| Monty Python | |
|---|---|
 The Python team Back row: Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam. Graham Arthur Chapman (8 January 1941 &ndash 4 October 1989 was an English Comedian, Actor, Writer, Physician and one of the Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943 is an English Comedian, Actor, Author, Singer and Composer of comedic songs Terrence Vance Gilliam (born 22 November 1940) is an American -born British Writer, Filmmaker, Animator and member Front row: Terry Jones, John Cleese, Michael Palin |
|
| Medium | Television, Film, Theatre, Audio Recordings, Books |
| Nationality | British (5 members) British, formerly American (1 member)[1] |
| Years active | 1969–1983 |
| Genres | Sketch comedy |
| Influences | The Goons, Spike Milligan |
| Influenced | Douglas Adams and Eddie Izzard |
| Notable works and roles | Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974) And Now for Something Completely Different (1971) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982) Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) |
| Members | Graham Chapman John Cleese Terry Gilliam Eric Idle Terry Jones Michael Palin |
| Website | PythOnline |
Monty Python, or The Pythons,[2][3] is the collective name of the creators of Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. For other uses see Terry Jones (disambiguation. Terence Graham Parry Jones (born 1 February 1942) is a Welsh John Marwood Cleese (ˈkliːz born 27 October, 1939) is a British Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film producer Michael Edward Palin, CBE (born 5 May 1943 is an English Comedian, actor writer and Television presenter best known for being one of the members Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one A Book is a set or collection of written printed illustrated or blank sheets made of Paper, Parchment, or other material usually fastened together Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Comedy may be divided into multiple Genres based on the source of humour the method of delivery and the context in which it is delivered Sketch comedy consists of a series of short Comedy scenes or vignettes called "sketches" commonly between one and ten minutes long The Goon Show was a British Radio comedy programme originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960 Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan KBE ( 16 April, 1918 &ndash 27 February 2002) known as Spike Milligan, was an Anglo Douglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 &ndash 11 May 2001 was an English author comic Radio dramatist Edward John "Eddie" Izzard (born February 7, 1962) is a British stand-up comedian and Dramatic Actor. Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy And Now for Something Completely Different is a film Spin-off from the television comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus featuring favourite Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python ( Graham Chapman, John Cleese Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as The Life of Brian, is a 1979 Comedy film written directed and largely performed by the Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl is a 1982 concert film in which the Monty Python team perform many of their greatest sketches at the Hollywood Monty Python's The Meaning of Life is a 1983 musical Comedy film by the Monty Python comedy team Graham Arthur Chapman (8 January 1941 &ndash 4 October 1989 was an English Comedian, Actor, Writer, Physician and one of the John Marwood Cleese (ˈkliːz born 27 October, 1939) is a British Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film producer Terrence Vance Gilliam (born 22 November 1940) is an American -born British Writer, Filmmaker, Animator and member Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943 is an English Comedian, Actor, Author, Singer and Composer of comedic songs For other uses see Terry Jones (disambiguation. Terence Graham Parry Jones (born 1 February 1942) is a Welsh Michael Edward Palin, CBE (born 5 May 1943 is an English Comedian, actor writer and Television presenter best known for being one of the members Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Comedy (from the Greek κωμωδίαkomodia has a popular meaning (any discourse generally intended to amuse especially in Television, Film, and Sketch comedy consists of a series of short Comedy scenes or vignettes called "sketches" commonly between one and ten minutes long Events 869 - The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to decide about what to do about Patriarch Photius of Constantinople Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A total of 45 episodes were made over four series. A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U The Python phenomenon developed from the original television series into something much larger in scope and impact, spawning touring stage shows, five theatrically-released films, numerous albums, several books and a spin-off stage musical, and launching the members on to individual stardom. An album or record album is a collection of related audio or Music tracks distributed to the public A Book is a set or collection of written printed illustrated or blank sheets made of Paper, Parchment, or other material usually fastened together
The television series, broadcast by the BBC from 1969 to 1974, was conceived, written and performed by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Graham Arthur Chapman (8 January 1941 &ndash 4 October 1989 was an English Comedian, Actor, Writer, Physician and one of the John Marwood Cleese (ˈkliːz born 27 October, 1939) is a British Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film producer Terrence Vance Gilliam (born 22 November 1940) is an American -born British Writer, Filmmaker, Animator and member Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943 is an English Comedian, Actor, Author, Singer and Composer of comedic songs For other uses see Terry Jones (disambiguation. Terence Graham Parry Jones (born 1 February 1942) is a Welsh Michael Edward Palin, CBE (born 5 May 1943 is an English Comedian, actor writer and Television presenter best known for being one of the members Loosely structured as a sketch show but with an innovative stream-of-consciousness approach (aided by Terry Gilliam's animations), it pushed the boundaries of what was then considered acceptable, both in terms of style and content. Sketch comedy consists of a series of short Comedy scenes or vignettes called "sketches" commonly between one and ten minutes long The bouncing ball animation (below consists of these 6 frames
The group's influence on comedy has often been compared to The Beatles' influence on music. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. [4][5] A self-contained comedy team responsible for both writing and performing their work, they changed the way performers entertained audiences. The Pythons' creative control allowed them to experiment with form and content, discarding the established rules of television comedy. Their influence on British comedy of all kinds has been apparent for many years, while in America it has coloured the work of many cult performers from the early editions of Saturday Night Live through to more recent absurdist trends in television comedy. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City Surreal humour is a form of humour, laughingly in a style related to the artistic ambitions of the surrealists, based on bizarre Juxtapositions absurd situations "Pythonesque" has entered the English lexicon as a result.
There are differing accounts of the origins of the Python name although the members agree that its only "significance" was that they thought it sounded funny. In the 1998 documentary Live At Aspen the group implied that "Monty" was selected as a gently-mocking tribute to Field Marshal Lord Montgomery, a legendary British general of World War II; requiring a "slippery-sounding" surname, they settled on "Python". For other meanings see Field Marshal (disambiguation Field marshal is a military officer rank Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC, (məntˈgʌmərɪ əv ˈæləmeɪn World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including On other occasions Idle has claimed that the name "Monty" was that of a popular and rotund fellow who drank in his local pub; people would often walk in and ask the barman, "Has Monty been in yet?", forcing the name to become stuck in his mind.
In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, three of the six members were voted among the top 50 greatest comedians ever, by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. Palin was at number 30, Idle was voted 21st and Cleese was at two, just beaten to the top by Peter Cook. Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 &ndash 9 January 1995 was an English Satirist, Writer and Comedian.
Before Monty Python
At Last the 1948 Show. At Last the 1948 Show was a satirical TV show made by David Frost's company Paradine Productions (although it was not credited on the programmes in association
Palin and Jones first met at Oxford University, while Cleese and Chapman met at Cambridge. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the Idle was also at Cambridge, but started a year after Cleese and Chapman. Cleese met Gilliam in New York while on tour with the Cambridge University Footlights revue Cambridge Circus (originally entitled A Clump of Plinths). New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge England, run by the students A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical Entertainment that combines Music, dance and sketches. Cambridge Circus is a comedy revue that played in London in 1963.
