Yehudi Menuhin was an American-born British violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the great violinists of the 20th century. The "Henry Wood Promenade" gag was referring an English conductor, best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introducing hundreds of new works to British audiences. After his death, the concerts were officially renamed in his honour as the "Henry Wood Promenade Concerts", although they continued to be generally referred to as "the Proms". Ivy Benson was an English musician and bandleader, who led an all-female swing band. Benson and her band gained prominence in the 1940s, headlining variety theatres and topping the bill at the London Palladium, and became the BBC's resident house band. Edward Heath was the Prime Minister at the time this show was first shown on TV. He was known to play the piano and had one installed at 10 Downing Street.
Many years after this, Andre Previn said whenever he got into a Taxi anywhere in the world, he was “Mr Previn” ….. except Britain where he was invariably referred to as “Mr Preview”. To his eternal credit, he embraced this for which he won even more respect. There was a further story where a few weeks after the sketch went out, he was conducting at a Concert in London. The music included this same Concerto. However after a few seconds he had to stop the Orchestra because the audience were laughing so much!
André Previn was one of the leading musician/conductors at the time and for many years after. The fact that Morcambe and Wise were able to get him and other celebrities of his status on their show was evidence of how big they were by this time.
@@sandgrownun66 It's from one of their Christmas shows where the huge sign of "MORECAMBE & WISE" is way too big for the set, so it gets chopped off at the left, leaving Eric to ask "Who is "Mr. Recambe"?! (RECAMBE & WISE)
Being a Principal conductor of many orchestras, Previn said that he didn’t mind having the mick taken out of himself as long as they didn’t put down classical music. After this broadcast taxi drivers in London constantly shouted out at him ‘Hello Mr Preview!’ It was something he enjoyed throughout his life.
"Could we get in touch with Grieg?" Always makes me laugh considering he'd been dead since 1907. 🤣 Just hilarious and Previn was such a good sport. The violinist on the end of the front row makes me laugh too - how they all made it through without collapsing with laughter I don't know.
Hi Megan, the story behind this is, it was recorded the same day that Andre had flown in from the US, and they'd had zero time to rehearse, apparently his line about going to get his batton, "it's in Chicago" was unscripted.
@@MeganRuth If you have time, watch Eric's reaction to that line again. With no rehearsal time with Previn himself, they'd been understandably concerned about how well the sketch would go. When Previn ad-libs the line about his baton being in Chicago, Eric's delighted cry of "He's in!" marks the moment he realised it was all going to be okay.
Hi Megan. Morecambe and Wise were the biggest comedy tv duo for many years headlining saturday night tv in the 70's and 80's in the UK. There breakfast skit is legendary.
Megan did you know Andre Previn flew into London Heathrow from New York was handed the script in the car on the way from airport to BBC Tv studios and straight into recording. He showed his genius moving from a leading musician and conductor to a comic actor ad libbing so naturally.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ernie Wise a few times back in the 90's, I was a serving Policeman and Ernie lived on my patch. On Christmas Day each year he would purposely set off his Burglar/Intruder alarm, which meant we were obliged to attend. He would greet us at the door and invite us in saying it was a false alarm, he and his wife would wish us a Merry Christmas and offer a mince pie and a tipple! Happy days!
Was that when he lived in Berkshire? I used to deliver his morning paper when he lived in Peterborough. He gave me a £5 tip one year at Christmas, that was a lot of money to a 13 year old lad in 1978!
@@howardscott1556 Yes, you are right, it was on the River Thames in Berks. I still often go past his house to this day, it’s on the Thames path where I cycle and walk. Happy memories!
The writing and the comic acting are exactly what you would expect for a team at the top of their game. Nobody expected André Previn to do that. Literally nobody. Even his old mum would have been surprised.
Andre Previn was very famous at the time in classical music. Married to Mia Farrow at one time I think. The Morecambe and Wise show always attracted top names and famous actors and singers who were lining up to be on the show.
Mr Preview, because he was such a huge Star it was a shock that he was so funny, and apparently afterwards people would stop him, it brought him a whole new group of fans
Hi Megan, at the time of recording Edward Heath was the Prime Minister of the country. He was a keen piano player, hence the laugh whe Eric said "For another £4 we could have got Edward Heath". Have a look at M&W doing Singing in the rain...
Eric and Ernie, better known as Morecambe and Wise, were the greatest double act of all time in my humble opinion, and amongst the brilliant sketches, this one with Andre Previn is the greatest of them all What makes this sketch even greater is the fact that Andre Previn didn't rehearse it with the guys, his first time doing it was in the actual show which made his performance even better, and on top of that, the orchestra weren't even aware that they were part of a comedy sketch, they assumed they were there to play the piece of music deadly seriously as normal, in fact, if you look closely at some of the members of the orchestra, they were laughing their heads off at it the whole way through
It has the greatest musicians line ever written: Mr Preview: "You're playing all the wrong notes!" Eric's reply: "I'm playing all the right notes, not necessarily in the right order....!"
Andre Previn was only 19 when he was hired by MGM. He created music for over 50 films, and won four Academy Awards. He was also a Jazz Pianist as well as having his Classical Music career.
