Guilbert
Sunday 14th September 2014 6:15pm [Edited]
87 posts
As someone who is old enough to remember watching the original Python shows let me add my comments.
Trying to understand the original impact of all "art" is very difficult many years later.
Some of Beethoven's music was considered the work of a mad man when they were first performed. Elvis Presley was considered a threat to the youth of the world when he first appeared.
Yet nowadays Beethoven and Elvis Presley are considered pretty main stream.
When Peter Cook did an impression of the then Prime Minister in Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s there was shock because in those days you did not makes jokes about the royal family or famous politicians.
Nowadays we get comedians making jokes about the Queen on the toilet or Tony Blair getting a blow job.
So if you were not around at the time it is very hard for anyone to understand the impact Python made at the time.
Much of what they did was ground breaking, not always funny I agree, and some of the quality of the sets and costumes and camera angles were rather poor compared with what we take for granted today.
Back then most comedy shows were basically variety shows with the opening credits, then a voice over saying "The Arthur Haynes Show" or whatever, then a few individual sketches, and maybe a couple of songs in between. It was all based on the "variety music hall".
As has been stated only Spike Milligan was trying to break away from that and he, poor bloke, was tying to do it all on his own. At least the Pythons had 6 of them to help and support each other.
As an example, in Python, for a show to start with a filmed outdoor sketch (pirates landing on a beach at night) where none of the people in Python actually appeared got me (and everyone else I assume) sitting there wondering if the BBC had put on the wrong program. This went on for 3 or 4 minutes, with no mention of Python or any "jokes" and we all thought, what is going on.
Then all of a sudden John Cleese is there, sitting at a desk in a dinner jacket and says "And now for something completely different". Then we had the opening credits
That sort of thing was unheard of in those days, having a sketch BEFORE the opening credits, whereas nowadays it is totally mainstream.
THAT is why anyone watching Python today has no idea of the impact some of the things they did had. Nowadays it all seems old hat, we have seen it all done in dozens of other shows.
Personally Python made a huge impact on my life, I can remember falling off my chair with laughter when Palin did the flower arranging sketch and hit the flowers in the vase with a hammer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNFZuPYSquY
I can remember falling out of my chair and into the aisle with laughter when watching Life of Brian at the cinema when it first came out.
I just wish I could wipe my brain of all memories of Life of Brian and watch it again without knowing what comes next.
So I would like to say thanks to all the Python crew for making it one the high points of my life. Glad you are still getting some credit all these years later.