We live in a world of hyperbole. Any halfway decent Sportsman is great and the term genius is an oft overused word.
I thought this whilst watching telly this Christmas. Every year without fail the BBC will show the repeat of a Morecambe & Wise christmas special. When I was a lad the Morecambe & Wise Christmas special was THE TV programme. This was the days before satellite TV and videos when new Hollywood blockbuster debuts were big TV hightlights but they all gave way to Eric & Ernie.
Whereas some acts have aged and are stale and dated Morecambe & Wise are fresh. The writing of Eddie Braben teamed with the timing and comic talent of Eric & Ernie is as fresh today as it always was. Alas the duo left the BBC in 1978 but Braben remained later episodes were good just not as good.
Eric Morecambe died in 1984 aged 58. Ernie Wise carried on but never scaled the same heights.
Apparently they didn't want to do the sketches of the two of them in bed together until Braben said "it was good enough for Laurel & Hardy....."
pure class!
3 comments:
Great stuff and totally agree. Always guaranteed to make me laugh out loud.
I like a great number of modern day comics but no-one will ever replace Morecambe and Wise as far as I'm concerned!
We watched the bbc show this year about Billy cotton the younger who first introduced them to the bbc what foresight he had! thanks for the clips really made me chuckle loved the "Andre Preview" on the xmas programme
I'm not a fan at all. Not sure why, I just don't find it funny.
I was at Michael's parents' the other week and they were watching a Christmas special and almost crying with laughter, and they looked quite confused at my straight face and "this is supposed to be funny?" expression.
Better than say Monty Python? No way!
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