Chapman, Cleese and Idle were all members of the Footlights, which at that time also included the future Goodies—Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden—as well as Jonathan Lynn (co-writer of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister). Cambridge University The three actors in The Goodies met as students at the University of Cambridge, where Tim Brooke-Taylor was studying Law, Graeme Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor (born 17 July 1940) is an English comic Actor known in Britain and Australia as a member of The Goodies William Edgar Oddie, OBE (born 7 July 1941 is an English Actor, Writer, Comedian, Natural history Presenter David Graeme Garden (born 18 February 1943) is a British Actor, Writer, Presenter Career Personal life Born in Bath, England, Lynn was educated at Kingswood School, Bath (1954–1961 after which he studied Law at Yes Minister is a multi-award winning satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted Yes Minister is a multi-award winning satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted During the time of Idle's presidency of the Club, feminist writer Germaine Greer and broadcaster Clive James were also members. Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate Germaine Greer (born 29 January 1939 is an Australian born Writer, Academic, Journalist and Scholar of early modern English literature Clive James AM (born Vivian James, on October 7, 1939 in Kogarah New South Wales) is an Expatriate Australian Recordings of Footlights revues (called "Smokers") at Pembroke College include sketches and performances by Idle and Cleese. Pembroke College is a college of the University of Cambridge, home to over six hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest of the colleges They are currently kept in the archives of the Pembroke Players, along with tapes of Idle's performances in some of the college drama society's theatrical productions. Pembroke Players (formerly Pembroke College Players) is an amateur theatrical society in Cambridge England, founded in 1955 and run by the students of Pembroke
Variously, the Python members appeared in or wrote, or both, for the following shows before being united for Monty Python's Flying Circus. In particular, The Frost Report is credited as first uniting the British Pythons and providing an environment in which they could develop their particular styles:
- I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (radio) (1964–1973) [Cleese: cast member & writer
— Idle and Chapman: writers] - The Frost Report (1966–1967) [Cleese: cast member & writer
— Idle: writer of Frost's monologues — Chapman, Palin & Jones: writers] - At Last the 1948 Show (1967) [Chapman & Cleese: writers & cast members — Idle: writer]
- Twice a Fortnight (1967) [Palin & Jones: cast members & writers]
- Do Not Adjust Your Set (1967–1969) [Palin, Jones & Idle: cast members & writers
— Gilliam: animation — Bonzo Dog Band: musical interludes] - We Have Ways of Making You Laugh (1968) [Idle: cast member & writer — Gilliam: animation]
- How to Irritate People (1968) [Cleese & Chapman: cast members & writers — Palin: cast member]
- The Complete and Utter History of Britain (1969) [Palin & Jones: cast members & writers]
- Doctor in the House (1969) [Cleese & Chapman: writers]
Several of these also featured other important British comedy writers and/or performers, including Ronnie Corbett, Ronnie Barker, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie, Marty Feldman, Jonathan Lynn, David Jason and David Frost. The Frost Report was a Satirical Television show hosted by David Frost. I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again (often abbreviated ISIRTA was a BBC Radio comedy programme that originated from the Cambridge University The Frost Report was a Satirical Television show hosted by David Frost. At Last the 1948 Show was a satirical TV show made by David Frost's company Paradine Productions (although it was not credited on the programmes in association Twice a Fortnight, which was made in 1967, was a British sketch comedy television comedy series with Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Do Not Adjust Your Set ( DNAYS) was a children's television series produced originally by Rediffusion London, then by the fledgling The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (also known as The Bonzo Dog Band, The Bonzo Dog Dada Band and colloquially as " The Bonzos " are a band created by How to Irritate People is a 1968 Television Mockumentary written by John Cleese. The Complete And Utter History Of Britain was a 1969 Television Comedy sketch show Doctor in the House is a British television comedy series based on a set of books and a movie of the same name by Richard Gordon about the misadventures Ronald Balfour "Ronnie" Corbett, OBE (born 4 December 1930) is a British Actor and Comedian, born in Scotland Ronald William George Barker, OBE (25 September 1929 &ndash 3 October 2005 was an English actor and Comedian, best known for his roles as Norman Stanley Fletcher Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor (born 17 July 1940) is an English comic Actor known in Britain and Australia as a member of The Goodies David Graeme Garden (born 18 February 1943) is a British Actor, Writer, Presenter William Edgar Oddie, OBE (born 7 July 1941 is an English Actor, Writer, Comedian, Natural history Presenter Martin Alan "Marty" Feldman ( 8 July 1934 &ndash 2 December 1982) was an English writer comedian and Actor, Career Personal life Born in Bath, England, Lynn was educated at Kingswood School, Bath (1954–1961 after which he studied Law at Sir David John White OBE, known by his Stage name David Jason (born 2 February 1940 is an English Actor, known Sir David Paradine Frost, OBE (born 7 April 1939) is an English Satirist and Television presenter, famed as both a
Following the success of Do Not Adjust Your Set (originally intended to be a children's programme) with the adult demographic, ITV offered Palin, Jones, Idle and Gilliam their own series together. Demographics or demographic data refers to selected population characteristics as used in government Marketing or opinion research or the Demographic profiles Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent At the same time Cleese and Chapman were offered a show by the BBC, having been impressed by their work on The Frost Report and At Last The 1948 Show. Cleese was reluctant to do a two-man show for various reasons, including Chapman's supposedly difficult personality. A double act, also known as a Comedy duo, is a comic device in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners usually of the same Cleese had fond memories of working with Palin and invited him to join the team. With the ITV series still in pre-production Palin agreed and suggested the involvement of his writing partner Jones and colleague Idle—who in turn suggested that Gilliam could provide animations for the projected series. Much has been made of the fact that the Monty Python troupe is the result of Cleese's desire to work with Palin and the chance circumstances that brought the other four members into the fold. [6]
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Development of the series
The Pythons had a very definite idea about what they wanted to do with the series. They were all great admirers of the work of Peter Cook, Alan Bennett, Jonathan Miller and Dudley Moore on Beyond the Fringe, and had worked on Frost, which was similar in style. Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 &ndash 9 January 1995 was an English Satirist, Writer and Comedian. Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934 is an English Author and Tony Award -winning Playwright. Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller, CBE (born 21 July 1934) is a British Neurologist, Theatre and Opera director Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE (19 April 1935 &ndash 27 March 2002 was an English Actor, Comedian and Musician. Beyond the Fringe was a British Comedy stage revue written and performed by Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett They also enjoyed Cook and Moore's sketch show Not Only... But Also. Not Only But Also was a popular 1960s BBC British Television series starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. However, one problem the Pythons perceived with these programmes was that though the body of the sketch would be strong, the writers would often struggle to then find a punchline funny enough to end on, and this would detract from the overall quality of the sketch. A punch line is the final part of a Joke or comedy sketch usually the word sentence or exchange of sentences which is intended to be Funny and to provoke They decided that they would simply not bother to 'cap' their sketches in the traditional manner, and early episodes of the Flying Circus series make great play of this abandonment of the punchline (one scene has Cleese turn to Idle, as the sketch descends into chaos, and remark that "This is the silliest sketch I've ever been in" - they all resolve not to carry on and simply walk off the set). However, as they began assembling material for the show, the Pythons watched one of their collective heroes, Spike Milligan, recording his new series Q5 (1969). Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan KBE ( 16 April, 1918 &ndash 27 February 2002) known as Spike Milligan, was an Anglo Spike Milligan 's Q was a surreal television comedy sketch show which ran from 1969 to 1983 on BBC Two. Not only was the programme more irreverent and anarchic than any previous television comedy, Milligan would often "give up" on sketches halfway through and wander off set (often muttering "did I write this?"). It was clear that their new series would now seem somewhat less original, and Jones in particular became determined the Pythons should innovate further.
After much debate, Jones remembered an animation Gilliam had created for Do Not Adjust Your Set called "Beware of the Elephants", which had intrigued him with its stream-of-consciousness style. The bouncing ball animation (below consists of these 6 frames Jones felt it would be a good concept to apply to the series: allowing sketches to blend into one another. Palin had been equally fascinated by another of Gilliam's efforts, entitled "Christmas Cards", and agreed that it represented "a way of doing things differently. " Since Cleese, Chapman and Idle were less concerned with the overall flow of the programme, it was Jones, Palin and Gilliam who became largely responsible for the presentation style of the Flying Circus series, in which disparate sketches are linked to give each episode the appearance of a single stream-of-consciousness (often using a Gilliam animation to move from the closing image of one sketch to the opening scene of another).
Each day of writing started at 9am and finished at 5pm. Typically, Cleese and Chapman worked as one pair of writers isolated from the others, as did Jones and Palin, while Idle wrote alone. After a few days of working in this configuration, they would all join together with Gilliam, critique their scripts and exchange ideas. Their approach to writing was democratic. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system If the majority found the idea to be humorous, it would be included in the show. The casting of roles for the sketches was a similarly unselfish process, since each member viewed himself primarily as a writer, rather than an actor desperate for screen time. A role (sometimes spelled rôle) or a social role is a set of connected Behaviors Rights and Obligations as conceptualized by actors When the themes for sketches were finally chosen, Gilliam had carte blanche to decide how to bridge them with animations, armed with his camera, scissors, and airbrush. A blank cheque ( blank check, carte blanche) in the literal sense is a Cheque that has no numerical value written in but is already signed
While the show was a collaborative process, different factions within Python were clearly responsible for different elements of the team's humour. In general, the work of the Oxford-educated members was more visual, and more fanciful conceptually (e. g. the arrival of the Spanish Inquisition in a suburban front room), while the Cambridge graduates' sketches tended to be more verbal and more aggressive (for example, Cleese and Chapman's many "confrontation" sketches, where one character ends up intimidating or hurling abuse at another, or Idle's characters with bizarre verbal quirks, such as The Man Who Speaks In Anagrams). An anagram ( Greek anagramma 'letters written anew' passive participle of ana- 'again' + gramma 'letter' is a type of Word play Asked about this, Cleese has confirmed that "most of the sketches with heavy abuse were Graham's and mine, anything that started with a slow pan across countryside and impressive music was Mike and Terry's, and anything that got utterly involved with words and disappeared up any personal orifice was Eric's. "[7] Gilliam's animations, meanwhile, ranged from the whimsical to the savage (the cartoon format allowing him to create some astonishingly violent scenes without fear of censorship).
Several names for the show were bandied about before the title Monty Python's Flying Circus was settled upon. Some of the more memorable were "Owl Stretching Time", "The Toad Elevating Moment", "Vaseline Review" and "Bun, Wackett, Buzzard, Stubble and Boot". "Flying Circus" stuck when the BBC explained to the group that it had already printed that name in its schedules and was not prepared to amend it, leaving the Pythons no choice in the matter. Many variations then came and went. Gwen Dibley's Flying Circus was named after a woman Palin had read about in the newspaper, thinking it would be amusing if she were to discover she had her own TV show. Barry Took's Flying Circus (also Baron Von Took's Flying Circus) was an affectionate tribute to the man who had brought them together. Barry Took ( 19 June 1928 &ndash 31 March 2002) was an English Comedian, Writer Arthur Megapode's Flying Circus was suggested, then discarded. Cleese then added "Python", liking the image of a slippery, sly individual that it conjured up. The specific origin of "Monty" is somewhat confused (see above).
