Eric & Ernie's Home Movies


Eric & Ernie's Home Movies

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Transcript


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-The camera's over there.

-Oh, is it?

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Morecambe and Wise were

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one of the best loved comedy acts in British television history.

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We're a partnership, aren't we?

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So, so, so.

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On the jaw!

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Their on-screen chemistry took them to the top of their profession.

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I'm going home, thank you very much!

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PROJECTOR WHIRS

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But less well known

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is that their remarkable journey was

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chronicled by home movie footage that

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Eric and Ernie filmed themselves.

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Shot in the 1950s and '60s,

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Morecambe and Wise's lost films recorded their lives off-screen.

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Whether it was their friendship...

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..their life at home...

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..or their travels around the world.

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Its archive kept by their wives and families for decades.

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Most of it unseen by the people Eric and Ernie filmed.

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Until now.

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I've never seen this footage before.

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And this is absolutely amazing!

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Remarkable clips that captured comedy history in the making.

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That's it, that's it!

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-That's it!

-That's fantastic!

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Oh, it's brought tears to my eyes now.

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Throughout their 40 year career,

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Eric and Ernie meticulously recorded their lives in show business.

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From photographs, to audio recordings,

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programmes of the first shows they played together,

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to tickets from their travels around the world.

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Everything was kept.

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But the most incredible items in their treasure trove of mementos,

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are dozens of reels of home movie footage

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rediscovered earlier this year,

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most of them belonging to Eric Morecambe.

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It's just marvellous really to see it again, isn't it?

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-Isn't it fabulous?

-Yes.

-Absolutely fabulous.

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For the first time Eric's wife, Joan,

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and their children Gail and Gary,

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can watch the amazing footage that has been left behind.

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I had long forgotten and it was a complete shock to me

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to find that there was so much footage.

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Because now it's fantastic that he took so much stuff.

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Absolutely extraordinary!

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My dad's in this!

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You can see him being mischievous already.

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-Dad, can't you?

-He just always had this twinkle in his eye, didn't he?

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What's he eating?

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Peanuts, I think.

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I can remember I used to have to

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-carry all the things that went with the camera.

-Yes.

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-I was always the one carrying the camera.

-Your job!

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You know, isn't it funny with Dad, and all the filming that he did,

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I don't ever remember seeing him get the camera out.

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I don't remember ever being told

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that we were about to be filmed.

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It was very much just normal family life that he wanted to capture.

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Eric Bartholomew and Ernest Wiseman met as teenagers in 1939.

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Within two years, they had formed a double act.

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By the early 1950s, the newly named Morecambe and Wise

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were regulars on the variety circuit.

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What are you going to call yourself?

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How about Elsie?

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But this young duo were about to become a foursome,

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their home movies recording the start of two lifelong love stories,

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beginning in 1952, when Eric met beauty queen and actress,

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Joan Bartlett, at a theatre in Edinburgh.

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I met Eric purely by accident.

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Because someone had dropped out of a show,

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so I went up on the train to join it.

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And yeah, so that was how it happened, you know?

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Eric met me and said to Ernie,

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"That's the girl I'm going to marry."

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Which I'm sure nobody believed but actually it was perfectly true.

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After that it was all a bit whirlwind,

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and he was determined he was going to get married

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and we were married, you know, a year later.

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Ah, Mum and Dad.

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I mean, it's just extraordinary, their relationship, I think.

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He totally admired her.

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He always thought she was the most beautiful thing that he'd ever seen.

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He had her right up on a pedestal,

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and I do say quite rightly,

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that she was on this pedestal

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because she was remarkable.

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Dad always knew that Mum was fundamental to his success.

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"Without your mother,

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"we'd have none of this," he'd say.

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He was romantic but...

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..he wasn't soppy, you know?

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Although mind you, having said that, we used to send each other cards.

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They're somewhere here and I'm hoping my family don't find them

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before I find them, because...

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..they were very personal to us.

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Eric had met the perfect partner in Joan.

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Meanwhile, Ernie's earliest home movie films

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show the love of his life, dancer Doreen Blythe.

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Ernie and Doreen had been sort of

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been going together on and off for about seven years, a long time.

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But he never actually reached the point of marrying.

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I think it was really Eric so suddenly marrying me.

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So I think then that did spur Ernie on.

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So they did, they married about a week later.

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Ernie and Doreen were the perfect couple.

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And they got on well together.

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They never had an argument.

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And she was lovely, she helped him.

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She was the backroom person that sent him off to work happily.

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Early on in their marriage,

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the couple decided that they wouldn't have children

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and Doreen devoted herself to life on the road with her new husband.

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Doreen was very keen that she should always travel with Ernie.

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Ernie really did rely on Doreen almost completely,

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so it seemed to work fine for them, you know.

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And they did travel an awful lot and they made the most of it.

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I think they've been all over the world.

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So a great, great life for them.

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Ernie took his camera on every trip,

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each foreign adventure captured on celluloid.

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Meanwhile, Eric would use his

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to record the very beginnings of family life.

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Married life really, it was very difficult at the beginning.

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Because Eric went straight into pantomime,

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and we never bargained on the fact

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that I was going to fall pregnant right away.

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Ernie was the natural choice as godfather to Eric's daughter Gail,

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a role he took to with typical humour.

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Despite performing both evenings and matinees,

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Eric revelled in his role as a new father,

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spending as much time as possible with his little girl.

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ALL: Aww...

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Eric took so many pictures of Gail.

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All the time, he was taking pictures of her.

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Isn't that lovely?

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Isn't she a bonnie baby?

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Certainly had cheeks!

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Well, I think we both so doted on Gail.

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Just absolutely idolised this little baby.

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But there again terribly hard.

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We didn't always have hot running water,

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I can remember having to light a boiler to get hot water

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and having to do that about six o'clock in the morning, you know?

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I can remember bathing her originally in like a tin bath.

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Yes, not the height of luxury,

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but somehow you just accepted it as the way things were.

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You didn't complain, you know, you just got on with it.

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Eric Morecambe's earliest home movie

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footage coincides with the arrival of Gail.

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But he also took his new camera to work.

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In December 1953, a year before

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they made their television debut,

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Morecambe and Wise were booked to appear at the Sheffield Lyceum,

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playing the robbers in the pantomime Babes In The Wood.

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This footage is now the earliest

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known moving images of Eric and Ernie.

