- Two Of A Kind (1961)
"Two of a Kind" is the first TV series for comedy duo Morecambe & Wise. It ran from 1961 to 1968 on ATV.
History
On the back of success on stage in their
double act in1961 the comic partnership ofEric Morecambe andErnie Wise were offered a series forATV by empresarioLew Grade . Paired with writersSid Green andDick Hills , the series fared poorly to start with. Early episodes saw Hills and Green writing for the comedians as if Morecambe and Wise were alter egos of the writers. There was an argument between the writers and the talent which was ended by an Equity strike which left the autumn television schedules in tatters. Green commented to Morecambe "You're done for", to which Morecambe replied "Not at all, we belong to VAF [TheVariety Artists' Federation , then a separatetrade union , since incorporated into Equity] ". The tables turned and Morecambe and Wise got their way. The sketches began to reflect their stage work and series became a success. Indeed, Hills and Green even appeared in the series as "Sid and Dick" - two all purpose stooges.The series introduced several popular catchphrases (such as "Get out of that!"; "That's not nice"; "I'll smash your face in"; and "More tea Ern?") which would stay with them throughout their careers - as well as Morecambe's famous paper bag trick - as well as an original opening segment which saw the pair parody other series such as "
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ", "Dixon of Dock Green " and "Take Your Pick ". It also attracted special guests such asPearl Carr ,Teddy Johnson andThe Beatles . The celebrities were generally humiliated by the pair, and especially by Morecambe's playful insults, undermining the status of the celebrities, joking that they were "Rubbish" and pretending not to recognise them. Generally, the higher the status of the celebrities, the greater the humiliation.The sixth Morecambe and Wise series for
ITV was planned from the start to be aired in theUnited Kingdom as well as exported to theUnited States andCanada . It was taped in colour and starred international guests, often American. Prior to its British run, it was broadcast in North America by ABC network as a summer replacement for re-runs of "The Hollywood Palace " under the title "ThePiccadilly Palace" from May 20 to September 9, 1967. The duo had appeared in the U.S. on "The Ed Sullivan Show " and hoped to become stars there, but negotiations for a longer run broke down when the show's ratings were strong in Canada but weak in the U.S. Lew Grade, who represented the comedians in the negotiations, said in his autobiography that the disappointing American ratings were a result of the comedians' refusal to slow down their fast-paced act.In 1968, as a result of problems with contract negotiations with Lew Grade (they were not offered enough money or the chance to appear in colour), Morecambe and Wise left ATV to return to BBC.
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