Andre Previn was an American/German conductor and pianist. He was married to Mia Farrow and adopted, amongst others, Soon-Ye Previn, who as you’ve probably heard had an affair with Mia’s next husband Woody Allen. Fun facts: because of his hectic schedule, Andre was only able to have two day rehearsal with Morecambe & Wise, but when he offers to get his baton, in Chicago, Eric ad-libs his relief in the reply “Pow! He’s in! I like him!” Eric’s philosophy to all of them was “None of the three of us should believe that this is funny.” Not long after this was shown, he played Grieg’s Piano Concerto at a concert in London and had to stop as the audience was laughing so hard. This was watched by around a third of the country, and to this day you can quote it to pretty much anyone in the UK and they’ll understand. Even years later Andre Previn said that London cabbies still called him Mr. Preview.
@@cgmat7804 his performance made this sketch. That’s not me doing down the writing or the performances of Morecambe and Wise, but they were professional comedians… they were always going to get it right. The whole sketch relied on the acting and comedic timing of an amateur, and he was impeccable.
Hi Megan, This sketch is legendary, one of the funniest things I've ever seen, love Morecambe and Wise, The breakfast sketch is an absolute must to check out, it's hilarious 😂 😂 Eric Morecambe passed away in 1984 aged 58, Ernie Wise passed away in 1999 aged 72 🙏🙏 RIP Eric and Ernie 🙏 🙏
To really get the context of this clip you have to understand the times, Previn was seen as very high brow, it was a surprise to see a man of his stature joining in with something like this. We no longer do high brow in that way. This clip is iconic in the UK as are Eric and Ernie, they had 28 million people watching their shows when the UK population was barely double that.
There's another one of these type of celebrity Skits with the famous actor Glenda Jackson on The Morecambe and Wise show which is good,most are from the 70s&80s so some of references are outdated,but still well worth watching ❤.
One of television's greatest moments. Eric said that the sketch wouldn't work unless Andre Previn played it straight. André was magnificent, hence Eric's ecstatic reaction at the end. Genius.
"The Fixer" , the orchestra member who basically squared things up with management and the musicians union. Eric and Ernie had been touring local theatres with orchestras since the early 1950s so 20 years experience. See Boom Yu Tata Ta Ta Sketch (Will you miss me tonight)
Love your reaction Megan. The Andre Preview sketch is one of their best but my personal favourite is the one with Shirley Bassey. I hope you get around to watching and reacting to that sketch as I can guarantee you will love it as well.
Brilliant , a wonderful , classic Morecambe and Wise sketch . Morecambe and Wise became so famous in Britain that other famous celebrities would agree to be guests on their shows and take part in sketches that you would never think they would agree too , the Shirley Bassey sketch took everyone by surprise , but Shirley was brilliant and kept in character while the two boys goofed around her .
Ernie once said that Andre had to fly out to visit his mother and learned his script by torch light in a taxi on the way back from the airport, but he was word perfect. The version of Grieg's piano concerto, that Eric is trying to play, is actually more difficult than the original. It is my favourite comedy moment. Andre said that he never got tired of people saying hello to him and calling him "Mr Preview". A real gem of a comedy moment - the best ever 🥰
In the BBC's 1996 anniversary poll, viewers voted Morecambe and Wise as 'The Best Light Entertainment Performers of All Time'. Their early career was the subject of the 2011 television biopic Eric and Ernie, and their 1970s career was the subject of the television biopic Eric, Ernie and Me in 2017.
This was a one shot, high cost, high risk comedy sketch totally dependent on how well the unavoidably under-rehearsed Andre Previn fitted in with M&W. It was only ever going to be funny the very first time, and they were terrified that something wouldn't work out. And you can gauge some of that tension in the early part of the sketch. Previn of course was a consummate performer, but had no live TV comedy experience. However, when he rolled out the unscripted "I'll get my baton, it's in Chicago", Eric Morecambe realised that it was going to be OK and the tension disappeared. And the rest is history. Previn cemented his popularity in the UK with this sketch, loved the public response, and apparently thoroughly enjoyed being called "Mr Preview" in the UK. A perfect reminder of one of the finest bits of telly ever made. And the legendary M&W had pulled off one of the most audacious comedy risks ever. Favourite thing: the orchestra members pissing themselves laughing in the background, with Previn, M&W keeping totally deadpan. The "Could have got Edward Heath" line is reference to the Prime Minister of the day, who was well known to play the piano (reasonably well, apparently).
Lol funny as ,i live in Morecambe and can see where eric Morecambe lived n got a weatherspoons named after him and a statue on prom in Morecambe bay ,proud of him for being part of Morecambe respect 🙏 xx ♥️ 👌
Morecambe and wise made so much great and brilliant comedy. In fact there so much brilliant UK comedies out there to watch. That your going to be very busy trying to watch them all. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Eric (Morecombe) (The tall one) was very nervous about this sketch as normally him and Ernie (Wise) would spend an whole week rehearsing a sketch to get all the timing right. But Andre had other commitments and wasn't able to rehearse it. It wasn't until the line where Andre said that he would have to collect his baton in Chicago that Eric realised that Andre could do the timing of the jokes that Eric relaxed and knew that it would go ok. One of their things were to slightly change the names of the guests, ie. in this sketch calling Andre Previn Andre Preview. A lot of top names at the time were queuing up to be on their show and it was a sign that you had made it to be invited on to the Morecombe and Wise Show. Everyone who starred on their show said that no matter how nervous they were to be on Eric and Ernie always set them at ease and were fully professional. There are a lot of good sketches that I could suggest, Angela Rippon (newsreader who actually turned out to be a great dancer), Mastermind sketch (slightly different to the Two Ronnies one), Shirley Bassey just to name a few. They also did sketches in the same bed, which Eric was a bit apprehensive about at first until someone said "Well Laurel and Hardy did it." (Eric was a big Laurel and Hardy fan). After that Eric agreed to do them and nobody ever questioned why two grown men shared the same bed. EDIT: Almost forgot, the Singing in the rain sketch is a good one too.