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Co-star and comedian, Stan Stennett,

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shared the duo's love of home movies

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and filmed the pair with Eric's camera,

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while they were on stage.

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In the '50s, it was all about cine cameras.

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It was the in thing.

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And, of course, you've got to remember as well,

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Eric and Ernie were brought up on going to the cinema.

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So the idea that you could actually have your own cine film,

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meant that you could obviously see your family growing up

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and your holidays and, in this case, pantomime seasons.

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This is absolutely wonderful footage from a real bygone age.

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That is the most astonishing thing I've seen.

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Because normally when you see pantomime footage,

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it's usually Pathe news.

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To see Freddie Sales, the dame, making up.

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He's doing it privately for Eric, he's just doing a silly little skit.

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That's a piece of treasure

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which I do hope ends up preserved for eternity.

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Playing the parts of the Babes in Sheffield

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alongside Morecambe and Wise were two local girls.

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Yvonne Saunderson and Valerie Spedding.

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We first met Eric and Ernie at the first rehearsal.

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We were watching very hesitantly,

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Yvonne and I,

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Sort of, edging each other thinking,

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"this is it".

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It was very difficult

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not to start laughing

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when Eric and Ernie

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started telling jokes.

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You know, they would say stupid things to us.

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Try and make us laugh but we wouldn't.

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Because it was a serious scene.

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And we were crying.

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When we were lost in the woods.

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When they really got famous,

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you could brag and say "I worked with them."

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And it was a wonderful feeling!

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And some people would say, "Oh, you haven't."

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But I did. And that's the difference.

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Over 60 years have passed

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since Valerie and Yvonne worked with Morecambe and Wise.

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The Sheffield Babes lost touch after the production.

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But today, they're meeting again

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on the very stage they shared with Eric and Ernie.

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-It's a dream come true, isn't it?

-It is.

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I think I'm going to cry...!

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Oh, it's fantastic.

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To be back in this wonderful theatre.

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Do you remember the time when I lost my voice?

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-Yeah.

-He stood at the front, did Morecambe and Wise,

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but Morecambe was saying, "I've had enough!"

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And he stands in front and he goes, "white lights!"

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He gets all the lights on.

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-Do you remember?

-Fully, yeah.

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And he got them all looking under the seats.

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They don't know what they're looking for.

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And they looked under the seats and he says, "I'm sick of it!

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"She said she's lost her voice and we can't find it anywhere!"

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-I know, I know!

-And that has always stayed with me!

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Just, here.

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It's... That's all you can say.

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It just takes your breath away.

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And it's all the memories now.

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-Yes.

-I can be stood there

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waiting for Morecambe and Wise to come to us.

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It's just brought it all back.

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All back.

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After 63 years, oh...

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Will you shut up about that?

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The cine film has left an incredible record of the 1953 pantomime.

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Now, for the first time...

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We're on!

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..Valerie and Yvonne can see themselves

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on stage with Eric and Ernie.

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-Oh, there he is.

-Yes.

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-Ernie.

-Ernie.

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Upsy-daisy.

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-That's it! That's it.

-There we are!

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That's it.

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That's fantastic!

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Oh, it's brought tears to my eyes now.

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-Oh, doesn't it seem strange watching it now?

-Yeah.

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Oh, that's wonderful. You know,

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never in this lifetime would you

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think to come back all these years and see something like that.

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-I know. Yeah.

-Would you? Never.

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No. No.

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This was the only time Valerie and Yvonne would work

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with Morecambe and Wise.

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The pantomime would prove

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a key booking for Eric and Ernie each year,

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working as part of a team, both on and off stage.

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Stan Stennet.

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And Dad without his glasses.

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Looking a bit blind.

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On the wing. He used to play left wing.

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Charity football matches between theatres

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were quite common in the '50s,

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and my dad, being a big, big football fan,

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he would've obviously made sure there was

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a Babes In The Wood football team,

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and they would challenge then another local theatre

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to play a game on a Sunday when obviously everybody had the day off.

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Look this. This is real, real football.

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Look, he's really got into it.

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-Yeah.

-Whoa.

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He's the one with the red socks.

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Yeah.

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Oh, good cross.

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Yeah, he's quite good, isn't he?

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The football matches,

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they were all big social occasions.

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And you met the other members

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of the show business family.

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Your show business family.

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We were like, we were like brothers and sisters.

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They were very good, good fun.

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Good fun.

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Do you think - not think that you were filming this?

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-You were probably filming this.

-Somebody else must be filming.

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Well, I did have to film because I got shouted off,

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I was going on the pitch.

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And they were saying, "Get off, get off the pitch!"

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So I evidently got carried away.

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-Filming.

-And ending up in there.

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-I got shouted at to get off the pitch.

-That's hilarious.

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I once said to him, "Did you ever

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"consider being a professional footballer?"

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Because his dad was supposed to have been.

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-Yes.

-And they were all very sporty on his father's side.

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And he just look to me and he said...

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"Two problems, Gail.

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"Both feet."

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So he clearly didn't think he was very good.

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He didn't think he could make it, yeah.

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No, he wasn't into that league, I don't think.

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A great fan of the beautiful game,

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Eric was in his element on the pitch.

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In the 1950s, Eric and Ernie's winters were taken up by panto.

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But the spring heralded the beginning

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of another vital part of their working lives.

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And wherever they went, their cameras went with them.

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If a variety house has got a good summer season, and the pantomime...

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..you were having a wonderful year.

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The summer season, it'd start in April or May and finish in November.

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A long, long season.

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It's hard to appreciate what a special thing

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summer season was.

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Not just for the punters

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but also for the performers.

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The British seaside was booming back then.

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In those days, they had what they called Wakes weeks,

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when a town or city would just close down for the week

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and everybody would go on holiday.

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We did enjoy summer seasons very much.

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But once I had children of school-age...

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..it became a case of Eric would go down to wherever it was,

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and then when the children broke out from school,

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I had a little car of my own,

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and I would drive them down and that was lovely.

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The summer seasons were very important in our lives as kids,

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for Gail and I definitely.

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It became more of a

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family holiday, funny enough.

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My father could actually

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join in the fun of it

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and then just do that nasty business around about six o'clock

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where he had to go and do a show, and then come back.

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But for us as a family unit,

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we just simply transplanted ourselves

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from a home to another home and it was all rather fun, really.

