Eric Morecambe's Final Resting place - Famous Graves

I'm not much to look at sorry just glad I'm living and happy to be I've got a woman who's crazy for me she's funny that way I ain't gonna tell her I'm not worth a sense [Music] good morning everyone how you doing it's Paul here from unusual things now today I meant Nicholas churchyard in harpenden which is in some Albans in Hertfordshire and we have come to find the final resting place of John Eric Bartholomew as you may know him as Eric morcombe the comedy Partnership of morecam and wise Legends love Eric Morecambe and only wise great guy so funny but Ernie was always the straight man was he and Eric was like the comedian just brilliant um so yeah today we've come to find his plaque Memorial plaque now I know that his ashes are allegedly interred at the Garden of Remembrance which is over there somewhere in the churchyard um so we'll have a little walk around first I'll tell you a bit about Eric Morgan if you don't know who he is if you're one of our overseas viewers you may not know who he is but if you were around in the 70s watching TV in the 80s you probably will do um I'll tell you a little bit about his life of course and then we'll go and look for his memorial plaque I've been really excited about this one I've been wanting to find it for such a long time and I was so happy when um I've got some information about where it was so I'm pleased about that um anyway if you like the video today please give it a thumbs up don't forget as always leave your comments down below I want to know all about your memories about Eric Morgan where you watch him on TV where have you seen him and so forth um if you haven't done so already subscribe to the channel it's absolutely free it doesn't cost you a bean and hit that notification Bell you'll be notified when more videos come out let's have a little walk around the churchyard and I'll tell you a little bit more about Eric morecome John Eric Bartholomew John Eric Bartholomew Obe 14th of May 1926 to the 28th of May 1984 known by his stage name Eric morcombe was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed a double act Morgan wise Eric Morgan was born at 12 30 on the 14th of May 1926 at 42 Buxton Street Morecambe Lancashire to George and Sarah Elizabeth Sadie Nee Robinson Bartholomew he was christened on the 6th of June as John Eric Bartholomew Sadie took work as a waitress to raise funds for his dancing lessons during this period Eric Bartholomew won numerous talent contests including one in Hoi Lake in 1940 for which the prize was an audition in Manchester for Jack Halton three months after the audition Harleton invited morkum to join a review called youth takes a bow at the Nottingham Empire where he met Ernest Wiseman who had been appearing in the show for some years as Ernest wise the two soon became very close friends and with 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 hyalton was impressed enough to make a regular feature in the review however the duo was separated when they came of age for their War service during the final stages of the second World War ISE joined the Merchant Navy while Malcolm was conscripted to become a Bevan boy and worked as a coal miner in accrington for May 1944 onwards after the war morkum and wise began performing on stage and radio and secured a contract with the BBC to make a television show where they started the short-lived show running wild in 1954. they returned to this stage to hone their act and later made appearances on Sunday night at the London paradium and double six in 1961 Lou grade offered the duo a series for the london-based ITV station ATV entitled Two of a Kind it was written by dick Hills and Sid green an equity strike halted that show but Morgan wise were members of the variety artist Federation then a separate trade Union unaffiliated with the equity green and Hills appeared in the series sit at dick with a BBC 1968-1978 while Morecambe was recuperating from his heart attack Hills and green who believed that Malcolm would never work again quit as writers Morgan and wise were in Barbados at the time and learned their writer's departure only from the steward on the plane John Ammons the show's producer replaced Hills and green with Eddie braben morkum and wise did annual BBC Christmas shows from 1968 to 1977 with the 77 show having an estimated audience of 28 million 385 000 although at the time there were only three UK television channels they were one of the most prominent comedy Duos in British popular culture and in 1976 were both appointed obes morecam's wife Joan received an Obe in 2015 for her children's charity work the pair left the BBC for ITV in January 1978 signing a contract with the London Station Thames television morecam suffered a second heart attack at his home in harpenden Hertfordshire on the 15th of March 1979. this led to a heart bypass operation performed on the 25th of June 1979. at that time Malcolm was told he only had three months to live he increasingly wanted to move away from the double act and into writing and playing other roles in 1980 he played the funny uncle in a dramatization of John beckman's poem indoor games near Newbury part of an ITV special titled bechman's Britain produced and directed by Charles Wallace it spawned the start of a working relationship that led to a follow-up in 1981 for Paramount Pictures titled late flowering love in which Malcolm played an RAF major which is weird because there are majors in the RAF the film was released in the UK with Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981. Morgan published Mr lowly a tragic comic novel about a stand-up comedian he began to focus more on writing they also appear together recalling their Music Hall Days in a one-hour special on ITV on the 2nd of March 1983 called Eric and Ernie's variety days during this time morkum published two other novels The Reluctant vampire 1982 and its sequel the vampire's Revenge 1983. Morgan mcwise's final show together was the 1983 Christmas special for ITV Eric morcombe married Joan bartler in in fanatic Kent on 11th of December 1952 they had three children Gail born 1953 Gary born 1956 and Stephen who was born in 1907 but whom they adopted in 1974. in a diary entry from the 17th of August 1967 when morkama wise were appearing in Great Yarmouth as part of a summer season Malcolm observed I have a slight pain on the left side around my heart it's more likely wind but I've had it for about four days that's hell of a time to have wind Morgan was a hypochondriac but he rarely wrote about his health concerns until after his first heart attack at this time morecam was smoking 60 cigarettes a day and drinking heavily he suffered a near-fatal heart attack in the early hours of the 8th