Monty Python, the facts,

Monty Python, the facts, Part 1 A Article written in 2007

Monty Python, or The Pythons, is the collective name of the creators of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. A total of 45 episodes were made over four series. However, the Python phenomenon developed from the original television series into something much greater, in scope & impact: it spawned touring stage shows, four films, numerous albums, several books & a spin-off stage musical—as well as launching the members on to individual stardom.

The television series, broadcast by the BBC from 1969 to 1974, was conceived, written & performed by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, & Michael Palin. Loosely structured as a sketch show but with a highly innovative stream-of-consciousness approach (aided by Terry Gilliam's animations), it pushed the boundaries of what was then considered acceptable, both in terms of style & in content.

The group's influence on comedy has often been compared to The Beatles' influence on music, a self-contained comedy team responsible for both writing & performing their work & changing the way performers entertained audiences. The Pythons' creative control allowed them to experiment with form & content, discarding the established rules of television comedy & breaking new ground for those who came after (George Harrison, who became friends with several members of the cast, said that he regarded Monty Python as 'continuing the spirit' of The Beatles, so intrestingly the top music band of the 60 & the top comedy grouup were a kind of insect & a kind of snake.). Their influence on British comedy of all kinds has been apparent for many years, while in America it has coloured the work of many cult performers from the early editions of Saturday Night Live through to more recent absurdist trends in television comedy. There are differing accounts of the origins of the Python name although the members agree that its only 'significance' was that they thought it sounded funny. In the 1998 documentary Live At Aspen the group implied that 'Monty' was selected as a gently-mocking tribute to Field Marshal Lord Montgomery, a legendary British general of World War II; requiring a "slippery-sounding" surname, they settled on 'Python'. On other occasions Idle has claimed that the name 'Monty' was that of a popular & rotund fellow who drank in his local pub; people would often walk in & ask the barman, "Has Monty been in yet?", forcing the name to become stuck in his mind. These explanations aside, some believe that 'Monty Bodkin', the name of a character in several books by humourist P. G. Wodehouse, served on some level as an inspiration.

In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, three of the six members were voted among the top 50 greatest comedians ever, by fellow comedians & comedy insiders. Palin was at number 30, Idle was voted 21st & Cleese was at two, just beaten to the top by Peter Cook.

Chapman, Cleese & Idle were all members of the Footlights, which at that time also included the future Goodies—Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie & Graeme Garden—as well as Jonathan Lynn (co-writer of Yes Minister & Yes, Prime Minister). During the time of Idle's presidency of the Club, feminist writer Germaine Greer & broadcaster Clive James were also members. Recordings of these so-called "Smokers" at Pembroke College include sketches & performances by Idle & Cleese. They are currently kept in the archives of the Pembroke Players, along with tapes of Idle's performances in some of the college drama society's theatrical productions.

Variously, the Python members appeared in or wrote, or both, for the following shows before being united for Monty Python's Flying Circus. In particular, The Frost Report is credited as first uniting the British Pythons & providing an environment in which they could develop their particular styles:

I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (radio) (1964–1973) [Cleese: cast member & writer
— Idle & Chapman: writers]
The Frost Report (1966–1967) [Cleese: cast member & writer
— Idle: writer of Frost's monologues — Chapman, Palin & Jones: writers]
At Last the 1948 Show (1967) [Chapman & Cleese: writers & cast members — Idle: writer]
Twice a Fortnight (1967) [Palin & Jones: cast members & writers]
Do Not Adjust Your Set (1967–1969) [Palin, Jones & Idle: cast members & writers
— Gilliam: animation — Bonzo Dog Band: musical interludes]
We Have Ways of Making You Laugh (1968) [Idle: cast member & writer — Gilliam: animation]
How to Irritate People (1968) [Cleese & Chapman: cast members & writers — Palin: cast member]
The Complete & Utter History of Britain (1969) [Palin & Jones: cast members & writers]
Doctor in the House (1969) [Cleese & Chapman: writers]
Several of these also featured other important British comedy writers or performers, or both, including Ronnie Corbett, Ronnie Barker, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie, Marty Feldman, Jonathan Lynn, David Jason & David Frost.