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Funny thing was with Eric and Ernie, was that in the '50s,

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they were not household names in the way that we think of comics today.

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But actually, for the course of that summer,

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they would really be in the spotlight.

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And they would be expected not just to perform in the show,

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but to get out and sell the show.

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Certainly, both Eric and Ernie,

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they got roped in for judging beauty competitions.

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And you always had that.

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That was a feature of the seaside.

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Look at the high heels with the swimming costume.

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That's hilarious.

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Little would they know that we're sitting here

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-watching them in their youth.

-No, I know.

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Yeah, yeah.

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One of the very nice things was when

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there was a huge garden party

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and all the showbiz people working in Blackpool,

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and there were many,

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they would all go to the garden party.

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It was a chance to meet all your friends, all the other turns.

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A chance to look at the stars and say, "Wow, she's beautiful."

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There was a chance to see all the big names.

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So, yeah, it was a great social occasion.

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In 1958, four years after their

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first attempt at television had failed,

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Eric and Ernie were appearing in summer season

0:21:590:22:01

at the Morecambe Winter Gardens.

0:22:010:22:04

On the bill was a spectacular line-up,

0:22:040:22:06

featuring stars of stage, radio and television.

0:22:060:22:09

Joining them in the chorus was an 18-year-old dancer,

0:22:130:22:16

who would soon have Eric and Joan to thank

0:22:160:22:18

for a key turning point in her life.

0:22:180:22:20

We were very fond of Fiona Castle

0:22:240:22:26

and we sort of took her under our wing a bit.

0:22:260:22:28

And then of course it was Eric and I - well, Eric mainly,

0:22:280:22:31

that introduced Fiona to Roy Castle.

0:22:310:22:34

It was one of those weekends when I was staying with them,

0:22:380:22:41

and Roy happened to come on the television.

0:22:410:22:43

I thought he was so brilliant, so in a silly moment, I said to Eric,

0:22:430:22:47

"If ever you do a show with Roy Castle, can I come along?

0:22:470:22:50

"Because I'd love to meet him. I think he's so talented."

0:22:500:22:53

And all I got was, "Oh, all right, love."

0:22:530:22:55

And it was probably two or three years later,

0:23:000:23:04

and Eric rang me at the theatre and said,

0:23:040:23:06

"Hey I'm doing a television with Roy, do you want to come along?

0:23:060:23:08

"It's on Sunday."

0:23:080:23:10

And so I went with Eric's wife, with Joan,

0:23:100:23:14

and Eric took me into Roy's dressing room

0:23:140:23:16

and I was so excited about this.

0:23:160:23:18

And it was the worst moment of my life, because Eric just said,

0:23:190:23:23

"Roy, this is Fiona, she's in love with you,"

0:23:230:23:26

and then left. Thank you, Eric.

0:23:260:23:29

We got married a year later

0:23:310:23:33

and Eric felt so responsible for what he had done,

0:23:330:23:37

that he used to ring us every month

0:23:370:23:39

to make sure we were still speaking to one another.

0:23:390:23:42

It's been over five decades since the summer season

0:23:470:23:50

Fiona shared with Eric and Ernie in this theatre.

0:23:500:23:53

This brings back so many memories from such a long time ago.

0:24:070:24:11

It's nearly 60 years since I was here.

0:24:110:24:14

'We always share 50/50.

0:24:170:24:20

'We haven't got 50, we've got one.'

0:24:200:24:21

They were very well known in those days,

0:24:240:24:26

but it was before they became

0:24:260:24:28

very famous with lots of television shows.

0:24:280:24:30

'Why don't you come on at the same time as me,

0:24:300:24:32

'and then you'll know what I'm talking about?

0:24:320:24:34

'Don't have to keep repeating it.

0:24:340:24:35

'But you've got those short fat little hairy legs that go like that.'

0:24:350:24:39

There was always a wonderful chemistry between Eric and Ernie.

0:24:390:24:43

They seemed to know what they were

0:24:430:24:46

both capable of doing in different ways.

0:24:460:24:49

They were brilliant.

0:24:490:24:50

Two shows a night, six days a week.

0:25:000:25:02

Time off was rare.

0:25:020:25:04

But on one occasion, the company

0:25:040:25:06

took the trip together to Keswick in the Lake District,

0:25:060:25:08

all filmed by Eric on his cine camera.

0:25:080:25:11

Oh, my goodness.

0:25:190:25:21

That's me.

0:25:210:25:22

Was I ever that young?

0:25:220:25:24

I've never seen this footage before

0:25:320:25:34

and this is absolutely amazing.

0:25:340:25:36

We all went out for a day as a sort of treat, the whole company.

0:25:410:25:46

It was very special in those days to do anything that was

0:25:480:25:51

not just the work that we had to do, so it was lovely.

0:25:510:25:55

There's Ernie pretending to be the driver of the bus.

0:25:580:26:01

There we were, the old dancers, there at the back.

0:26:030:26:05

There's Joan. I can see her.

0:26:090:26:12

Semprini making a fool of himself.

0:26:120:26:15

Some lovely memories.

0:26:180:26:20

But Eric and Ernie's double act

0:26:270:26:28

was soon to be seen in sunnier climes than

0:26:280:26:30

the seaside towns of northern England.

0:26:300:26:32

In 1958, with their television careers

0:26:340:26:36

already seemingly behind them,

0:26:360:26:38

Morecambe and Wise took their comedy and their cameras

0:26:380:26:42

to the other side of the world.

0:26:420:26:43

Oh, look at this.

0:26:500:26:52

Is that Sydney Harbour Bridge?

0:26:520:26:54

-He did six months away.

-Away for six months, yeah.

0:26:560:26:59

Three months in Sydney, was it?

0:26:590:27:00

-And three months in Melbourne.

-Yeah.

0:27:000:27:04

A telegram come from Eric and Ernie's agent.

0:27:080:27:12

And I think they were in a sort of a bit of a dilemma over their future,

0:27:120:27:16

but then that came, and of course that was like...

0:27:160:27:19

..pennies from heaven.

0:27:210:27:22

That was extraordinary.

0:27:220:27:23

And to go to Australia, I mean, you know, the other side of the world.

0:27:230:27:28

Trip of a lifetime.

0:27:340:27:35

We would never have been able to go there otherwise,

0:27:350:27:38

if it wasn't that work took us there.