I saw an interview (I think with Ernie Wise) about the sketch. Apparently Previn was so busy that he only had time to learn the sketch by torchlight in the back of a taxi as he was heading to the show, and was word-for-word perfect. True professional
Andre was a walking marvel. He was a boy wonder in Hollywood in the 1940s scoring movies . In the 1950s, he was ine of the best selling jazz musicians, and then he went on to be one of the top orchestra conductors on the planet.
There was a sketch a while later where various guests said "I've worked with morecambe and wise and now look..." Previn's one was the same start but said he was still a conductor - cut to a wideshot as a bus pulls away with him as the conductor on it happily smiling and waving his baton
This was a reworking of a sketch that M&W had originally performed in the '60s on their ITV show "Two of a Kind." The original features Ernie Wise as the conductor. The inclusion of Andre Previn definitely took it to another level. th-cam.com/video/FqHH1UQqIMs/w-d-xo.html
THE TWEETIE BIRD SKETCH WAS VERY FUNNY TOO AND SINGING IN THE RAIN SKETCH WAS VERY FUNNY AND GENE KELLY WAS PRESENT WATCHING IT AT AN AWARDS GIG , CHEERS 😊
I think you were very kind, considering this was made over 50 years ago, and contains many period references that only British people of a certain age would " get ". However, Morecambe and Wise were genuinely funny men, and the stuff that looks off the cuff and spontaneous was usually intensely rehearsed .... I suppose it could be updated with modern cultural refences, but you'd struggle to find replacements for Eric & Ernie, they were untouchable at their peak .... I remember them doing a chat show when they talked about their early days in the theatres, especially the Windmill in London where they performed in between nude " tableau " girls. Nudity was not permitted, but if it was seen as interpreting a Classical scene or work of art then that was deemed acceptable.. Eric ( the tall one ) recalled seeing the girls backstage, " Beautiful they were, there was this one stunning brunette, she wore only black gloves and black shoes ... we called her the 5 of Spades ! " ...
I saw this when it was first transmitted and I've probably seen it twenty times since, it never fails to make me giggle. The look on Andrew Preview's face when Eric starts playing makes me laugh out loud every time. Andre said, "Eric was the perfect gentleman - he never failed to apologise both before and after he hit me."
I was recovering from a horrendous accident in Darwin hospital in 2000, and they showed a rerun of this. I was howling with laughter so much that the nurses came running in as they were worried something had gone wrong.
Greig's piano concerto became one of my favourite pieces of classical music because of this sketch. You definitely need to check out their skit of " Singing in the Rain" and the Parkinson Show where Eric talks about his heart attack which despite the subject matter is really funny.
edward heath was british prime minister, but he was also a conductor of his local music orchestra and guest conductor of other more national ones, when he was not sailing his (proper) yacht Morning Cloud.
There were two Ted Heaths. One a Prime Minister, who could tickle the ivories. However, there was another who a professional musician and big band leader. Although, the latter was dead by this point.
@@sandgrownun66 Eric specifically says Edward Heath in this sketch. (MP for Bexleyheath and Sidcup). Ted Heath -Trombonist and Jazz Band Leader does have a connection to Eric and Ernie via their 1960s time at ATV London where Jack Parnell was Orchestra Leader - Val his brother was drum section for Ted Heath and His Music (as the orchestra was billed by Decca). Ted was fair to the band members even when show bookings were diminishing. I went to the last performance of the band (which I think was under the Leadership of Syd Lawerence?) at the National Theatre sometime in the late 1990s my memory forgets when.
Yay! You found Morcambe and Wise ! Congratulations, that’s the jackpot 😁✨ Like Richt said in your comments, try The Breakfast Sketch next 👍 Thanks for sharing 🤗
The two very funny things about this was, that Eric Morcambe looks like a spitting image of Alfred Brendel, one of the current era's greatest pianists. The other is that Previn had no time to rehearse this and only read the script once while in a Taxi on his way to the studio. Too many punch lines to explain, but they were all brilliant.
Despite Andre Previns many achievements and accomplishments as a highly skilled musician, he often would joke that he was best known for his skit on the Morcombe and Wise show. He also credited the show with introducing him to a wider audience, some of who might have not heard of him otherwise.
