Morecambe And Wise "Ventriloquism" on The Ed Sullivan Show

[@Gooneress]

In the UK, this routine would've brought the house down. But they had to work extra hard to earn each and every laugh in America - and it shows. Good on them for persevering.

[@willminkorea2010]

In the mid-1960's, musical performers were the top acts on Ed Sullivan.

[@Gooneress]

@@willminkorea2010 Even back in the 50s - Elvis Presley's Sullivan appearances, for example. I've watched a number of Morecambe and Wise Sullivan stints and you can tell they have to work very hard every second they're on screen. In the UK, it's much more effortless because they know their audience and their audience knows them.

[@classicmusicofyesteryear6709]

The Sullivan audience tends to not have a very good sense of humour. They're silent here but will laugh their asses off at stupid shit like that impressionist who was on the Beatles first show.

[@nonenoneonenonenone]

Not the best routine, and overly familiar from many other ventriloquists.

[@whatonearth9809]

Man the audience gave them a hard time! This would have gone down brilliantly in the UK or Ireland.

[@tomkent4656]

They weren't known in the USA.

[@dariowiter3078]

@@tomkent4656 Exactly, which is why that dummy you replied to doesn't understand that fact, plus, British humor is a bit different than American humor.

[@whatonearth9809]

@@dariowiter3078 oooh Dummy. Don’t cry Dario 🤣

[@krissmgvlogs]

Grew up with Eric n Ernie. Still miss them.

[@douglasarnold5310]

Well I am American in 2020 and their hilarious

[@patbest7057]

Hilarious in2022 here in Australia can see why Eric m said he was happy working at home in UK

[@davidevans3227]

excellent.. thank god they came back 🙂 thankyou for sharing this..

[@willminkorea2010]

These guys were great on English TV. One of the greatest manufactured "celebrity feuds" was between Eric (tall) and singer Des O'Connor. Ernie has the "short, fat, hairy legs."

[@peterfarkas2154]

Des sort for desperate

[@synthonaplinth5980]

Eric: "I've just heard some good news!" Ernie: "What good news?" Eric: Des' O'Connor's got a sore throat!"

[@westfield90]

They were superb

[@davebrokenshire1086]

"His mother was a Pole" !!!

[@goodiesguy]

0:27 the silence after that brilliant line is deafening. That would've got a huge laugh back in Britain, or Aussie or here in NZ for that matter.

[@adamhickey396]

You can tell at that moment that Eric becomes deflated from the lack of response from the audience. Must have been soul destroying and painful to have been on that stage and felt the cold response.

[@vincemcgeever3487]

I think the reason why that joke fell flat is because in Britain a celebrities' status can still leave them open to take downs. In fact it raises a bigger laugh because of it. The likes of Ed Sullivan and his status back then, in US terms where celebrity brings in an obscene amount of respect, meant that it was a bit of a 'no go area'. So that joke didn't travel well. A shame really.

[@philip2595]

I think Eric was glad to get off at the end

[@janmcdonald3896]

Thank u so much 4 posting this gem. A reworking of one of their old routines, so wonderful 2 c any new footage of them.

[@naly202]

I'm neither American, nor British, but I've grown to adore British humour. MW are top of my list. Of course i have many other faves Eric Sykes, Tony Hancock, Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Patricia Routledge, etc. On the other hand, i've never taken to American humour. e.g. i've watched Carol Burnett, I love Lucy, Red Skelton and I don't really like them. I hate the fact that they need to scream, pull funny (grotesque) faces and behave in a silly way to get laughs. British sitcoms are about normal people in ridiculous situations. US sitcoms seem to be about ridiculous people in ridiculous situations.

[@iancurtis1152]

Yes American humour is hard to take, British comedy is “thinking man’s humour” whereas US humour, the comedians have to tell you what’s funny. I think Jerry Seinfeld is about the only one to come close “thinking humour”

[@naly202]

@@iancurtis1152 Seinfeld was shown on TV when I was little. I didn't much like it either. Probably because I was too little to understand the jokes. I should give it a try now. Thanks for the tip.