0:27:380:27:40

But it was a mixed blessing for you, wasn't it?

0:27:400:27:42

Because you did find it difficult to leave Gary and I.

0:27:420:27:46

At first I wouldn't go, and Eric said,

0:27:460:27:48

"Well, if you don't come, I don't go.

0:27:480:27:50

"We don't do the work."

0:27:500:27:52

So you're put on the spot then, you know.

0:27:520:27:53

I was very upset, and also, you know, on the mobile phone,

0:27:560:28:00

you'd always be in touch,

0:28:000:28:02

but then we used to have an arrangement

0:28:020:28:04

whereby we rang at a certain time,

0:28:040:28:06

to be able to have a quick word with you.

0:28:060:28:08

A postcard sent by Joan to Gail from San Francisco reads,

0:28:100:28:14

"I'm glad we didn't bring you, dear,

0:28:140:28:16

"as it feels like we've been travelling for weeks

0:28:160:28:18

"and are still only halfway to Australia.

0:28:180:28:21

"We're at the airport now, waiting for a plane to Honolulu

0:28:210:28:24

"and it is late at night.

0:28:240:28:26

"We do miss our two lovely children.

0:28:260:28:28

"Hope you're looking after Gary for me, dear."

0:28:280:28:31

I had a fantastic six months with my grandparents.

0:28:310:28:36

And I remember that I had a dress

0:28:360:28:39

which my grandmother had said I couldn't wear

0:28:390:28:43

because they were going to keep it.

0:28:430:28:46

It was going to be very special

0:28:460:28:47

and I could wear it when Mum and Dad came back.

0:28:470:28:51

And this particular day, she said

0:28:510:28:54

"Gail, do you want to go and try that dress on?

0:28:540:28:56

"Let's see if it still fits."

0:28:560:28:58

And I went and put the dress on

0:28:580:28:59

and what feels like not very long afterwards,

0:28:590:29:02

Mum and Dad walked in through the front door.

0:29:020:29:04

I could've wept when I came back and thought,

0:29:090:29:11

"They've grown that amount since I've been gone," you know.

0:29:110:29:15

Before the tour began,

0:29:190:29:21

Eric and Ernie treated themselves to brand-new Super 8 cameras.

0:29:210:29:24

The home movie footage shot by the pair

0:29:260:29:27

documents their extraordinary trip around the world

0:29:270:29:30

in an age when foreign travel was a luxury.

0:29:300:29:33

You dressed up to go on a plane then.

0:29:400:29:42

Now, everyone puts on something for comfort.

0:29:420:29:46

An old pair of jeans or something, but you dressed up.

0:29:460:29:48

You were going on a flight, so you put your nice clothes,

0:29:480:29:51

your smart clothes on.

0:29:510:29:52

Eric was very excited about going abroad and working abroad.

0:29:560:30:00

Slightly nervous as to how they would do, but no, actually,

0:30:000:30:03

they were welcomed, you know, like royalty.

0:30:030:30:07

-Look at that, Mum.

-Incredible, isn't it?

0:30:140:30:16

It's beautiful, isn't it?

0:30:160:30:18

This is a Test match, isn't it?

0:30:210:30:22

In Australia.

0:30:220:30:24

-Oh, wow.

-Yeah, that's a Test match.

0:30:240:30:26

We got hooked on it.

0:30:260:30:28

We went more or less every day.

0:30:280:30:30

To watch cricket?

0:30:300:30:31

Yeah, absolutely got hooked on it.

0:30:310:30:33

Got so excited with it.

0:30:330:30:34

Really? And this was a Test match, was it?

0:30:340:30:37

-A Test match.

-So the days when

0:30:370:30:38

-Richie Benaud was playing for Australia.

-Wow.

0:30:380:30:40

We had half of the England side

0:30:400:30:44

back to our flat.

0:30:440:30:47

-Wow.

-And cooked them roast turkey.

0:30:470:30:49

You're amazing.

0:30:490:30:51

So I presume it must've been Christmas.

0:30:510:30:52

I don't know. But all I know is I cooked them a roast turkey dinner.

0:30:520:30:55

On their journey home from their Australian tour,

0:31:020:31:04

Eric and Joan and Ernie and Doreen took in the sights of New Zealand,

0:31:040:31:08

Fiji, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

0:31:080:31:11

It's only through Eric and Ernie's work that we got the chance.

0:31:170:31:22

We would never in our lifetime

0:31:220:31:23

have had the chance to go abroad like that, you know.

0:31:230:31:26

So we had a lot to be grateful for.

0:31:260:31:30

And we certainly made the most of it.

0:31:300:31:33

We really did.

0:31:330:31:35

Not many young men who have been

0:31:380:31:40

brought up in very humble backgrounds

0:31:400:31:43

end up sort of seeing the world.

0:31:430:31:45

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-You know, Australia, New York, everywhere.

0:31:450:31:47

Well, it's nice to know that I've done it all.

0:31:470:31:50

Within two years of their trip to the other side of the world,

0:31:590:32:02

Morecambe and Wise were back on TV

0:32:020:32:04

with their first series for ITV,

0:32:040:32:06

Two Of A Kind.

0:32:060:32:08

-You are a funny man, aren't you?

-I am, yes. I'm very tall as well.

0:32:090:32:13

-Yes.

-Feet are on the floor, you know.

-Are they?

0:32:130:32:15

But they harboured even more ambitious plans -

0:32:190:32:23

to become stars in America.

0:32:230:32:24

During the 1960s, Eric and Ernie, along with their wives and cameras,

0:32:280:32:33

made regular trips across the Atlantic to appear on the nation's

0:32:330:32:36

most-watched entertainment series...

0:32:360:32:38

..The Ed Sullivan Show.

0:32:390:32:40

Ed Sullivan was the host of this huge show in America.

0:32:480:32:51

If you got an offer from Ed Sullivan,

0:32:510:32:53

you didn't turn it down.

0:32:530:32:55

He was over here looking for talent to take to America.

0:32:580:33:01

He was always looking for new faces.

0:33:010:33:03

And it was him that said to Eric and Ernie, "You know,

0:33:030:33:09

"would you like to come over and work in America?"

0:33:090:33:12

Morecambe and Wise would appear on

0:33:140:33:16

The Ed Sullivan Show a dozen times over five years,

0:33:160:33:18

stopping off for holidays on their way back from New York.

