The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968)
Encyclopedia
The Morecambe & Wise Show that began airing in 1968 was the second TV series for comedy duo Morecambe and Wise
.
in 1968 and was deemed to be a success. Though now established as a popular star, Eric Morecambe
felt himself to be placed under a great deal of pressure. At this stage in their careers Ernie Wise
was ostensibly still fulfilling the role of straight man. This was reflected in their material and although successful the new show was repeating the formula of their ATV
shows; any chance to consider a change in direction was halted when Morecambe suffered a heart attack in November 1968. At this time the writers Hills & Green felt the situation had exhausted itself and it was time to move on to pastures new. It wasn't clear if the double act would ever perform again.
to write material for the pair and when they returned to the screen for a second series in 1969 their best-known personas began to take shape. Braben attributed the "characters" he created to having studied the pair at rehearsals and said that he merely exaggerated their existing characteristics to best effect. Memorable of their first series was the opening scene of the first episode, where Morecambe, full of his usual nervous energy, pulls open his suit jacket and shouts "Keep going you fool!" in a direct reference to his much-publicised heart attack. It was typical of his humour.
was the invite to special guests and the subsequent "insulting" of them, and this was stepped up a gear with the BBC shows. The legendary horror film actor Peter Cushing
was one of the first to be so treated (the long-running gag that he had never been paid stretched over ten years to the duo's arrival at Thames Television
and was one of their best-known in-jokes). The shows became more structured, with an opening "spot" in front of the curtains in a mock-theatre set-up that they insisted upon having, guest singers and groups, a sketch with the two in their flat, either in the lounge or, memorably in bed together, a lavish play "wot Ern wrote" and the final theme song, over the credits.
" which was written for them by Arthur Kent but it was not the only tune the pair used. The other songs used were "Positive Thinking", "We Get Along So Easily (Don't You Agree?)" "Following You Around" and "Just Around The Corner". The BBC made several compilation programmes and "best of" editions in recent years and favoured the most popular song they used which has made it more consciously associated with them than the other tunes. "Walking Into Sunshine" was introduced to the show in the first Thames special, though that was the only appearance of the song ever.
) who, despite having no involvement in the 50-minute programme would stride onto the stage at the very end of the show (after all the guest stars had taken their curtain-call) and take a bow. In later series, this was accompanied by her following speech: "I'd like to thank all of you for watching me and my little show here tonight; if you've enjoyed it it's all been worthwhile. So, until we meet again, goodbye - and I love you all!" after which she would be showered with gifts of champagne, boxes of chocolates, etc. Her presence was never explained on the programme. In one episode she "marries" Arthur Lowe
who claims he only agreed to appear on the understanding he could meet her. She does also appear in one of Ern's plays with Robert Morley
as "Tutantessie" a clear reference to comedienne Tessie O'Shea
who went by the name "Two-Ton Tessie".
who also appeared variously as "John Wayne" and "Bob Pope" in a sketch which involves Little Ern thinking he's going to be Bob Hope
's script writer, only for the ageing figure of Rashley to appear through the drapes. Again, he also appeared in several of the plays at the end of each show, as a sailor in "Monty on the Bonty", and variously as a butler, etc., in other shows and hilariously as Robin Hood in one episode from the third series.
as the butt of all jokes (on one memorable occasion a decrepit be-suited character shuffled on stage only to be announced as "Frankie Vaughan's Son") and the singer began to take exception to being treated in this way and had a lawyers letter drawn up addressed to the BBC
. The answer to this turned out to be very simple; the premise of the joke was simply transferred over to Morecambe's friend Des O'Connor
who memorably was the butt of many unkind jokes for several years, culminating in his appearance on both the 1975 and 1976 Christmas Specials to much acclaim. O'Connor did however have an excellent relationship with the pair, and delivered the tribute to Eric Morecambe
at the 1984 Bring Me Sunshine
tribute concert in aid of the British Heart Foundation
which took place at the London Palladium
after Eric's death.
effectively replaced the Janet Webb
role in later series, by appearing when least expected or needed and bursting into the first few bars of a harmonica tune fully dressed in concert attire with white tie and tails; he would usually appear after the titles had rolled, the credits had appeared on-screen and the snatch of a bar would be heard before the screen faded to black. He also enjoyed some bit parts in plays but was never permitted to perform his entire act on the show. It is interesting to note that he appeared (in this guise) at the Bring Me Sunshine
tribute to Eric Morecambe
after a break of several years not having been associated with the duo.