Other good sketches (where do I start). Mastermind Sketch th-cam.com/video/HEjdJszBbY8/w-d-xo.html , Des O'Connor (They always took the mickey out of him and on a Christmas show he came on at the start) th-cam.com/video/F2P18e41m0o/w-d-xo.html , There were also plays "wot Ernie wrote" and just so many good sketches. An early one is Boom OO Yata-Ta-Ta th-cam.com/video/xPZl4bhOTAA/w-d-xo.html
Has anyone mentioned Andre Previn's jazz - he made a series of albums with Shelly Manne, the most famous being...oh dear, I was quite Shaw I knew the name of it...damndamndamndamn...!
Eric: "For another four pounds we could have got Edward Heath. Edward Heath was a Conservative politician, former Prime Minister, yachtsman and also a musician and conductor. He was also a gift to impressionists such as Mike Yarwood. Glenda Jackson, actress and politician, also appeared with Eric and Ernie as Cleopatra in a skit and in a dance routine. Many newsreaders appeared in the musical number 'There Is Nothing Like A Dame'. Actors such as Peter Cushing, Francis Matthews - whose impression of Cary Grant voiced the original Captain Scarlet, Fenella Fielding and musicians such as Elton John, Cilla Black and Shirley Bassey.
Ma'am please Google Andre Previn. He was a very accomplished individual. Plus after this sketch he would find himself in airports around the world & for many years afterwards people would shout out "Andrew Preview". Mr. Previn loved it & felt very flattered.
Despite Andre Previn being a world famous conductor, he (like many other stars of the day) was happy to come on the show and be humiliated by Morecambe and Wise.
This is one of the famous jokes he plays it dead straight they just mess about they never pay there guest stars and Eric always denies knowing any of them.
Hi Jonty! 1. I'd say it probably started after I moved here! Although when I was a child I was a bit obsessed with British accents thanks to Harry Potter 😂 2. I'm not sure! I haven't gone fishing since I was a kid... probably some sort of sea bass!
@@MeganRuth Right. I was being stupid, like Morecambe and Wise. They “play with words.” So when o said “Anglophile” I meant “Angler.” Hence the next question, “What’s the biggest fish you’ve ever caught?” It’s a “British thing,” where we mix (play) our words up just for a laugh. I think that’s why M&W bombed in the U.S, because the American audience didn’t understand British humour. And vice versa. BTW, have you seen any of “Fawlty Towers” yet? That is a classic! Thanks for replying (bet you wish you had not bothered😆) and take care!
Yehudi Menuhin was an American-born British violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the great violinists of the 20th century.
The "Henry Wood Promenade" gag was referring an English conductor, best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introducing hundreds of new works to British audiences. After his death, the concerts were officially renamed in his honour as the "Henry Wood Promenade Concerts", although they continued to be generally referred to as "the Proms".
Ivy Benson was an English musician and bandleader, who led an all-female swing band. Benson and her band gained prominence in the 1940s, headlining variety theatres and topping the bill at the London Palladium, and became the BBC's resident house band.
Edward Heath was the Prime Minister at the time this show was first shown on TV. He was known to play the piano and had one installed at 10 Downing Street.
Many years after this, Andre Previn said whenever he got into a Taxi anywhere in the world, he was “Mr Previn” ….. except Britain where he was invariably referred to as “Mr Preview”. To his eternal credit, he embraced this for which he won even more respect. There was a further story where a few weeks after the sketch went out, he was conducting at a Concert in London. The music included this same Concerto. However after a few seconds he had to stop the Orchestra because the audience were laughing so much!
André Previn was one of the leading musician/conductors at the time and for many years after. The fact that Morcambe and Wise were able to get him and other celebrities of his status on their show was evidence of how big they were by this time.
Morecambe
@@sandgrownun66 Never forget Mr. Recambe. ;P
@@GreyHulk2156 Recombe?
@@sandgrownun66 It's from one of their Christmas shows where the huge sign of "MORECAMBE & WISE" is way too big for the set, so it gets chopped off at the left, leaving Eric to ask "Who is "Mr. Recambe"?! (RECAMBE & WISE)
Wouldn't that be "Recambe", then?
Being a Principal conductor of many orchestras, Previn said that he didn’t mind having the mick taken out of himself as long as they didn’t put down classical music. After this broadcast taxi drivers in London constantly shouted out at him ‘Hello Mr Preview!’ It was something he enjoyed throughout his life.
That “All the right notes but not necessarily in the right order” is one of the best known lines in British comedy!
Closely followed by Fork handles
"Could we get in touch with Grieg?" Always makes me laugh considering he'd been dead since 1907. 🤣
Just hilarious and Previn was such a good sport. The violinist on the end of the front row makes me laugh too - how they all made it through without collapsing with laughter I don't know.
Hi Megan, the story behind this is, it was recorded the same day that Andre had flown in from the US, and they'd had zero time to rehearse, apparently his line about going to get his batton, "it's in Chicago" was unscripted.
aha I love it!! 😂 That was such a great line! Thanks for the info! ☺️
@@MeganRuth If you have time, watch Eric's reaction to that line again. With no rehearsal time with Previn himself, they'd been understandably concerned about how well the sketch would go. When Previn ad-libs the line about his baton being in Chicago, Eric's delighted cry of "He's in!" marks the moment he realised it was all going to be okay.
