Tragic Details About Morecambe and Wise That They Tried to Hide

The old adage, "the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows," aptly describes the legendary British comedy duo Morecambe and Wise. Despite bringing laughter and joy to millions during their illustrious careers, the pair faced a series of tragic details and untold stories behind the scenes.

Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise are celebrated as two of the United Kingdom's most cherished entertainers, but their offstage lives were marked by turbulence. A significant rift between their wives, Doreen Blythe and Joan Bartlett, complicated their partnership. Doreen's belief that Ernie was the star of the show and Eric would flounder without him led to separate lives offstage.

▬Contents of this video▬
00:00 - Intro
00:29 - Clash of the Wives
01:55 - Defying the Odds
03:52 - Fear of Switching Off
06:16 - Many Episodes Have Been Lost
07:18 - The Show Was A Favorite of the Queen and Prince Phillip
08:05 - Outro

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The duo, who began their career in 1941, were not seen as a guaranteed success by BBC executives. A 1959 letter by scriptwriter John Ammonds even suggested that Eric Morecambe would find more success solo. However, Morecambe and Wise overcame early challenges and solidified their place in British comedy history.

Despite their close bond, the pair had an unspoken agreement not to socialize outside of work. The pressures of stardom weighed heavily on Eric Morecambe, who feared switching off, believing he might never switch back on. His constant need to entertain took a toll on his health, leading to a heart attack in 1968 at age 42.

Talented writer Eddie Braben revamped Morecambe and Wise's onstage personas, adding a new dimension to their act. However, by the late 1970s, repetition and a misguided move to Thames Television led to a decline in quality material and Eric's health. After a second heart attack in 1979, Eric considered a future outside of comedy, but the fear of work drying up kept him from walking away.

In the end, the once-joyful rehearsals became arduous, and their belief in one final hit faded. The darker side of their lives serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by these beloved entertainers.

Tragic Details About Morecambe and Wise That They Tried to Hide

[fabianwylie]

Give me in sunshine in your smile 😊 l, give me laughter all the while, in this word that we live, there should be more happiness🥰.

Always watched them on TV in the 70s up until the 80s, just the most uplifting team you would ever see on TV 📺 😁😁😁.

Loved the Christmas shows 😍😍😍🇬🇧🇬🇧

[joegroup]

The sketch that stands out in my mind, is the one where Eric is a newspaper vendor and he's shouting, "Get your Morny Stannit". Ernie dressed as a business man, gradually gets Eric to say, "Morning Standard". At the end of the sketch we see Ernie looking at the newspaper he's just brought with the title of the newspaper saying, "Morny Stannit". I laughed so much after seeing this sketch I was crying with laughter.

[PaulMason-cm]

Eric Morecambe hinted at retirement in the late 1970s but couldn't retire as Ernie Wise would have been finished as was sadly proved when Morecambe died in 1984.
Ernie Wise sought fame in the USA but EM had a young family and was reluctant to live in the USA or commute in the manner of David Frost. The USA ventures as did their brief movie career ended with EMs 1968 heart attack .Ernie Wise briefly lived in the States after Eric's death but the kind of entertainment Wise favoured was old fashioned by the 1980s.
Wiping of video tapes was a common British TV practice in the 1960s and 70s and many programmes had been lost, not just those of M & W. The only tragedy was Eric's early death but Wise lived to be 73, not a great age admittedly. Eric's death came six weeks after his friend Tommy Cooper, who died aged 62 on a live TV show wot I saw. Ernis Wise reference there!

[prospect]

I miss “Uncle” Ernie. He was such an amazing man and I will never forget him.

[andrewhough]

Once again an ill informed post from an American perspective fails to recognise that most people in Britain were already keenly aware of all these well known facts but still admired them irrespective of some of these complexities.

[derekr]

What a pity it is offensive to have a good laugh in the 2020's. I am glad I lived to enjoy so many good comedy acts before it became illegal to have a laugh.

[carljakins]

Classic, always a giggle, whenever they are shown

[laurencecope]

Wise would have been nothing without Eric.

[michaelsandford]

Leave them alone because they are both dead

[reggriffiths]

In my twenties during the 70's, I watched the M&W shows necaue they were light and didn't need a lot of brain function. By the 80's I had grown to dislike EW quite intensly for I thought he lacked any true talent - in fact it was Eric's abilities that shone through for me, although it was all a bit "samey." In tuth, I felt that their act was basically old-fashioned Music Hall with the same old lines that never changed from one show to the next. By the 90's, what little appeal thay may have had years previously had long gone I placed them in much the same category as Mike and Bernie Winters, Little and Large, and Cannon & Ball - none of whom were worth a second visit!
The comedy that suited me involved sharp, clever wit from those such as Lee Mack, David Mitchel, the Two Ronnies and others of the same ilk. Eric Morecanbe would never have lasted five minutes if pitted against any of them. Unforunately, some people - perhaps far too many people - will laugh at anything, probably because they can't handle anything that makes them think above juvenile levels, and what E&E did was pretty juvenile! I think their best sketch was was the one with Andre Previn, and even that was stretched out longer than it needed. No, I'm afraid their heyday - if they ever had one - ended a year after they first appeared on TV. Give me Blackadder or Allo, Allo when I want funny.

[carolinebyrne]

I FOUND THIS PAIR ABOUT AS FUNNY AS WHTCHING PAINT DRY