second only to the Queen's Speech itself. These increasingly lavish affairs provided some of the most memorable moments in the series. For example the Grieg's
"Piano Concerto
" with André Previn
, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
" routine with Shirley Bassey and Glenda Jackson
's medley of Hollywood tunes all came from the same Christmas Show (1971) and the show was known as introducing newsreader Angela Rippon
's legs to the world in 1976, it having previously been a widely regarded joke that newsreaders sitting behind desks didn't have legs! The 1976 Christmas Show was the only one during the BBC years to not be penned by Eddie Braben
, instead written by John Junkin
and Barry Cryer
among others (this was the show to feature John Thaw
and Dennis Waterman
and Elton John
). The following year saw the ratings top 28.5 million viewers, something that has still to be matched today. To out do the previous year's appearance by Angela Rippon, the 1977 special included a version of 'There Is Nothing Like a Dame
', performed by a chorus line of male BBC presenters, including Barry Norman
, Michael Aspel
and Peter Woods. There was no Christmas Show in 1974 instead a special edition of Michael Parkinson
s' show was aired in which he interviewed Eric and Ernie interspersed with clips of previous outings.
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...
.
Beginnings
The first series of the "new" Morecambe & Wise Show was broadcast in colour on BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in 1968 and was deemed to be a success. Though now established as a popular star, Eric Morecambe
Eric Morecambe
John Eric Bartholomew OBE , 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...
felt himself to be placed under a great deal of pressure. At this stage in their careers 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...
was ostensibly still fulfilling the role of straight man. This was reflected in their material and although successful the new show was repeating the formula of their 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...
shows; any chance to consider a change in direction was halted when Morecambe suffered a heart attack in November 1968. At this time the writers Hills & Green felt the situation had exhausted itself and it was time to move on to pastures new. It wasn't clear if the double act would ever perform again.
Braben arrives
During the hiatus while he recovered the BBC approached Eddie BrabenEddie 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....
to write material for the pair and when they returned to the screen for a second series in 1969 their best-known personas began to take shape. Braben attributed the "characters" he created to having studied the pair at rehearsals and said that he merely exaggerated their existing characteristics to best effect. Memorable of their first series was the opening scene of the first episode, where Morecambe, full of his usual nervous energy, pulls open his suit jacket and shouts "Keep going you fool!" in a direct reference to his much-publicised heart attack. It was typical of his humour.
Strength to strength
A tradition that had begun with Two of a KindTwo Of A Kind (1961)
Two of a Kind was an early TV series for comedy duo Morecambe and Wise. It ran from 1961 to 1968 on ATV.-History:On the back of success on stage in their double act in 1961 the comic partnership of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise were offered a series for ATV by empresario Lew Grade. Paired with...
was the invite to special guests and the subsequent "insulting" of them, and this was stepped up a gear with the BBC shows. The legendary horror film actor Peter Cushing
Peter Cushing
Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
was one of the first to be so treated (the long-running gag that he had never been paid stretched over ten years to the duo's arrival at 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....
and was one of their best-known in-jokes). The shows became more structured, with an opening "spot" in front of the curtains in a mock-theatre set-up that they insisted upon having, guest singers and groups, a sketch with the two in their flat, either in the lounge or, memorably in bed together, a lavish play "wot Ern wrote" and the final theme song, over the credits.
Theme tunes
By far the most fondly remembered of the duo's signature tunes was "Bring Me SunshineBring Me Sunshine
"Bring Me Sunshine" was the best-known signature of Morecambe & Wise. The duo regularly used the song to close their shows for the BBC in the 1970s...
" which was written for them by Arthur Kent but it was not the only tune the pair used. The other songs used were "Positive Thinking", "We Get Along So Easily (Don't You Agree?)" "Following You Around" and "Just Around The Corner". The BBC made several compilation programmes and "best of" editions in recent years and favoured the most popular song they used which has made it more consciously associated with them than the other tunes. "Walking Into Sunshine" was introduced to the show in the first Thames special, though that was the only appearance of the song ever.
