Monty Python's Flying Circus: Difference between revisions

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The programme came about as the six Pythons, having met each other through university and in various radio and television programmes in the 1960s, sought to make a new sketch comedy show unlike anything else on British television. Much of the humour in the series targeted the idiosyncrasies of [[Culture of the United Kingdom|British life]], especially that of professionals, as well as aspects of politics. Their comedy is often pointedly [[intellectualism|intellectual]], with numerous erudite references to philosophers and literary figures and their works. The team intended their humour to be impossible to categorise, and succeeded so completely that the adjective "[[wikt:Pythonesque|Pythonesque]]" was invented to define it and, later, similar material. Their humour was not always seen as appropriate for television by the BBC, leading to some censorship during the third series. Cleese left the show following that series, and the remaining Pythons completed a final, shortened fourth series before ending the show.

The show became very popular in the [[Television in the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]], and after initially failing to draw an audience in the United States, gained American popularity after [[PBS]] member stations began airing it in 1974. The programme's success on both sides of the Atlantic led to the Pythons going on live tours and creating three additional films, while the individual Pythons flourished in solo careers. ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' has become an influential work on comedy as well as in popular culture. The programming language [[Python (programming language)|Python]] was named by [[Guido van Rossum]] after the show, and the word [[Spamming|spam]], for junk email, took its name from a word used in [[Spam (Monty Python sketch)|a Monty Python sketch]].

== Premise ==

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Other returning characters include a married couple, often mentioned but never seen, [[Ann Haydon-Jones]] and her husband Pip. In "[[Election Night Special]]", Pip has lost a political seat to [[Engelbert Humperdinck (singer)|Engelbert Humperdinck]]. Several recurring characters are played by different Pythons. Both Palin and Chapman played the insanely violent Police Constable [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]]. Both Jones and Palin portrayed police sergeant Harry 'Snapper' Organs of Q division. Various historical figures were played by a different cast member in each appearance, such as [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] (Cleese, then Palin), or [[Queen Victoria]] (Jones, then Palin, then all five Pythons in Series 4).

Some of the Pythons' real-life targets recurred more frequently than others. [[Reginald Maudling]], a contemporary [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician, was singled out for perhaps the most consistent ridicule.{{sfn|Larsen|2008|p=288}} Then-[[Secretary of State for Education and Science]], and (well after the programme had ended) Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]], was occasionally mentioned, in particular(a referringreference to Thatcher's brain as being in her shin receivedin aparticular heartyhaving laughbeen well received from the studio audience).{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}. Then-US President [[Richard Nixon]] was also frequently mocked, as was Conservative party leader [[Edward Heath]], prime minister for much of the series' run. The [[Law enforcement in the United Kingdom|British police]] were also a favourite target, often acting bizarrely, stupidly, or abusing their authority, frequently in drag.

== Series overview ==

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=== Chapman ===

[[Graham Chapman]] often portrayed straight-laced men, of any age or class, frequently authority figures such as military officers, policemen or doctors. His characters could, at any moment, engage in "Pythonesque" [[mania]]cal behaviour and then return to their former sobriety.<ref>Sketches "An Appeal from the Vicar of St. Loony-up-the-Cream-Bun-and-Jam", "[[Colin "Bomber" Harris vs Colin "Bomber" Harris|The One-Man Wrestling Match]]", "Johann Gambolputty..." and "[[Argument Clinic]]"</ref> He was also skilled in abuse, which he brusquely delivered in such sketches as "Argument Clinic" and "Flying Lessons". Conversely, Chapman could easily adoptedadopt a dignified "[[straight man]]" demeanour as seen in the Python feature films ''[[Monty Python and the Holy Grail|Holy Grail]]'' ([[King Arthur]]) and ''[[Life of Brian]]'' (the title character).<ref>{{cite book |title= If You Like Monty Python...: Here Are Over 200 Movies, TV Shows and Other Oddities That You Will Love |author= Zack Handlen |publisher= Limelight Editions |year= 2011 |isbn= 9780879104320}}</ref>

=== Cleese ===

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=== Gilliam ===

[[File:Angelo Bronzino - Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time - National Gallery, London.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|The famous Python Foot can here be seen in its original context in the bottom-left corner of ''[[Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time]]'' by [[Bronzino|Agnolo Bronzino]], in the [[National Gallery, London]].]]