Style of the show
Flying Circus pioneered some innovative formal techniques, such as the cold open, in which an episode began without the traditional opening titles or announcements. A cold open (also referred to as a teaser) in a Television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning [8] An example of this is the "It's" man: Palin in Robinson Crusoe garb, making a tortuous journey across various terrains, before finally approaching the camera to state, "It's. The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (of York Mariner Who lived Eight and Twenty Years all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America near the Mouth . . ", only to be then cut off by the title sequence and the theme song. Title sequence generally refers to the method by which cinematic films or television shows present their title key cast and/or production members utilizing conceptual visuals " The Liberty Bell " is an American Military march composed by famous bandmaster John Philip Sousa On several occasions the cold open would last until mid show, after which the regular opening titles would run. Occasionally the Pythons would attempt to trick viewers by rolling the closing credits halfway through the show, usually continuing the joke by fading to the familiar globe logo used for BBC continuity, over which Cleese would parody the clipped tones of a BBC announcer. Closing credits, inside a Motion picture or Television program come at the end of a movie or show and list all the cast and crew involved in the production The history of BBC television idents starts in the early 1950s when idents were first used by the BBC to differentiate each of their channels and create separate On one occasion the credits ran directly after the opening titles. They also experimented with ending segments by cutting abruptly to another scene or animation, walking offstage, addressing the camera (breaking the fourth wall), or introducing a totally unrelated event or character. The fourth wall is the imaginary wall at the front of the stage in a Proscenium Theater, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play A classic example of this approach was the use of Chapman's "Colonel" character, who walked into several sketches and ordered them to be stopped because things were becoming "far too silly. " Another favourite way of ending sketches was to drop a cartoonish "16-ton weight" prop on one of the characters when the sketch seemed to be losing momentum, or a knight in full armour (played by Terry Gilliam) would wander on-set and hit characters over the head with a raw chicken[9], before cutting to the next scene. Terrence Vance Gilliam (born 22 November 1940) is an American -born British Writer, Filmmaker, Animator and member Another innovative way of changing scenes was when John Cleese would come in as a radio commentator and say "And now for something completely different"
The Monty Python theme music is The Liberty Bell, a march composed by John Philip Sousa, which was chosen among other reasons because the recording was in the public domain. John Marwood Cleese (ˈkliːz born 27 October, 1939) is a British Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film producer " The Liberty Bell " is an American Military march composed by famous bandmaster John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( November 6, 1854 &ndash March 6, 1932) was an American Composer and conductor of the late The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone [8]
The use of Gilliam's surreal, collage stop motion animations was another innovative intertextual element of the Python style. Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members A collage (From the coller to glue is a work of formal art primarily in the Visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms thus creating a new whole Stop motion (or frame-by-frame) animation is an Animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own Many of the images Gilliam used were lifted from famous works of art, and from Victorian illustrations and engravings. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it The giant foot which crushes the show's title at the end of the opening credits is in fact the foot of Cupid, cut from a reproduction of the Renaissance masterpiece Venus, Cupid, Folly, and Time by Bronzino. In Roman mythology, Cupid (Latin cupido) is the god of Erotic Love and Beauty. The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 14th Venus Cupid Folly and Time is an allegorical painting by the Florentine artist Agnolo Bronzino now in the National Gallery London Agnolo di Cosimo ( November 17, 1503 &ndash November 23, 1572) usually known as Il Bronzino, or Agnolo Bronzino (mistaken This foot, and Gilliam's style in general, have come to be considered the visual trademarks of the series. A trademark or trade mark, represented by the symbols ™ and ®, or mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual
The Pythons built on and extended the great British tradition of cross-dressing comedy. Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothing commonly associated with another gender within a particular Society. Rather than dressing a man as a woman purely for comic effect, the (entirely male) Python team would write humorous parts for women, then don frocks and makeup and play the roles themselves. Thus a scene requiring a housewife would feature one of the male Pythons wearing a housecoat and apron, speaking in falsetto. These women were referred to as pepperpots. While this accentuated the humour, it was not, in itself, the joke (had a woman played the role, the lines would have had the same comic effect). Generally speaking, female roles were only played by a real woman (usually Carol Cleveland) when the scene specifically required that the character be sexually attractive (although sometimes they used Eric Idle for this). Carol Cleveland (born 13 January, 1942, London) is an English comic actress, most notable for her appearances as the only significant Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943 is an English Comedian, Actor, Author, Singer and Composer of comedic songs In some episodes and the later Monty Python's Life of Brian they took the idea one step further by playing women who impersonated men. Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as The Life of Brian, is a 1979 Comedy film written directed and largely performed by the
Many of the sketches have become extremely well-known outside the hardcore of Python fans, and are still widely quoted to this day. "The Dead Parrot", "The Lumberjack Song", "Spam", "Nudge Nudge", "The Spanish Inquisition", "Upper Class Twit of the Year", "Four Yorkshiremen sketch", "Cheese Shop" and "The Ministry of Silly Walks" are just a few examples. The Dead Parrot sketch, alternatively and originally known as Pet Shop sketch or Parrot Sketch, is a popular sketch from Monty Python's Flying The Lumberjack Song is one of the best-known and most popular sketches by the Monty Python Comedy troupe "Spam" is a popular Monty Python sketch, first televised in 1970 Candid Photography, better known as "Nudge Nudge", is a sketch from the third Monty Python's Flying Circus " The Spanish Inquisition " was a series of sketches in Monty Python's Flying Circus, Series 2 Episode 2 Parodying the The Upper Class Twit of the Year is a classic comedy sketch that was seen on the TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus, and also in a modified format as The " Four Yorkshiremen" sketch is a parody of nostalgic conversations about humble beginnings or difficult childhoods Cheese Shop is a famous sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus. " The Ministry of Silly Walks " is a sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus, episode 14 titled "Face the Press"
The end of Flying Circus
Having considered the possibility at the end of the second series, Cleese finally left the Flying Circus at the end of Series Three. He claimed he felt he was merely repeating himself, that he had nothing fresh to offer the show and that many of his sketches in the third series were merely rewrites of his earlier work. He was also finding Chapman, who was at that point in the full throes of alcoholism, increasingly difficult to work with. According to an interview with Eric Idle "it was on an Air Canada flight on the way to Vancouver, when John (Cleese) turned to all of us and said 'I want out. ' Why? I don't know. He gets bored more easily than the rest of us. He's a difficult man, not easy to be friendly with. He's so funny because he never wanted to be liked. That gives him a certain fascinating, arrogant freedom. "[10] Cleese said in an interview years later that he had wanted to leave after the second series but was talked into staying by the other Pythons. He said that he thought they did only two original sketches in the Third Series ("Dennis Moore" and the "Cheese Shop"), and that the other sketches were bits and pieces from previous work cobbled together in slightly different contexts.
The rest of the group carried on for one more "half" series before calling a halt to the programme in 1974. The name "Monty Python's Flying Circus" appears in the opening animation for Series Four, but in the end credits the show is listed as simply "Monty Python". Despite his official departure from the group, Cleese supposedly made a (non-speaking) cameo appearance in the fourth series, but never appeared in the credits as a performer. Several episodes do credit him as a co-writer since some sketches were recycled from scenes cut from the "Holy Grail" script. While the first three series contained 13 episodes each, the fourth ended after only six episodes.
In 1975 the series was first broadcast in the United States and soon gained a cult following. A cult following is a group of fans devoted to a specific area of Pop culture. Ron Deveiller, an executive from PBS television station KERA in Dallas, Texas, found Monty Python episodes on a shelf when searching for programming for his station. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the He watched one episode, then another, and before he was done he had acquired the entire series to put on the air. The series was eventually aired on PBS stations across the country, and by this chance event Python invaded America. A couple of sketches ("Bicycle Repairman" and "The Dull Life of a Stockbroker") aired in 1974 on the NBC series ComedyWorld, a summer replacement series for The Dean Martin Show. The Dean Martin Show is a TV variety - comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974, for 245 episodes
Life after the Flying Circus
Filmography
And Now For Something Completely Different (1971)
This was the Pythons' first feature film, composed of some of the best sketches from the first two series of the Flying Circus, re-shot on an extremely low budget (and often slightly edited) for cinema release. And Now for Something Completely Different is a film Spin-off from the television comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus featuring favourite Some famous sketches included are: the "Dead Parrot" sketch, "The Lumberjack Song", "Upperclass Twits", "Hell's Grannies", "Self-Defence Class", "How Not To Be Seen" and the "Nudge Nudge" sketch. Financed by Playboy's UK executive Victor Lowndes, it was intended as a way of breaking Monty Python into America, and although it was ultimately unsuccessful in this, the film did good business in the UK. Playboy is an American Men's magazine, founded in Chicago Illinois, by Hugh Hefner and his associates which has grown into Playboy The group did not consider the film a success, but it enjoys a cult following today.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
The group (including Cleese) reformed in 1974 to write and star in their first feature film of new material. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python ( Graham Chapman, John Cleese The film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, was based on Arthurian Legend and directed by Jones and Gilliam, the latter also drawing the film's linking animations and opening credits. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python ( Graham Chapman, John Cleese King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders Along with the rest of the Pythons, Jones and Gilliam performed several roles in the film, but it was Chapman who took the lead as King Arthur. Holy Grail was filmed on a budget of nearly £150,000; this money was raised in part with investments from rock groups such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin - and UK music industry entrepreneur Tony Stratton-Smith (founder/owner of the Charisma Records label for which the Pythons recorded). Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Pink Floyd are Led Zeppelin were Charisma Records was a Record label founded by former journalist Tony Stratton-Smith in 1969
Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
Following the success of Holy Grail, a reporter asked Idle for the title of the next Python film, despite the fact that the team had not even begun to consider a second movie. Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as The Life of Brian, is a 1979 Comedy film written directed and largely performed by the Idle flippantly replied "Jesus Christ - Lust for Glory", which became the group's stock answer once they realised that it shut reporters up. However, they soon began to seriously consider a film lampooning the life of Christ in the same way Holy Grail had lampooned King Arthur. Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " Despite being non-believers, they agreed that Jesus was “definitely a good guy” and found nothing to mock in his actual teachings; on the other hand, they shared a distrust of organised religion, and decided to write a satire on credulity and hypocrisy among the followers of a spurious “Messiah”.
