Eric Morecambe Lost and Found

Book Review from 2012

Gary Morecambe, despite promising not to write another book on his father, returns with this offering that promises unseen photographs and extracts from Eric’s notebooks.

Gary, in his introduction, says the idea came from a conversation with his mother about the quantity of unseen images there must be lying around in attics. From this seed, the book began to take shape.

The foreword by Miranda Hart is both interesting and emotional, as she explains her love for Eric and how he had such a massive impact on her life. She describes the moment she first entered his study and for me this was a confirmation that my feelings when I did the same thing were not unusual.

From there on the book takes the form not of a photograph collection as expected, but a set of anecdotes and stories from people who have met him and who have experiences not shared before.

They range from well-known performers like Ken Dodd, Jim Davidson and Jimmy Tarbuck, through some names older fans will remember like Lionel Blair, Gemma Craven and Mike Yarwood. Each have a few pages telling of their meetings and favourite routine. It is no surprise that many chose Grieg’s Piano Concerto.

All tell pretty much the same story of how Eric effected them and how they remember fondly the routines that inspired them and made them laugh.

Scattered throughout are photographs, many not seen before, of posters, Eric with different people and pages from his notebook, pulled from his still intact study described by Miranda in the foreword.

The centre pages hold the best quality images, re-produced on glossy paper, they hold many interesting images of Eric and Ernie taking breaks between filming shows.

The memories conveyed by the writers range from the funny to the thoughtful, and uphold the image of Eric that we all know and love.

There are no revelations and not many surprises, but for any fan the most interesting things are pages of his notebook. Here you get a glimpse of a master at work and recognise some, but not all, of the jokes and one-liners – still funny today.

If you appreciate Eric and Ern (and who doesn’t) and enjoy bolstering and confirming your opinion of them, or reading how others see Eric, then this will not disappoint.


© morecambeandwise.com 2012