Birthdays
Ernie shares his birthday with Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Lee.
Eric shares his birthday with Bobby Darin and George Lucas.
A Right Charlie
The ventriloquists doll used by Eric is called Charlie. There were only ever two made. The original one used on television and
stage, and a second Charlie made especially for the Sweeney episode. Both dolls were looked after by Eric's chauffeur, Mike Fountain.
Seeing Double!
When trying to think of a new name for the act, Eddie Large (of Little and Large fame, then just called Syd and Eddie) was inspired
by Morecambe and Wise. Eddie Explains in his autobiography "Larger Than Life". "Then I thought I could copy Morecambe and
Wise and I thought of Syd Blackpool and Eddie Daft, but no one can copy Morecambe and Wise"
Stand In - Titter ye not..
When Eric had his first heart attack, Morecambe and Wise were unable to do the Royal Variety Show. Their standin was Frankie Howerd.
Underground The number one dressing room at the London Palladium was windowless. Eric would refer to it as "Hitler's Bunker"
Brad Pitt
Jonathan Ross gave Brad Pitt a copy of the Xmas specials on Film 2007 as a present! They showed a clip from the film Oceans
Thirteen where Eddie Izzard say's to Brad and George Clooney "you two look like like Morecambe & Wise"...Brad and George do not have a
clue who he is referring to so Jonathan helped them out.
Robbie Williams
The famous artist has a tatoo of Morecambe and Wise on his arm.
Illuminating...
Eric and Ern switched on the illuminations in Morecambe twice. Once in 1969 and again in 1975.
Other celebs to press the button in Morecambe include Stirling Moss, Steptoe & Son, Jimmy Saville and Roger Moore.
Shaggy Dog Story
In 1972 Morecambe and Wise did a television comercial for Dulux paint. It featured them, from the neck down, talking about the product.
The advert never shows their faces however, and now it comes to light that it wasn't actually them! The bodies were played by two
stand-ins while Eric and Ern only provded the voices. This was because at the time, the BBC had exclusive rights to their television appearences.
Interesting Reception
Did you know there is a plaque on the Bulls Head pup in Margate, Kent, to commemorate the fact that Eric held his wedding reception there!
Sitcom USA
Ernie appeared in the US Sitcom Too Close For Comfort in 1985. Only 1 episode though, Series 5, episode 14 broadcast on Oct 5th 1985.
The episode was called 'The British Are Coming, The British Are Coming'.
Read about the episode here.
Who's in the toilet?
Ernie was convinced he had seen his cousin in the toilets at Television Centre, but thought he must have imagined it. A few minutes
later he was grabbed by Eamonn Andrews for This Is Your Life.
Peace be with you
According to secret government papers released in 2005, Harold Wilson wanted Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise to bring peace to Northern
Ireland by singing Bring Me Sunshine.
Good Will To All
Ernie last updated his will in 1965 and as result, when he died, the will still only left £250 each to his parents and sister.
Still not paid
When Peter Cushing was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1989, one of the guests was Ernie Wise, who promptly presented him
with a five pound note, but then, with typical dexterity, extorted it back from him. Cushing was absolutely delighted with this,
and cried: "All these years and I still haven't got my fiver!"
The Big Ted Mystery
Eric was a big fan of the children's programme PlaySchool. One day, according to Brian Cant, one of the presenters, Big Ted went missing
from the set. Brian recalls: "Eric Morecambe was rehearsing next door. He liked us at ‘Playschool’ and often used to come in and have
a chat. I was walking around outside after the theft and I told him that Big Ted had been pinched and he was quite upset. Not actually in tears, but genuinely moved."