The focus therefore shifted to a separate individual born at the same time, in the neighbouring stable, who is subsequently mistaken for the messiah. When Jesus does appear in the film (as he does on two occasions, first in the stable, and then later speaking the Beatitudes - Matthew 5:1-48), he is played straight (by British actor Kenneth Colley) - the comedy begins when members of the crowd mishear his statement “Blessed are the Peacemakers” (“I think he said, 'blessed are the cheesemakers'”). The Beatitudes (from Latin beatus, meaning "blessed" or "happy" is the beginning portion of the Sermon on the Mount of the Gospel of Kenneth Colley (born 7 December 1937) is an English actor A long-time character actor he came to wider prominence through his role as Admiral Piett
The film's combination of comedy and religious themes attracted some controversy upon its release, but it is consistently ranked as one of the greatest comedy films of all time.
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982)
Filmed at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles during preparations for The Meaning of Life, this was a concert film in which the Pythons performed sketches from the television series in front of an audience. Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl is a 1982 concert film in which the Monty Python team perform many of their greatest sketches at the Hollywood The Hollywood Bowl is a famous modern Amphitheatre in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles California, USA, that is used primarily for music Performances Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The film also incorporated footage from the German television specials and live performances of several songs from the troupe's then-current Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album. Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album (or simply Contractual Obligation Album) is an Album released by Monty Python in
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
Python's final film returned to something closer to the style of Flying Circus, a series of sketches loosely followed the ages of man from conception to death. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life is a 1983 musical Comedy film by the Monty Python comedy team Controversy over the beginning of pregnancy usually occurs in the context of the Abortion debate Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific Directed again by Jones, The Meaning of Life is embellished with some of Python's most bizarre and disturbing moments, as well as various elaborate musical numbers. The film is by far their darkest work, containing a great deal of spectacular violence and black humour: at the time of its release, the Pythons confessed their aim was to offend "absolutely everyone". Black comedy, also known as black humor or dark comedy, is a sub-genre of Comedy and Satire where topics and events that are usually regarded A short film by Gilliam - The Crimson Permanent Assurance - originally planned as a sketch within the film, eventually grew so ambitious that it was cut from the movie and used as a supporting feature in its own right (on video and DVD, and also in television screenings, this section is tagged onto the start of the film as a prologue). The Crimson Permanent Assurance is a Short film that plays at the start of the feature-length motion picture Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Crucially, this was the last project that all six Pythons would collaborate on, except for the 1989 compilation Parrot Sketch Not Included where we see the Python cast sitting in a closet for 4 seconds - which would also be the last time Chapman was filmed on screen with the rest of the Pythons. Parrot Sketch Not Included - 20 Years of Monty Python was a tribute special to the Monty Python comedy group broadcast on October 5, 1989.
The Secret Policeman's Ball benefit shows
Various members of Monty Python have contributed their services to multiple charitable endeavors and causes over the years - sometimes as an ensemble - at other times as individual members. The cause that has been the most frequent and consistent beneficiary of Monty Python's generosity has been the human rights work of Amnesty International. Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a Western based international Non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to Between 1976 and 1981, the troupe and/or its members appeared in four major fund-raisers for Amnesty - known collectively as the Secret Policeman's Ball shows - which were turned into multiple films, TV shows, videos, record albums and books. A benefit concert is a Concert, show or gala featuring musicians comedians or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose often directed at a specific This article is about the entire series of Secret Policeman's Ball benefit shows for Amnesty International (1976-2008 For the original 1979 show that gave These benefit shows and their many spin-offs raised considerable sums of money for Amnesty, raised public and media awareness of the human rights cause and influenced many other members of the entertainment community (especially rock musicians) to become involved in political and social issues. Among the many musicians who have publicly attributed their activism - and the organisation of their own benefit events to the inspiration of the work in this field of Monty Python are U2, Bob Geldof, Pete Townshend and Sting. A benefit concert is a Concert, show or gala featuring musicians comedians or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose often directed at a specific Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof, KBE, known as Bob Geldof (born 5 October 1951, is an Irish singer Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born 19 May 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock Guitarist, Singer, Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, CBE (born October 2, 1951) better known by his Stage name Sting, is a three time Academy Award The shows are also credited by Amnesty with helping the organisation develop public awareness in the USA where one of the spin-off films was a major success.
Two of the six Pythons - Cleese and Jones - had an involvement (as performer, writer and/or director) in all four Amnesty benefit shows. Palin was involved in three, Chapman in two and Gilliam in one. Eric Idle did not participate in any of the Amnesty shows. Notwithstanding Idle's lack of participation - the other five members (together with two "Associate Pythons" - Carol Cleveland and Neil Innes - all appeared together in the first Secret Policeman's Ball benefit - the 1976 A Poke In The Eye (With A Sharp Stick) performing several Python sketches and in this first show, they were collectively billed as Monty Python. Carol Cleveland (born 13 January, 1942, London) is an English comic actress, most notable for her appearances as the only significant Neil James Innes (born 9 December 1944, in Danbury, Essex) is an English writer and performer of Comic songs, best known This article is about the 1976 show that became the first of the legendary "Secret Policeman's Ball" benefit shows for Amnesty International. (Peter Cook deputised for the errant Eric Idle in one major sketch The Courtroom). Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 &ndash 9 January 1995 was an English Satirist, Writer and Comedian. In the next three shows, the participating Python members performed many Python sketches - but were billed under their individual names rather than under the collective Python banner. After a six-year break, Amnesty resumed producing Secret Policeman's Ball benefit shows in 1987 (sometimes with, and sometimes without variants of the iconic title) and by 2006 had presented a total of twelve such shows. The shows since 1987 have featured newer generations of British comedic performers - including many who have attributed their participation in the show to their desire to emulate the Python's pioneering work for Amnesty. (Cleese and Palin made a brief cameo appearance in the 1989 Amnesty show - but apart from that, the Python members have not appeared in any of the shows after the legendary first four shows. )
Going solo
Each member pursued other film and television projects after the break-up of the group, but often continued to work with one another. Many of these collaborations were very successful, such as Fawlty Towers (written by and starring Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth), and A Fish Called Wanda (1988) (also written by Cleese, and in which he starred along with Palin). Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom made by the BBC and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 Constance Booth (born December 2, 1944) is an American Writer and Actress known for appearances on British television A Fish Called Wanda is a 1988 Comedy film released by MGM. It was written by John Cleese and Charles Crichton and directed The latter pair also appeared in Time Bandits (1981), a film written by Gilliam and Palin, and directed by Gilliam. Time Bandits is a 1981 Fantasy film, produced and directed by Terry Gilliam. Gilliam also directed and co-wrote Brazil (1985) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), which featured Palin and Idle respectively. Brazil is a 1985 Dystopian Black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a 1988 Film directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Neville, Sarah Polley Gilliam has now become a cult director; he often struggles to find the money for his work because his films tend to go over-budget and fail at the box-office. Palin and Jones wrote the comedic film series Ripping Yarns, starring Palin with an assortment of British actors. Ripping Yarns is a British television Comedy series written by former members of the Monty Python team Michael Palin and Palin's BBC travel series have also proved extremely popular as have Jones' historical documentaries. Jones wrote, directed and acted in Erik the Viking, which also has Cleese playing a small part and Tim Robbins in the title-role. Erik the Viking is a 1989 Film written and directed by Terry Jones, who also makes an appearance in it Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, Screenwriter, director In terms of numbers of productions, John Cleese has had the most prolific solo career, having appeared in 59 theatrical films, 22 TV shows or series (including Cheers, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Will & Grace), 23 direct-to-video productions, six video games, and a number of commercials. Cheers is an American Situation comedy television series that ran eleven seasons from 1982 to 1993 3rd Rock from the Sun is an Emmy Award -winning American sitcom that aired from 1996 until 2001 on NBC. Will & Grace is a popular Emmy Award -winning American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from 1998 to 2006 [11]
Idle enjoyed critical success with Rutland Weekend Television in the mid-70s, whence came the Beatles parody The Rutles (responsible for the cult mockumentary All You Need Is Cash), and as an actor in Nuns on the Run (1990) with Robbie Coltrane. Rutland Weekend Television (RWT was a television sketch show on BBC2, written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. The Rutles was a fictional band created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes as a Pastiche of The Beatles. This article does not discuss "cult" in the original sense of "veneration" or "religious practice" for that usage see Cult (religious practice Mockumentary (also known as a pseudo-documentary) a Portmanteau of Mock and documentary, is a film and TV Genre, or a single work All You Need Is Cash (also known as The Rutles) is a 1978 television film that traces (in Mockumentary style the career of Nuns on the Run is a 1990 British Comedy film starring Robbie Coltrane and Eric Idle. Robbie Coltrane, OBE (born 30 March 1950) is a Scottish Actor, comedian and author He also had a UK #3 single with "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. " Always Look on the Bright Side of Life " is a popular song written by Eric Idle that originally featured in the 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian " However, it is the theatrical phenomenon of Spamalot that has made Idle the most financially successful of the troupe post-Python. Spamalot, "lovingly ripped off" from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail and written by Idle, was an enormous hit on Broadway, in London's West End and also Las Vegas. Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy "lovingly ripped off from" the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Post-Python reunions
The Pythons' last full work together as an ensemble was the film The Meaning of Life in 1983. Since then, they have often been the subject of reunion rumours. The final reunion of all six members occurred during the Parrot Sketch Not Included - 20 Years of Monty Python special. Parrot Sketch Not Included - 20 Years of Monty Python was a tribute special to the Monty Python comedy group broadcast on October 5, 1989. The death of Chapman in 1989 (on the eve of their 20th anniversary) seemed to put an end to the speculation of any further reunions. However there have been several occasions since 1989 when the surviving five members have gathered together for appearances - albeit not formal reunions.
