Morecambe and Wise

Morecambe and Wise were a famous British comic double act comprising Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise. The act lasted four decades until Morecambe's death in 1984.

The Show

A typical Morecambe and Wise show, scripted by Braben, was effectively a sketch show crossed with a sit-com, although shows could also include the duo appearing "as themselves" on a mock stage in front of curtains emblazoned with an M and W logo (this was usually to open the show). Braben gave the duo characterisations—Wise was naive and egotistical, Morecambe child-like and cocky—although at other times they relied on their acting ability to appear as characters in sketches. Wise was the straight man of the duo while Morecambe was given the funnier lines, usually although not always bouncing them off Wise. Wise's contribution to the humour is a subject of an ongoing debate (to the end of his life he would always reject interviewers' suggestions that he was 'the straight man', preferring to call himself 'the song-and-dance man'); but as the manager of the duo he worked hard to ensure their success.

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A central conceit was that the duo lived together and therefore shared a flat and even a bed, although this was entirely platonic and merely carried on a tradition of comedians sharing a bed that started with Laurel and Hardy. Morecambe had been initially uncomfortable with the bed-sharing sketches but had changed his mind upon being reminded of the Laurel and Hardy precedent. The front room of the flat and also the bedroom were used frequently throughout the show episodes, although Braben would transplant the duo into various situations, such as a health food shop or a bank.

Related Topics:
Flat - Laurel and Hardy

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Another conceit of the shows was Wise's status as an aspiring writer. This allowed for another kind of sketch—the historical drama, which usually parodied genuine historical television plays or films (such as Stalag 54, Antony and Cleopatra, or Napoleon and Josephine). Wise's character would write a play, complete with bad grammar and cheap props ("the play what I wrote" became a catchphrase), which would be acted out by Morecambe, Wise and a guest star. Guests who participated included many big names of the 1970s and 80s, such as Flora Robson, Glenda Jackson, Peter Cushing and Frank Finlay. Morecambe and Wise would generally pretend not to have heard of the guest, or confuse them with someone else. The respected BBC newsreader Angela Rippon was induced to show her legs in a cancan, and Richard Greene of Robin Hood fame played a lost aviator called Miles Behind. Braben later said that a large amount of the duo's humour was based on irreverence.

Related Topics:
Antony and Cleopatra - Flora Robson - Glenda Jackson - Peter Cushing - Frank Finlay - Angela Rippon - Richard Greene

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As a carry-over from their music hall days, Morecambe and Wise sang and danced at the end of each show. Their peculiar dance was an improvised form of the Groucho Marx walk which involved skipping and putting alternate hands behind their head. Their signature tune was Bring Me Sunshine. They either sang this at the end of each show or it was used as a theme tune during the credits. During a theatrical tribute to the duo, The Play What I Wrote, many members of the audience wept when the tune was played. This indicates the popularity and special place Morecambe and Wise hold in the hearts of many British people. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, The Morecambe and Wise Show was placed 14th.

Related Topics:
Groucho Marx - 100 Greatest British Television Programmes - British Film Institute - 2000

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