Watch the orchestra, they are killing themselves with laughter
Hi Megan. Morecambe and Wise were the biggest comedy tv duo for many years headlining saturday night tv in the 70's and 80's in the UK. There breakfast skit is legendary.
Hello! Thanks for the info! ooh I'll have to give the Breakfast Skit a watch! 😊
and don't forget the plays what Ernie wrote
Thanks for reminding me about that one also . Got to look it up .
Their 'Making Breakfast' routine is one of the best and best known, well worth watching.
Megan did you know Andre Previn flew into London Heathrow from New York was handed the script in the car on the way from airport to BBC Tv studios and straight into recording. He showed his genius moving from a leading musician and conductor to a comic actor ad libbing so naturally.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ernie Wise a few times back in the 90's, I was a serving Policeman and Ernie lived on my patch. On Christmas Day each year he would purposely set off his Burglar/Intruder alarm, which meant we were obliged to attend. He would greet us at the door and invite us in saying it was a false alarm, he and his wife would wish us a Merry Christmas and offer a mince pie and a tipple! Happy days!
Was that when he lived in Berkshire? I used to deliver his morning paper when he lived in Peterborough. He gave me a £5 tip one year at Christmas, that was a lot of money to a 13 year old lad in 1978!
@@howardscott1556 Yes, you are right, it was on the River Thames in Berks. I still often go past his house to this day, it’s on the Thames path where I cycle and walk. Happy memories!
The writing and the comic acting are exactly what you would expect for a team at the top of their game.
Nobody expected André Previn to do that.
Literally nobody.
Even his old mum would have been surprised.
Andre Previn was very famous at the time in classical music. Married to Mia Farrow at one time I think. The Morecambe and Wise show always attracted top names and famous actors and singers who were lining up to be on the show.
Ah thank you for the explanation!! ☺️
Mr Preview, because he was such a huge Star it was a shock that he was so funny, and apparently afterwards people would stop him, it brought him a whole new group of fans
you mean Mr Privet
Hi Megan, at the time of recording Edward Heath was the Prime Minister of the country. He was a keen piano player, hence the laugh whe Eric said "For another £4 we could have got Edward Heath". Have a look at M&W doing Singing in the rain...
Eric and Ernie, better known as Morecambe and Wise, were the greatest double act of all time in my humble opinion, and amongst the brilliant sketches, this one with Andre Previn is the greatest of them all What makes this sketch even greater is the fact that Andre Previn didn't rehearse it with the guys, his first time doing it was in the actual show which made his performance even better, and on top of that, the orchestra weren't even aware that they were part of a comedy sketch, they assumed they were there to play the piece of music deadly seriously as normal, in fact, if you look closely at some of the members of the orchestra, they were laughing their heads off at it the whole way through
"Apparently he's a musician" Well that's the understatement of the decade🤣
You may enjoy Singing in the rain by them. A classic
It has the greatest musicians line ever written: Mr Preview: "You're playing all the wrong notes!" Eric's reply: "I'm playing all the right notes, not necessarily in the right order....!"
Andre Previn was only 19 when he was hired by MGM.
He created music for over 50 films, and won four Academy Awards.
He was also a Jazz Pianist as well as having his Classical Music career.
His personal life kept him in the gossip columns for awhile too.
Andre Previn was an American/German conductor and pianist. He was married to Mia Farrow and adopted, amongst others, Soon-Ye Previn, who as you’ve probably heard had an affair with Mia’s next husband Woody Allen.
Fun facts: because of his hectic schedule, Andre was only able to have two day rehearsal with Morecambe & Wise, but when he offers to get his baton, in Chicago, Eric ad-libs his relief in the reply “Pow! He’s in! I like him!”
Eric’s philosophy to all of them was “None of the three of us should believe that this is funny.”
Not long after this was shown, he played Grieg’s Piano Concerto at a concert in London and had to stop as the audience was laughing so hard.
This was watched by around a third of the country, and to this day you can quote it to pretty much anyone in the UK and they’ll understand. Even years later Andre Previn said that London cabbies still called him Mr. Preview.
Previn shows a keen comic timing in this, man of many talents
Hi Megan,you need to listen to Billy Connolly,the Dwarf on the bus,collosdamy,two Ronnie's four candles
@@cgmat7804 his performance made this sketch. That’s not me doing down the writing or the performances of Morecambe and Wise, but they were professional comedians… they were always going to get it right. The whole sketch relied on the acting and comedic timing of an amateur, and he was impeccable.
“Not too heavy on the banjos!”
Hi Megan, This sketch is legendary, one of the funniest things I've ever seen, love Morecambe and Wise, The breakfast sketch is an absolute must to check out, it's hilarious 😂 😂 Eric Morecambe passed away in 1984 aged 58, Ernie Wise passed away in 1999 aged 72 🙏🙏
RIP Eric and Ernie 🙏 🙏
To really get the context of this clip you have to understand the times, Previn was seen as very high brow, it was a surprise to see a man of his stature joining in with something like this. We no longer do high brow in that way.
This clip is iconic in the UK as are Eric and Ernie, they had 28 million people watching their shows when the UK population was barely double that.
There's another one of these type of celebrity Skits with the famous actor Glenda Jackson on The Morecambe and Wise show which is good,most are from the 70s&80s so some of references are outdated,but still well worth watching ❤.