[[File:Foot detail from Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time by Agnolo Bronzino.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|Close-up of the foot]]

Many Python sketches were linked together by the [[Cutout animation|cut-out animations]] of [[Terry Gilliam]], including the opening titles featuring the iconic giant foot that became a symbol of all that was 'Pythonesque'.<ref>{{cite book |title= The Designer's Dictionary of Color |author= Sean Adams |publisher= Abrams |year= 2017 |isbn= 9781683350026 |page= 104}}</ref> Gilliam's unique visual style was characterised by sudden, dramatic movements and deliberate mismatches of scale, set in [[surrealism|surrealist]] landscapes populated by [[engraving]]s of large buildings with elaborate architecture, grotesque [[Victorian era#Technology and engineering|Victorian]] gadgets, machinery, and people cut from old [[Sears Roebuck]] catalogues. Gilliam added [[airbrush]] illustrations and many familiar pieces of art. All of these elements were combined in incongruous ways to obtain new and humorous meanings.

The surreal nature of the series allowed Gilliam's animation to go off on bizarre, imaginative tangents, features that were impossible to produce live-action at the time. Some running gags derived from these animations were a giant [[hedgehog]] named Spiny Norman who appeared over the tops of buildings shouting, "Dinsdale!", further petrifying the paranoid [[Piranha Brothers|Dinsdale Piranha]];, and The Foot of Cupid, the giant foot that suddenly squashed things. The latter was appropriated from the figure of [[Cupid]] in the [[Agnolo Bronzino]] painting ''[[Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time]]<ref>Terry Gilliam in an interview in ''[[The Comics Journal]]'' #182.</ref>'' and appeared in the opening credits of every series to crush the show's title when it appeared on-screen.

Notable Gilliam sequences for the show include Conrad Poohs and his Dancing Teeth, the rampage of the cancerous black spot, The Killer Cars and a giant cat that stomps its way through London, destroying everything in its path.

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===Idle===

[[Eric Idle]] is known for his roles as a cheeky, suggestive playboy ("[[Nudge Nudge]]"), a variety of pretentious television presenters (such as his over-the-top portrayal of [[Philip Jenkinson]] in the segments connecting the "[[Cheese Shop sketch|Cheese Shop]]" and "[[Sam Peckinpah's "Salad Days"|Salad Days]]" sketches), a crafty, slick salesman ("Door-to-Door Joke Salesman", "Encyclopedia Salesman") and the merchant who loves to haggle in ''[[Monty Python's Life of Brian]]''. He is acknowledged as 'the master of the one-liner' by the other Pythons, along with his ability to deliver extensive, sometimes maniacal monologues with barely a breath, such as in "The Money Programme".<ref>Chapman, et. al., p. 14</ref> He is also considered the best singer/songwriter in the group; for example, he played guitar in several sketches and wrote and performed "[[Always Look on the Bright Side of Life]]" from ''The Life of Brian''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Palin |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Palin |date=2006 |title=Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years|publisher=[[Weidenfeld & Nicolson]] |___location=London, England|page=473 }}</ref> Unlike Jones, he often played female characters in a more straightforward way, only altering his voice slightly, as opposed to the falsetto shrieking used by the others. Several times, Idle appeared as upper-class, [[middle-aged]] women, such as Rita Fairbanks ("Reenactment of the Battle of Pearl Harbor") and the sexually- repressed [[Protestant]] wife in the "[[Every Sperm is Sacred]]" sketch, in ''The Meaning of Life''.

