7 Dec: Morecambe, Wise & Mr Preview
Oscar-winning conductor André Previn was an unlikely choice of celebrity guest for the Christmas special of ‘The Morcambe and Wise Show’ recorded on 7th December, 1971 – but the 13-minute sketch they taped together remains one of Britain’s all-time favourites.
The music hall-style caper – which revolves around a comically catastrophic interpretation of Grieg’s Piano Concerto – was actually a reversion of a sketch Eric and Ernie had performed at least twice before, but never with a guest performer.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Mia Farrow helped Previn nail his role in this iconic skit; explore whether the duo’s comic schtick was truly as ‘classless’ as is often claimed; and reflect on whether ‘Mr Preview’ really knew what he was letting himself in for…
Further Reading:
• André Previn on ‘The Morcambe and Wise Show’ (BBC, 1971): https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xds7am
• ‘Make any fool of me you like, but I won’t have you make fun of the music’ – André Previn at 80 (Classic FM, 2018): https://www.classicfm.com/artists/andre-previn/guides/andre-previn-80/
• ‘The Prelude of Mr Preview: How André Previn won over Morecambe & Wise’ (British Comedy Guide, 2020): https://www.comedy.co.uk/features/comedy_chronicles/andre-previn-prelude-preview/