2010 - A Review
Feature from 2010
Ernie's Statue
Garage Tapes
A potential museum
Despite wanting to continue that trend, time simply would not allow us to do one this year, and so we are putting all the content we had prepared, out directly on to the site so fans can get at it quickly.
Without the fans, Morecambe & Wise would fade into the mists of time, only to be mentioned at Christmas with watery eyes in remembrance of those good times with the whole family.
Instead, we have an almost constant flow of material being released on DVD (come on Network, let’s have more of Thames shows and the ATV shows too). As a side note, we have offered all of these as prizes in our competitions, with hopefully more to come.
Eric once said; “Don’t stop watching us will you? Keep watching the shows, otherwise it will have all been for nothing.”
From the emails we get it is clear they will never be forgotten; wonderful memories from normal, everyday folk who still let the sunshine into their lives.
We get emails from people who knew them or met them and are now themselves in their 70’s and 80’s. On the flip side we get mail from the younger generation. Perhaps introduced to Eric and Ern by an older family member, or who just accidently saw them on You Tube or other internet site.
The internet has played a huge role in keeping the fans informed and has taken over from the older, mail-based fan clubs. With instant updating, feedback and almost depthless research possibilities, the web is certainly made thing much easier for everyone.
Like many other celebrities and shows, both radio and television, their memories are only kept alive by dedicated fans and sometimes remaining family members.
Gary, as always, plays a major role in anything Morecambe and Wise. His endless enthusiasm is clear, as is his love for Eric and Ern.
So, in this season of good will we would like to thank them all. The fans, both old and new, for visiting the website, the people who have given their time to help us with material and research and anything or anyone that promotes the magic that is Morecambe & Wise.
Special thanks to those who purchased pens from us (still some left), which help with the costs of running the site.
Looking back on 2010 there were two main events that stand out, the Ernie Wise statue in Leeds and the discovery of the Garage Tapes.
The statue caused mixed reactions. Letters to the local newspapers not only showed how miss-informed the populous were (still insisting the Ernie was born in East Ardsley!), but also how, in the headlines from the media, it split the town.
As far as we are concerned, we were involved with the statue from very early on (the full story can be found here) and indeed with other proposals. We supported any project that would finally pay tribute to Ernie, no matter where it was, who did it or how it was made.
Luckily the people of Morley were more committed than the others and didn’t give up, even when it seemed all was lost. Their efforts culminated on the unveiling of the statue in March by Doreen Wise.
The Garage Tapes were an unexpected treat. A treasure trove of comedy history found by Doreen during a recent move.
Stashed away by Ernie, the contents of the suitcases included audio recordings of Morecambe and Wise from the very earliest radio and television appearances.
The fate of these wonderful recordings was at the time a mystery, but no official release has been made or planned. It is a real shame the fans cannot get to hear these, but hopefully someone, somewhere will see sense.
As for next year, there are plenty of things already in the pipeline and probably a few we don’t know about. A couple of books are being worked on, that we know for sure and then there is the Eric Morecambe Museum project that Gary mentioned in his feature for our site.
As the year draws to a cold and snowy end, we can at least look forward to the next twelve months, and hope that some of this new work will be completed.
Seasonal greetings to you all, and a very happy new year.
© morecambeandwise.com 2010