It was incredible they got him to do this ,and he only almost laughed once.
Two sketches you should view are The Singing in rain Sketch and The Breakfast Sketch.
….. agreed, plus Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones!
One of television's greatest moments. Eric said that the sketch wouldn't work unless Andre Previn played it straight. André was magnificent, hence Eric's ecstatic reaction at the end. Genius.
"The Fixer" , the orchestra member who basically squared things up with management and the musicians union. Eric and Ernie had been touring local theatres with orchestras since the early 1950s so 20 years experience. See Boom Yu Tata Ta Ta Sketch (Will you miss me tonight)
Love your reaction Megan. The Andre Preview sketch is one of their best but my personal favourite is the one with Shirley Bassey. I hope you get around to watching and reacting to that sketch as I can guarantee you will love it as well.
Thanks Colin! I'm glad you enjoyed it :) Thanks for the suggestion!
Brilliant , a wonderful , classic Morecambe and Wise sketch . Morecambe and Wise became so famous in Britain that other famous celebrities would agree to be guests on their shows and take part in sketches that you would never think they would agree too , the Shirley Bassey sketch took everyone by surprise , but Shirley was brilliant and kept in character while the two boys goofed around her .
I love Morecambe and Wise. Their Christmas shows were epic. If you can find it, their Singing in the Rain sketch is brilliant.
Did you notice all the Orchestra absolutely p!ssing themselves in the Background? 😆🤣
Probably the funniest moment in British tv history, 50 years on and it's still hilarious. RIP to all 3 of them, god bless.
Morecambe and Wise where a must on British TV every Saturday Night through 60’s and 70’s. Even now every Christmas.
The sketch where they did 'Jungle Book' was hilarious.
Ernie once said that Andre had to fly out to visit his mother and learned his script by torch light in a taxi on the way back from the airport, but he was word perfect. The version of Grieg's piano concerto, that Eric is trying to play, is actually more difficult than the original. It is my favourite comedy moment. Andre said that he never got tired of people saying hello to him and calling him "Mr Preview". A real gem of a comedy moment - the best ever 🥰
André Previn’s comic timing and delivery here is superb! A very talented man.
You should definitely review their making breakfast routine.
First time watching your channel. As a man born in the 70's. I love you appreciating the pure comic timing. Fun to watch :)
In the BBC's 1996 anniversary poll, viewers voted Morecambe and Wise as 'The Best Light Entertainment Performers of All Time'. Their early career was the subject of the 2011 television biopic Eric and Ernie, and their 1970s career was the subject of the television biopic Eric, Ernie and Me in 2017.
This was a one shot, high cost, high risk comedy sketch totally dependent on how well the unavoidably under-rehearsed Andre Previn fitted in with M&W. It was only ever going to be funny the very first time, and they were terrified that something wouldn't work out. And you can gauge some of that tension in the early part of the sketch.
Previn of course was a consummate performer, but had no live TV comedy experience. However, when he rolled out the unscripted "I'll get my baton, it's in Chicago", Eric Morecambe realised that it was going to be OK and the tension disappeared. And the rest is history.
Previn cemented his popularity in the UK with this sketch, loved the public response, and apparently thoroughly enjoyed being called "Mr Preview" in the UK. A perfect reminder of one of the finest bits of telly ever made. And the legendary M&W had pulled off one of the most audacious comedy risks ever.
Favourite thing: the orchestra members pissing themselves laughing in the background, with Previn, M&W keeping totally deadpan.
The "Could have got Edward Heath" line is reference to the Prime Minister of the day, who was well known to play the piano (reasonably well, apparently).
Lol funny as ,i live in Morecambe and can see where eric Morecambe lived n got a weatherspoons named after him and a statue on prom in Morecambe bay ,proud of him for being part of Morecambe respect 🙏 xx ♥️ 👌
Well, at least you'll know how to spell Morecambe correctly, then.
I have seen this sketch so many times since it was first broadcast and it is still as funny now as it was then. Comedy at its absolute finest.
We call this in the UK the Andre Preview sketch, anyone over that age of 45 will know exactly what you mean! 😂
And someone else becomes a fan of Eric &Ern! Watch their breakfast sketch to tune 'The Stripper' All done in one, it was incredible
Morecambe and wise made so much great and brilliant comedy. In fact there so much brilliant UK comedies out there to watch. That your going to be very busy trying to watch them all. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Eric (Morecombe) (The tall one) was very nervous about this sketch as normally him and Ernie (Wise) would spend an whole week rehearsing a sketch to get all the timing right. But Andre had other commitments and wasn't able to rehearse it. It wasn't until the line where Andre said that he would have to collect his baton in Chicago that Eric realised that Andre could do the timing of the jokes that Eric relaxed and knew that it would go ok. One of their things were to slightly change the names of the guests, ie. in this sketch calling Andre Previn Andre Preview. A lot of top names at the time were queuing up to be on their show and it was a sign that you had made it to be invited on to the Morecombe and Wise Show. Everyone who starred on their show said that no matter how nervous they were to be on Eric and Ernie always set them at ease and were fully professional. There are a lot of good sketches that I could suggest, Angela Rippon (newsreader who actually turned out to be a great dancer), Mastermind sketch (slightly different to the Two Ronnies one), Shirley Bassey just to name a few. They also did sketches in the same bed, which Eric was a bit apprehensive about at first until someone said "Well Laurel and Hardy did it." (Eric was a big Laurel and Hardy fan). After that Eric agreed to do them and nobody ever questioned why two grown men shared the same bed. EDIT: Almost forgot, the Singing in the rain sketch is a good one too.