Because he was not from an already-established writing partnership prior to Python, Idle wrote his sketches alone.<ref>{{cite book |title= Dictionary of Atheism, Skepticism, and Humanism |first= Bill|last=Cooke |publisher=[[Prometheus Books]]|___location=Amherst, New York|year= 2006 |isbn= 9781615923656 |page= 349}}</ref>

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== Production ==

The first five episodes of the series were produced by [[John Howard Davies]], with Davies serving as studio director, and [[Ian MacNaughton]] acting as ___location director. From the sixth episode onwards, MacNaughton became the producer and sole director on the series. Other regular team members included [[Hazel Pethig]] (costumes), Madelaine Gaffney (makeup) and John Horton (video effects designer). Maggie Weston, who worked on both makeup and design, married Gilliam in 1973 and they remain together. The series was primarily filmed in London studios and nearby locations, although ___location shooting to take in beaches and villages included filming in [[Somerset]], [[Norwich]] and the island of [[Jersey]].

Pre-production of the series had started by April 1969. Documents from the BBC showed that the viability of the show had been threatened around this time when Cleese reminded the BBC that he was still under contract from David Frost's [[David Paradine Productions]], who wanted to co-produce the show. The BBC memos indicated the potential of holding off the show until 1971, when Cleese's contract with Paradine expired, but ultimately the situation was resolved, though the details of these negotiations have been lost.<ref name="irish times 50th"/>

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Some sketches were deleted in their entirety and later recovered. One such sketch is the "Party Political Broadcast (Choreographed)", where a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] spokesman (Cleese) delivers a party political broadcast before getting up and dancing, being coached by a choreographer (Idle), and being joined by a chorus of spokesmen dancing behind him. The camera passes two [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] spokesmen practising ballet, and an animation featuring [[Edward Heath]] in a tutu. Once deemed lost, a home-recorded tape of this sketch, captured from a broadcast from [[Buffalo, New York]] [[PBS]] outlet [[WNED-TV]], turned up on [[YouTube]] in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=Monty Python – political choreographer|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Ija4Dec7o|publisher=Spiny Norman|access-date=17 June 2013|author=Monty Python|date=18 December 1971}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}</ref> Another high-quality recording of this sketch, broadcast on [[WTTW]] in Chicago, has also turned up on YouTube.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lost Sketch- Choreographed Party Political Broadcast from WTTW-11|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KO4_feIKO0|work=Lost Sketch- Choreographed Party Political Broadcast – Monty Python's Flying Circus WTTW Channel|publisher=MontyPythoNET|access-date=23 January 2012|author=Monty Python|date=18 December 1971}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}</ref> The Buffalo version can be seen as an extra on the new [[DVD region code#2|Region 2]]/[[DVD Region code|4]] eight-disc ''The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus'' DVD set.{{citation needed|date=March 2012}} The [[DVD region code#1|Region 1]] DVD of ''Before The Flying Circus'', which is included in ''The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus Collector's Edition Megaset'' and ''Monty Python: The Other British Invasion'', also contains the Buffalo version as an extra.<ref>{{cite web|title = DVD Talk Review: The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus – Collectors Edition Megaset|date = 18 November 2008|url = http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/35399/complete-monty-pythons-flying-circus-collectors-edition-megaset-the/|access-date = 20 May 2014|archive-date = 27 February 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140227093053/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/35399/complete-monty-pythons-flying-circus-collectors-edition-megaset-the/|url-status = live}}</ref>

Another lost sketch is the "Satan" animation following the "Crackpot Religion" piece and the "Cartoon Religion Ltd" animation, and preceding the "[[How Not To Be Seen]]" sketch: this had been edited out of the official tape. Six frames of the animation can be seen at the end of the episode, wherein that particular episode is repeated in fast-forward. {{cns|date=January 2025|A black and white 16&nbsp;mm film print has since turned up (found by a private film collector in the US) showing the animation in its entirety.}}

