IMDb > "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969)
"Monty Python's Flying Circus"
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"Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969) More at IMDbPro »TV series 1969-1974

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"Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969): :  -- The original surreal sketch comedy showcase for the Monty Python troupe.
"Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969): :  -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
9.4/10   6,357 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Contact:
View company contact information for Monty Python's Flying Circus on IMDbPro.
Seasons:
Release Date:
5 October 1969 (UK) more
Genre:
Plot:
The original surreal sketch comedy showcase for the Monty Python troupe. full summary
Awards:
3 wins & 7 nominations more
User Comments:
Six blokes getting paid for being silly (oh yes, and changing comedy forever) more (66 total)

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 7 of 23)
Graham Chapman ... Various / ... (46 episodes, 1969-1974)

Eric Idle ... Various / ... (46 episodes, 1969-1974)
Terry Jones ... Various / ... (46 episodes, 1969-1974)
Michael Palin ... It's Man / ... (46 episodes, 1969-1974)

Terry Gilliam ... Various / ... (46 episodes, 1969-1974)

John Cleese ... Announcer / ... (40 episodes, 1969-1973)
Carol Cleveland ... Various / ... (34 episodes, 1969-1974)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Gwen Dibley's Flying Circus (UK) (working title)
Monty Python (UK) (new title)
Owl-Stretching Time (UK) (working title)
Monty Python's Flying Circus (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
Monty Pythonin lentävä sirkus (Finland) [fi]
Monty Pythons flygande cirkus (Sweden) [sv]
Monty Pythons flygende sirkus (Norway) [no]
Monty Pythons flyvende cirkus (Denmark) [da]
Os Malucos do Circo (Portugal) [pt]
more
Runtime:
30 min (45 episodes)
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Australia:M (DVD rating) (disc 8) | Australia:PG | USA:TV-14 | Japan:R | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Singapore:M18 | UK:12 (some epiosodes) | UK:15 (1985-1994) | UK:PG | Finland:K-18 (self applied) (DVD) (2007) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The main logo for the show (as seen in the end credits) is written in the same font as the similarly-named Pussy Galore's Flying Circus from the James Bond film Goldfinger (1964). more
Quotes:
Merchant Banker: [on phone] Hello? Ah, Mr. Victim, yes, I'm glad to say I've got the go-ahead to lend you the money you require, yes. Uh, we will, of course, need as security the deeds to your house, of your aunt's house, of your second cousin's house, of your wife's parents' house... more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
The Liberty Bell more

FAQ

What is the translation of the "World's Deadliest Joke"?
Who was in the suit of armor wielding the dead chicken?
What is the origin of the gumby character?
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43 out of 54 people found the following comment useful.
Six blokes getting paid for being silly (oh yes, and changing comedy forever), 6 May 2001
Author: fatglyn from Plymouth, England

With hindsight, it seems possible that we can praise the Pythons too much. But you have to look at what they did in the context of its time.

They blew a massive hole in the conventions of not only television comedy, but television itself. They used (and abused) the medium to what was then the limit of its potential: no thirty-second "blackout" skits, no contrived punchlines (except in the name of self-mocking irony), performers falling out of character and addressing the audience, skits being intruded by characters from a previous sketch, or even an entirely different episode (so you had to pay attention!), stream-of-consciousness animated links, absurd props (the 16 ton weight)... and they claim they merely threw it all together when the BBC approached them to make a "satirical sketch show" in the vein of "The Frost Report" or "TW3".

Not only that, but they have influenced probably every comedy writer and performer of note ever since.

The Pythons are either authentic, top-drawer geniuses, or the six luckiest opportunists who ever lived - probably a bit of both! They caught the BBC with its knickers down and took advantage.

OK, so the shows look their age, and much of the material is rambling, patchy, hit-and-miss stuff. But we only remember the good bits, and it is those good bits which will ensure the place in television history of Messrs Chapman, Cleese, Gilliam, Idle, Palin and Jones for many years to come.

Lavishing praise on a thirty-two-year-old television series? It all seems a bit silly to me...

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Message Boards

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Fish Licence/Derby Council...Censored or bad ADR? greypatch3
Favorite insult Skragg
5th October 1969... fatglyn2
Animation Sketch eblazzard
Persecute! Kill the heretic! fatglyn2
A review of 'An Evening Without Monty Python' wl1
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