a comic who was not funny, while Morecambe became a straight man who was funny. Braben made them less hostile to one another, even depicting them as sharing a bed. Originally Morecambe and Wise objected to sharing a bed (which would become one of their most popular and fondly remembered character traits), but Braben countered that if it was good enough for Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
it was surely good enough for Morecambe and Wise. Morecambe was appeased and congratulated Braben, saying, "It stays!"
Morecambe and Wise became so popular that their annual BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
shows were almost mandatory viewing in the United Kingdom from 1968 to 1977. Despite his heart condition, he and Ernie still managed energetic song and dance routines and superbly timed visual comedy. So much effort was placed into their 1977 Christmas show that Eric and Ernie did not even do a television series that year. An estimated 28,385,000 viewers watched it. Des O'Connor
Des O'Connor
Des O'Connor, CBE is an English comedian and singer. A former talkshow host, he was the presenter of the long-running Channel 4 gameshow Countdown for two years...
was frequently the butt of their humour, often because of his allegedly awful singing.
O'Connor once asked Morecambe and Wise whilst appearing as a guest, if he could sing on their show. Morecambe replied, "Sing on our show? You can't even sing on your own show!". In reality, O'Connor was a close friend of both Morecambe and Wise and would meet them in later years to devise jokes about himself.
With Thames Television: 1978–83
In January 1978, just after their record breaking 1977 Christmas show, the pair left the BBC for ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
signing a contract with the London station Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
, which made front page news. Reasons given were a higher salary but crucially the clincher was the opportunity to make another movie, something Thames could offer through their Euston Films
Euston Films
Euston Films was a British film and television production company. It was a subsidiary company of Thames Television, and operated from the 1970s to the 1990s, producing various series for Thames, which were screened nationally on the ITV network...
subsidiary. Eddie Braben, however, opted to remain at the BBC (signing an exclusive contract with the corporation shortly thereafter); Barry Cryer
Barry Cryer
Barry Charles Cryer OBE is a British writer and comedian. Cryer has written for many noted performers, including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory Bremner, George Burns, Jasper Carrott, Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Kenny Everett, Bruce Forsyth, David Frost, Bob Hope, Frankie...
and John Junkin
John Junkin
John Francis Junkin was an English radio, television and film performer and scriptwriter.In 1960 Junkin joined Joan Littlewood's Stratford East Theatre Workshop, and played the lead in the original production of Sparrows Can't Sing...
were brought in to contribute to the early Thames shows (Braben eventually made the switch when his BBC contract expired).
However, once more the stress of being such a popular entertainer affected Morecambe and his health. His wife Joan recalled that he would start worrying about the Christmas Special in June, and would frequently worry himself about how a certain routine would work. As a result, and probably because his heart had been damaged by the first attack ten years earlier, he suffered a second heart attack at home in Harpenden, Herts in January 1979, which led to a heart bypass operation by Magdi Yacoub
Magdi Yacoub
Sir Magdi Habib Yacoub, FRS , is Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Imperial College London.Yacoub's major achievements may be summarised:1. Established Heart Transplantation in UK and became leading transplant surgeon in the world....
in June 1979. After the heart attack, Morecambe asked Yacoub what would happen if he did not have the operation, then in its infancy. Yacoub replied that he would not expect Morecambe to live for more than a few months. Morecambe answered, "What are you doing this afternoon?"
Morecambe increasingly wanted to move away from the double act and into writing. In 1980 he played the Funny Uncle in a dramatisation of the John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
poem "Indoor Games Near Newbury", part of an ITV special titled Betjeman's Britain that also starred Peter Cook
Peter Cook
Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
and Susannah York
Susannah York
Susannah York was a British film, stage and television actress. She was awarded a BAFTA as Best Supporting Actress for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for the same film. She won best actress for Images at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival...