I saw an interview (I think with Ernie Wise) about the sketch. Apparently Previn was so busy that he only had time to learn the sketch by torchlight in the back of a taxi as he was heading to the show, and was word-for-word perfect. True professional
Morecambe
Andre was a walking marvel. He was a boy wonder in Hollywood in the 1940s scoring movies . In the 1950s, he was ine of the best selling jazz musicians, and then he went on to be one of the top orchestra conductors on the planet.
There was a sketch a while later where various guests said "I've worked with morecambe and wise and now look..."
Previn's one was the same start but said he was still a conductor - cut to a wideshot as a bus pulls away with him as the conductor on it happily smiling and waving his baton
This was a reworking of a sketch that M&W had originally performed in the '60s on their ITV show "Two of a Kind." The original features Ernie Wise as the conductor. The inclusion of Andre Previn definitely took it to another level. th-cam.com/video/FqHH1UQqIMs/w-d-xo.html
Previn was famous among British classical music fans, but after this he was a household name. Great comic timing too!
THE TWEETIE BIRD SKETCH WAS VERY FUNNY TOO AND SINGING IN THE RAIN SKETCH WAS VERY FUNNY AND GENE KELLY WAS PRESENT WATCHING IT AT AN AWARDS GIG , CHEERS 😊
Megan , another sketch to watch from these two is their breakfast room sketch !! enjoy !!
I love how the players of the orchestra laugh all the way through this
The Great Andrew Preview, plus Morecambe and Wise ,Ths will be with humanity forever, ha ha,!)
I think you were very kind, considering this was made over 50 years ago, and contains many period references that only British people of a certain age would " get ". However, Morecambe and Wise were genuinely funny men, and the stuff that looks off the cuff and spontaneous was usually intensely rehearsed .... I suppose it could be updated with modern cultural refences, but you'd struggle to find replacements for Eric & Ernie, they were untouchable at their peak ....
I remember them doing a chat show when they talked about their early days in the theatres, especially the Windmill in London where they performed in between nude " tableau " girls. Nudity was not permitted, but if it was seen as interpreting a Classical scene or work of art then that was deemed acceptable.. Eric ( the tall one ) recalled seeing the girls backstage, " Beautiful they were, there was this one stunning brunette, she wore only black gloves and black shoes ... we called her the 5 of Spades ! " ...
To his credit Andre Previn didn't reherse he just went with the flow of the show. It's one of my all time favourite sketches.
He actually flew over on Concorde. He actually enjoyed doing the sketch and people calling him Mr Preview.
My favourite skit from this magic pair and thats saying somethin as they created so many special moments. All this was unrehearsed.
Andre also wrote and arranged soundtracks in Hollywood
ooh really? How interesting!
I saw this when it was first transmitted and I've probably seen it twenty times since, it never fails to make me giggle. The look on Andrew Preview's face when Eric starts playing makes me laugh out loud every time. Andre said, "Eric was the perfect gentleman - he never failed to apologise both before and after he hit me."
I was recovering from a horrendous accident in Darwin hospital in 2000, and they showed a rerun of this. I was howling with laughter so much that the nurses came running in as they were worried something had gone wrong.
Greig's piano concerto became one of my favourite pieces of classical music because of this sketch.
You definitely need to check out their skit of " Singing in the Rain" and the Parkinson Show where Eric talks about his heart attack which despite the subject matter is really funny.
Apparently, he flew in just hours before and they hadn't had time to rehearse this properly - which makes it even more impressive
So glad you’ve reacted, one of the funniest British sketches ever…when life seemed less complicated. Were they ever shown in Canada 🇨🇦 kind regards
edward heath was british prime minister, but he was also a conductor of his local music orchestra and guest conductor of other more national ones, when he was not sailing his (proper) yacht Morning Cloud.
There were two Ted Heaths. One a Prime Minister, who could tickle the ivories. However, there was another who a professional musician and big band leader. Although, the latter was dead by this point.
@@sandgrownun66 Eric specifically says Edward Heath in this sketch. (MP for Bexleyheath and Sidcup). Ted Heath -Trombonist and Jazz Band Leader does have a connection to Eric and Ernie via their 1960s time at ATV London where Jack Parnell was Orchestra Leader - Val his brother was drum section for Ted Heath and His Music (as the orchestra was billed by Decca). Ted was fair to the band members even when show bookings were diminishing. I went to the last performance of the band (which I think was under the Leadership of Syd Lawerence?) at the National Theatre sometime in the late 1990s my memory forgets when.
th-cam.com/video/dIYTS7hOpUo/w-d-xo.html Edward Heath Conducting the National Youth Orchestra.