In 1991, Eric Idle performed Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life on the BBC's weekly music programme, Top of the Pops without the surviving members. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. " Always Look on the Bright Side of Life " is a popular song written by Eric Idle that originally featured in the 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, was a long-running British music chart Television programme, made and broadcast The song had been revived by Simon Mayo on BBC Radio 1, and was consequently released as a single that year. Simon Mayo (born 21 September 1958 in Southgate London) is an English radio presenter
In 1998 the five remaining members, along with what was purported to be Chapman's ashes, were reunited on stage for the first time in 18 years. The occasion was in the form of an interview (hosted by Robert Klein, with an appearance by Eddie Izzard) in which the team looked back at some of their work and performed a few new sketches. Robert Klein (born February 8, 1942) is an American Stand-up comedian and Actor. Edward John "Eddie" Izzard (born February 7, 1962) is a British stand-up comedian and Dramatic Actor. One of the show's more memorable moments occurred when what were supposed to be Chapman's ashes were "accidentally" spilled - the person responsible for upsetting the urn was Gilliam – then hurriedly cleaned up with a mini-vacuum cleaner and a broom and dustpan (with Cleese even dipping his finger into the ashes and tasting them). A significant amount of the ashes were also brushed under the rug.
On 9 October 1999, to commemorate 30 years since the first Flying Circus television broadcast, BBC2 devoted an evening to Python programmes, including a documentary charting the history of the team, interspersed with new sketches by the Monty Python team filmed especially for the event; the program appears, though omitting a few things, on the DVD The Life of Python. Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Though Eric Idle's involvement in the special is limited, the final sketch marks the only time since 1989 that all surviving members of the troupe appear in one sketch, albeit not actually in the same room.
In 2002 four members of the Python team, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam performed The Lumberjack Song and Sit on my face for George Harrison's Memorial concert. The reunion also included regular contributors Neil Innes and Carol Cleveland, with a special appearance from Tom Hanks.
In an interview to publicise the DVD release of The Meaning of Life, Cleese said a further reunion was unlikely. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is "It is absolutely impossible to get even a majority of us together in a room, and I'm not joking," Cleese said. He said that the problem was one of business rather than one of bad feelings. [12]
A sketch appears on the same DVD spoofing the impossibility of a full reunion, bringing the members “together” in a deliberately unconvincing fashion with modern bluescreen/greenscreen techniques.
Idle has responded to queries about a Python reunion by adapting a line used by George Harrison in response to queries about a possible Beatles reunion. When asked in November 1989 about such a possibility, Harrison responded: "As far as I'm concerned, there won't be a Beatles reunion as long as John Lennon remains dead. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born " Idle's version of this was that he expected to see a proper Python reunion, "just as soon as Graham Chapman comes back from the dead", but added, "we're talking to his agent about terms. "
2003's The Pythons Autobiography By The Pythons, compiled from interviews with the surviving members, reveals that a series of disputes in 1990 over a Monty Python and the Holy Grail sequel conceived by Idle may have resulted in the group's permanent fission. Cleese's feeling was that The Meaning of Life had been personally difficult and ultimately mediocre, and for this and other reasons did not wish to be involved. Apparently Idle was angry with Cleese for refusing to do the film, which most of the remaining Pythons thought reasonably promising.
The members have continued to appear in each other's films. Terry Gilliam has directed Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Jones and Eric Idle in various non-Python pictures, Graham Chapman worked with John Cleese and Eric Idle in Yellowbeard and Michael Palin and John Cleese worked together in the acclaimed A Fish Called Wanda and Fierce Creatures. Yellowbeard is a 1983 Comedy film by Graham Chapman, along with Peter Cook, Bernard McKenna and David Sherlock A Fish Called Wanda is a 1988 Comedy film released by MGM. It was written by John Cleese and Charles Crichton and directed Fierce Creatures is a 1997 Comedy film. Although not a sequel it was a follow-up to the wildly popular A Fish Called Wanda, Terry Jones' 1996 adaptation of The Wind in the Willows featured all the surviving Python members, except for Terry Gilliam, who was going to play The River but could not find space in his schedule. The Wind in the Willows, released on video in the US as Mr Toad's Wild Ride, is a 1996 adaptation of Kenneth Grahame 's classic novel More recently, Shrek the Third features both John Cleese and Eric Idle in voice-over roles, although they don't share any scenes (Cleese had a starring role, while Idle had a guest star role). Shrek the Third, released 6 years after the first ''Shrek'' and 3 years after the second ''Shrek'', is a 2007 Animated film, and the
March 2005 saw a full, if non-performing, reunion of the surviving cast members at the premiere of Eric Idle's musical Spamalot, based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy "lovingly ripped off from" the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It opened in Chicago and has since played in New York on Broadway, and is currently entertaining audiences in Toronto. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario In 2004, it was nominated for 14 Tony Awards and won three: Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical for Mike Nichols and Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for Sara Ramirez, who played the Lady of the Lake, a character specially added for the musical. The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented Mike Nichols (born November 6 1931) is an American television stage and Film director, writer and producer Sara Ramírez (sa'ɾa ɾami'ɾɛs (born August 31 1975) is a Mexican-American actress and singer The Lady of the Lake is the name of several related characters who play integral parts in the Arthurian legend. John Cleese played the voice of God.
Owing in part to the success of Spamalot, PBS announced on July 13, 2005, that the network would begin to re-air the entire run of Monty Python's Flying Circus, as well as new one-hour specials focusing on each member of the group, called Monty Python's Personal Best. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Monty Python's Personal Best is a Miniseries of six one-hour specials each showcasing the contributions of a particular Monty Python member [13] Each episode was written and produced by the individual being honoured, with the five remaining Pythons collaborating on Chapman's programme.
The Pythons
Graham Chapman was born in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England on 8 January 1941, Chapman was originally a medical student, but changed to theatre when he joined Footlights at Cambridge (he did in fact complete his medical training and was legally entitled to practise as a doctor). Graham Arthur Chapman (8 January 1941 &ndash 4 October 1989 was an English Comedian, Actor, Writer, Physician and one of the Melton Mowbray (known locally as Melton) is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. Leicestershire (ˈlɛstəʃə(r or ˈlɛstəʃɪə(r abbreviation Leics Events 871 - Battle of Ashdown - Ethelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Chapman is best remembered for taking the lead roles in The Holy Grail, as King Arthur, and Life of Brian, as Brian Cohen. Besides starring in Monty Python features, Chapman appeared in films such as The Odd Job (which he also produced) and Yellowbeard (which he co-wrote), also making several appearances on Saturday Night Live. The Odd Job is a 1978 British comedy film starring Graham Chapman (who previously starred in Monty Python's Flying Circus. Yellowbeard is a 1983 Comedy film by Graham Chapman, along with Peter Cook, Bernard McKenna and David Sherlock He died of spinal and throat cancer on 4 October 1989. Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) He is now lovingly referred to by the surviving Pythons as "the dead one. " At Chapman's memorial service, Cleese delivered the irreverent speech he felt his co-writer would have wanted: having been the first person to say “shit” on British television, Cleese announced, Chapman would never have forgiven him had he missed the opportunity to become “the first person ever at a British memorial service to say 'fuck'. ” In an XM radio interview of Cleese he explained that he was planning on doing a serious speech but he could imagine his friend being disgusted at what he was writing. Cleese went on to claim that the fellow Pythons got into the spirit and went to giving a more humorous speech. Furthermore, Cleese recited all the synonyms for being deceased from the infamous Dead Parrot Sketch. Cleese also remarked in an interview with Michael Parkinson that, in a heartfelt reference to Chapman's tendency towards lateness, Palin remarked at the funeral "Graham Chapman is with us today. Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE (born March 28 1935) is an English broadcaster and Journalist. . . or at least he will be in twenty-five minutes". Chapman was survived by partner of 24 years, David Sherlock and adopted son, John Tomiczek who later married an American woman and died in 1992 of heart trouble.