. That saw the start of a relationship with producer/director Charles Wallace that led to a follow-up in 1981 for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
titled Late Flowering Love that saw Eric play a WWII major. The film was released in the UK with Raiders of the Lost Ark and many others, becoming the most successful UK short film ever. The project spawned two more solo performances. In 1981, Morecambe published Mr Lonely, a tragicomic
Tragicomedy
Tragicomedy is fictional work that blends aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. In English literature, from Shakespeare's time to the nineteenth century, tragicomedy referred to a serious play with either a happy ending or enough jokes throughout the play to lighten the mood.-Classical...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
about a stand-up comedian. He focused more on writing during what were to be the final years of his life.
Morecambe and Wise made a series for showing during the autumns of 1980 to 1983. They also appeared together recalling their music hall days in a one-hour special on ITV on 2 March 1983, called Eric & Ernie's Variety Days. During this time Morecambe published two other novels: The Reluctant Vampire (1982) and its sequel, The Vampire's Revenge (1983).
Morecambe and Wise's final show together was the 1983 Christmas special for ITV. Many believe that, had he lived longer, he would not have recorded another series because of worries about his heart disease. He was quoted as saying to his wife that "If I have another heart attack it will kill me, and if I do another Morecambe and Wise series, I will have another heart attack."
Morecambe and Wise worked on their much-desired film, a television movie in 1983, Night Train to Murder
Night Train To Murder
Night Train To Murder is a 1984 British comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Morecambe and Wise. It was the last work that Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise worked on together before Eric's death in 1984...
, with which both were unhappy: recorded on videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
using the new medium of lightweight ENG
Professional video camera
A professional video camera is a high-end device for creating electronic moving images...
cameras instead of 16mm or 35mm film, they felt it looked "cheap". It was broadcast on ITV in January 1985. The final piece that Eric did (without Ernie) was a short comedy called The Passionate Pilgrim in which he was joined by Tom Baker
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
and Madeline Smith
Madeline Smith
Madeline Smith is an English actress and comedienne. She was a model in the 1960s, and appeared in many comedy films Madeline Smith (born 2 August 1949 in Hartfield, Sussex) is an English actress and comedienne. She was a model in the 1960s, and appeared in many comedy films Madeline Smith (born 2...
. Again produced by Charles Wallace for MGM/UA, it was released in the cinema with the James Bond film Octopussy
Octopussy
Octopussy is the thirteenth entry in the James Bond series, and the sixth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's title is taken from a short story in Ian Fleming's 1966 short story collection Octopussy and The Living Daylights...
, and later Wargames. Wallace and Eric were half way through filming a fourth film when Eric died. It was never completed.
Death
Five months after the Christmas special, Morecambe took part in a show hosted by close friend and comedian Stan StennettStan Stennett
Stan Stennett is a Welsh comedian, actor and jazz musician.Stennett was born in Cardiff. During World War II, he served in the army and also worked as an entertainer. He made his professional stage debut with a group called the Harmaniacs...
at the Roses Theatre
Roses Theatre
The Roses Theatre is an art-house cinema and live performance venue located in the centre of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. Its main auditorium seats 375 and accommodates 35mm film / digital projection as well as live performance. It offers patrons a wide range of music, theatre, film and...
in Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook...
, Gloucestershire on a Sunday evening. His wife, Joan, who was in the audience, recalled that Morecambe was "on top form". He recounted, and joked to the audience about, the tales of his childhood, his career, the influence of his mother, Sadie, his time as a Bevin Boy, about Diana Dors
Diana Dors
Diana Dors was an English actress, born Diana Mary Fluck in Swindon, Wiltshire. Considered the English equivalent of the blonde bombshells of Hollywood, Dors described herself as: "The only sex symbol Britain has produced since Lady Godiva."-Early life:Diana Mary Fluck was born in Swindon,...
, who had recently died, and Tommy Cooper
Tommy Cooper
Thomas Frederick "Tommy" Cooper was a very popular British prop comedian and magician from Caerphilly, Wales.Cooper was a member of The Magic Circle, and respected by traditional magicians...