British comedy royalty right there
Anytime Andre Previn came to the UK taxi drivers would shout out how are you Mr Preview and he once said it never fails
Yay! You found Morcambe and Wise ! Congratulations, that’s the jackpot 😁✨ Like Richt said in your comments, try The Breakfast Sketch next 👍 Thanks for sharing 🤗
Morecambe
The two very funny things about this was, that Eric Morcambe looks like a spitting image of Alfred Brendel, one of the current era's greatest pianists.
The other is that Previn had no time to rehearse this and only read the script once while in a Taxi on his way to the studio. Too many punch lines to explain, but they were all brilliant.
Morecambe and Wise -Singing in the rain.Gene Kelly said it was the funniest takeoff of singing in the rain he'd ever seen.
Despite Andre Previns many achievements and accomplishments as a highly skilled musician, he often would joke that he was best known for his skit on the Morcombe and Wise show. He also credited the show with introducing him to a wider audience, some of who might have not heard of him otherwise.
Other good sketches (where do I start). Mastermind Sketch th-cam.com/video/HEjdJszBbY8/w-d-xo.html , Des O'Connor (They always took the mickey out of him and on a Christmas show he came on at the start) th-cam.com/video/F2P18e41m0o/w-d-xo.html , There were also plays "wot Ernie wrote" and just so many good sketches. An early one is Boom OO Yata-Ta-Ta th-cam.com/video/xPZl4bhOTAA/w-d-xo.html
Morecambe & Wise plus The Two Ronnies are my favourite double acts followed closely by Smith & Jones.
ooh I haven't heard of Smith & Jones! I'll have to check them out :)
Love this sketch and love your reaction😁
Thank you! I’m so glad 😊
Has anyone mentioned Andre Previn's jazz - he made a series of albums with Shelly Manne, the most famous being...oh dear, I was quite Shaw I knew the name of it...damndamndamndamn...!
Another great Morcambe & Wise is the breakfast sketch
Morecambe
Eric: "For another four pounds we could have got Edward Heath. Edward Heath was a Conservative politician, former Prime Minister, yachtsman and also a musician and conductor. He was also a gift to impressionists such as Mike Yarwood. Glenda Jackson, actress and politician, also appeared with Eric and Ernie as Cleopatra in a skit and in a dance routine. Many newsreaders appeared in the musical number 'There Is Nothing Like A Dame'. Actors such as Peter Cushing, Francis Matthews - whose impression of Cary Grant voiced the original Captain Scarlet, Fenella Fielding and musicians such as Elton John, Cilla Black and Shirley Bassey.
I loved it when Eric called him Elephant John...🤣🤣
Normally, it's the Piano that starts off The Grieg Piano Concerto. Then the rest of the Orchestra
Ma'am please Google Andre Previn. He was a very accomplished individual. Plus after this sketch he would find himself in airports around the world & for many years afterwards people would shout out "Andrew Preview". Mr. Previn loved it & felt very flattered.
Watch Gimme Gimme Gimme. Series1 episode 1. "Who's thay boy"
Morecambe, with an "e" in the middle.
Their best sketch IMO was their take on Singing in the Rain.
Despite Andre Previn being a world famous conductor, he (like many other stars of the day) was happy to come on the show and be humiliated by Morecambe and Wise.
This is one of the famous jokes he plays it dead straight they just mess about they never pay there guest stars and Eric always denies knowing any of them.
The breakfast sketch by Morecambe and wise 1976
Previn was married to Mia Farrow .woody Allen's ex and one time partner of Frank Sinatra /movie star /previn world famous conductor and arranger .
Mia Farrow
he just told you who he is 10 seconds ago
At the time Andrea Previn was held in similar popular regard to, say, Hans Zimmer now
Doquite a funy tribute to it.n't know if you've ever seen 'Singing in the Rain' but they did
What a good sport
Newsreaders / South Pacific Nothing Like a Dame is funny if you know the people involved
Which most people won't.
You should watch them doing the song and dance routine from singing in the rain
A simple joke that works.
yep!
Brilliant!
😊😎🎸🇬🇧🇺🇦
Have a look at the breakfast routine with the stripper music! Total classic
good afternoon megan how are u feeling great vid take care
Hi Adam! I'm great thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video ☺️
Andre Previn is/was very famous if you're of a certain age.
Eric and Ernie on Mastermind.
For more piano silliness watch Les Dawson
Les Dawson and his This is Your Life episode, brought me here.
Hello Megan, I’ve got a couple of questions for you.
1)How long have you been an Anglophile?
2)What’s the biggest fish you’ve ever caught?
Hi Jonty!
1. I'd say it probably started after I moved here! Although when I was a child I was a bit obsessed with British accents thanks to Harry Potter 😂
2. I'm not sure! I haven't gone fishing since I was a kid... probably some sort of sea bass!
@@MeganRuth
Right. I was being stupid, like Morecambe and Wise. They “play with words.” So when o said “Anglophile” I meant “Angler.” Hence the next question, “What’s the biggest fish you’ve ever caught?”
It’s a “British thing,” where we mix (play) our words up just for a laugh. I think that’s why M&W bombed in the U.S, because the American audience didn’t understand British humour. And vice versa.
BTW, have you seen any of “Fawlty Towers” yet? That is a classic!
Thanks for replying (bet you wish you had not bothered😆) and take care!
@@MeganRuth
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@@MeganRuth
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