John Cleese was born on 27 October 1939 in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England making him the oldest Python. John Marwood Cleese (ˈkliːz born 27 October, 1939) is a British Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film producer Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Weston-super-Mare is a Seaside resort town and Civil parish in North Somerset, England. North Somerset is a Unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered Cleese’s family surname had originally been Cheese. His father, however, had it changed to Cleese when he joined the army during World War I. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Cleese attended Clifton College, Bristol where he developed a taste for performing by appearing in house plays, then moved on to Cambridge, where he met his future Python writing partner, Graham Chapman. Clifton College is a Coeducational public school in Clifton Bristol, England. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London Graham Arthur Chapman (8 January 1941 &ndash 4 October 1989 was an English Comedian, Actor, Writer, Physician and one of the Cleese recently played Q's assistant ("R") and finally the new Q himself in the James Bond films. Q is a Fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story He also has done work for Shrek 2, and appeared in the first two Harry Potter films (as Nearly Headless Nick), Rat Race, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and several Saturday Night Live episodes. Shrek 2, released in the United States on 19 May 2004, is the 2004 Academy Award nominated Sequel to the Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J Rat Race is a 2001 American Comedy film directed by Jerry Zucker, and stars an Ensemble cast featuring Rowan Frankenstein (also known by its promotional title Mary Shelley's Frankenstein) is a 1994 Film directed by Kenneth Branagh He also voiced the King in Shrek the Third alongside fellow Python Eric Idle. Shrek the Third, released 6 years after the first ''Shrek'' and 3 years after the second ''Shrek'', is a 2007 Animated film, and the
Terry Gilliam was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, on 22 November 1940. Terrence Vance Gilliam (born 22 November 1940) is an American -born British Writer, Filmmaker, Animator and member The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He is the only non-British member of the troupe, though he married a British citizen, makeup and costume designer Maggie Weston, and held dual American-British citizenship for 38 years before renouncing the former. [14] He started off as an animator and strip cartoonist for Harvey Kurtzman's Help! magazine, one issue of which featured Cleese. Harvey Kurtzman ( October 3, 1924, Brooklyn New York – February 21, 1993) was a U Moving from the USA to England, he animated features for Do Not Adjust Your Set and then joined Monty Python's Flying Circus when it was created. He co-directed Monty Python and The Holy Grail and directed short segments of other Python films (for instance "The Crimson Permanent Assurance", the short film that appears before The Meaning of Life). The Crimson Permanent Assurance is a Short film that plays at the start of the feature-length motion picture Monty Python's The Meaning of Life Gilliam has gone on to become a celebrated and imaginative film director of such notable titles as Brazil, Twelve Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Brazil is a 1985 Dystopian Black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. Twelve Monkeys is an Academy Award -nominated 1995 Science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam and written by David Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1998 Film adaptation of Hunter S
Eric Idle was born on 29 March 1943 in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England. Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943 is an English Comedian, Actor, Author, Singer and Composer of comedic songs Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland When Monty Python was first formed, two writing partnerships were already in place: Cleese and Chapman, Jones and Palin. That left Gilliam in his own corner, operating solo due to the nature of his work - and Idle. Idle's solo career faltered in the 1990s with the failures of his 1993 film Splitting Heirs (written, produced by and starring Idle) and 1998's Burn Hollywood Burn (in which he starred) - which was awarded five Golden Raspberry "Razzie" Awards including 'Worst Picture of the Year'. Splitting Heirs is a 1993 British Film starring Eric Idle, Rick Moranis, Barbara Hershey, Catherine An Alan Smithee Film Burn Hollywood Burn (the onscreen title is simply Burn Hollywood Burn) was made in 1997 and released in 1998 He revived his career by returning to the source of his success from the 1970s - and adapting Monty Python material for other media. He is the writer of the Tony award-winning Broadway musical Spamalot, based on the Holy Grail movie. Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy "lovingly ripped off from" the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He also collaborated with John Du Prez on the music for the show. John Du Prez (born December 14, 1946 in Sheffield, United Kingdom) is a musician He has written another Monty Python-derived stage musical, Not the Messiah that will premiere in Montreal in summer 2007. Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy is a Monty Python 60 minute comedic Oratorio based on Monty Python's Life of Brian. He is a voice talent in Shrek the Third along with fellow Python member, John Cleese. Shrek the Third, released 6 years after the first ''Shrek'' and 3 years after the second ''Shrek'', is a 2007 Animated film, and the
Terry Jones was born on 1 February 1942 in Colwyn Bay, Conwy, Wales. For other uses see Terry Jones (disambiguation. Terence Graham Parry Jones (born 1 February 1942) is a Welsh Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Colwyn Bay (Bae Colwyn is a Town and Seaside resort in Conwy county borough on the north coast of Wales. Conwy (formerly Conway in English is a Town in Conwy county borough on the north coast of Wales, which faces Deganwy across The mildest member of Python, he has rarely received the same attention as his colleagues, but has been described by other members of the team as the “heart” of the operation. Python biographer George Perry has commented that should you "speak to him on subjects as diverse as fossil fuels, or Rupert Bear, or mercenaries in the Middle Ages or Modern China. Fossil fuels or mineral fuels are fossil source Fuels that is Hydrocarbons found within the top layer of the Earth’s crust. Rupert Bear is a children's Comic strip character who features in a series of books based around his adventures China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National . . in a moment you will find yourself hopelessly out of your depth, floored by his knowledge. " Many others agree that Jones is characterised by his irrepressible, good-natured enthusiasm, which is perhaps the reason for his unflagging loyalty to the preservation of the group. However, Jones' passion often led to prolonged arguments with other group members — in particular Cleese — with Jones often unwilling to back down. Since his major contributions were largely behind the scenes (direction, writing), and he often deferred to the other members of the group as an actor, Jones' importance to Python was often underrated. Recent Python literature has highlighted his lead role in maintaining the group's unity and creative independence. He was diagnosed with bowel cancer in October 2006.
Michael Palin was born on 5 May 1943 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Constance Booth (born December 2, 1944) is an American Writer and Actress known for appearances on British television The Lumberjack Song is one of the best-known and most popular sketches by the Monty Python Comedy troupe Michael Edward Palin, CBE (born 5 May 1943 is an English Comedian, actor writer and Television presenter best known for being one of the members Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England Divisions and environs South Yorkshire is divided into four local government districts they are the City of Sheffield, the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The youngest Python by a matter of weeks, Palin is often referred to as "the nice one". He attended Oxford, where he met his Python writing partner Jones. The two also wrote the series Ripping Yarns together. Palin and Jones originally wrote face-to-face, but soon found it was more productive to write apart and then come together to review what the other had written. Therefore, Jones and Palin's sketches tended to be more focused than that of the others, taking one bizarre, hilarious situation, sticking to it, and building on it.
Associate Pythons
Several people have been accorded unofficial "Associate Python" status over the years. Occasionally such people have been referred to as the 7th Python - in a style reminiscent of associates of the Beatles being dubbed "The 5th Beatle. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 The Fifth Beatle is an informal title that various commentators in the press and entertainment industry have applied to persons who were at one point a member of The Beatles " The two collaborators with the most meaningful and plentiful contributions have been Neil Innes and Carol Cleveland. Neil James Innes (born 9 December 1944, in Danbury, Essex) is an English writer and performer of Comic songs, best known Carol Cleveland (born 13 January, 1942, London) is an English comic actress, most notable for her appearances as the only significant Both were present and presented as Associate Pythons at the official Monty Python 25th anniversary celebrations held in Los Angeles in July 1994.
Neil Innes was born on December 9, 1944, in Danbury, Essex, England, is the only non-Python besides Douglas Adams to be credited with writing material for the Flying Circus. Neil James Innes (born 9 December 1944, in Danbury, Essex) is an English writer and performer of Comic songs, best known Events 536 - Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Danbury is a Village in Essex, England. It is 45 miles (72 km northeast of London and has a population of 6500 England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Douglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 &ndash 11 May 2001 was an English author comic Radio dramatist He appeared in sketches and the Python films, as well as performing some of his songs in Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl. Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl is a 1982 concert film in which the Monty Python team perform many of their greatest sketches at the Hollywood He was also a regular stand-in for absent Pythons on the rare occasions when they appear to re-create sketches. For example, he took the place of Cleese when he was unable to appear at the memorial concert for George Harrison. The Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 as a memorial to George Harrison on the first Gilliam once noted that if anyone qualified for the title of the "Seventh Python," it would certainly be Innes. He was one of the creative talents in the off-beat Bonzo Dog Band, appreciated for such nutty compositions as "The Intro and the Outro" and "I'm The Urban Spaceman. The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (also known as The Bonzo Dog Band, The Bonzo Dog Dada Band and colloquially as " The Bonzos " are a band created by " He would later portray Ron Nasty of the Rutles and write all of the Rutles' compositions for All You Need is Cash. All You Need Is Cash (also known as The Rutles) is a 1978 television film that traces (in Mockumentary style the career of By 2005, an unfortunate falling out had occurred between Eric Idle and Innes over additional Rutles projects, the results being Innes' critically acclaimed Rutles "reunion" album The Rutles: Archaeology and Idle's undistinguished, straight-to-DVD Rutles sequel The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch, each undertaken without participation from the other. According to an interview with Idle carried by the Chicago Tribune in May 2005, his attitude as a result of the dispute is that he and Innes go back "too far. And no further. " Innes has maintained a diplomatic silence on the dispute.
Carol Cleveland was born January 13, 1942 in London, England and commonly referred to as the "Seventh Python," or the "Python Girl," Carol Cleveland was the most important female performer in the Monty Python ensemble. Carol Cleveland (born 13 January, 1942, London) is an English comic actress, most notable for her appearances as the only significant Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Carol Cleveland (born 13 January, 1942, London) is an English comic actress, most notable for her appearances as the only significant Originally hired by producer/director John Howard Davies for just the first five episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus, she went on to appear in approximately two-thirds of the episodes as well as in all of the Python films, and in most of their stage shows as well. John Howard Davies (born London 9 March, 1939) is a British Film Actor, Television director and producer Her common portrayal as the stereotypical "blonde bimbo" eventually earned her the sobriquet "Carol Cleavage" by the other Pythons, but she felt that the variety of her roles should not be described in such a pejorative way.