, who had died of a heart attack live on stage six weeks earlier while appearing on television. Morecambe said he would hate to die like that. He discussed his first heart attack, and his open heart surgery five years earlier.
After the show had ended and Morecambe had left the stage, the musicians returned and picked up their instruments. He rushed back onto the stage to join them and energetically played various instruments. He then left the stage only to return moments later. All in all, he made six curtain calls. Finally, he said "That's your lot!", waved to the audience, and left the stage. He walked into the wings and joked "Thank goodness that's over." A few moments later, Morecambe collapsed, dead of a heart attack. He was rushed to Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
General Hospital.
Personal life
Eric Morecambe married Joan Bartlett on 11 December 1952. They had three children: Gail (born 14 September 1953); Gary (born 21 April 1956) and Steven (born 1969 and adoptedAdoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
in 1973). In his leisure time, Eric was a keen birdwatcher, and the statue of him at Morecambe shows him wearing his binoculars.
He was also an enthusiastic football fan and a director of Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
, Luton being only a few miles from his home in Harpenden
Harpenden
Harpenden is a town in Hertfordshire, England.The town's total population is just under 30,000.-Geography and administration:There are two civil parishes: Harpenden and Harpenden Rural....
. Shortly after becoming a director of Luton, Morecambe briefly grew a rather sparse moustache of only about two dozen hairs, which he explained to his fans was "a football moustache: eleven a side!". He would often fondly tell the story of how once, when 2-0 down at half time, the Luton fans chanted, 'What do you think of it so far' to which Eric replied, 'Rubbish'. He also had a love of Long John Silver
Long John Silver
Long John Silver is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of the novel Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Silver is also known by the nicknames "Barbecue" and the "Sea-Cook".- Profile :...
impressions, which never left him through his life (one can be seen in the 'Monty on the Bonty' sketch with Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe was a BAFTA Award winning English actor. He was best known for playing Captain George Mainwaring in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977.-Early life:...
).
Legacy
- A larger-than-life statue of Eric, created by sculptor Graham IbbesonGraham IbbesonGraham Ibbeson is an artist and sculptor resident of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. He has created bronze sculptures in towns and cities across Britain including Leeds, Cardiff, Dover, Barnsley, Doncaster, Northampton, Chesterfield, Middlesbrough, Perth, Otley and Rugby...
, was unveiled by the QueenElizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
at Morecambe in July 1999 and is surrounded by inscriptions of many of his favourite catchphrases and an exhaustive list of guest stars who appeared on the show. - In the English town of HarpendenHarpendenHarpenden is a town in Hertfordshire, England.The town's total population is just under 30,000.-Geography and administration:There are two civil parishes: Harpenden and Harpenden Rural....
in Hertfordshire where Morecambe and his family lived from the 1960s until his death, the public concert hall is named after him, with a portrait of Morecambe hanging in the foyer. Eric often referred to Harpenden in his comedy, with a band once appearing on the show named The Harpenden Hot-Shots and in a Casanova sketch he introduced himself as Lord Eric, Fourth Duke Of Harpenden - and certain parts of BirkenheadBirkenheadBirkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
! - In 1999 Morecambe was voted the funniest person of the 20th century in a British internet poll; Eric pulled in 26% of the votes, beating his contemporary performer Tommy CooperTommy CooperThomas Frederick "Tommy" Cooper was a very popular British prop comedian and magician from Caerphilly, Wales.Cooper was a member of The Magic Circle, and respected by traditional magicians...
