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showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips"Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969) More at IMDbPro »TV series 1969-1974
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Overview
User Rating:
Creators:
Release Date:
5 October 1969 (UK) more
Plot:
The original surreal sketch comedy showcase for the Monty Python troupe. full summary
Awards:
3 wins & 7 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(51 articles)
The Good, The Bad And The Wtf: Clashing News, Wolves and All
(From JustPressPlay. 10 November 2009, 6:57 PM, PST)
Monty Python Enters New Jersey Governor's Race; Copyright Infringement Charged Against Chris Christie
(From CinemaRetro. 1 November 2009, 10:00 PM, PST)
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) |
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
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
Filming Locations:
BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK more
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
At least two sketches can trace their origins back to How to Irritate People (1968) (TV), a TV special that John Cleese starred in and wrote with Graham Chapman prior to "Flying Circus". First, the "Silly Job Interview" in which Cleese rings a bell and has people scoring Chapman's reaction came directly from the special. Also the infamous/famous "Parrot Sketch" was adapted largely from a sketch Chapman wrote for the earlier show about a car salesman who flatly refused to admit that there was anything wrong with the car that was literally falling apart on stage. 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:
Featured in Pythonin hännällä (2006) more
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?
more
more (66 total)
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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...