Other contributors
John Cleese's ex-wife Connie Booth, who went on to write and star with him in Fawlty Towers, was probably the only other significant female performer. Constance Booth (born December 2, 1944) is an American Writer and Actress known for appearances on British television Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom made by the BBC and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 She appeared in, amongst others "The Lumberjack Song" and as the "witch" in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Douglas Adams was "discovered" by Graham Chapman when a version of the Footlights Revue (a 1974 BBC2 television show featuring some of Adams' early work) was performed live in London's West End. Douglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 &ndash 11 May 2001 was an English author comic Radio dramatist The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions businesses headquarters and the commercial The two formed a brief writing partnership, and Adams earned a writing credit in one episode (episode 45: "Party Political Broadcast on Behalf of the Liberal Party") of Monty Python's Flying Circus for a sketch called "Patient Abuse". Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy Patient Abuse is a sketch from the final episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus. In the sketch, a man who had been stabbed by a nurse arrives at his doctor's office bleeding profusely from the stomach, when the doctor makes him fill out numerous senseless forms before he can administer treatment (a joke Adams later incorporated into the Vogons' obsession with paperwork in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). This is a list of races fauna and flora (as well as creatures without category featured in various incarnations of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series Adams also contributed to a sketch on the album for Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python ( Graham Chapman, John Cleese He had two "blink and you miss them" appearances in the fourth series of Monty Python's Flying Circus. At the beginning of Episode 42, "The Light Entertainment War," Adams is in a surgeon's mask (as Dr. Emile Koning, according to the on-screen captions), pulling on gloves, while Michael Palin narrates a sketch that introduces one person after another, and never actually gets started. At the beginning of Episode 44, "Mr. Neutron," Adams is dressed in a "pepperpot" outfit and loads a missile onto a cart, driven by Terry Jones, who is calling out for scrap metal ("Any old iron. Pepperpot is a term created by Monty Python member Graham Chapman to describe a class of character frequently appearing in the group's comedy sketches . . "). The two episodes were first broadcast in November 1974. Adams and Chapman also attempted a few non-Python projects, including Out of the Trees. Out of the Trees was a television sketch show pilot written by Graham Chapman, Douglas Adams and Bernard McKenna and broadcast
Stand-up comedian Eddie Izzard, a devoted fan of the group, has occasionally stood in for absent members. Edward John "Eddie" Izzard (born February 7, 1962) is a British stand-up comedian and Dramatic Actor. When the BBC held a "Python Night" in 1999 to celebrate 30 years of the first broadcast of Flying Circus, the Pythons recorded some new material with Izzard standing in for Idle, who had declined to partake in person (Idle taped a solo contribution from the US). Izzard hosted a history of the group entitled The Life of Python (1999) that was part of the Python Night and appeared with them at a festival/tribute in Aspen, Colorado, in 1998 (released on DVD as Live at Aspen). The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the County seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United
'Pythonesque'
Monty Python casts a considerable shadow over modern comedy. As such, the term 'pythonesque' has become a byword in surreal humour. [15] However, this is perhaps somewhat misleading, since the humour of Monty Python, whilst certainly nonsensical and surreal, is still strongly characterised by a preoccupation with sociological concepts such as the British social class system. Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions (or stratification) between individuals or groups in Societies or Cultures. These themes cannot be said to be essential to surrealist comedy as a whole.
The term has also been applied to animations similar to those constructed by Terry Gilliam (e. g. the music video to Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out"); some say that "Gilliamesque" would be more accurate. Franz Ferdinand is a rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2001 " Take Me Out " is the breakthrough hit and second single from Scottish band Franz Ferdinand.
Python media
Television
- Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974)
- The show that started the Python phenomenon. The Monty Python comedy troupe branched off into a variety of different media after the success of their Sketch comedy television series Monty Python's Flying Circus Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy See also List of Monty Python's Flying Circus Episodes. This is a list of all 45 episodes from the television series Monty Python's Flying Circus: Series 1 (Oct
- Two 45-minute specials made by WDR for West German television. Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus consisted of two 45-minute Monty Python specials produced by WDR for West German television in 1971 The Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR, officially " Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln " translated "Western German Broadcasting Cologne" is a German The first was recorded in German, while the second was in English with German dubbing. In filmmaking, dubbing or looping is the process of recording or replacing voices for a Motion picture.
- Monty Python's Personal Best (2006)
- Six one-hour specials, each episode presenting the best of one member's work. Monty Python's Personal Best is a Miniseries of six one-hour specials each showcasing the contributions of a particular Monty Python member
Films
There were five Monty Python productions released as theatrical films:
- A collection of sketches from the first and second TV series of Monty Python's Flying Circus purposely re-enacted and shot for film. And Now for Something Completely Different is a film Spin-off from the television comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus featuring favourite Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy
- King Arthur and his knights embark on a low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering humorous obstacles along the way. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python ( Graham Chapman, John Cleese Some of these turned into standalone sketches.
- Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
- Brian is born on the first Christmas, in the stable next to Jesus'. Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as The Life of Brian, is a 1979 Comedy film written directed and largely performed by the He spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.
- A videotape recording directed by Ian MacNaughton of a live performance of sketches. Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl is a 1982 concert film in which the Monty Python team perform many of their greatest sketches at the Hollywood Edward Ian Macnaughton ( December 30 1925 – December 10 2002) was a former actor-turned- Originally intended for a TV/video special. Transferred to 35mm and given a limited theatrical release in the US. Limited release is a term in the American Motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country (typically in cities
- An examination of the meaning of life in a series of sketches from conception to death and beyond, from the uniquely Python perspective. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life is a 1983 musical Comedy film by the Monty Python comedy team
Albums
- Monty Python's Flying Circus (1970)
- Another Monty Python Record (1971)
- Monty Python's Previous Record (1972)
- The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief (1973)
- Monty Python Live at Drury Lane (1974)
- The Album of the Soundtrack of the Trailer of the Film of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
- Monty Python Live at City Center (1976)
- The Monty Python Instant Record Collection (1977)
- Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
- Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album (1980)
- Monty Python's Meaning of Life (1983)
- Monty Python's The Final Rip Off (1988)
- Monty Python Sings (1989)
- The Ultimate Monty Python Rip Off (1994)
- The Instant Monty Python CD Collection (1994)
- Monty Python's Spamalot (Broadway version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail with Tim Curry as King Arthur) (2005)
- The Hastily Cobbled Together Album (unreleased)
Theatre
- Monty Python's Flying Circus — between 1974 and 1980 (Live at the Hollywood Bowl was released in 1982 but was performed in 1980) the Pythons made three sketch based stage shows, comprising mainly of material from the original television series. Monty Python's Flying Circus was the first album produced by the Monty Python troupe Another Monty Python Record is the second album produced by the Monty Python comedy group released in 1971 Monty Python's Previous Record was the third Album by Monty Python, released in 1972 The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief is the fourth album by the comedy group Monty Python, released in 1973 Monty Python Live at Drury Lane is an Album released by Monty Python in 1974 The Album of the Soundtrack of the Trailer of the Film of Monty Python and the Holy Grail is an Album released by Monty Python in 1975 Monty Python Live at City Center is an Album released by Monty Python. The Monty Python Instant Record Collection is a compilation album released by the Monty Python troupe in 1977 Monty Python's Life of Brian is an Album released by Monty Python in conjunction with the 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian. Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album (or simply Contractual Obligation Album) is an Album released by Monty Python in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life is an Album released by Monty Python in 1983 in conjunction with the film Monty Python's The Meaning The Final Rip Off is a compilation album by the Monty Python troupe Monty Python Sings is a comedy album of songs written by the Monty Python team The Ultimate Monty Python Rip Off is a compilation album produced by the Monty Python troupe in 1994 The Instant Monty Python CD Collection is a Box set released in 1994 of six CDs containing eight albums by the Monty Python troupe Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy "lovingly ripped off from" the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python ( Graham Chapman, John Cleese Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946 is an English Actor, Singer, Voice actor, and Composer, as well as having a career as a The Hastily Cobbled Together for a Fast Buck Album is an album by Monty Python. Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy
- Monty Python's Spamalot (The musical 'lovingly' ripped off from the motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail)
Written by Idle directed by Nichols, with music and lyrics by John Du Prez and Idle, and starring Hank Azaria, Tim Curry, and David Hyde Pierce, Spamalot is a musical adaptation of the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy "lovingly ripped off from" the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. John Du Prez (born December 14, 1946 in Sheffield, United Kingdom) is a musician Hank Albert Azaria (born April 25 1964 is an American Film and Television Actor, director, Comedian and voice artist Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946 is an English Actor, Singer, Voice actor, and Composer, as well as having a career as a David Hyde Pierce (born April 3, 1959) is an American Actor, best known for his role as Psychiatrist Dr It ran in Chicago from December 21, 2004 to January 23, 2005, and began showing on Broadway on March 17, 2005. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It won three Tonys. - Not the Messiah
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra commissioned Eric Idle and John Du Prez to write the music and lyrics of an oratorio based on Monty Python's Life of Brian. The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy is a Monty Python 60 minute comedic Oratorio based on Monty Python's Life of Brian. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian Orchestra. 400000 people attend its live performances each year and it is often broadcast over CBC Radio 2 An oratorio is a large Musical composition including an Orchestra, a Choir, and soloists The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the Opera Entitled Not the Messiah, it had its world premiere as part of Luminato, a "festival of arts and creativity" taking place June 1–10, 2007 in Toronto. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Not the Messiah was conducted by Peter Oundjian, Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, who is also Eric Idle’s full cousin. Peter Oundjian (born 1955 Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a Violinist and conductor, the youngest of five children from an Armenian It was performed by a narrator, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, with guest soloists and choir. According to Idle, "It will be funnier than Handel, though not as good".