At least two references to cancer were censored, both during the second series. In the sixth episode ("It's A Living" or "School Prizes"), [[Carol Cleveland]]'s narration of a Gilliam cartoon suddenly has a male voice dub '[[gangrene]]' over the word cancer (although this word was used unedited when the animation appeared in the movie ''[[And Now for Something Completely Different]]''; the 2006 special ''[[Monty Python's Personal Best|Terry Gilliam's Personal Best]]'' uses this audio to restore the censored line). Another reference was removed from the sketch "Conquistador Coffee Campaign", in the eleventh episode "How Not to Be Seen", although a reference to [[leprosy]] remained intact. This line has also been recovered from the same 16&nbsp;mm film print as the above-mentioned "Satan" animation.

A sketch from Episode 7 of Series 2 (subtitled 'The Attila the Hun Show') featured a parody of [[Michael Miles]], the 1960s TV [[game show]] host (played by Cleese), and was introduced as 'Spot The Braincell'. This sketch was deleted shortly afterwards from a repeat broadcast as a mark of respect following Miles' death in February 1971. Also, the controversial "Undertaker" sketch from Episode 13 of the same series, with its references to [[Human cannibalism|necro-cannibalism]] ({{nowrap|"[...] are}} you suggesting we should eat my [dead] mother?"), was removed by the BBC after negative reviewer response. Both of these sketches have been restored to the official tapes, although the only source for the Undertaker sketch was an NTSC copy of the episode, duplicated before the cut had been made.

Animation in episode 9 of series 3 was cut out following the initial broadcast. The animation was a parody of a German commercial, and the original owners complained about the music use, so the BBC simply removed part of the animation, and replaced the music with a song from a Python album. Terry Gilliam later complained about the cut, thinking it was because producer Ian McNaughton "just didn't get what it was and he cut it. That was a big mistake."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sotcaa.org/history/ukonline/python_frame.html?/history/ukonline/python/python_tv_03.html|title=Edit News: Monty Python's Flying Circus|website=Some Of The Corpses Are Amusing|access-date=1 May 2019|archive-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702003938/http://sotcaa.org/history/ukonline/python_frame.html?/history/ukonline/python/python_tv_03.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Music copyright issues have resulted in at least two cuts. In season 2 episode 2099, Graham Chapman as a Pepperpot sings "[[The Girl from Ipanema]]", but some versions use "[[Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair]]", which is public ___domain. In the bus conductor sketch in season 3 episode 4, a brief parody of "[[Tonight (1956 song)|Tonight]]" from ''West Side Story'' was removed. Though it was later determined that this version never even aired on BBC at all, instead was first seen in the American broadcasts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wurm |first=Gerald |title=Monty Python's Flying Circus (Comparison: Old DVDs (Sony / A&E) - Blu-ray (Network)) - Movie-Censorship.com |url=https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=159041 |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=www.movie-censorship.com |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005163625/https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=159041 |url-status=live }}</ref> There have also been reports of substituting different performances of classical music in some uses, presumably because of performance royalties.

A Region 2 DVD release of Series 1–4 was released by [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]] in 2007. This included certain things which had been cut from the US A&E releases, including the "masturbation" line, but failed to reinstate most of the long-lost sketches and edits. A Blu-ray release of the series featuring every episode restored to its original uncut broadcast length was released by Network for the show's 50th anniversary in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://montypython.networkonair.com/flyingcircushd | title=Monty Python's Flying Circus | access-date=23 July 2019 | archive-date=23 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723131156/https://montypython.networkonair.com/flyingcircushd | url-status=live }}</ref>

Rediscovered sketch Ursula Hitler, once deemed impossible to find, was re-released with the 50th anniversary sets in 2019. Also some of the extra American broadcast {{nowrap|material, {{tsp}}{{mdash}}{{tsp}}}}for instance, the original parody of "Tonight" from ''West Side Story'' in the bus conductor sketch from season {{nbs}}3, {{nowrap|episode 4, {{tsp}}{{mdash}}{{tsp}}}}were included as deleted scenes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cult |first=We Are |date=2019-10-21 |title=Monty Python's Flying Circus Special Features Revealed! » We Are Cult |url=https://wearecult.rocks/monty-pythons-flying-circus-special-features-revealed |access-date=2022-05-17 |website=We Are Cult |language=en-GB |archive-date=13 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813114235/https://wearecult.rocks/monty-pythons-flying-circus-special-features-revealed |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== American television ===

