Talk:Morecambe and Wise

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Ratings

The article cites a "long held myth" about the 1977 Christmas Show as being the most-watched variety show ever at Christmas with 28 million viewers, when in fact Mike Yarwood's show had a fractionally larger audience. It goes on "while the size of the audience is not in doubt..." Unfortunately it is: 28 million is also a myth. The verified figure (courtesy of the British Film Institute), is 21.40 for Yarwood, and 21.30 for M&W, well below the figure usually cited. --Stevouk (talk) 16:43, 30 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Christmas Shows

After recent resaerch, I think an amendment is required to this sub-catagorie. Linked is a page of Christmas Day television listings as printed for the relevant years Christmas Radio Times. Note 1974. No Morecambe And Wise Christmas Show. Eric and Ernies only appearance that year, way down the listings at 11.25. Here is the Link [1]

Here is the Christmas '74 line up from 4.05

4.05 FILM: True Grit

6.10 News

6.15 Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game

7.15 Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Jessica's First Christmas

8.05 The Mike Yarwood Christmas Show

8.45 FILM: Bridge on the River Kwai

11.20 News

11.25 Parkinson Takes a Christmas Look at Morecambe and Wise*

12.40am-12.45 Weather

So despite not producing material that year and therefore not producing a Christmas show as stated, no amendment is to be made? 1974 was not a Christmas show, it was highlights of past Christmas and regular series shows, mereley, as the show title suggests, put together for Christmas and presented by Michael Parkinson. Futhermore 11.25pm until 12.40am can hardly be described as a viewing time where ".....few British families would dream of missing them".

ITV website

I have removed the link to the ITV website, because the page the link went to is an advertisement page for ITV. The page had nothing, whatsoever, to do with "Morecambe and Wise". Although I attempted to find a page, or pages, devoted to "Morecambe and Wise" on the website, I could not find any (even though a page about their Christmas shows was supposed to be on the website). Figaro 08:37, 29 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Films

They were actually in four films! Night Train To Murder being the last, I don't know when this was though, what do you guys think? Help plz 14:14, 6 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fair use rationale for Image:Morecambe-amd-Wise Bring-Me-Sunshine.jpg

Image:Morecambe-amd-Wise Bring-Me-Sunshine.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 23:49, 5 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Janet Webb

The article says that Janet Webb only ever appeared at the end of the shows. That is not correct. She actually appeared during the show in which Arthur Lowe appeared - she appeared in a part in dialogue with AL, and M&W, and also in the "play" later on. 82.29.215.250 10:35, 14 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

She also appeared in the 1972 Christmas show, giving the line "I worked with Morecambe and Wise, and look what happened to me" before being revealed to live in a mansion and have a chauffeured Rolls Royce. Sam Blacketer (talk) 16:03, 8 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The Stripper

I'll have to verify the reference but according to Graham McCann's biography of M&W, the 'Stripper' sketch was not an Eddie Braben idea. It was something they came up with in rehearsal which was seized upon and developed by their then producer Ernest Maxin, who had a background in song and dance. Lexo 13:39, 26 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

In the 1/1/08 documentary, Morecambe said it was Wise's idea. Apepper (talk) 17:10, 2 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Im pretty sure this sketch has also been used by some band for one of their music videos, i forget which one though and ive no idea when it was either. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Trisma23 (talk • contribs) 15:43, 7 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Andre Previn sketch

When the ATV series was repeated recently, I was surprised to see the "original" version of this sketch - largely the same except that Wise was the conductor; it explains why Ernie has so little to do in the Previn version. Presumably, Sid and Dick actually wrote the sketch and it was revised by Eddie Braben - AFAIK this was the only "classic" BBC sketch that was written by Sid & Dick - is this worth a note in the article? Apepper (talk) 17:16, 2 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Interesting. I've never seen the ATV series; if you can give me a source for Hills and Green's writing credit, and details of what episode it was, etc., I'll put a note in the article. Hills and Green may have written the original version, but all I can say is that I can't imagine it working nearly so well without Previn as the conductor, partly because it's so funny that he's a real conductor and partly because he's just so good in the sketch. Lexo (talk) 13:37, 9 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

