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Morecambe and Wise

Morecambe and Wise

Current price: $14.99
This product is not returnable.
Publication Date: May 6th, 1999
Publisher:
Fourth Estate
ISBN:
9781857029116
Pages:
416

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.

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.