"The lady who comes down at the end"
There were several items that over-ran into other shows and series; the first was the "lady who comes down at the end" (Janet WebbJanet Webb
Janet Webb was an English actress. Born on 1 July 1930 as Janet Patricia Webster in Liverpool, she was most famous for appearing on The Morecambe & Wise Show where she made anonymous appearances and came to be known as "the lady who comes down at the end", first appearing in a non-speaking part...
) who, despite having no involvement in the 50-minute programme would stride onto the stage at the very end of the show (after all the guest stars had taken their curtain-call) and take a bow. In later series, this was accompanied by her following speech: "I'd like to thank all of you for watching me and my little show here tonight; if you've enjoyed it it's all been worthwhile. So, until we meet again, goodbye - and I love you all!" after which she would be showered with gifts of champagne, boxes of chocolates, etc. Her presence was never explained on the programme. In one episode she "marries" 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:...
who claims he only agreed to appear on the understanding he could meet her. She does also appear in one of Ern's plays with Robert Morley
Robert Morley
Robert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE was an English actor who, often in supporting roles, was usually cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment...
as "Tutantessie" a clear reference to comedienne Tessie O'Shea
Tessie O'Shea
Teresa Mary "Tessie" O'Shea was a Welsh entertainer and actress.Born in Cardiff to Nellie Theresa and James Peter O'Shea, a soldier who was the son of Irish emigrants, Tessie was reared in the British music hall tradition, appearing on stage as "The Wonder of Wales" as early as the age of six...
who went by the name "Two-Ton Tessie".
"He's Frankie Vaughan's son"
The recurring character, originally billed as Frankie Vaughan's son, appeared regularly in the earlier series and was played by Rex RashleyRex Rashley
Rex Rashley was a British character actor who appeared regularly on The Morecambe & Wise Show often dressed in familiar stars' attire as part of a joke. For instance, he appeared in cowboy hat, spurs and sheriff's star on stage, with Morecambe advising Wise that he was "John Wayne's Son" - the...
who also appeared variously as "John Wayne" and "Bob Pope" in a sketch which involves Little Ern thinking he's going to be Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
's script writer, only for the ageing figure of Rashley to appear through the drapes. Again, he also appeared in several of the plays at the end of each show, as a sailor in "Monty on the Bonty", and variously as a butler, etc., in other shows and hilariously as Robin Hood in one episode from the third series.
Des, short for Desperate
The first few series saw singer Frankie VaughanFrankie Vaughan
Frankie Vaughan, CBE, DL was an English singer of traditional pop music, who issued more than 80 recordings in his lifetime. He was known as "Mr. Moonlight" after one of his early hits.-Life and career:...
as the butt of all jokes (on one memorable occasion a decrepit be-suited character shuffled on stage only to be announced as "Frankie Vaughan's Son") and the singer began to take exception to being treated in this way and had a lawyers letter drawn up addressed to the 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...
. The answer to this turned out to be very simple; the premise of the joke was simply transferred over to Morecambe's friend 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...
who memorably was the butt of many unkind jokes for several years, culminating in his appearance on both the 1975 and 1976 Christmas Specials to much acclaim. O'Connor did however have an excellent relationship with the pair, and delivered the tribute to Eric Morecambe
Eric Morecambe
John Eric Bartholomew OBE , 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...
at the 1984 Bring Me Sunshine
Bring Me Sunshine (1984)
Bring Me Sunshine was a gala concert held at the London Palladium on 28 November 1984 in the presence of the Duke of Edinburgh in aid of the British Heart Foundation and was held in memory of the comedian Eric Morecambe who had died the previous May after many years of heart problems...
tribute concert in aid of the British Heart Foundation
British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation is a charity organisation in Britain that funds research, education, care and awareness campaigns aimed to prevent heart diseases in humans.-Foundation:...
which took place at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
after Eric's death.
