Monty Python's Flying Circus Page 5

Am working my way through the four series at the moment (rotating with The Inbetweeners, The Phil Silvers' Show and The Young Ones) and John Cleese was right when he said they didn't know how they got away with some of it, as they were clearly self-indulgent and not that funny.

I agree with him as there is certainly a lot of dross in there - some complete episodes being not quite, but nearly............dire.
Most is very funny though I think and so far, the one episode that shines way above the rest is The Spanish Inquisition - the whole segued plot (court room sequence etc.), with Michael Palin superb! So funny the way he expands his list "No one! Expects the Spanish Inquisition. Our chief weapons are fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency and.....our four weapons are.................I'll come in again". Hilarious!

And of course, when they go to torture the old lady, Biggles and Cardinal Fang (horrified) "The Comfy Chair!!!?"

My only regret is not being able to find the name of the gorgeous babe who is produced as evidence in the courtroom scene.............she appears to be uncredited.

Quote: Chappers @ 7th October 2018, 11:12 PM

Eric Idle has a "Sortabiography" coming out. There was an excerpt in today's Mail on Sunday. One quote I found funny "we read out our sketches and if we laughed we kept them in. If not we sold it to the Two Ronnies."

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Almost finished this. One wonders if he was instructed to dumb it down for the American market. The unrelenting name-dropping and unrelenting pomposity could have been toned down a mite. He's careful to let us know that Neil Innes was a mere hired hand for The Rutles. And vanity precludes any mention of Ollie Halsall (who does all the actual singing and playing of Idle's Dirk McQuickly character in The Rutles). Oh, by the way, did I mention Always Look on the Bright Side of Life? Splendid, I'll mention it again and again and again and again. And here's a photo of my wife's bum on the cover of Playboy.

I haven't read the book. Is it true that he's planning to change his name to Eric Idol?

He does mention staging a joke about Idle/Idol by having Billy Idol appear on stage during one gig. Idol starts singing The Lumberjack Song, only for Idle to remonstrate with him and send him off, then Idol comes back at the finale for the f**king inevitable Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. It reads funnier than it looked.

Quote: Kenneth @ 8th January 2019, 1:54 AM

He does mention staging a joke about Idle/Idol by having Billy Idol appear on stage during one gig. Idol starts singing The Lumberjack Song, only for Idle to remonstrate with him and send him off, then Idol comes back at the finale for the f**king inevitable Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. It reads funnier than it looked.

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I'm reading Idle's 'Sortabiography' at the moment. His wedding picture made me giggle because they were both wearing 'trendy' Ozzie Clarke togs.

I agree with PPs about Monty Python being quite patchy at times. It was great to see Carol Cleveland pop up in an episode of Toast though.

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 22nd January 2019, 4:30 PM

YES! Welcome back BN, where have you been all my life (BCG forum life that is). That's weird 'cos it was only yesterday I came across one of your posts and seeing it not linked I thought "Oh well, that's the last of The Blue Nun" - I thought once you chucked in your "membership" you couldn't renew it under the same name?

Mind you, I have been a bit lax of late as so many regulars were not posting and it was getting a bit stale. Ahhh! Do you remember those days and nights when we used to chat into the early hours and watch the dawn come up?

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Hello Herc! Yes, I thought so too, but I missed it so much that I asked Aaron nicely if he'd rejuvenate my old account and here I am, back again.

I most certainly do - the classic days of BCG, I am still wistful about all of those lost nights. Hee hee.

Staying on topic - Monty Python - still an excellent show. Until I read Eric Idle's autobiography I hadn't realised that John Cleese wasn't in S4 - apparently he'd fallen out with the group and went it alone for a bit.

Quote: TheBlueNun @ 24th January 2019, 3:22 PM

Hello Herc! Yes, I thought so too, but I missed it so much that I asked Aaron nicely if he'd rejuvenate my old account and here I am, back again.

I most certainly do - the classic days of BCG, I am still wistful about all of those lost nights. Hee hee.

Staying on topic - Monty Python - still an excellent show. Until I read Eric Idle's autobiography I hadn't realised that John Cleese wasn't in S4 - apparently he'd fallen out with the group and went it alone for a bit.

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Kissy Kiss

I'm on series 3 at the moment and yes I do remember JC going off in a Huff (he had the V6 twin cam version at the time )

He was a bit piece meal with ISIRTA too.

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 24th January 2019, 3:51 PM

Kissy Kiss

I'm on series 3 at the moment and yes I do remember JC going off in a Huff (he had the V6 twin cam version at the time )

He was a bit piece meal with ISIRTA too.

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I remember this and we thought it would be the end but it wasn't.

I think he was starting to get seriously involved with his training film company around this time too, which would explain him spreading himself too thinly and which he eventually sold for some mind boggling £90 million years later, only to lose it all in failed marriages etc. He's his own worst enemy as far as money goes so it appears.

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 24th January 2019, 3:51 PM

Kissy Kiss

I'm on series 3 at the moment and yes I do remember JC going off in a Huff (he had the V6 twin cam version at the time )

He was a bit piece meal with ISIRTA too.

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Coming right back 'atcha with those kisses!

Yes, JC is an extremely intelligent, talented, but irascible fellow, which came across in his autobiography. I did have to give up on Eric Idle's last night though because the continual name dropping was getting right on my nerves; I didn't like 'The Greedy Bastard Tour' for pretty much the same reason.

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 25th January 2019, 12:08 AM

I think he was starting to get seriously involved with his training film company around this time too, which would explain him spreading himself too thinly and which he eventually sold for some mind boggling £90 million years later, only to lose it all in failed marriages etc. He's his own worst enemy as far as money goes so it appears.

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90 Million Dollars! I think that it was Mrs Cleese number three who really cleaned him out, spurring him on to write and perform 'The Alimony Tour'. Mrs C version 4.0 seems to be in her forties, which is nice; they do own some beautiful pedigree cats though, so I'll be slightly more lenient on them.

Judging by the zero reaction, it was my own fault for putting it on a thread of its own.........................

Currently watching Series 3 of Monty Python, and flicking through a 1923 Kodak Magazine (as one does in an [Eric] idle moment) I came across this photo, which did elicit a chuckle, so I thought I'd "share" as I believe the young beat generation do on Facebook etc. these days (?)

"Are you der brain surgeon?"
"No!..........er...Yes!"

.......................and here is the hilarious sketch :-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7AihnLbw1E

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 25th January 2019, 12:08 AM

I think he was starting to get seriously involved with his training film company around this time too, which would explain him spreading himself too thinly and which he eventually sold for some mind boggling £90 million years later, only to lose it all in failed marriages etc. He's his own worst enemy as far as money goes so it appears.

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I think it's women, not money that is his downfall.

Quote: TheBlueNun @ 24th January 2019, 3:22 PM

Until I read Eric Idle's autobiography I hadn't realised that John Cleese wasn't in S4 - apparently he'd fallen out with the group and went it alone for a bit.

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Interesting array of explanations for this! The previous reasoning I'd heard was that he felt they were starting to repeat themselves and so didn't feel able or interested in participating.