Following the success of Do Not Adjust Your Set (originally intended to be a children's programme) with the adult demographic, ITV offered Palin, Jones, Idle & Gilliam their own series together. At the same time Cleese & Chapman were offered a show by the BBC, having been impressed by their work on The Frost Report & At Last The 1948 Show. Cleese was reluctant to do a two-man show for various reasons, including Chapman's supposedly difficult personality. Cleese had fond memories of working with Palin & invited him to join the team. With the ITV series still in pre-production Palin agreed & suggested the involvement of his writing partner Jones & colleague Idle—who in turn suggested that Gilliam could provide animations for the projected series. Much has been made of the fact that the Monty Python troupe is the result of Cleese's desire to work with Palin & the chance circumstances that brought the other four members into the fold.

The Pythons had a very definite idea about what they wanted to do with the series. They were all great admirers of the work of Peter Cook, Alan Bennett, Jonathan Miller & Dudley Moore on Beyond the Fringe, & had worked on Frost, which was similar in style. They also enjoyed Cook & Moore's sketch show Not Only... But Also. However, one problem the Pythons perceived with these programmes was that though the body of the sketch would be strong, the writers would often struggle to then find a punchline funny enough to end on, & this would detract from the overall quality of the sketch. They decided that they would simply not bother to 'cap' their sketches in the traditional manner, & early episodes of the Flying Circus series make great play of this abandonment of the punchline (one scene has Cleese turn to Idle, as the sketch descends into chaos, & remark that "This is the silliest sketch I've ever been in" - they all resolve not to carry on & simply walk off the set). However, as they began assembling material for the show, the Pythons watched one of their collective heroes, Spike Milligan, recording his new series Q5 (1969). Not only was the programme more irreverent & anarchic than any previous television comedy, Milligan would often "give up" on sketches halfway through & wander off set (often muttering "did I write this?"). It was clear that their new series would now seem somewhat less original, & Jones in particular became determined the Pythons should innovate further.

After much debate, Jones remembered an animation Gilliam had created for Do Not Adjust Your Set called "Beware of the Elephants", which had intrigued him with its stream-of-consciousness style. Jones felt it would be a good concept to apply to the series: allowing sketches to blend into one another. Palin had been equally fascinated by another of Gilliam's efforts, entitled "Christmas Cards", & agreed that it represented "a way of doing things differently." Since Cleese, Chapman & Idle were less concerned with the overall flow of the programme, it was Jones, Palin & Gilliam who became largely responsible for the presentation style of the Flying Circus series, in which disparate sketches are linked to give each episode the appearance of a single stream-of-consciousness (often using a Gilliam animation to move from the closing image of one sketch to the opening scene of another).

Each day of writing started at 9am & finished at 5pm. Typically, Cleese & Chapman worked as one pair of writers isolated from the others, as did Jones & Palin, while Idle wrote alone. After a few days of working in this configuration, they would all join together with Gilliam, critique their scripts & exchange ideas. Their approach to writing was democratic. If the majority found the idea to be humorous, it would be included in the show. The casting of roles for the sketches was a similarly unselfish process, since each member viewed himself primarily as a writer, rather than an actor desperate for screen time. When the themes for sketches were finally chosen, Gilliam had carte blanche to decide how to bridge them with animations, armed with his camera, scissors, & airbrush.

While the show was a collaborative process, different factions within Python were clearly responsible for different elements of the team's humour. In general, the work of the Oxford-educated members was more visual, & more fanciful conceptually (e.g. the arrival of the Spanish Inquisition in a suburban front room), while the Cambridge graduates' sketches tended to be more verbal & more aggressive (for example, Cleese & Chapman's many "confrontation" sketches, where one character ends up intimidating or hurling abuse at another, or Idle's characters with bizarre verbal quirks, such as The Man Who Speaks In Anagrams). Asked about this, Cleese has confirmed that "most of the sketches with heavy abuse were Graham's & mine, anything that started with a slow pan across countryside & impressive music was Mike & Terry's, & anything that got utterly involved with words & disappeared up any personal orifice was Eric's." Gilliam's animations, meanwhile, ranged from the whimsical to the savage (the cartoon format allowing him to create some astonishingly violent scenes without fear of censorship).