"Not now, Arthur"
The veteran harmonica player Arthur TolcherArthur Tolcher
Arthur Tolcher , born Arthur John Stone-Tolcher in Bloxwich, Staffordshire, England, was a virtuoso British harmonica player and child star who started his career in the British Music halls in the 1930s. He appeared at the London Palladium at 15 and was an early friend and colleague of Morecambe...
effectively replaced the Janet Webb
Janet Webb
Janet Webb was an English actress. Born on 1 July 1930 as Janet Patricia Webster in Liverpool, she was most famous for appearing on The Morecambe & Wise Show where she made anonymous appearances and came to be known as "the lady who comes down at the end", first appearing in a non-speaking part...
role in later series, by appearing when least expected or needed and bursting into the first few bars of a harmonica tune fully dressed in concert attire with white tie and tails; he would usually appear after the titles had rolled, the credits had appeared on-screen and the snatch of a bar would be heard before the screen faded to black. He also enjoyed some bit parts in plays but was never permitted to perform his entire act on the show. It is interesting to note that he appeared (in this guise) at the Bring Me Sunshine
Bring Me Sunshine (1984)
Bring Me Sunshine was a gala concert held at the London Palladium on 28 November 1984 in the presence of the Duke of Edinburgh in aid of the British Heart Foundation and was held in memory of the comedian Eric Morecambe who had died the previous May after many years of heart problems...
tribute to Eric Morecambe
Eric Morecambe
John Eric Bartholomew OBE , 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...
after a break of several years not having been associated with the duo.
The Christmas Shows
So enormous became Morecambe and Wise's popularity that their Christmas Shows were almost mandatory viewing in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
second only to the Queen's Speech itself. These increasingly lavish affairs provided some of the most memorable moments in the series. For example the Grieg's
Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
"Piano Concerto
Piano concerto
A piano concerto is a concerto written for piano and orchestra.See also harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano...
" with André Previn
André Previn
André George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for their 1933 operetta Roberta. It was originally recorded by Gertrude Niesen, on 13 October 1933 on the Victor label 24454. It was performed by Irene Dunne for the 1935 film adaptation,...
" routine with Shirley Bassey and 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...
's medley of Hollywood tunes all came from the same Christmas Show (1971) and the show was known as introducing newsreader 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...
's legs to the world in 1976, it having previously been a widely regarded joke that newsreaders sitting behind desks didn't have legs! The 1976 Christmas Show was the only one during the BBC years to not be penned by 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....
, instead written by 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...
and 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...
among others (this was the show to feature John Thaw
John Thaw
John Edward Thaw, CBE was an English actor, who appeared in a range of television, stage and cinema roles, his most popular being police and legal dramas such as Redcap, The Sweeney, Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC.-Early life:Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Gorton,...
and Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman is a British actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks.-Early life:...
and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
). The following year saw the ratings top 28.5 million viewers, something that has still to be matched today. To out do the previous year's appearance by Angela Rippon, the 1977 special included a version of 'There Is Nothing Like a Dame
There Is Nothing Like a Dame
"There is Nothing Like a Dame" is one of the songs from the musical South Pacific. The song was written by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is widely popular in the musical arts, often sung by men's choirs....
', performed by a chorus line of male BBC presenters, including Barry Norman
Barry Norman
Barry Leslie Norman, CBE is a British novelist, impresario, film critic and media personality. He was the BBC film critic on television from 1972 to 1998.-Early life:...
, Michael Aspel
Michael Aspel
Michael Terence Aspel, OBE is an English television presenter, known for his reserved demeanour and rich speaking voice. He has been a high-profile TV personality in the United Kingdom since the 1960s, presenting programmes such as Crackerjack, Aspel and Company, This is Your Life, Strange But...
and Peter Woods. There was no Christmas Show in 1974 instead a special edition of 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 :...
s' show was aired in which he interviewed Eric and Ernie interspersed with clips of previous outings.
External links
- The Morecambe and Wise Tribute Site
- Eric And Ern - Keeping The Magic Alive **Book, Film, TV Reviews, Interviews**
- The Morecambe and Wise Show theme songs
- Laughterlog.com Biography plus complete list of radio, television, film, book and record appearances
- Video clip of Eric and Ern in an advert for the Atari 2600 computer games console
- Video clip of Eric and Ern in an advert for Texaco with racing driver James Hunt
- Video clip of Eric and Ern in their 1968 BBC2 series
- André PrevinAndré PrevinAndré George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
site has video clip of extracts from Morecambe & Wise Grieg Piano Concert Sketch