of November 1968 after a show while driving back to his hotel outside Leeds he took part in a charity show hosted by close friend and comedian Stan stennett at the Roses theater in Tewkesbury gloucestershire on Sunday the 27th of April 1984. his wife Joan who was in the audience recalled that Morgan was on top form after the show had ended he had first left the stage the musicians returned and picked up their instruments he rushed back onto the stage to join him and played various instruments making six curtain calls I'm leaving the stage for the final time as the house tabs fell he stepped into the wings and collapsed with his third heart attack in 16 years he was rushed to Cheltenham General Hospital where he died just before 3am on Monday the 28th of May his funeral was held on the 4th of June at Nicholas church harpenden with the principal address delivered by Dicky Henderson there was a private cremation service at garston his ashes were later returned to the church for burial In The Garden of Remembrance Ernie Wise said in an interview I think I had two sad days I think when my father died and actually when Eric died okay so of course we're in a churchyard it's a Friday it is ten past one now I don't know gotta be careful don't know if there's any Services going on usually we're not tired try the door early it's okay because you know it's probably not anything going on I really don't want to bust in like whoa while they were all singing songs and Clap into the almighty and stuff like that um however and also you've got to be careful there might be a funeral on you know so we've got to be really respectful so what I'll do initially is I'll just have a little listen outside um and then see oh my God what was that I just saw something at the corner of my eye like a big figure that was Bonkers proper bonkers I'm standing in the same spot and nowhere of a light I sort of figure there big figure right it's kind of a little have a little listen first to make sure there's no sounds of anything going on closed I just wanted to go and have a little look if I can is that all right thank you I'll bless you I just want to have a little film around here cool it's always interesting to see who's about isn't it thank you oh wow yeah oh okay thank you my love cheers thank you so much wow this is beautiful isn't it oh wow that's lovely I always love the smell of the church as well yeah no but it's nice isn't it it shows its age and authenticity yeah is it okay to have a little wander around say okay thank you wow this is beautiful guys look here um I hope that lady didn't mind being on film I'll ask on the way out there's all the staff obviously and oh rogue's Gallery which you talk about who the members of Starfire but we're really even at peace with and there's the uh behind the scenes part Library that's gonna be nosy shall we oh that looks really I thought I was a win though then but it's not that's where the bowels are we getting that Rings up now we're getting chuckled wow what a beautiful place it's weird though because um it's just so bright that's not the weird thing um I don't know what I was going to say he's weird it's just me talking to myself let's have a little look at the uh the lectern shall we see what's going on next Sunday between 11 July 6th of August okay there we go got some bits and bottoms there and uh Higher One there look at that stained glass window let's go back let's get morning now I'm not a religious person but I'm having a guess that the man in the middle is the main man it's got the bit of light behind his head it's got the beard the long hair the standard stereotypical look of the boss but there we go that's that beautiful little place we'll uh oh too noisy now we get out all right thank you so much so there's all the information there on John Eric Bartholomew Eric morecome and what an amazing person he was he was just so funny wasn't he with Bernie wise they were amazing together anyway this is the obviously The Garden of Remembrance okay this is where the ashes were scattered um and now we've got to try and find his name plaque in amongst all this lot we'll have a good look shall we I was looking for Mr wise huh well you are a bit early with a taxi you see the point is we're doing a TV spectacular at the moment uh with lots of famous people instantly recognizable well I um I don't drive a taxi it's pushing yeah excuse me General nine sorry to interrupt but I did a show with you over 10 years ago I've never been paid so I've been having a good look around and you know what I think I found it I thought originally it would be on the big wall over there with all of that lot but that's it's hidden I like it here we go the memorial plaque tarrick Morgan John Eric Bartholomew 14th of May 1926 to the 28th of the 5th 1984. just quietly hidden in amongst a sea of names and like I say the Garden of Remembrance is over there which is where he had his um ashes scattered which is amazing and you just feel that you know even by being next to the plaque you're in the company of comedy gold Eric Morgan to me was he was topped here he was out there he was very very funny man so we've got to say a massive massive thank you to Eric Malcolm he made my TV when I was a kid um him and only wise just top of the top you know thank you Eric now I know he's not there obviously it's a memorial easy for me to say his memorial plaque but it's still great to see and he's in the Garden of Remembrance his ashes are scattered there and uh you know that that to me is just don't I just got a big chuffy on do you remember that word a big chofty where you feel really happy and it's because Eric morecam was such a such a funny man I loved him I thought he's amazing anyway so if his ashes are down here somewhere this is a Garden of Remembrance um bless you Eric wherever you are thank you but at least we got to see his plaque which is always always a good thing isn't it uh thank you as always for watching because I'm going into darkness I'm going into the forest now uh thank you as always for watching uh please leave your comments down below Eric Malcolm um you know did you have you ever seen him an Ernie Wise lie did you ever go to one of the shows um you know did you watch them regularly on TV leave your comments down below please hit the thumbs up if you liked the video today if you haven't done so already subscribe to channels absolutely free it doesn't cost you anything whatsoever um and I will see you all on the next one take it easy [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you [Music]

Channel: Unusual Things

Views: 62,747

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Id: rF1I9u7wdTc

Length: 18min 21sec (1101 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 13 2023