[@pip393]

You might wish to check out the comedic brilliance of Robin William's. By the way the tedious ever boring Eric Sykes, Sid James and Keneth Williams strived to be funny yet continually failed. Part of the connectivity Eric Morcambe had with his audience was his "grotesque" facial expressions which were priceless. American humor usually concerns aspects of American culture, geographical location, culture maturity, level of education and context. It's the difference between our cultures that provides a barrier how our humor translates to other countries. British humor for example depends largely on satire, sarcasm and colloquial banter aimed at the absurd elements of daily life. We find British informal or non literal language sometimes very difficult to understand. It's not that we don't get the joke or the punchline, it's more that we don't understand the quickfire delivery of a comedic line when delivered with a British dialect.

[@pip393]

@@iancurtis1152 So when Eric places his open hand on Ernies throat and says "Get out of that", is an illustration of thinking humor. Or when he's fumbling about with the curtain on stage and says to Ernie "Do you have a key for this" Is also thinking humor.....how utterly ridiculous of you.

[@pip393]

@@iancurtis1152 Jerry Seinfeld was one of the least funny comedians here in America. "Thinking" or otherwise.

[@northridgewood5918]

🇬🇧 humor is a bit too subtle for 🇺🇸 audiences. The sketch is hysterical and M&W were untouchable in their native land.

[@Raider577]

They should have used an American writer to adapt some of their material for the US market. The same way Joan Rivers did for the UK TV audiences.

[@pip393]

Problem was Joan Rivers was a highly unpleasant, nasty, spiteful witch, whereas Eric and Ernie were the best loved comedians Britain ever produced. I'm certain British audiences viewed Joan Rivers in the same manner as she was essentially viewed here. This particular sketch was perhaps not one of Morcambe and Wise finest, but with the aid of cable television they became very well received and quite famous here in the United States. They were a part of the Golden Age for British comedians which included The Goons (especially Spike Milligan), Benny Hill, The Two Ronnie's and later Rowan Atkinson.

[@anthonycodona1399]

It's Eric speaking fast a 100 mill a hour that make sound hilarious 😂

[@rslitman]

Is that date correct? November 11, 1967, fell on a Saturday, not a Sunday.

[@alexfletcher5192]

The relationship with the audience isn't there, but it's a starting point with what would make them domestic superstars. Some things don't translate. And that's okay.

[@lewangillard9701]

Thing is with America they don't understand sarcasm, so they never laugh at the wit behind a joke. For Americans the joke has to be so blatantly unambiguous and essentially requires them to be told the punchline without actually having to work it out. Like when Eric said to Ed "you said that without moving your lips then", he didn't understand it because it required you to understand that he was being sarcastic as he knew Ernie had said it.

[@steffanhoffmann8937]

Spot on!

[@ggjournal]

Love these guys...but am I the only one who noticed the dummy's eyes moving by themselves around 03:50? We know they're not being manipulated by Morecambe because his hands are in plain view.

[@anthonycodona1399]

I love ericks mean line what do you think of it so for rubbish

[@kipling1957]

Masters of bland comedy in their day.

[@AllenJones-w3p]

Who do Morecambe and Wise think they are, Darci Lynne?!

[@salvadormarley]

God. That was painful to watch. They were clearly an act for the British audience.

[@mickdeedeefoster1234]

I thought Eric would end with , What do you think of it so far ? Dummy says...Rubbish.

[@paulashe61]

Poor boys

[@paulashe61]

Died a death.

[@lexo30]

This routine didn't work for American audiences because M&W's comedy wasn't suited to American audiences. American comedians, at least at this period, rely on being sharp and clever and on top of things, and that's why they're funny. Even when they seem to be slow or weird, they're actually wiser and funnier than they appear to be. But M&W were doing character comedy: their whole act was about them being pretending to be slightly rubbish. They're two English comedians pretending to be a sort of third-rate imitation of slick American comedians. To people who are in on the joke, it's hilarious, but I think the American audience just thought that M&W weren't very good.

[@stingray4real]

Same thing happened to Tommy Cooper when he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show..

