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Monty Python Humour
Two and a half months ago, the Wagner family went to see the movie “Monty Python And The Holy Grail” at an outdoor cinema.
Does anyone have a favourite Monty Python sketch or song? I have a few, starting with this one from “The Meaning Of Life”.
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38 Replies
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Oh, good luck putting the genie back in THIS bottle, Howard!
My favorite sketch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCM2nEBE0RY
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That hits on my favorite cartoon. One of Gary Adams “Far Side” gallery books has a section on rejected or controversial cartoons. In one a couple open the door to the view of a figure at the piano and she says “Shhh… Beethoven is decomposing.”
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Found it!
I love “The Far Side”, John! When I was a teenager our refrigerator was covered with Far Sides clipped from the newspaper. Now that I think about it, its sensibilities (or lack thereof) are pretty similar to Monty Python.
I’ve also seen this same punchline set up with the premise that some grave robbers open Beethoven’s casket and find him busily erasing sheets of music.
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Love the Far Side comic…
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I was kind of a tad young back in the day when I had watched Monty Python in the 70s/80s, and got to understand some of the Humour at the time but not until I was a teenager and seen Holy Grail, then it all made sense… Also having an older bro who enjoyed MP stuff would fill me in what I didn’t get… Lol… It’s classic comedic genius in my opinion…
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Nice selections David. I’m leaving one particular favourite of mine to our Canadian friends! I’m probably safer going with the following, which I was introduced to while enrolled in philosophy in the mid-seventies:
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Funny Howard… Good one … EH?! Enjoyed that I did!!
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Oh man I’m a big Python fan. Since my teen age years MANY, MANY years ago. It’s hard to pick a favorite. Their songs are hilarious, especially the one about……well, you know, the face. I love British comedies. I’m also a Mr. Bean fan and naturally Benny Hill too.
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Well Thomas… Count On Me for being also a fan of Mr Bean and Benny Hill and other UK comedies… On the Buses I grew up watching….
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Well I’m a fan of everything Rowan Atkinson does too. Especially his “Blackadder” series.
I’m surprised you didn’t pick this video from the Monty Python team Jacki!
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As I’ve said Howard, I was young kid in the 70s, teenager in the 80s, didn’t always Get the Humour when I was young unless my one older bro explained it to me, and to be honest I wasn’t even aware of this gem…. Again, we did not have cable TV in our house until early-mid 80s…. I’m going to now have to subscribe to whatever MP channel you got this one from and any other MP gems to watch… It’s been ages….
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Just saw this one now, and that was hilarious Howard!
Love the Monty Python humor!
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Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
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I’m fair dinkum. I came from a very poor family and had five siblings. Life was tough for us. How about you?
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A few of the Canadian comedic gems from TV I grew up with were that of: Willy & Floyd, Don Harron’s Charlie FarQuharson character, You Can’t Do That On Television, Wayne & Schuster, Air Farce, etc…
As for UK Comedy:
On The Buses, After Henry, Fawlty Towers, Are You Being Served, Benny Hill, The 2 Ronnies, Mr Bean, Birds of a Feather, Keeping Up Appearances, The Last of Summer Wine, The Vicar of Dibley, Upstairs – Downstairs, Father Ted, Monty Python, etc.
For USA comedy:
All in the Family, Laugh In, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Seinfeld, Whose Line Is It Anyways, Facts of Life, Different Strokes, Carol Burnett Show, etc
There’s more shows probably I enjoyed on all 3 categories here (Canada-UK-USA), just can’t recall all of them but these ones stickout, especially Willy & Floyd and YCDTOT, and Carol Burnett Show
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It’s a shame that the U.S./Canada TV pipeline didn’t flow equally in both directions, Jacki. The only Canadian shows I know are YCDTOT and SCTV, and I wasn’t able to see either of those until we got cable.
U.S. cable TV lineups now have a channel called BBC America. You’d think there would be room for equivalents with Canadian and Australian programming.
Just curious: were you able to enjoy Sesame Street and The Electric Company as a kid in Canada?
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I agree David… Lol… I forgot about Kids In The Hall…. Guess I never really watched much of that show… Yes, Sesame Street, Electric Company, Romper Room, Polka Dot Door, Mr. Dress up and The Friendly Giant were part of my childhood TV memories….
As for BBC TV Channel, I think there is one for Canadians but not sure as I said, I don’t have cable TV…
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We all know the Monty Python team like taking the piss. For American, Asian and Continental European Club members, this term may need explaining.
“Taking the piss is a Commonwealth term meaning to take liberties at the expense of others, or to be joking, or to be unreasonable. It is a shortening of the idiom taking the piss out of, which is an expression meaning to mock, tease, joke, ridicule, or scoff. Taking the Mickey (Mickey Bliss, Cockney rhyming slang), taking the Mick or taking the Michael is another term for making fun of someone. These terms are most widely used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.”
The Monty Python team have had much fun taking the piss out of Australians in their “Bruces” sketch from the Philosophy Department at the fictitious University of Woolloomooloo. They have also done the same with their “Monty Python Australian Table Wines” sketch. However, Australian wines have come a long way since the late sixties and many are now world-beaters, with exports to Europe, the UK, and the US.
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Hey, this photo is from “Upper Class Twit of the Year”: another great sketch!
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David, Another great Canadian comedy was New kids in the hall. HILARIOUS! I also really like Letterkenny, another Canadian gem! There was also a funny cartoon called “Fugget about it” I really liked.
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Oh, yeah, I have seen and enjoyed “The Kids in the Hall”. I didn’t realize it was Canadian. Thanks, Thomas!
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Really like both the Far Side, Monty Python, Benny Hill, and others. Some that have not been mentioned (that I could see) are the Goon Show (Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan) and also Saturday Night Live…….but only certain years of SNL (definitely 1975 to 1980…..and maybe the late ’80s to early ’90s). Trivia note: The producer of some of the Goon Show records was ………. a youngish George Martin.
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Thanks for the George Martin reference Michael. The Goons were a favourite of mine. They were a favourite of the Monty Python team too and can also claim Prince Charles as a fan. I always liked Spike Millican’s approach to life. A very funny man! “Every time I fell like the need for exercise, I lie down until the feeling goes away”!
I also liked Peter Cook and Dudley Moore when they worked together and the Two Ronnies, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett.
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I agree on all you mentioned. Peter Sellers was unusual but talented. So many personal demons there, but a comic genius. He played 4 parts in Dr. Stranglove and “killed” in each part. The writer/director of the movie wanted him in a 5th part (the Texan pilot, but he didn’t think he could have pulled off the Texas accent). His Pink Panther movies were just OK….some better than others but he never liked the role and did the movies for the money. Hi best part was in Being There…..showed he could act as well as be funny. Also, it was one of his last movies. So, I guess you could say I’m a huge fan of Sellers.
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I agree with you that “Being There” was a good performance from Peter Sellers. It’s a long time since I saw the movie, but I still remember the scene where he’s in a bedroom and the TV’s on and his comment to a woman “I like to watch” is misunderstood and taken as being kinky! Talking of which, have I mentioned any potential Kink’s covers lately!
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