0:33:180:33:21

It was very exciting, very different, terribly noisy.

0:33:260:33:29

We did do sightseeing stuff, which was lovely.

0:33:290:33:32

Actually seeing the home movies and seeing all the different places that

0:33:400:33:44

they went to,

0:33:440:33:46

that's actually quite an eye-opener for me,

0:33:460:33:48

because as a child, your parents have gone away.

0:33:480:33:51

You've gone to live with somebody else.

0:33:510:33:53

You don't actually think about what they're doing.

0:33:530:33:55

And now I look at it and I think, "My goodness me."

0:33:570:33:59

I mean, they did see a huge amount of the world.

0:33:590:34:02

The glamour of those days when you look at that footage of New York,

0:34:060:34:10

it's unreal, isn't it?

0:34:100:34:11

All these big coats and scarves and hats

0:34:110:34:13

and it's just extraordinary, yeah.

0:34:130:34:15

A real time gone.

0:34:150:34:16

But despite their many visits,

0:34:190:34:21

Morecambe and Wise's breakthrough in America proved evasive,

0:34:210:34:25

leaving Eric and Ernie with opposing views on the next of their career.

0:34:250:34:28

Ernie always wanted to make it in the States.

0:34:310:34:34

As a kid, he was described as the next Mickey Rooney,

0:34:340:34:36

and he had a dream of becoming that.

0:34:360:34:38

And for him, going on the Ed Sullivan Show,

0:34:380:34:41

going to America, was all his dreams come true.

0:34:410:34:44

Eric wasn't so keen.

0:34:440:34:45

-GAIL:

-His view was, they'd worked

0:34:470:34:50

extremely hard to get it to a point where

0:34:500:34:54

it was really beginning to take off in this country, you know,

0:34:540:34:57

why would they want to start all over again somewhere else?

0:34:570:35:00

Conquering America proved the only difference of ambition

0:35:010:35:04

Eric and Ernie would have during their whole career.

0:35:040:35:07

But even so, their friendship never faltered.

0:35:070:35:10

The relationship between those two men,

0:35:110:35:13

there was a great affection,

0:35:130:35:15

but Eric was always saying, "He's not the best

0:35:150:35:17

"straight man in the business.

0:35:170:35:18

"Best one I'll ever have."

0:35:180:35:20

He was always making remarks like that in front of Ernie.

0:35:200:35:23

It was lovely.

0:35:230:35:24

Dad and Ernie always looked so happy.

0:35:260:35:29

Yeah. Always smiling and always laughing.

0:35:290:35:31

Ernie always laughed at everything Eric did,

0:35:330:35:35

and Eric always laughed at everything Ernie did,

0:35:350:35:38

so they were great,

0:35:380:35:39

you know, a great appreciative society among themselves.

0:35:390:35:43

They both appreciated each other's work.

0:35:430:35:45

And they were closer than brothers.

0:35:470:35:49

For me, seeing the footage of Eric and Ernie,

0:35:510:35:53

I didn't realise just how close it all was,

0:35:530:35:55

and that they were just laughing constantly.

0:35:550:35:57

Their relationship was just phenomenal.

0:36:010:36:03

Absolutely phenomenal.

0:36:030:36:04

I find it very moving, actually, with the footage,

0:36:040:36:07

because of seeing them so young, you know, these are guys in their 20s,

0:36:070:36:10

early 30s, and already on an amazing journey,

0:36:100:36:13

to be honest and a long way to go yet.

0:36:130:36:16

But just seeing them having fun doing it.

0:36:160:36:19

-BARRY CRYER:

-Their relationship off-screen.

0:36:190:36:21

They had separate lives.

0:36:210:36:23

People thought they lived in each other's pockets.

0:36:230:36:26

And they both said, "No, we don't want that."

0:36:260:36:29

They led very different lives, these old friends.

0:36:310:36:33

Ernie's home movies show another side to the showman onstage.

0:36:410:36:44

At home in Peterborough,

0:36:460:36:47

he enjoyed a simple life with his wife and his dog.

0:36:470:36:49

Ernie was completely different offstage to when he was on.

0:36:530:36:56

When he was at home, he liked to be, you know,

0:36:560:36:59

just quiet and do what he wanted

0:36:590:37:01

and do some reading and then go on his boat

0:37:010:37:03

and that sort of thing.

0:37:030:37:04

He was a man that had a life...

0:37:130:37:15

..apart from show business.

0:37:160:37:18

He would enjoy himself...

0:37:180:37:20

..with the rest of us.

0:37:210:37:22

Ernie was very friendly, most affable.

0:37:300:37:33

He was just, what you saw, you got.

0:37:340:37:37

He used to walk up and down the street,

0:37:370:37:38

signing autographs and

0:37:380:37:40

he was switched off from being on the stage.

0:37:400:37:44

He would never turn down anybody for an autograph or a picture.

0:37:500:37:55

He was a lovely man.

0:37:550:37:56

Ernie was not an extrovert.

0:37:590:38:02

He would be quite quiet and come to life when somebody spoke to him,

0:38:060:38:09

but Ernie wasn't a man going,

0:38:090:38:12

you know, "It's me, Ernie Wise.

0:38:120:38:14

"You know who I am." No, not remotely.

0:38:140:38:16

Ernie was very, was a very astute personality and mind.

0:38:210:38:26

It was always a pleasure to be with and work with.

0:38:300:38:32

That's Ted and Doreen, yep.

0:38:420:38:45

This was Steven's christening.

0:38:480:38:51

That's right, Steven's christening.

0:38:510:38:53

And, of course, Ernie was godfather.

0:38:530:38:54

Jackie Hockridge and her husband Edmund

0:38:570:38:59

had met Ernie during summer season in Torquay in 1961.

0:38:590:39:03

They became lifelong friends and next-door neighbours.

0:39:030:39:06

Ernie was responsible for getting us here.

0:39:110:39:13

We were saying that we were looking for a house and Ernie said,

0:39:130:39:17

"Well, there's a lovely house going next-door."

0:39:170:39:19

And I said, "Oh, we don't know anything about Peterborough.

0:39:190:39:22

"I don't know about that." And he said,

0:39:220:39:23

"Why don't you come and spend a weekend?"

