...including a letter from Ernie Wise wanting to end the act

Eric Morecambe’s trove of personal belongings is to be sold off – including a moving letter from Ernie Wise which almost broke up their act.

The poignant correspondence comes from 1950 when they were still working the variety circuit.

In it, Wise writes:  ‘Well Eric I want to get straight to the point.  I want us to break up the act. I’m afraid it won’t work.

‘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.’

Morecambe apparently wrote back to say his friend should get some rest before they got back to finding work, which is exactly  what happened.

It is part of a lifetime of showbiz memorabilia and personal treasures set to be auctioned off in January, including Morecambe’s glasses and the piano he used to practice  ‘all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order’ for the duo’s famous 1971 sketch with André Previn.

The 700 lots are the entire contents of Brachefield, Eric’s former home in Harpenden, Hertfordshire and reflect his dedication to his comedy craft – with a ‘mountain of never-before-seen items including gag and sketch ideas galore’ – and his personal passions such as fishing, birdwatching and collecting everything from clocks and fob watches to beer mats.

A spokesperson for Hansons Auctioneers, which will offer The Eric Morecambe collection, said: ‘Every handwritten note offers new insight into his character.Though he made comedy look effortless and was arguably the most naturally funny man Britain has ever known, he never stopped working on new material.

‘Take, for instance, an instruction manual for a stereo – it’ll be covered in jotted ideas for gags. Eric kept absolutely every scrap of paper. He was constantly honing his craft, even when he and comedy partner Ernie Wise were the most successful performers in the country attracting millions of viewers.

• A painting of Eric by royal portrait artist Richard Stone, part of the sale

‘Eric was a national treasure and yet remained humble and hungry, constantly working on his talents. There are dozens of joke books, each one underlined, altered, annotated – where he’s re-working gags. He literally never stopped. 

‘Some people think success is down to luck. It’s not. It’s down to endless hard work and a passion for what you do. Eric had that in spades.’

The sale – more than 40 years after Eric died from a heart attack at the age of 58 – comes after his widow Joan passed away on her 97th birthday this march

Sale manager Victoria Sheppard said: ‘I cannot describe how it felt to enter the house not long after Joan had died. Reminders of Eric were everywhere. It was like a shrine to him. I was in complete awe.

‘What we found was truly magical. As a fine art valuer I was immediately impressed by the antiques. The formal lounge was packed with 17th to 19th century paintings, mainly landscapes, both Dutch and English. This was mixed with 18th and 19th century furniture, clocks and porcelain. And in the centre of the room was Eric’s Challen baby grand piano.

‘Fascinating finds include loving letters from Eric’s parents and a poignant message from Ernie Wise revealing how close the pair came to splitting up. 

‘Ernie explained that, with a very heavy heart, he wanted to break up the duo before they continued and became massive. He signed it "your best pal". Thankfully that never happened. 

‘Everyone loved Morecambe and Wise. Consequently, there are telegrams from Prince Philip and letters from King Charles,  former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and comedy legends Ronnie Barker and Tommy Cooper.

• A programme and cartoon from their early days. We've highlighted Eric – under his real surname – and Ernie

‘Nostalgia abounds thanks to playbills and posters, right from the beginning, as well as photographs and scrapbooks of cuttings, documenting his very first performances and reviews when he was a child.’

Props include Eric’s ventriloquist dummy, Charlie, which the pair took on to the The Ed Sullivan Show in America – and which also made an appearance in an episode of TV crime series The Sweeney. 

The sale has been organised by Eric and Joan’s three children, Gail, Gary and Steven.

Gary, 68, has written a number of books about his father’s legacy. He said the sale strikes ‘a gently melancholic note’ but also  ‘signals a whole new beginning’.

He added: ‘While these wonderful items are undoubtedly valuable memorabilia, for us they have been the items we have lived with… Seeing them about to go to new homes, in many varied directions, marks the definitive end of a wonderful era.

‘I think what makes it such a unique occasion, and such a momentous time in our lives, is that our mother barely touched anything in the house after our father’s death 40 years earlier.  Hence we have had everything quite literally under the same roof for 56 years.’

Eric’s daughter Gail Stuart, 71, from Northamptonshire, added: ‘It has been an interesting year. One of those years where you have a real sense of it being the end of an era.  A dawning realisation that we have to make difficult decisions about the family home and all the contents.  

‘I was 12 when we moved into Brachefield. We all knew very quickly that this house had a magic to it that mum and dad only added to. To say dad loved living there is an understatement. He thrived there!’

She said he especially loved having space for his hobbies: ‘To be able to have ticking, chiming clocks all around the place. To hang some wonderful paintings all around the place. To have room for a baby grand piano he could play and to have his own office where he could write. This was very special and never taken for granted.

‘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 Eric Morecambe Collection will be offered at Hansons Auctioneers’ Derbyshire sale room on January 10 and 11. Lots will be available to view online from December 2, 2024 and hard copy catalogues can be pre-ordered ahead of distribution in December. To find out more, visit www.ericmorecambe.com

Registered users can place bids  in advance of the auction, or during the sale days, at www.hansonslive.co.uk

Published: 18 Nov 2024