Several names for the show were bandied about before the title Monty Python's Flying Circus was settled upon. Some of the more memorable were Owl Stretching Time, The Toad Elevating Moment, Vaseline Review & Bun, Wackett, Buzzard, Stubble & Boot. "Flying Circus" stuck when the BBC explained to the group that it had already printed that name in its schedules & was not prepared to amend it, leaving the Pythons no choice in the matter. Many variations then came & went. Gwen Dibley's Flying Circus was named after a woman Palin had read about in the newspaper, thinking it would be amusing if she were to discover she had her own TV show. Barry Took's Flying Circus (also Baron Von Took's Flying Circus) was an affectionate tribute to the man who had brought them together. Arthur Megapode's Flying Circus was suggested, then discarded. Cleese then added "Python", liking the image of a slippery, sly individual that it conjured up. The specific origin of "Monty" is somewhat confused.

lFlying Circus pioneered some innovative formal techniques, such as the cold open, in which an episode began without the traditional opening titles or announcements. An example of this is the "It's" man: Palin in Robinson Crusoe garb, making a tortuous journey across various terrains, before finally approaching the camera to state, "It's...", only to be then cut off by the title sequence & the theme song. On several occasions the cold open would last until mid show, after which the regular opening titles would run. Occasionally the Pythons would attempt to trick viewers by rolling the closing credits halfway through the show, usually continuing the joke by fading to the familiar globe logo used for BBC continuity, over which Idle would parody the clipped tones of a BBC announcer. On one occasion the credits ran directly after the opening titles. They also experimented with ending segments by cutting abruptly to another scene or animation, walking offstage, addressing the camera (breaking the fourth wall), or introducing a totally unrelated event or character. A classic example of this approach was the use of Chapman's "Colonel" character, who walked into several sketches & ordered them to be stopped because things were becoming "far too silly." Another favourite way of ending sketches was to drop a cartoonish "16-ton weight" prop on one of the characters when the sketch seemed to be losing momentum, before cutting to the next scene (a knight, who would wander on-set & hit characters over the head with a rubber chicken, served a similar purpose).

The Monty Python theme music is "Liberty Bell" march composed by John Philip Sousa. It was not the Pythons' first choice, but the available recording from the BBC archives was in the public domain & therefore free.

The use of Gilliam's surreal, collage stop motion animations was another innovative intertextual element of the Python style. Many of the images Gilliam used were lifted from famous works of art, & from Victorian illustrations & engravings. The giant foot which crushes the show's title at the end of the opening credits is in fact the foot of Cupid, cut from a reproduction of the Renaissance masterpiece Venus, Cupid, Folly, & Time by Bronzino. This foot, & Gilliam's style in general, have come to be considered the visual trademarks of the series.

The Pythons built on & extended the great British tradition of cross-dressing comedy. Rather than dressing a man as a woman purely for comic effect, the (entirely male) Python team would write humorous parts for women, then don frocks & makeup & play the roles themselves. Thus a scene requiring a housewife would feature one of the male Pythons wearing a housecoat & apron, speaking in falsetto. While this accentuated the humour, it was not, in itself, the joke (had a woman played the role, the lines would have had the same comic effect). Generally speaking, female roles were only played by a real woman (usually Carol Cleveland) when the scene specifically required that the character be sexually attractive. In some episodes & the later Monty Python's Life of Brian they took the idea one step further by playing women who impersonated men.

Many of the sketches have become extremely well-known outside the hardcore of Python fans, & are still widely quoted to this day. "The Dead Parrot", "The Lumberjack Song", "Spam", "Nudge Nudge", "The Spanish Inquisition", "Upper Class Twit of the Year", "Cheese Shop" & "The Ministry of Silly Walks" are just a few examples.