No it wasn't so good - I don't remember the details unfortunately, but I can't imagine they ran to paying for an orchestra! I don't have the "Two of a Kind" dvds - which would be the best reference - but I'll keep my eyes open for a reference book that lists the sketches. Apepper (talk) 09:40, 23 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I've found a website listing the sketches in Two of a Kind; [2]. Series 3, episode 7 lists the Grieg Piano Concerto sketch. Apepper (talk) 11:40, 23 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I've added a sentence mentioning the original sketch. Apepper (talk) 17:54, 25 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Just for interest; a clip from the original sketch was shown on Paul Merton's tribute to M&W last night (2nd Jan 2009) Apepper (talk) 21:40, 3 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Now the sketch is available on youtube, I've changed the quotation. 212.84.102.224 (talk) 10:50, 22 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I can't find the youtube version; could you give the link? Apepper (talk) 08:40, 26 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There's a jumpy version [3] that's from a 1963 LP. Apepper (talk) 11:25, 20 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

General cleanup and revamp

Hi - there is a lot of good stuff in this article but I am concerned at the lack of references. The only book I have on the subject is Graham McCann's biography, which is very accurate and properly sourced but one book is not really enough to serve as the foundation for an entire article. Right now I feel that this article has the feel of a fanpage, more than an encyclopedia article; there are a lot of unsourced assertions about how great M&W were, etc. I think they were great too (they're my favourite double act of all time) but I want to keep the article to a good standard, so I've been going through trying to keep what seems to me to be useful and indisputable and cutting or reworking whatever seems less useful or just plain irrelevant. I do not want to annoy anyone, and am inviting contributors to add stuff, but make sure you're familiar with wikipedia guidelines.

One proposal I have is to establish a convention for naming the subjects of the article. It doesn't look good to call them "Morecambe", "Wise", "Eric", "Ernie" at random; it looks inconsistent as well as too chummy. I suggest that when we are talking about the men, the ones who were awarded OBEs and who had careers and families and private lives, we refer to them as "Morecambe" and "Wise"; when we are referring to their stage/TV personae, the characters that they played, the ones who appear in front of the camera, we call them "Eric" and "Ernie". So Wise was their manager, but Ernie is the one what wrote plays; Morecambe had heart attacks, but Eric is the one who grabbed André Previn by the lapels. This is at least consistent. Agreed? Lexo (talk) 13:34, 9 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Category:Morecambe and Wise is up for deletion

here. People may like to join the debate! Johnbod (talk) 02:03, 15 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You were going delete this?

Who ever suggested that is complete idiot. Are you going to delete every double act in wikipedia? How stupid are you people? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.251.122.217 (talk) 19:52, 1 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The talk is about deleting the Category of Morecambe and Wise-related articles - that is, the page on which they are all listed together, not the articles themselves. Please read things properly before you start calling people "stupid".

I don't personally see the point in having a Category listing for Morecambe and Wise, seeing as it's not one of the more immediately useful categories in the world. Lexo (talk) 16:07, 6 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Des O'Connor

Surely the frequent jokes about Des O'Connor should be mentioned somewhere in the article? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.145.111.126 (talk) 22:46, 1 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Good point. I don't have a ny books to reference it though. Casliber (talk · contribs) 22:51, 1 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Get out of that then!

Was this based on a film they made? Rich Farmbrough, 20:54, 9 November 2009 (UTC).[reply]

Holland

I have a memory that, quite often, Ernie would respond to the name 'Holland' by saying that it was 'just outside Peterborough'. But I can't find it anywhere. Myrvin (talk) 18:12, 11 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Catchphrases list

A list of random catchphrases has no place on Wikipedia, per WP:TRIVIA, WP:NOTQUOTE, and WP:IINFO. The list is also unreferenced and extremely long. It should go. TallNapoleon (talk) 16:44, 23 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]