Ernie Wise
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| Ernie Wise | |||||||
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| Born | Ernest Wiseman 27 November 1925 Bramley, West Yorkshire, Leeds, Yorkshire, England |
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| Died | 21 March 1999 (aged 73) Nuffield Hospital Gerrards Cross, Wexham Street, Buckinghamshire, England |
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| Spouse(s) | Doreen Blythe (1953–his death) | ||||||
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Ernest Wiseman OBE (27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), better known by his stage name of Ernie Wise, was an English comedian, best known as one half of the comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, who became an institution on British television, especially for their Christmas specials.
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[edit] Career
Wise's real name was Ernest Wiseman, but he changed his name (as did his partner) to go into show business –- which he did at an early age, appearing as an actor and singer in music hall. Born in Bramley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, his father, Harry, a railway lamp man, was also a semi-professional singer, and they appeared together under the name "Bert Carson and his Little Wonder". In 1939, while still a teenager, he appeared with top British comedian Arthur Askey in his famous Bandwagon show, billed as England's Mickey Rooney.
Ernie joined forces with Eric Morecambe in 1941, and they became one of the greatest comedy double acts of all time. During World War Two, whilst Morecambe was a Bevin Boy, Wise served in the Merchant Navy.
They made their name in radio, transferring to television in 1954. In 1961 they got their own series on ATV, transferring to BBC 1 in 1968. Over a period of nearly twenty years, they had regular series with both ITV and BBC. Their hallmark was the way they invited celebrities on to the show only to make them look ridiculous. It was considered a sign of having "arrived" if a person was invited to appear. In 1976, they were both appointed OBEs.
Although Ernie was, strictly speaking, the "straight man" of the partnership, his role gradually and subtly changed over the years. The climax of each weekly show was a play "wrote" by Ernie, which generally demonstrated pretentiousness combined with bad grammar. (For example, Glenda Jackson, at the height of her career, was made to speak the line: All men are fools, and what makes them so is having beauty like what I have got.) Others who appeared in his "plays" included Peter Cushing, Vanessa Redgrave, John Mills, and Frank Finlay. Morecambe and Wise married within weeks of one another. Each was best man at the other's wedding.
Following Eric's death from a heart attack in 1984, Ernie Wise spent some of his time at Boca Raton, Florida where he had a holiday home. In the UK, Ernie lived in a luxury home on the banks of the River Thames in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Wise appeared regularly as a panellist on the ITV revival of the popular panel show What's My Line?. He was a guest several times on Countdown, had a gardening column in the News of the World newspaper and also appeared in a few West End plays. In 1990 he wrote his autobiography, called "Still on my way to Hollywood" but he suffered a minor stroke in December 1993, which was followed by a second minor stroke in August 1995. With his health declining, Ernie announced his retirement from showbusiness on 27 November 1995, his 70th birthday.
Three years later, in December 1998 his health seriously began to falter when he suffered two heart attacks within a week, and had to undergo a Triple heart bypass in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on 22 January 1999. Wise was due to take part in a BBC 1 tribute to Eric Morecambe but had to withdraw due to ill health. In March 1999 he was flown back to the UK by air ambulance and taken to hospital.
Ernie Wise died from heart failure and a chest infection at the Nuffield Hospital,Gerrards Cross, Wexham Street, Buckinghamshire on 21 March 1999.[1]
He was married to the dancer Doreen Blythe from 18 January 1953 until his death.
[edit] Promotional Work and Appearances
- Ernie Wise made the first mobile phone call in the UK on 1 January 1985 from St Katherine's Dock, East London, to Vodafone's Headquarters in Newbury, Berkshire[2].
- His 1992 Christmas single was a recommended retail release in Music Week.
- Ernie Wise was an active and long-time participant in the "Keep Britain Tidy" campaign. He once posed for a publicity photo, grinning cheerfully while two boys in "Keep Britain Tidy" T-shirts stuffed him into a rubbish bin.
Autobiography
