Museum tribute for legend Eric
PLANS are under way for a museum dedicated to legendary comedian Eric Morecambe opposite his statue in the Lancashire resort from which he took his name.
Best-known for his long-running TV double act with Ernie Wise, he was born Eric Bartholomew in the seaside
town in 1926 and died from a heart attack in 1984 aged 58.
Now, urged by Eric’s son Gary, museum cura- tor Mark Bushell hopes to have the much-loved comic’s memorabilia and belongings exhibited next year.
Bushell says: “We’re in fairly early stages. I met Gary, who told me about his father’s collection that is just sitting at their family home. If you’re a Morecambe and Wise fan this is like the DNA of comedy.
It’s all his diaries, unfinished scripts, notebooks, pipes, slip- pers, clothing he wore in famous sketches with Andre Previn and Glenda Jackson.
“I told Gary, ‘This has to be on public display’. We want it to be on the seafront, opposite Eric’s statue. I have met with
the local MP, Geraldine Smith, and I’m meeting with the Regional Development Agency.
The challenge is getting the finances in place. We want something interac- tive and resilient. It could potentially cost any-where between £300,000 and £500,000.
“There’s a commitment from government to rebuild seaside resorts and there’s good local in- vestment in Morecambe.
He adds: “A lot of people go to see the statue only to find nothing else regarding Eric Morecambe – details of his career.
“There will be some Ernie Wise influence – you can’t separate the two of them – but this will really be about Eric, one of this town’s favourite sons.”