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After the broadcast of the first episode, British newspapers printed brief reviews of the new programme. Reviewers had mixed opinions. One wrote that the show was "absurd and frivolous", and that it did not "offer anything very new or exciting".<ref name="CovEvTel06101969KAB">{{Cite news |last=K.A.B. |date=1969-10-06 |title=Who do they think can watch? |pages=3 |work=Coventry Evening Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937414/who-do-they-think-can-watch/ |access-date=2022-11-12 |archive-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112142134/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937414/who-do-they-think-can-watch/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Another described the show as "enjoyably Goonish", saying that not all of the material was "scintillating" but that "there was enough packed into the 30 minutes to raise a few laughs."<ref name="LeicMerc06101969TJD">{{Cite news |last=T.J.D. |date=1969-10-06 |title=Play that needed a touch of Hitchcock |pages=8 |work=Leicester Mercury |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937585/play-that-needed-a-touch-of-hitchcock/ |access-date=12 November 2022 |archive-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112142133/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937585/play-that-needed-a-touch-of-hitchcock/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Reading Evening Post's columnist was more enthusiastic, calling the show "much-needed comedy" and noting that "The real laughs, for me, came from the crazy cartoon and photo-montage work".<ref name="ReadEvPost06101969Slater">{{Cite news |last=Slater |first=Ralph |date=1969-10-06 |title=At last! A few laughs |pages=2 |work=Evening Post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937736/at-last-a-few-laughs/ |access-date=12 November 2022 |archive-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112142139/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937736/at-last-a-few-laughs/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

As the series continued, reviews became more positive. After the third episode, the Guardian's television columnist described the show as "undoubtedly the high spot of a lot of viewers' weekend", saying the humour was "whacky rather than satiric.".<ref name="Guardian20101969Reynolds">{{Cite news |last=Reynolds |first=Stanley |date=1969-10-20 |title=Comedy and not so funny |pages=6 |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937919/comedy-and-not-so-funny/ |access-date=12 November 2022 |archive-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112143910/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112937919/comedy-and-not-so-funny/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A week later, the Observer's reviewer gave the series a "strong recommendation", saying "The material, despite a tendency to prolong a good idea beyond its natural length, is of a high standard, but what lifts the show out of an honourable rut is its extraordinary use of animated cartoons."<ref name="Observer26Oct1969Melly">{{Cite news |last=Melly |first=George |date=1969-10-26 |title=Watching the bits and pieces |pages=33 |work=The Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112938068/watching-the-bits-and-pieces/ |access-date=12 November 2022 |archive-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112143908/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112938068/watching-the-bits-and-pieces/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However this positive view was by no means unanimous. An Evening Standard reviewer complained that "last week it almost crushed my enthusiasm and loyalty forever by transmitting a number of dismal skits that were little more than broad, obvious slapstick."<ref name="EvStand19691105Shulman">{{Cite news |last=Shulman |first=Milton |date=1969-11-05 |title=Whatever happened to Monty Python? Well, I'm glad you asked that question... |pages=21 |work=Evening Standard |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112938360/whatever-happened-to-monty-python-well/ |access-date=12 November 2022 |archive-date=4 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240504070043/https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-standard-whatever-happened-to-mo/112938360/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Awards and honours ===

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[[Category:Counterculture of the 1960s]]

[[Category:Counterculture of the 1970s]]

[[Category:Culture of the United Kingdom]]

[[Category:Metafictional television series]]

[[Category:Monty Python]]

[[Category:Postmodern workstelevision]]

[[Category:Self-reflexive television]]

[[Category:Television series about television]]