Morecambe and Wise Untold (Paperback)

The illustrated story of Eric and Ernie's early years as variety entertainers, and the first ever biography to reveal how they became Britain's best loved comedy double act. Eric Morecambe & Ernie Wise were Britain's greatest ever double act, but there's never been a book which really revealed the era that made them such a special part of our national culture. Until now. Although Morecambe and Wise are famous for their TV work, they started out in variety and their record-breaking Christmas television shows were a secret homage to that forgotten world. For a quarter of a century, from the early forties until the late sixties, they were a live act first and foremost, playing pantomime and summer season, variety theatres and seaside piers. 'You're making us look like a cheap music hall act,' Ernie used to complain, in mock protest. 'Well, we are a cheap music hall act,' Eric would reply. This is the story of Morecambe and Wise's live years and the spit and sawdust places where they served their showbiz apprenticeship, told through the reminiscences of the people they met along the way. Morecambe and Wise Untold includes brand new interviews with Gail and Gary Morecambe (Eric's children), Joan Morecambe (Eric's widow) and a rare and revealing interview with Doreen Wise -- the first time that Ernie's widow has ever been interviewed for a book about Morecambe & Wise. The text is accompanied by a wealth of rare and previously unseen photos by Gary Morecambe from his father's family archive and from the collections of friends, fellow performers and fans who captured the emerging story of a legendary showbiz partnership in the making.