Ernie Wise talks about the death of Eric Morecambe - 1984

in case you're just joining us let me tell you that today is a very sad day at four o'clock this morning Eric Morecambe died in hospital he suffered a heart attack after a stage appearance at the chooks Prix in Gloucestershire last night we're now joined by his friend and partner for more than 40 years Ernie Weis only good monitor and first and foremost thanks very very much D for coming in what are your feelings this morning well I think it's the saddest day of my life I think I had two sad days I think and when my father died and actually when when Eric died I think those are the two moments I feel I knew in the middle of the night of course you know I hate farms that ring in the middle of the night no about 11:30 last night soon as the phone rings at that time of the night and how did you find out what were you told well the press phoned up and just said that it collapsed he was appearing at the theater in Tewksbury with a friend of ours Stan Stennett who appears in Crossroads and he's an old friend of ours that we've been together in pantomimes and variety for years and he asked us if we'd come up and do a personal appearance in his show I was going to do one to a sort of interview type show Eric did the first one and I was going to do the second one and he went up there did the show what I heard was that it was extremely successful and then he just collapsed in the wings his wife Joan has been at his bedside we gather have you had any chance no I've not spoken to John I understand that he went at four o'clock this morning or something so I presume journalists come back home now or whatever so I haven't had a chance to speak to her but I hope to speak to her when I get back this morning well obviously we extend all our sympathies to both her and and the rest of the family eric has of course had two heart attacks previously he's had open heart surgery in 68 68 he had the first one and we've really had like 15 years sort of extended time in a way because in 60 80 and the first one then they saw the open heart surgery and another one last Christmas before last Christmas sure he had a nasty turn he didn't feel very well I was there at the time we were rehearsing a nasty turn and and then finally this I think it's just I can only say stress you see I think it's in front of an audience I mean he was probably give me the performance of his life and I guess all he had of course been worn by the doctors to take things they was Indian take it easy yes yes we were top salutely taking it easy he was happy as anything with What's My Line we were doing what's my line and just a little bit some pieces and that their thing up at Tewkesbury was supposed to be a sort of fun thing they were saying but you know show business is the word business is is still in there show business and they're still stress and the silh strain when you're entertaining people and trying to be funny and and I think that shows through in the as we've seen in recent situations it's very easy to say these things afterwards but on reflection do you think it might have been better if he'd quit the business altogether I think yes I think I don't think he could have done that it's like they say to me you know just the same what are you going to do but once you you know show business you can't it's a bug and you you can't get away from him and I think he wouldn't have been happy taking it easy I don't think so I don't think so I think he still has to but what is trying to find was something that didn't carry the the stress and something that was easy to do that's why we was doing sort of things like What's My Line and this looks familiar programs that you just sit there and reminisce and and think back and make jokes and there's no you're not going out there with having learnt lines and routines and things thinking back about your own careers and did they stretch back for more than 40 years you met together as lads originally didn't you yes well we were both discoveries in the days of discoveries there's a man called Brian Mickey and it was a big big enormous billon type personality and he had a discovery show very similar to Carol there this if everybody remembers Carolyn I didn't date from Brian McGee and we used to go around touring in this show as as discoveries and I first met Eric at Swansea you had some hard times as well as your successes in those days too didn't you oh yes yes we've played Glasgow Empire that's the the famous one yes we used to go on and off to our own footsteps in silence then the fireman said I remember it vividly the fireman's we went on in silence and did a whole whole act in about four minutes flattered you know and came off in the firemen's and they're beginning to like you it's tough oh yes in the early days of variety you play some of those variety theaters with thirty-five people out there Monday night first house with that great sort of feeling of depression and we had hard times yes that television is not easy sometimes out of work as well in the days all right yes yes we had lots and lots of times where we didn't have any workers in all this what kept you going ambition yes ambition and arrogance I suppose an ego that's what three days isn't it the three days and ego because no it doesn't it's a bit but you feel alone you feel that you're better than everybody else one word you missed out there when it was Talent you had a great deal of that both of we had magic absolute I'd say that myself quite unashamedly we had a wonderful magic when we were on there together and somebody once said when we did the Ed Sullivan Show in in New York he said it's the way you look at one another he said um whatever that means could you repeat that I'm saying he said it's the way you look at one another yes yes television yes I remember Eric saying the last time I was in here just a few weeks ago that there was no smut in your act I mean the only innuendo was off the word pardon yes that's right yes it's I think was the the word that way they'd had that it's a connotation yes it oh yes it was no we don't know no you were family entertainers and we we like to think that the Bollywood switches on and not worry about anything that's kind of upset them or well they did they did in their millions 28 million how they loved it welcome my show he's been described as another wants to detract in any sense from your performance but he has been described as a comic genius how would you characterize that you what it was he was was a natural comedian and I'm very very proud to have been to being his partner I think he's a great comedian and through the years I think they'll realize how great it was the ability to make people laugh almost through doing nothing at all well he did that's exactly he could sit here as you know and he would have people Holly would love to have this natural feel we did put a lot of work in of course script wise we still had to work we had a lot of work behind the scenes when we were doing this like a script to talk show but with himself naturally he was naturally funny man and there's hardly any of them hardly any as you know with this Tony Cooper he was a funny man and it was a funny man I mean this a lot of talking comedians that just tell jokes and there's no real depth story they just tell but he was naturally funny in the same idiom was Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin's and funny to look at some funny movements and beautiful timing what about Alan very early days yet but I mean people are bound to say well what about your future my gonna do yes well I was coming here this morning and funnily enough coming up Albanese streets and I'm little s started there right at the beginning of my career when I was with Jack Elton's band and I used to live in our Bernie Street there and well at the moment I can't really think of anything because so I don't feel like okay doing anything I mean I know I'm gonna go to a funeral that's about as far as I can can think and myself from then on I I won't give up show business but it won't be the same fight won't be the same it won't be the same for not only yourself his family we've lost a great comedian there's no doubt about that and everywhere I went everywhere I went people he always said doesn't matter we're from top to bottom I mean you know by that I mean royalty or the poorest person always said our house Eric it's a very very personal relationship they felt that we were really or he was I should say one of the family he was indeed and he gave millions of millions pledged a great design and as enjoyment and I must say once again thank you very much D to you ne for coming in on a day when I know yourself as suffering from some considerable you know stress it's just coming up to my sudden that's rather sad morning but we have to as their it would want us to go on the show here here is he

Channel: Tvam Archive

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Id: KIymKijxO6s

Length: 9min 41sec (581 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 20 2018