and Monty PythonMonty PythonMonty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
member John CleeseJohn CleeseJohn Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
to the coveted position. - A West EndWest End theatreWest End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
Show, The Play What I Wrote, appeared in 2001 as a tribute to the duo. Directed by Kenneth Brannagh, each performance featured a different guest celebrity, including Kylie MinogueKylie MinogueKylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, who was said to be particularly keen to participate. Guest stars included Roger MooreRoger MooreSir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
, Nigel HaversNigel HaversNigel Allan Havers is an English actor. He is probably best known for his BAFTA-nominated role as Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film Chariots of Fire, and for his role as Dr. Tom Latimer in the British TV comedy series Don't Wait Up...
and most notably Prince Charles, who was a fan of the duo. - The Play What I Wrote later transferred to BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, and was only moderately rewritten to allow for the fact that Eric and Ernie were virtually unknown in the U.S. save for a handful of performances on The Ed Sullivan ShowThe Ed Sullivan ShowThe Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
in the 1960s, prior to their big success. The show toured the UK in 2003. - In 2003, Morecambe's eldest son Gary released "Life's Not Hollywood, It's CricklewoodCricklewoodCricklewood is a district of North London, England whose northeastern part is in the London Borough of Barnet, western part is the London Borough of Brent and southeastern part is in London Borough of Camden.-History:...
", a biography of his father from the point of view of his family, using family photos and extracts from previously unseen diaries. The book revealed Morecambe as a toned down version of his on-screen persona, prone to occasional bouts of mild depression and overwork. - In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted as the fourth greatest comedy act ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
- Kenilworth RoadKenilworth RoadKenilworth Road Stadium is a football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been home to Luton Town Football Club since 1905, when financial complications forced the club to leave its previous location at Dunstable Road...
Stadium, the home of Luton Town F.C.Luton Town F.C.Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
, has a suite named after Morecambe; he was a vociferous supporter and one-time president of the club and voiced his enthusiasm on the television, often shouting Luton For The Cup! and once brandishing a sign mid-way through a sketch with Glenda JacksonGlenda JacksonGlenda May Jackson, CBE is a British Labour Party politician and former actress. She has been a Member of Parliament since 1992, and currently represents Hampstead and Kilburn. She previously served as MP for Hampstead and Highgate...
to much applause and cheers. He once appeared wearing a Luton rosette on the show. - In 2007 the author William Cook produced the book Morecambe & Wise Unseen which charts many of the early career moves of both Morecambe and Ernie WiseErnie WiseErnest Wiseman OBE , known by his stage name Ernie Wise, was an English comedian, best known as one half of the comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, who became an institution on British television, especially for their Christmas specials.-Career:Ernest Wiseman was the eldest of five children, and changed...
. It focuses largely on their time struggling to make a living prior to their break into television in the 1960s and is illustrated with many personal family photographs and previous unseen views of the act. - At the Roses TheatreRoses TheatreThe Roses Theatre is an art-house cinema and live performance venue located in the centre of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. Its main auditorium seats 375 and accommodates 35mm film / digital projection as well as live performance. It offers patrons a wide range of music, theatre, film and...
in TewkesburyTewkesburyTewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook...
, the Eric Morecambe Room is used by local and national companies for conferences and meetings. - There is a bird hideBird hideA bird hide is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commonly found in parks and wetlands for the use of bird watchers, ornithologists and other observers who do not...
named after him near Leighton Moss Nature Reserve, which is near to Carnforth in Lancashire. - The play MorecambeMorecambe (play)Morecambe celebrates the life of Eric Morecambe and is based on his life in the entertainment industry. The play premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the summer of 2009 and transferred to the Duchess Theatre in London's West End for a limited christmas season running from 9 December 2009...
was created as a celebration of the life of Eric Morecambe. It played at the Edinburgh fringe festival in 2009 and subsequently transferred to London's West EndWest End theatreWest End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
before embarking on a UK tour in 2010.
Further reading
- Mister Lonely (Novel) by Eric Morecambe (1981) ISBN 0-413-48170-0
- Morecambe & Wise - Graham McGann (1999)
- Life's Not Hollywood, It's Cricklewood - Gary Morecambe (2003) ISBN 0-563-52186-4