[@idelsagil9129]

0:51

[@thom6746]

I'll watch more of them because of their reputation, but this fell flat with me and was painful to watch. I felt bad for them, they were struggling so much to get laughs. But then again, the Brits don't get Seinfeld.

[@tortysoft]

There's very little to get in Seinfeld , but then I'm a Brit.

[@jamesshielssoberlife.3701]

I don't think it as different as people make out, the audience was still laughing, maybe a bit more in U.K. but thats it.

[@anthonycamilleri9960]

Far too clever for an American audience.

[@classicmusicofyesteryear6709]

God the American audiences are awful, and yet they piss themselves laughing at all the other horrible acts that appeared on Sullivan, Eric and Ern were legends.

[@dariowiter3078]

Did it ever occur to you that American and British humor are different, idiot? 😡

[@stevefriedmanphoto]

​@@dariowiter3078 Yeah well, I discovered them in 1968 when they were the summer replacement for the Hollywood Palace and they were brilliant. Oh yeah...and I'm an American. And now through the magic of KZbin and we're all hunkered down, we catch up with their shows in the Waay Baack Machine and they're hysterical. Pre-Pandemic I've shown them at our parties of 20 Americans - and they're in stitches. Now I email said LINKS to friends who never heard of them in Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Brooklyn, yada and only positive reviews. But you're right: We get them. We're all idiots. English humour vs American humor. But that must be why Monty Python never caught on here in The Colonies. And Peter Cook & Dudley Moore....how 2-Men Broadway shows? I can think of three off-hand. And their movie Bedazzled: I recall seeing it in a packed theater when it opened and non-stop laughter. The Beatles films were very funny, even funnier than Elvis movies. Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers films did rather well here and were always run on television. I imagine all programmed for us Cult of Idiots because that's how Television works. The deal with comedy acts and sketches on The Sullivan Show, is Ed would often edit the material that Sunday afternoon in dress and more than one comedian - if it wasn't Alan King -have commented on how lines were cut - sometimes the punch ones - and the rhythm kinda changed to fit into an 11 act vaudeville show (which he was producing and appearing onThe Great White Way in the 1940s). The audience were often tweens & teens who were there for hottest rock groups who were most likely British if it wasn't Elvis. But that being said, right here on the really big shew, before Italian mouse, Topo Gigio, the comedy of Wayne & Schuster.

[@southwestsearch]

Don't blame Americans for not recognizing humor. They rely upon laugh tracks to let them know what is funny.

[@ForensicsOnTheScene]

Americans generally prefer vulgar comedy acts. Not all Americans but most and they are tough audiences.

[@stephenguppy7882]

Notice they are working so much slower for the American audience.

[@guelphguy2779]

For years I always heard how funny Morcambe and Wise were. And when I finally saw them I was so disappointed because they're not funny at all

[@RushdenHigham]

You've clearly had a sense of humour bypass or your an American. Either way you have my commiserations.

[@guelphguy2779]

@@RushdenHigham neither.

[@mrmethane10]

My God, the American audiences are so slow. I guess they don't know to laugh unless someone holds up a card saying "laugh".

[@folkrock4u]

Painfully unfunny. And this New York audience seems way harder to convince than their hometown fans in England.

[@jujugrill]

I'm English and I never found them funny. Too mannered, over rehearsed and forced. But they are comedy gods apparently! I know I'm in a minority.

[@johnenglish929]

You certainly are - a minority of one !

[@jeancunniffe5324]

You in a minority

[@nigelgunson1025]

I'm a huge eric morecambe fan. I only watched the show for eric. I understand your point about over rehearsal. I thought ernie was the problem. Eric would have made it solo. Ernie wouldn't have.

[@jamesbutler6253]

Cringe. Embarrassingly unfunny.

[@finlaybiddlesden2426]

Terrible…

[@terryclarke4758]

This is not funny.

[@iamgod6464]

Yankee Comedy and British Comedy were quite different back then in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. The Yanks had a Hard Time Understanding Irony, and British Accents, and the only sort of Comedy they seem to get is Standup Comedy and Boring Blatantly Obvious Comedy.😅