Monty Python
How Margaret Thatcher accidentally revived British cinema
Jaime J. Weinman on the art created in the wake of Thatcherism
Newsmakers: Jan. 23 – Feb. 3, 2012
Garth Brooks resurfaces, Jonathan Franzen’s new snit, and Christine Sinclair sends Canada to London
When I Was a Boy, We Didn’t Have Internet. We Had To Post Our Stuff On Every Computer Screen With Our Bare Hands
This has been Python Week, but I’ve sort of reached my quota of Python clips. So I will cheat and post a sketch that most people think is Monty Python, but isn’t. The “Four Yorkshiremen” Sketch eventually became part of the group’s stage repertoire, but it was written for, and first performed on, At Last the 1948 Show, which made stars of John Cleese, Graham Chapman, and Marty Feldman. The fourth guy, Tim Brooke-Taylor, never became as internationally famous as the others, but his co-creation of The Goodies made him a notable figure in TV comedy history.
Where To See It…
By the way, the Python Documentary on IFC will not be shown on IFC Canada, but on Bravo (not the U.S. version of Bravo, the Canadian version) starting October 24 at 9:00 p.m.
For Those Who Cannot Obtain Sufficient Python…
Tonight is Monty Python night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon; Mark Evanier has been told that four of the five surviving Pythons will be on the show, and that they will make appearances before the interview proper begins. They’re plugging IFC’s big new “definitive” Python documentary, Monty Python: Almost the Truth, and Fallon, who appears as a talking head in the documentary, will presumably be worshipful.
Underrated Python, Take Two
The comments on my “Favourite Lesser-Known Monty Python Sketches” were great. I’d just like to follow up by posting a couple of sketches that weren’t mentioned in the original post.
Favourite Lesser-Known Monty Python Sketches?
Here’s a question for the Monty Python 40th anniversary festivities: what’s your favourite Monty Python sketch that isn’t (in your opinion) all that well-known? It’s hard to define which sketches are particularly well-known, apart from the obvious ones like “Dead Parrot,” “Argument Clinic,” “Silly Walks,” and other sketches featuring Cleese and Palin (they did seem to team up a lot in the sketches) plus “Lumberjack Song” and a few others. But everyone who watches a sketch comedy show regularly has a favourite sketch or two that doesn’t seem to be talked about all that much. What’s yours with Python?
Special Election Coverage
Come on, you knew I was going to post this. Me, I vote Slightly Silly. Because I’m a lost-cause kind of guy.