Eric Morecambe, one half of one of the most beloved and enduring comedy duos in British TV history, was described as “noisy and fond of wasting time” by his teachers, according to school reports recently unearthed in Morecambe’s study at his family home in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. The assessments were made by Morecambe’s former masters at Lancaster Road Junior School and Euston Road Senior School in Morecambe and included criticisms of the comedian’s attendance and “poor and untidy written work”. The reports will be sold at auction in January.
One of the reports, from Lancaster Road in 1936, was accompanied by a message from Morecambe’s mother, Sadie Bartholomew, who wrote: “I am disgusted with this report and would be obliged if you would make him do more homework as I would see he did it here, S. Bartholomew.” Morecambe’s senior school report, from 1940, when he was already performing, read: “A trier, but very untidy in written work. Also fond of wasting time; Neatness could be better; Absent most of the term. Appeared to be trying hard to improve.”
Other reports, however, praised Morecambe’s cheerful disposition and his flair for entertaining in the modern song and dance style. Despite his poor grades in subjects such as maths, Morecambe was second best in his class for geography and fifth in English.
The auction house offering the reports is Hansons, which is auctioning off the entire contents of the Morecambe family home. Another item on offer is the famous giant lollipop, which was a prop used by Morecambe in one of his early performances, Youth Takes A Bow.
Morecambe, whose real name was John Eric Bartholomew, is remembered as one half of the double act Morecambe and Wise, whose TV career spanned four decades and which made them household names. Morecambe died of a heart attack in 1984 at the age of 58
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