Books
- Monty Python's Big Red Book
- The Brand New Monty Python Bok
- Monty Python's Life of Brianscrapbook
Games
- In late 2007 Toy Vault Inc announced their epic Monty Python property game, Python-oply. Monty Python's Big Red Book is a comedy book comprising mostly material derived and reworked from the first few years of the Monty Python's Flying Circus The Brand New Monty Python Bok ( Methuen Books 1973) was the second book to be published by the British comedy troupe Monty Python. It is scheduled for wide release in the 2nd quarter of 2008.
World Record Holders
- On St George's Day 2007 (Monday, 23 April) The cast and creators of Monty Python musical Spamalot gathered in Trafalgar Square under the tutelage of the two Terrys - Jones and Gilliam to set a new record for the world's largest coconut orchestra.
- They led 5,567 people "clip-clopping" in time to the Python classic Always Look On The Bright Side of Life for the Guinness World Records (GWR) attempt. [16]
Things named after Monty Python
- The Python programming language by Guido van Rossum is named after the troupe, and Monty Python references are often found in sample code created for that language. Python is a general-purpose High-level programming language. Its design philosophy emphasizes programmer productivity and code readability Guido van Rossum is a Dutch Computer programmer who is best known as the author of the Python programming language. Additionally, a 2001 April Fool's Day joke by van Rossum and Larry Wall involving the merger of Python with Perl was dubbed "Parrot" after the Dead Parrot Sketch. This article is about the informal holiday For other uses see April Fool. Larry Wall (born September 27, 1954) is a Programmer and Author, most widely known for his creation of the Perl Programming NOTES FOR EDITORS "Perl" is not an acronym (read the "Name" section below The Dead Parrot sketch, alternatively and originally known as Pet Shop sketch or Parrot Sketch, is a popular sketch from Monty Python's Flying The name "Parrot" was later used for a project to develop a virtual machine for running bytecode for interpreted languages such as Perl and Python. Bytecode is a term which has been used to denote various forms of Instruction sets designed for efficient execution by a software interpreter as well as being suitable
- In 1985, a fossil of a previously unknown species of gigantic prehistoric snake from the Miocene was discovered in Riversleigh, Queensland, Australia. The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 Riversleigh, in North West Queensland, is one of Australia 's most renowned Fossil sites Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Australian palaeontologist who discovered the fossil snake was a Monty Python fan, and he gave the snake the taxonomic name of Montypythonoides riversleighensis in honour of the Monty Python team. Palaeontology redirects here For the Scientific journal, see Palaeontology (journal. Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification The word comes from the Greek, taxis (meaning 'order' 'arrangement' and, nomos Common names (none Morelia is a Genus of non-venomous pythons found in Indonesia, New Guinea [17] (Translated from Greek Μοντυπυθωνοειδῆ to English, Montypythonoides means "like Monty Python").
- The term spam, as used to denote unsolicited email, comes from Monty Python's "Spam" sketch. Spamming is the abuse of electronic messaging systems to indiscriminately send unsolicited bulk messages
- In 2006, Ben & Jerry's introduced a new flavour: "Vermonty Python", a coffee liqueur ice cream with a chocolate cookie crumb swirl & fudge cows. B&J redirects here For the beverage company see Bartles and Jaymes. The name "Minty Python" had been suggested before, according to a Ben and Jerry's tour guide. [1]
- Each member of Monty Python has an asteroid named after him (9617 Grahamchapman, 9618 Johncleese, 9619 Terrygilliam, 9620 Ericidle, 9621 Michaelpalin, and 9622 Terryjones). Asteroids, sometimes called Minor planets or planetoids', are bodies—primarily of the inner Solar System —that are smaller than planets but 9617 Grahamchapman is an Asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. 9618 Johncleese is an Asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. 9619 Terrygilliam is an Asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. 9620 Ericidle is an Asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. 9621 Michaelpalin is an Asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. 9622 Terryjones is an Asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter.
- The band Toad the Wet Sprocket took its name from an intentionally ridiculous band name in an Eric Idle monologue from 1980. Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American Folk rock band consisting of Singer Glen Phillips, Guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist
- In 1999, Black Sheep Brewery released an ale named Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale. The Black Sheep Brewery is a Brewery in Masham, Yorkshire. Masham is also the home of the Theakston brewery Ale is a type of Beer brewed from Malted Barley using a top-fermenting Brewers' yeast.
- The character Monty in the comic strip with the same name, created by Jim Meddick, is named after Monty Python. Monty is an American Comic strip created written and illustrated by Cartoonist Jim Meddick. Jim Meddick (born August 1961 is an American Cartoonist. While attending Washington University, he won the Chicago Tribune Student Cartoonist The bizarre and unpredictable humour in the strip is clearly inspired by Monty Python.
See also
- Python (Monty) Pictures
- List of Monty Python's Flying Circus episodes
- Monty Python's Flying Circus
- Monty Python - Recurring Characters
- The Goon Show
- The Goodies
- Beyond the Fringe
- Spamalot
- Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time
- A lot of Eastereggs in Guild Wars
Notes
- ^ Gilliam was born American and additionally obtained British citizenship in 1968. Python (Monty Pictures Limited comprises the five surviving members of the main Monty Python team who now serve as the directors. This is a list of all 45 episodes from the television series Monty Python's Flying Circus: Series 1 (Oct Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy Very few characters of the BBC television series Monty Python appeared in more than one episode and when they did it was usually to link sketches together The Goon Show was a British Radio comedy programme originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960 This article discusses The Goodies comedy television series For information about the formation of The Goodies group and for information Beyond the Fringe was a British Comedy stage revue written and performed by Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy "lovingly ripped off from" the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time is a collection of Minigames Screen savers Desktop wallpaper and icons for Mac OS In protest to George W. Bush, he renounced his American citizenship in January 2006 and is now only a British citizen. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. oew/dpa/ddp (10 February 2006). Kopflos am Potsdamer Platz. tagesspiegel (German, retrieved 15 September 2007)
- ^ Wilmut (1980), p. 250.
- ^ The Pythons by 'The Pythons' IBSN 0752852930
- ^ Todd Leopold. "How Monty Python changed the world", CNN, 2003-12-11. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Retrieved on 2007-03-30. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. "Python has been called "the Beatles of comedy,""
- ^ Mark Lewisohn. Monty Python's Flying Circus. The bbc. uk. co Guide to Comedy. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-03-31. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor “In essence, the Monty Python team are the comedy equivalent of the Beatles. ”
- ^ The Pythons Autobiography By The Pythons—Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, John Chapman, David Sherlock, Bob McCabe—Thomas Dunne Books; Orion, 2003
- ^ Wilmut (1980), p. 211
- ^ a b Museum of Broadcast Communications. Monty Python's Flying Circus.
- ^ Monty Python's Flying Circus Just The Words Volume 1, p33. Methuen, 1990
- ^ Richard Ouzounian, "Python still has legs", Toronto Star, July 16, 2006
- ^ IMDB; as of January 2005; includes pre-release items. Richard Ouzounian (born March 8, 1950) is a Canadian journalist and theatre artist Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ Monty Python reunion 'unlikely', BBC News, 9 September 2003
- ^ EXCLUSIVE NEW "MONTY PYTHON" SPECIALS SLATED TO PREMIERE IN 2006 ONLY ON PBS, PBS, July 13, 2005
- ^ Terry Gilliam Sounds Off, Director Of 'Brazil' Says Current Events Parallel His Cult Movie - The ShowBuzz
- ^ "Monty Pythonesque. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. " Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0. 9. 7). Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. 23 Nov. 2007. <Dictionary. com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Monty Pythonesque>
- ^ BBC-Spamalot cast sets coconut record.
- ^ Monty Python - a Brief History, BBC, January 29, 2002
References
- Chapman, Graham (1997). Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Graham Crackers: Fuzzy Memories, Silly Bits, and Outright Lies, Career Pr Inc. ISBN 1-56414-334-1
- Morgan, David (June 1999). Monty Python Speaks, a Spike imprint, Avon Books Inc. , New York, New York. ISBN 0-380-80479-4
- Wilmut, Roger (1980). From Fringe to Flying Circus, Eyre Methuen Ltd, London. ISBN 0-413-50770-X
Further reading
- Landy, Marcia (2005). Monty Python's Flying Circus. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3103-3.
External links
- Pythonline.com - Monty Python's sort-of official site, actively maintained by Eric Idle
- DailyLlama.com - Official Monty Python News
- Monty Python Videos - Monty Python's best videos and movies
- Python at ifilm.com
- Monty Python VideoRoll
- Pythonisms: Python quotes as figures of speech
- The SOTCAA Monty Python Pages
- The Rutles home page
- YouTube: The Pythons appear live on KERA Dallas in 1975
- Toy Vault's Python-opoly
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