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The former Miss Margate who amazed Eric by saying Yes to his proposals (eventually) and was the secret ingredient in Morecambe and Wise's success
If Joan Bartlett had turned down Eric Morecambe in 1952, it's likely his double act with Ernie Wise would not have survived
Because if Joan Bartlett had turned down Eric Morecambe in 1952, it's likely his double act with Ernie Wise would not have survived – and they could never have become the best-loved comic duo in TV history. Joan was 24 and 5ft 11in, a former Miss Kent and now starting to make her way in showbiz – dancing, singing, playing the stooge to the stand-up comics, doing whatever live theatre demanded. But if he'd left the business side to my dad, like buying the railway tickets on tour and booking the digs, they would have ended up hitch-hiking between theatres or sleeping on park benches.
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