0:39:230:39:25

So we went and spent the weekend with them

0:39:250:39:28

and we went out to supper that night,

0:39:280:39:30

and the guy burst into the restaurant and said,

0:39:300:39:32

"I accept your offer."

0:39:320:39:34

And we said, "What offer?"

0:39:340:39:35

Ernie had evidently been in and said we'd pay so and so and such and such

0:39:360:39:40

a thing, unbeknownst to us,

0:39:400:39:42

and we went back to Manchester, thinking,

0:39:420:39:44

"Wow, we've bought house in Peterborough."

0:39:440:39:48

He was so funny, Ernie, because he was so proud of his cars.

0:39:500:39:53

And the one thing we'd say is "Oh, he's washing his car again."

0:39:530:39:56

Well, we used to have an occasional party here

0:40:020:40:04

and so did Doreen and Ernie.

0:40:040:40:06

We used to go into each other's houses for dinner

0:40:060:40:09

or something like that, just for a bit of fun.

0:40:090:40:11

There were times when we'd have a party and

0:40:110:40:13

Doreen used to be a dancer and I used to be a dancer,

0:40:130:40:16

so we used to have a dance around, just impromptu, you know.

0:40:160:40:19

It was always a lot of fun, of course, yeah.

0:40:190:40:22

It's lovely to see it, actually, it is.

0:40:240:40:27

Oh, goodness me.

0:40:270:40:29

While Ernie enjoyed life in suburban Peterborough,

0:40:370:40:40

Eric's family movies shot at home in Hertfordshire reveal a quieter side

0:40:400:40:44

to the more extrovert of the pair.

0:40:440:40:46

A side he shared with his son Steven,

0:40:460:40:48

who the Morecambes adopted in 1973.

0:40:480:40:51

We both had a passion for trout fishing

0:40:560:40:59

and we spent many a time down on the River Test.

0:40:590:41:03

We'd go out for the whole day.

0:41:050:41:08

We had some really good quality times, the father and son times.

0:41:080:41:12

And he enjoyed it.

0:41:120:41:14

He really did. You could see it in him that he was totally relaxed.

0:41:140:41:17

He liked the peace and quiet.

0:41:200:41:22

I mean, the house here is situated in the countryside.

0:41:220:41:25

He would sit here with binoculars, bird watching.

0:41:250:41:29

He got really quite good at identifying all the birds.

0:41:290:41:32

Then we would walk, do the slow walk across the farmland,

0:41:320:41:36

where he could see more birds and everything, so yeah,

0:41:360:41:38

it was just his time to take it easier.

0:41:380:41:41

I think he really enjoyed taking photos, you know, taking stills.

0:41:440:41:47

And that I do remember more as a child,

0:41:470:41:50

this constant having to pose for a photo.

0:41:500:41:52

Then you'd say, "Well, let's take one of you," and he'd say,

0:41:590:42:01

"OK, just a minute."

0:42:010:42:03

He'd find a false moustache,

0:42:030:42:04

and he put a tea cosy on his head

0:42:040:42:06

and he'd stand there and he had,

0:42:060:42:08

in one of them he had the china chicken,

0:42:080:42:10

just standing there smiling.

0:42:100:42:12

You'd think, "I only wanted to take a picture of you. Just as you are."

0:42:120:42:15

I don't think I got any of him just being normal.

0:42:150:42:17

Even offstage, Eric Morecambe

0:42:210:42:22

could never stifle the entertainer in himself for long.

0:42:220:42:26

At home, his children and their friends

0:42:260:42:28

proved the perfect audience.

0:42:280:42:29

My father, when he was around children...

0:42:340:42:37

..it just brought out the seven-year-old in him.

0:42:380:42:42

It is honestly true that in the summer,

0:42:460:42:50

there would be a knock at the door, after tea in the evening...

0:42:500:42:53

..and there'd be a child there.

0:42:540:42:55

"Is Mr Bartholomew playing tonight?"

0:42:570:43:00

And we played hours and hours.

0:43:000:43:03

And all my friends would come to play with him...

0:43:080:43:10

..which is extraordinary.

0:43:120:43:14

I don't think I realised it at the time.

0:43:140:43:16

I might not have liked it at the time,

0:43:160:43:17

but now I realise completely that

0:43:170:43:20

the entertainment was playing with Dad.

0:43:200:43:22

My father loved it when all the kids

0:43:300:43:32

in the area got together and went off on bikes.

0:43:320:43:35

He'd want to sort of join in, really, and just be a child himself.

0:43:380:43:41

What I hadn't anticipated is he'd still be like that

0:43:510:43:54

when I was in my 20s.

0:43:540:43:55

He was still kind of wanting to join in.

0:43:550:43:58

And that's lovely. And they're my greatest memories.

0:43:580:44:01

Neighbours and childhood friends of Gary and Gail

0:44:060:44:08

were Erika and Amanda Kilburn.

0:44:080:44:11

They grew up around Eric's playfulness and great sense of fun.

0:44:110:44:14

And alongside his own children, he often filmed their adventures.

0:44:150:44:18

We were about three houses away,

0:44:210:44:23

and of course as kids,

0:44:230:44:24

you want to play with other kids in the neighbourhood.

0:44:240:44:26

So we ended up going down to the Morecambes

0:44:260:44:29

and meeting Eric and Joan,

0:44:290:44:31

whom we called Mr and Mrs Bartholomew,

0:44:310:44:34

and their children Gail and Gary.

0:44:340:44:36

Seeing if they had better toys than us or not.

0:44:360:44:39

We had an awesome childhood.

0:44:480:44:50

We were gone from dawn to dusk.

0:44:500:44:52

We'd play in this thing. We'd make forts. We'd make houses.

0:44:520:44:55

And as kids, it was absolutely incredible.

0:44:550:44:58

Mrs Bartholomew was great.

0:45:020:45:04

She was so homey, friendly, welcoming.

0:45:040:45:06

-Nice.

-Excellent cook.

0:45:060:45:08

-Yeah.

-You know, took care of us.

0:45:080:45:09

-Very kind.

-Yes.

0:45:090:45:11

Mr Bartholomew, he was just hysterical.

0:45:110:45:13

-He was always funny.

-Yeah.

-He was always doing things.

0:45:130:45:15

There was always a little comment.

0:45:150:45:17

There was always something going on. It was a lot of fun.

