From the Friday Video Vault: Morcambe and Wise
Eric Morcambe and Ernie Wise, or Morcambe and Wise as they were known throughout the land of variety, radio, film and television, have long been the gold standard of British comedy duos that the likes of today’s comedy icons idolized growing up. Having often been described as “the most illustrious, and the best-loved, double-act that Britain has ever produced“, Morcambe and Wise began their comedy partnership in 1941 where it lasted until Morecambe’s death in 1984.
Thankfully, UKGold has unearthed a number of rare and unseen sketches currently airing in the UK as part of their series, Bring Me Morecambe & Wise, airing Wednesdays @ 9pm exclusively on GoldUnseen. The first clip is a classic M&W sketch from 17 June, 1967, that was just recently discovered and hasn’t been seen since its original broadcast.
https://youtu.be/IhPhA-fJQWY
Next up, another late 60’s classic clip from the series that hasn’t been seen since its original broadcast, features the comedy duo and a bit of table tennis pantomime.
https://youtu.be/oEVM6aE7lf0
Classic Morcambe & Wise – Singing in the Rain
My personal favorite Morecambe & Wise sketch is one that I’ve featured several times on tellyspotting and, mostly liketly, one of their most famous routines. This 1976 Christmas Show parody of the scene from the film Singin’ in the Rain, where Gene Kelly dances in the rain, and sings the song “Singin’ in the Rain”. This recreation featured Ernie exactly copying Gene Kelly’s dance routine, on a set which exactly copied the set used in the movie, and Eric performed the role of the policeman.
https://youtu.be/o3GqaQkhuYw
The difference from the original was that in the Morecambe and Wise version, there is no water, except for some downpours onto Eric’s head (through a drain, or dumped out of a window, etc.). This lack of water was initially because of practical considerations (the floor of the studio had many electrical cables on it, and such quantities of water would be dangerous) – but Morecambe and Wise found a way to turn the lack of water into a comic asset.
