I couldn't match 'BJJManchester's detailed and well-presented resume of Britain's (indeed the world's) finest comedy duo, but I couldn't pass and say nothing.
Eric & Ernie brought so much 'sunshine' into the lives of a generation that it is nothing less than a disgrace to find their memory so neglected. We Brits really do not value our assets. If they had been American, a university campus would probably have been named after them at the very least.
Their golden decade at the BBC saw them co-opt a host of stars & personalities into hilarious and sometimes slightly surreal sketches. These sketches have now passed into a pantheon of unimpeachably classic comedy entertainment. Andre Previn, Shirley Bassey and many more almost queued-up to lay their careers on the line. Christmas certainly was not complete without their Christmas specials.
When they passed into history, something irreplaceable was lost for ever. Television has never been so funny. Yes; there's been 'Red Dwarf', 'Father Ted' and so on. But these tended to have a cult appeal. they were one-dimensional sit-coms, though hilarious even so.
Eric & Ernie were not just comedians; they were sophisticated show-business personalities. They didn't just tell gags; they were performing clowns who could sing. And they were harmless. Nobody was insulted, their was no foul language. They were professionals through and through.
Look at the present crop of what passes for comedians and weep. Sharp and funny as they may be as stand-up gags-men; that's all most of them can do, and usually with a poisonous string of victimising bile that isn't fit for kids to hear. Eric & Ernie could do everything, cleanly and cleverly.
'Bring me sunshine'; that's exactly what they did.
Eric & Ernie brought so much 'sunshine' into the lives of a generation that it is nothing less than a disgrace to find their memory so neglected. We Brits really do not value our assets. If they had been American, a university campus would probably have been named after them at the very least.
Their golden decade at the BBC saw them co-opt a host of stars & personalities into hilarious and sometimes slightly surreal sketches. These sketches have now passed into a pantheon of unimpeachably classic comedy entertainment. Andre Previn, Shirley Bassey and many more almost queued-up to lay their careers on the line. Christmas certainly was not complete without their Christmas specials.
When they passed into history, something irreplaceable was lost for ever. Television has never been so funny. Yes; there's been 'Red Dwarf', 'Father Ted' and so on. But these tended to have a cult appeal. they were one-dimensional sit-coms, though hilarious even so.
Eric & Ernie were not just comedians; they were sophisticated show-business personalities. They didn't just tell gags; they were performing clowns who could sing. And they were harmless. Nobody was insulted, their was no foul language. They were professionals through and through.
Look at the present crop of what passes for comedians and weep. Sharp and funny as they may be as stand-up gags-men; that's all most of them can do, and usually with a poisonous string of victimising bile that isn't fit for kids to hear. Eric & Ernie could do everything, cleanly and cleverly.
'Bring me sunshine'; that's exactly what they did.