0:45:170:45:20

I remember him with that cine camera a lot,

0:45:230:45:25

quite a lot, walking around with it.

0:45:250:45:27

But, you know, he never wanted us to not be natural.

0:45:270:45:31

So there was never any, like, "Can you redo that again?

0:45:310:45:34

"Ride your bikes past me again while I get that shot."

0:45:340:45:36

He got what he got, and I think he loved that.

0:45:360:45:39

Erika and Amanda have never seen any of the footage that Eric recorded.

0:45:420:45:46

But today, along with Gary and Gail,

0:45:480:45:49

they can look back on a family holiday to the Norfolk Broads

0:45:490:45:52

that they shared with the Morecambes.

0:45:520:45:54

-Oh, here we go.

-Ay!

-Hey!

0:45:590:46:01

-Who's that?

-It's you.

0:46:040:46:05

Oh, my God.

0:46:050:46:07

-What are you wearing again?

-I look like a boy.

0:46:070:46:10

What was with that? I hated getting my hair cut.

0:46:100:46:13

I'm about, what, ten?

0:46:130:46:14

So I'm 13.

0:46:140:46:15

So it's about 80 years ago, then?

0:46:150:46:17

-Oh, Erika.

-Oh, very glam.

0:46:220:46:24

Is that a bandage on your head?

0:46:240:46:28

Excuse me, that was the style, thank you, back then.

0:46:280:46:30

The jeans are great, sort of up to the navel.

0:46:310:46:34

There's Gary.

0:46:390:46:41

OK, I look amazing.

0:46:420:46:44

That's a great shot.

0:46:540:46:55

-Yeah. Mum and Dad.

-Look at your mum and dad, isn't that nice?

0:46:550:46:58

-Yes.

-That is lovely.

0:46:580:46:59

-Yeah.

-Isn't that nice?

-Mum will like this.

0:46:590:47:02

Look how young he is there.

0:47:020:47:03

Great to see footage with Dad in it that isn't work-related, though.

0:47:080:47:12

I think it was very important to Dad to...

0:47:140:47:16

-Yeah.

-..to make it look good.

0:47:160:47:18

And to focus on people.

0:47:180:47:20

-Yeah.

-He enjoyed that.

0:47:200:47:21

And he was very good at it, really.

0:47:210:47:23

-Yeah, I think he was.

-I think he was, yeah.

0:47:230:47:25

But the funny thing was he couldn't go out of a room with me without

0:47:290:47:34

looking at me. And I'd be, you know, rolling my eyes, and like, "Oh,"

0:47:340:47:37

and he'd just say, "You'll miss me.

0:47:370:47:40

"You'll miss me when I'm gone."

0:47:400:47:41

-Yeah.

-And somehow that was always the theme, yes.

0:47:410:47:44

As if somehow I've done films and there's the TV shows.

0:47:440:47:47

-Yes. Keeping a record all the time.

-And he was right, wasn't he?

0:47:470:47:49

And he did ask me to watch.

0:47:490:47:51

He did say, "You will watch, won't you?"

0:47:510:47:52

Amazing.

0:48:010:48:02

Boat trips, days out and family picnics.

0:48:110:48:15

All were recorded by Eric.

0:48:170:48:19

But the Morecambes and their camera

0:48:210:48:23

also ventured further afield for their holidays.

0:48:230:48:26

Dad loved going on holiday, didn't he?

0:48:310:48:34

He did love going on holiday.

0:48:340:48:35

He loved going to Portugal, didn't he?

0:48:350:48:38

Well, that actually was his favourite.

0:48:380:48:40

From the time that I was about 12, I think,

0:48:430:48:47

we had a villa in Portugal and he absolutely loved going to Portugal.

0:48:470:48:52

That was his second home.

0:48:520:48:53

Dad would never have gone on holiday

0:48:530:48:55

without packing his camera, would he?

0:48:550:48:57

Oh, I think that would be essential.

0:48:570:48:59

We went over to Portugal because it gave Eric a little bolt hole

0:49:040:49:08

and it gave the kids wonderful holidays.

0:49:080:49:10

Eric was never a sand and sea person...

0:49:170:49:20

..so invariably, he would sit on the veranda, you know,

0:49:210:49:24

in his shorts and his hat and there was a little portable typewriter.

0:49:240:49:29

And he'd sit there planning the next Christmas show.

0:49:290:49:32

He would stay at the villa while we'd all go down to the beach.

0:49:350:49:39

And I know that when he was then on his own in the villa,

0:49:390:49:41

that's what he would be doing a lot of thinking about the shows.

0:49:410:49:44

He would play music and get ideas.

0:49:440:49:47

I think he used to even write stuff down.

0:49:470:49:49

Ideas for sketches.

0:49:490:49:51

And then would come back from the beach

0:49:510:49:54

and he'd talk about what he'd been doing.

0:49:540:49:57

I've got tonsillitis again.

0:49:590:50:01

-Always on holiday.

-Yes, we must've been on holiday.

0:50:010:50:03

-You're in bed, ill.

-Yeah.

0:50:030:50:04

As soon as the sun came out.

0:50:040:50:06

Funny, isn't it? That's really weird.

0:50:060:50:08

His little short shorts.

0:50:140:50:16

And I love the fact that he's got his socks on, still.

0:50:160:50:19

Socks and sandals. Never took his socks off.

0:50:190:50:21

It's definitely British, you see, you always wear your socks.

0:50:210:50:24

Yes.

0:50:240:50:25

I think the longest stint we ever did was a month.

0:50:300:50:33

And I can remember thinking that I thought that might drag,

0:50:330:50:36

but it went by in an absolute blink of an eye.

0:50:360:50:38

I can't imagine that he was ever still on the beach.

0:50:410:50:44

I don't remember him ever sunbathing in my life.

0:50:440:50:47

He never sunbathed, no.

0:50:470:50:49

It's funny how Dad would never learn how to swim.

0:50:490:50:51

We got him waist... Waist deep into our swimming pool.

0:50:510:50:54

-That was an achievement.

-Yeah.

0:50:540:50:57

The footage has brought back many memories of childhood, definitely,

0:51:010:51:05

and the family environment,

0:51:050:51:07

because a lot of that footage is completely fresh and new to me.

0:51:070:51:11

I've not seen it before, ever. So seeing us all sort of having a laugh

0:51:110:51:14

and playing on the beaches

0:51:140:51:16

and my father messing around like he did, and my mother involved.

