Eric Morecambe

Eric John Bartholomew (May 14, 1926 – May 28, 1984), part of the double act of Morecambe and Wise with Ernie Wise. In the UK he is widely considered to have been a "comic genius".
Eric took his stage name from the seaside resort of Morecambe in Lancashire, England, his home town. He and Ernie were both teenagers when they teamed up in 1941, and had still to face national service during World War II when he was a Bevin Boy, conscripted to work in a coal mine.
Before his sudden death, Eric had already suffered a massive heart attack in November 1968 which had forced him to put his career on hold. It was an experience he often talked about publicly. He had a second heart attack in March 1979 which led him to have a heart bypass in June 1979.
Eric's final appearance was in a live, solo stage performance, at Stan Stennet's theatre in Tewkesbury. He collapsed with a final, third heart attack in the wings after leaving the stage following six curtain calls. He died at Cheltenham General Hospital at 4am.
In his leisure time, Morecambe was a keen birdwatcher, and the statue of him at Morecambe shows him wearing his binoculars. He was also an enthusiastic football fan and a director of Luton Town F.C.. Morecambe also had a love of Long John Silver impressions, which never left him through his life (one can be seen in the 'Monty on the Bonty' sketch with Arthur Lowe).
In 1981 Morecambe published Mr Lonely, a tragicomic novel about a stand-up comedian.


Early life and childhood career

Eric was born to parents George and Sadie Bartholomew. His mother, Sadie, was determined to see her only child make a success of his life, and took work as a waitress to raise funds for his dancing lessons. Eric did not enjoy these lessons at the time, although they were to come in handy during his later life.
During this period, Eric Bartholomew (the John having been dropped more or less from birth) won numerous talent contests, most notably in Hoylake in 1939, the prize for which was an audition with Jack Hylton. Also present was another young talent named Ernest Wiseman, already a familiar voice from Arthur Askey's radio series "Bandwagon". This was the first meeting of what was to become one of Britain's most loved comedy partnerships, although it was to be a further two years before they would team up.
Three months after the audition, Hylton invited Eric to join a revue called "Youth Takes A Bow" at the Nottingham Empire, where, once more, he encountered Ernie. The two soon became close friends, and, under Sadie's encouragement, started to develop a double act. When the two were eventually allowed to perform their double act on stage (in addition to their solo spots), Hylton was impressed enough to make it a regular feature in the revue.


Eric and Ernie


Of all the comedy acts produced by Britain, Morecambe and Wise are perhaps the best loved and most fondly remembered. They were arguably the first truly great double act in Britain. Many have highlighted the genuine affection Eric and Ernie had for one other, which shone through Braben's material. Their enjoyment of their work was picked up by the audience who regarded them as friends as well as entertainers.
The humour was largely derived from their on-stage relationship, especially in their work with Eddie Braben at the BBC. Eric was regarded as the funny man, although this was one of the most equal partnerships of all time. He constantly poked fun of Ernie's appearance, but there was clearly great affection between the two. In sketches, Eric frequently appeared playing the piano (badly), most notably in the famous "Grieg's Piano Concerto" sketch, featuring Andre Previn (who only had a few hours to learn his part). Eric's favourite catch phrase was "What do you think of the show so far? - [throws voice] Rubbish!" which became a favourite with imitators everywhere.
So enormous was Morecambe and Wise's popularity that their annual BBC Christmas shows became almost mandatory viewing in Britain from 1968-1978. Despite his heart condition, he and Ernie still managed energetic song and dance routines and superbly timed visual comedy.
The sixth Morecambe and Wise series for ITV was planned from the start to be aired in Britain as well as exported to the United States and Canada. It was taped in colour and starred international guests, often American. Prior to its British run, it was broadcast in North America by ABC network as a summer replacement for re-runs of The Hollywood Palace under the title The Piccadilly Palace from May 20 to September 9, 1967. The duo had appeared in the U.S on The Ed Sullivan Show and hoped to become stars there, but negotiations for a longer run broke down when the show's ratings were strong in Canada but weak in the U.S. ATV's Sir Lew Grade, who represented the comedians in the negotiations, said in his autobiography that the disappointing American ratings were a result of the comedians' refusal to slow down their fast-paced act.