They brought us sunshine...
Unseen snaps on 50th anniversary
The pals were separated in the Second World War when Ernie joined the Merchant Navy. Eric mined coal in Accrington, Lancs as a Bevin Boy from 1944. But they stayed friends until Eric died of a heart attack in 1984. Here they are larking about in 1968. Hammer Horror star Peter Cushing joined a dance skit on the Morecambe and Wise Show in 1973. A regular guest, his recurring gag was that he was yet to be paid for his previous appearance. In the 1971 Christmas Day special, actress Glenda Jackson protested she couldn’t dance but soon proved otherwise. The show was a Who’s Who of 1970s TV, and included Andre Previn, Shirley Bassey, Frank Bough, Patrick Moore and Michael Parkinson. They met in 1940 when they were both booked separately for a revue show at the Nottingham Empire Theatre. They became close and would socialise with their wives, Joan Bartlett and Doreen Wise, pictured here at Eric’s home in Harpenden, Herts in 1979. This pair of clowns, pictured here in 1970, won Baftas in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973. They kept the nation laughing long after and are still among the country’s favourite comedy acts.
For every show little Ern would write a new play and the pair would perform it – much to Eric’s distress. In this 1975 show it was the Legend of Dick Turpin. Eric was the highwayman while Ernie was a damsel in this dress. Usually it was Ernie’s “short, fat, hairy legs” that were the butt of the jokes. But here in 1968 it is Eric who pairs a top hat and tails with shorts and tights.
THIS weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the BBC’s very first Morecambe and Wise Show.
To celebrate, BBC History has made public for the first time pictures showin the comedy duo with stars such as Elto John, Sir John Mills and Glenda Jackson
Comedian Jon Culshaw said: “Eri and Ernie brought joy to so many.” Ann Hamilton, here co-starring in a 1970 sketch, could be classed as the third person in the great Morecambe & Wise double act. After retiring in 1987 she became a dog trainer.