0:51:160:51:20

It's wonderful, because it does trigger that feeling of, "Oh, yeah,

0:51:200:51:24

"it might have been 50-odd years ago,

0:51:240:51:25

"but, yeah, it was great, wasn't it?"

0:51:250:51:27

You do remember it. It does come back.

0:51:270:51:29

Eric and Ernie's home movies

0:51:500:51:51

captured an era when Britain was still discovering the two men

0:51:510:51:55

who would soon write their own chapter in television history.

0:51:550:51:58

The world misses me.

0:51:580:51:59

Nobody misses you. The world misses me.

0:51:590:52:01

-Who misses you?

-I'll tell you who misses me.

0:52:010:52:03

-I'll tell you who misses me.

-Who?

0:52:030:52:04

My missus misses me.

0:52:040:52:06

But the archives hold one last surprise.

0:52:110:52:14

An audio reel containing Eric's personal commentary

0:52:140:52:17

to some of his footage, recorded in his study at home.

0:52:170:52:21

This is the first time his family have heard it.

0:52:210:52:23

-ERIC:

-This is a movie with sound.

0:52:290:52:31

That's Dad.

0:52:310:52:33

And then the rains came.

0:52:350:52:37

-He's still acting.

-He's doing a story again.

0:52:370:52:40

There's not much you can say about this one, is there?

0:52:430:52:46

Gail and Gary.

0:52:530:52:55

On a rainy day.

0:52:570:52:59

Oh, isn't that incredible?

0:53:020:53:03

Absolutely amazing.

0:53:030:53:06

Ah, this looks interesting.

0:53:060:53:11

I had absolutely no idea that Dad had put sound on any of his films.

0:53:110:53:17

No idea at all.

0:53:170:53:19

Gail in the lead.

0:53:190:53:20

Luckily, we went with them,

0:53:200:53:22

otherwise we'll never know what they get up to.

0:53:220:53:24

That's unbelievable.

0:53:250:53:27

It's amazing, hearing Dad's voice on this.

0:53:270:53:29

-Yes.

-Incredible.

0:53:290:53:30

-Yes, it is.

-How can...

0:53:300:53:32

He must've told us what to do.

0:53:320:53:33

There she is.

0:53:410:53:42

I wish there was more of his voice.

0:53:420:53:44

I'd love to have heard him in some of the other clips.

0:53:440:53:48

An out of focus zoom.

0:53:480:53:49

-Wow.

-That's incredible.

0:53:520:53:53

-Yep.

-Just that bit.

-That's absolute magic.

0:53:530:53:56

-Extraordinary.

-God, wouldn't he be thrilled?

0:53:560:53:58

He would be very thrilled that we're watching.

0:53:580:54:01

I think that's probably the most staggering thing

0:54:010:54:03

of the whole footage,

0:54:030:54:04

because when you put the man's voice to it as well as the camera

0:54:040:54:07

that he's filmed to it,

0:54:070:54:08

suddenly you've got the man there again, and that, you know,

0:54:080:54:11

that kills off all those years in between,

0:54:110:54:13

and suddenly it's immediate and we're back there ourselves.

0:54:130:54:16

All this filming, it's incredible.

0:54:240:54:26

Absolutely. And he probably did it for this very reason.

0:54:260:54:28

Well, it certainly is a perfect record.

0:54:280:54:30

-Yeah.

-You could never have got the same

0:54:300:54:32

from just still pictures, could you?

0:54:320:54:34

It is a fantastic sort of...

0:54:350:54:37

-That was amazing.

-History also of right through our lives in a way,

0:54:370:54:42

you know. Fantastic history.

0:54:420:54:44

Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

0:54:440:54:45

I think the film now shows people who only see Eric as a comedian,

0:54:570:55:04

know that he has a family,

0:55:040:55:05

but I think it certainly shows people

0:55:050:55:08

just how much he was involved, you know.

0:55:080:55:10

How much there was this other side.

0:55:100:55:13

And I wouldn't have changed anything for the world, you know.

0:55:130:55:16

He might have died young, but he got an awful lot in to his life.

0:55:250:55:29

Well, he always said, you know, when he felt a bit...

0:55:290:55:32

..doubtful of his future.

0:55:320:55:34

He always said...

0:55:340:55:35

"Nobody wants to grieve for me. I've had a wonderful life."

0:55:360:55:39

-Aww.

-Always said that.

0:55:390:55:40

-That's lovely to say that.

-Had a wonderful life.

0:55:400:55:42

-He said that days before he died, he said that.

-Yes, I remember.

0:55:420:55:45

Well, he certainly laughed his way through a awful lot of it, didn't he?

0:55:450:55:49

-And filmed his way through.

-Yes.

0:55:490:55:51

I had no idea that they'd filmed all this stuff actually when they were

0:56:020:56:06

doing pantomime or doing the live shows on the variety circuit.

0:56:060:56:11

And to me, it was very moving.

0:56:140:56:15

It was quite kind of emotional.

0:56:150:56:16

Eric and Ernie just made everybody smile through the years on TV and

0:56:230:56:27

on stage and you know, I think we're all very lucky to have had them.

0:56:270:56:31

I think people will be surprised to see a different Eric and Ernie.

0:56:380:56:42

To see such a joyous Eric and Ernie that are clearly,

0:56:420:56:46

yes, they might be performing,

0:56:460:56:47

but they're only performing for home footage.

0:56:470:56:49

It's not for anything else, other than a bit of fun.

0:56:490:56:51

Absolutely brilliant to see that.

0:56:540:56:56

See that difference.

0:56:560:56:57

They were unique.

0:57:040:57:06

I don't think anybody has the same sense of humour.

0:57:060:57:09

And the way of doing things that they did as a couple.

0:57:090:57:13

People tell me, you know,

0:57:220:57:24

"Well, you're very lucky because you've got

0:57:240:57:26

"all the programmes and you see your father on the programmes."

0:57:260:57:28

But that isn't Dad.

0:57:280:57:30

That is Eric Morecambe.

0:57:300:57:31

Whereas, this film, these films...

0:57:330:57:36

..they're just Dad and Ernie.

0:57:370:57:39

You're not seeing Morecambe and Wise.

0:57:390:57:42

And, for me, there's a huge difference.

0:57:430:57:47

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