Description
The dual biography of the great British comedy double-act and the rise and fall of mass audience television by the respected biographer of Cary Grant .
Following the success of Cary Grant - A Class Apart, Graham McCann has now created an intricate portrait of Eric Morcambe and Ernie Wise, possibly the most famous Bristish comedy double-act of all time. This book charts the progress of the duo from a conventional working class music hall act to a mass-audience television team to a national institution. From northern working men's clubs at the beginning of their career to the 1977 Christmas special that had an audience of 28 million, Morecambe and Wise were a double act continually changing the dynamics of their relationship to reflect their influences and their times. Their shows were like nostalgic reflections on a century of popular entertainment, an entertainment that was inclusive to a wide audience and paid homage to the past.
McCann's study is also an investigation in the background of mass audience entertainment from which Morecambe and Wise rose. Morecambe & Wise is the definitive biography of one of the most-loved double acts as well as a history of their times.
Author: Graham McCann
Publisher: Fourth Estate
Published: 05/17/1999
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 7.60h x 5.00w x 1.20d
ISBN13: 9781857029116
ISBN10: 1857029119
BISAC Categories:
- Humor | General
- Biography & Autobiography | Entertainment & Performing Arts
- Performing Arts | Television | History & Criticism
About the Author
Graham McCann is a lecturer in Social and Political Theory at Kings College, Cambridge. His previous books include: Marilyn Monroe: The Body in the Library (1988); Woody Allen: New Yorker (1990); Rebel Males: Clift, Brando & Dean, and a recent study of Theodore Adorno for Blackwells.
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