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THERE WAS a time when noChristmas would have beencomplete without the Morecambe

and Wise festive special, and onChristmas night 1977 an astonishing 28million viewers tuned into enjoy AngelaRippon’s legs, assorted newsreadersperforming There Is Nothing Like A Damenot to mention appearances fromPenelope Keith, Elton John and the castof Dad’s Army.Undoubted stars of the show, as they

had been for some 30 years, were Eric andErnie, be it bantering in front of thecurtain, sharing a bed or singing Bring MeSunshine, the song that is foreverassociated with them.Eric and Ernie met in 1941 when they

were each booked separately to appear inJack Hylton's revue, Youth Takes a Bow, atthe Nottingham Empire Theatre.Although initially wary of each other –and in awe of each other’s talent – Eric’s

mother Sadie, his de facto manager, tookErnie under her wing and soon the threewere inseparable.The bookings started to flow in, but the

act was broken up by the war, Erniejoining the Merchant Navy and Ericgoing down the mines as a ‘Bevin Boy’.Within a year he was discharged becauseof heart trouble, having been perfectly fitbefore entering the pits. He would neverfully regain his health, suffering recurringheart problems in later years.After the war the pair were reunited and

started to make their way on the varietycircuit, appearing at the WindmillTheatre, the Glasgow Empire and manyvenues around Britain. It was not until1952, however, that they started to makean impact, and the intervening five yearswere especially tough, Eric living on £2 aweek sent to him by Sadie and Erniedipping into his savings. By the mid-Fiftiesthey were making the transition to radio

and television, mediums that were fastsuperceding the old variety halls.Their television career was, however,

almost over before it had even started. In1954 the BBC offered the duo their ownseries, Running Wild, but insisted thatEric and Ernie could only use materialsupplied to them rather than their ownroutines. The result was a disaster, onenewspaper review damming them thus:“Definition of the week: TV set – the boxin which they buried Morecambe andWise.” Eric carried this review aroundwith him for the rest of his life, and fromthat point onwards Eric and Ernie kept atight control over their material.Thankfully, in 1956 they were offered a

spot on the Winifred Atwell show withmaterial written by Johnny Speight andthis was a success, rehabilitating theirreputation in the eyes of televisionproducers and leading to ATV offeringthem a new show, Two of a Kind, that ranfrom 1961 to 1968. It soon became a hit,thanks to guests of the calibre of TheBeatles. Ratings went through the roof,and by 1963 matched Coronation Street.Not surprisingly film producers camecalling and between 1964 and 1967 Ericand Ernie made three films, period piecesnow but bearing their trademark humour.In 1968 they returned to the BBC,

bringing with them their writers from Twoof a Kind, Sid Field and Dick Hills, buton November 7, 1968, Eric suffered aheart attack while performing at a club inBatley, Yorkshire. He was just 42 but hisunhealthy lifestyle, coupled with aninability to switch off after a performance,all contributed to his collapse. As Ernie

succinctly observed, “he wore himself out”.Eric took a six-month sabbatical from

performing before reuniting with Ernie for asecond series of the BBC’s Morecambe andWise Show. Field and Hills had gone,however, and in their place came EddieBraben, up to that point renowned as a gagwriter for Ken Dodd.Braben perfectly understood the

chemistry between the two men andexaggerated their existing characteristicsto best effect. The opening scene of thefirst episode was typical, Morecambepulling open his suit jacket and shouting“Keep going you fool!” in a directreference to his heart attack.The series ran until 1977, after which

Morecambe and Wise shocked theentertainment world by decamping toITV. However, cut adrift from Braben andtheir long-time producer, JohnAmmonds, and unable to command theguest stars of their BBC years, Eric andErnie struggled to make an impact, nothelped by Eric suffering another heartattack in March 1979.They carried on until Eric’s death in

May 1984, Ernie following his old friendto that great variety show in the sky in1999. Some 40 years since their heydaythe sheer quality of their work still shinesthrough, and the public’s affection forEric and ‘Little Ern’ remains undimmed.

The life and careerof Morecambe andWise is broughtvividly to life inGary Morecambe’sThe Treasures ofMorecambe and

Wise (Carlton, £29.99). As the son ofEric Morecambe, Gary was uniquelyplaced to offer a very personal view ofthis legendary partnership and histext is insightful, moving and revealing, complimented by many rarephotographs and replica items ofmemorabilia supplied by Eric andErnie’s respective families, some ofwhich feature on these pages. Theseinclude cards, movie posters, scripts,extracts from notebooks and photographs. It’s a wonderful way toremember and celebrate this uniquedouble-act.■ The Treasures of Morecambe and Wise‘bring me sunshine’, by Gary Morecambe,is published by Carlton at £29.99, ISBN9781780973982.

THEY GAVE SUNSHINECoinciding with the publication of Gary Morecambe’s

celebration of the life and times of Morecambe and Wise, we look back at this unique showbusiness partnership

TREASURES OF MORECAMBE AND WISE

Eric and Ernie are second on the bill atBristol Hippodrome in the late Forties

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Eric and Ernie meet The Beatles in 1963

Above, Eric and Ernie and their wives atBlackpool in the Fifties and, right, theyoung Morecambe and Wise

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