They became arguably the greatest comedy duo Britain has ever produced but if Eric Morecambe had listened to a young and despondent Ernie Wise they would have split up before ever getting properly started.
A poignant 1950 letter from Wise to Morecambe is part of a remarkable treasure trove of memorabilia to be auctioned in the new year.
The lots, all from Morecambe’s former home in Hertfordshire, include letters from Margaret Thatcher and Tommy Cooper as well as sketch ideas, scripts, photographs and personal items such as his pipe and spectacles.
As a whole it is a “truly remarkable” collection, said Victoria Sheppard, the sale manager, who recalled her jaw dropping as she entered the Morecambe family home after the death of Eric’s wife, Joan, earlier this year.
“I was in complete awe. What we found was truly magical,” she said, adding that the home was like a “shrine”.
The letter from Wise to Morecambe shines light one of the great “what if” moments of British comedy history.
“Well Eric I want to get straight to the point,” Wise writes. “I want us to break up the act. I’m afraid it won’t work.”
Wise talks of “terrific amount” of animosity that he is feeling at home and says it would be better if they parted.
“I know this will be quite a shock to you but I had to come to some decision. I can’t go on as things are, I’m not satisfied with my work, I have lost a lot of zip and it will take time to regain it. I can’t keep you waiting around for me, I don’t know definitely when I will be out.
“I feel it’s a great pity after we had planned so much, but my mind’s made up.”
Wise goes on to express hope they will remain friends and is signed, “your best pal, Ernie”.
Morecambe’s response, he later told his son Gary, was to straight away write back and say he had never heard such rubbish in his life. He advised Wise to get some rest before they got back to finding work, which is precisely what happened.
The pair first worked as a double act as teenagers in 1941, appearing at the Liverpool Empire as Bartholomew and Wise. They got their own radio series, You’re Only Young Once, in 1953 but it was the 60s when their careers really took off, after they accepted Lew Grade’s offer of an ATV television series.
They went on to become the biggest stars on British television, and their Christmas shows were as traditional a part of a 1970s family’s Christmas Day as dry turkey, overcooked sprouts and drunken relatives.
Among the 700 Morecambe lots being offered by Hansons auctioneers in Derbyshire is a well-used makeup box; the call sheet for the duo’s 1965 film The Intelligence Men; and letters from Ronnie Barker, Prince Philip and Prince Charles.
The items are being sold by Eric and Joan’s three children: Gail, Gary and Steven.
The couple’s daughter, Gail Stuart, said 2024 had felt like an “end of an era”.
She said: “Growing up you have no idea your childhood is blessed not just with the material surroundings but blessed to have two such special individuals as our parents.”
“We grew up sharing dad with the British people, the amazing fans. It wasn’t until dad died that I realised the affection for dad and for Morecambe and Wise ran so deep.
“Knowing it made sharing him through my childhood feel OK. It has helped to inform this decision to share what was left in our home with the world at large.
“Dad would love that. That is the legacy.”
The collection will be offered by Hansons auctioneerson 10 and 11 January , with the catalogue due to go live on 1 December.