The end of Flying Circus
Having considered the possibility at the end of the second series, Cleese finally left the Flying Circus at the end of series three. He claimed he felt he was merely repeating himself, that he had nothing fresh to offer the show & that many of his sketches in the third series were merely rewrites of his earlier work. He was also finding Chapman, who was at that point in the full throes of alcoholism, increasingly difficult to work with. According to an interview with Eric Idle "it was on an Air Canada flight on the way to Vancouver, when John (Cleese) turned to all of us & said `I want out.' Why? I don't know. He gets bored more easily than the rest of us. He's a difficult man, not easy to be friendly with. He's so funny because he never wanted to be liked. That gives him a certain fascinating, arrogant freedom."

The rest of the group carried on for one more series (dropping the "Flying Circus" from the show's title, which became just "Monty Python") before calling a halt to the programme in 1974. The name "Monty Python's Flying Circus" appears in the opening animation for Series Four, but in the end credits the show is listed as simply "Monty Python". Despite Cleese's officially leaving the group, he made a cameo appearance in the fourth series. Several episodes credit him as a co-writer since some sketches were recycled from scenes cut from the "Holy Grail" script. While the first three series contained 13 episodes each, the fourth was cut short at only six.

In 1975 the series was first broadcast in America & soon gained a cult following. Ron Deveiller, an executive from PBS television station KERA in Dallas, Texas found Monty Python episodes on a shelf when searching for programming for his station. He watched one episode, then another, & before he was done he had acquired the entire series to put on the air. The series was eventually aired on PBS stations across the country, & by this chance event Python invaded America.

And Now For Something Completely Different (1971)
This was the Pythons' first feature film, composed of some of the best sketches from the first series of the Flying Circus, re-shot on an extremely low budget (and often slightly edited) for cinema release. Financed by Playboy's UK executive Victor Lowndes, it was intended as a way of breaking Monty Python in America, & although it was ultimately unsuccessful in this, the film did good business in the UK. The group did not consider the film a success, but it enjoys a cult following today.

Monty Python & the Holy Grail (1975)
The group (including Cleese) reformed in 1974 to write & star in their first feature film of new material. The film, Monty Python & the Holy Grail, was based around Arthurian Legend & directed by Jones & Gilliam, the latter also drawing the film's linking animations & opening credits. Along with the rest of the Pythons, Jones & Gilliam performed several roles in the film, but it was Chapman who took the lead as King Arthur. Holy Grail was filmed on a budget of nearly £150,000; this money was raised in part with investments from rock groups such as Pink Floyd & Led Zeppelin - & UK music industry entrepreneur Tony Stratton-Smith (founder/owner of the Charisma Records label for which the Pythons recorded).

The film was shot on location in Scotland, particularly around Doune Castle, Glen Coe, & the privately owned Castle Stalker. Because of the small budget, the film had to make do without horses. This led to one of the film's most memorable gags, as every time the script calls for the knights to be majestically riding their steeds, they are actually play-riding along on foot while their squires behind them bang together coconut half-shells to imitate the sound of horses' hooves (a common radio sound effect now shown on screen for comic effect - though this gag had actually been done previously in the sole surviving episode of the 1956 program A Show Called Fred, produced by Richard Lester & starring Peter Sellers). The chain mail armour worn by the various knights was actually silver-painted wool, whilst the many castles seen throughout the film were either Doune Castle shot from different angles, or cardboard models held up against the horizon (this is used as a small joke, when Arthur & his knights arrive at Camelot, they all remark "Camelot!", then Patsy, Arthur's squire/steed, remarks "It's only a model." to which Arthur replies "Shh!") The filming was apparently unpleasant. The weather was poor & the "chain mail" soaked up rain; the budget only allowed for low-quality hotels which could not provide sufficient hot water for the team to bathe every evening; Gilliam & Jones argued with each other & with the other Pythons; & the extent of Chapman's alcoholism became apparent when he began to suffer from delirium tremens during the filming. The Pythons recall that the filming of Holy Grail is the only time any of them can remember the usually amiable Palin losing his temper. This occurred when Jones & Gilliam insisted on repeatedly re-shooting a scene in which Palin played a character called "the mud eater". The scene was ultimately cut from the movie.

The film proved a success & in 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted Monty Python & the Holy Grail the 5th greatest comedy film of all time.

Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
Following the success of Holy Grail, a reporter asked Idle for the title of the next Python film, despite the fact that the team had not even begun to consider a second movie. Idle flippantly replied "Jesus Christ - Lust for Glory", which became the group's stock answer once they realised that it shut reporters up. However, they soon began to seriously consider a film lampooning the life of Christ in the same way Holy Grail had lampooned King Arthur. Despite being non-believers, they agreed that Jesus was “definitely a good guy” & found nothing to mock in his actual teachings; on the other hand, they shared a distrust of organised religion, & decided to write a satire on credulity & hypocrisy among the followers of a spurious “Messiah”.

The focus therefore shifted to a separate individual born at the same time, in the neighbouring stable, who is subsequently mistaken for the messiah. When Jesus does appear in the film (as he does on two occasions, first in the stable, & then later speaking the Beatitudes - Matt 5:1-48), he is played straight (by British actor Kenneth Colley) - the comedy begins when members of the crowd mishear his statement “Blessed are the Peacemakers” (“I think he said, 'blessed are the cheesemakers'”).

The team decided to write the script during a concentrated script-writing session over a two-week period away from the distractions of the UK. They based themselves in the Caribbean for the writing sessions. After the irritations of Holy Grail's unpleasant locations, they elected to shoot this film in Tunisia. In contrast to Holy Grail, many of the Pythons remember this as their most enjoyable experience working together as a group. Impresario Bernard Delfont became nervous upon reading the script, & abruptly withdrew funding (that he had previously agreed to provide) shortly before filming was due to commence. The project was saved by George Harrison, who immediately set up Handmade Films to finance Brian - budgeted at that time at £5 million. He later quipped that he did so because having read the script he simply wanted to see the film. The Pythons have joked that it is the most anyone has ever paid for a cinema ticket.

The experiment with co-direction on Holy Grail proved to be a one-off, as it led to creative friction. Instead, Jones was left to direct by himself. Though Cleese had originally wanted to play Brian, the rest of the group favoured Chapman, having been impressed by the “noble” quality he brought to his portrayal of King Arthur (they were also conscious that Cleese's performance as Reg had been the highlight of the read-throughs, & he would not have been able to play both parts). Though Chapman only plays Brian, Biggus Dickus & one of the wisemen, the rest of the cast between them play over 40 characters. Brian also featured brief cameos from George Harrison & Spike Milligan, who just happened to be on holiday in Tunisia at the time; Keith Moon was also set to make a cameo appearance but died before he could film his part.

Upon its release, Christian groups organised protests against the film, based on its perceived blasphemy, particularly in the final scene, a comical song sung by the victims of a mass crucifixion (Idle's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"). On its initial release in the UK, the film was banned by several town councils (some of which actually had no cinemas within their boundaries). The film was also banned for eight years in the Republic of Ireland & for a year in Norway (it was marketed in Sweden as 'the movie that is so funny, it was banned in Norway!'). The film was not released in Italy until 1990, eleven years after it was made. The film was not shown in Jersey until 2001, & even then, Bailiff of Jersey Frank Ereaut's government wanted it to be watched only by adults, even though the BBFC had rated it suitable for anyone aged 14 or over.

Mary Whitehouse & other campaigners picketed & distributed leaflets at cinemas showing the film, ironically providing free publicity. Shortly after the film's release, Cleese & Palin appeared in a debate on the BBC2 discussion programme Friday Night, Saturday Morning, in which Malcolm Muggeridge & Mervyn Stockwood, the Bishop of Southwark, put the case against the film. Cleese has frequently said that he enjoyed the debate, since he felt that the film was 'completely intellectually defensible'. Appearing on the Dick Cavett show during the controversy, Cleese said "Either these people are stupid, which they obviously are not, or they have become so enraged that they're incapable of thinking, because they have in fact made me rich." Palin, however, was visibly angry. This discussion (and the earnest reverence for Python among comedy fans) was famously parodied by the Not the Nine O'Clock News, in a sketch featuring a furious debate about The General Synod's Life of Christ, a Biblical film accused of being “a lampoon of the Comic Messiah himself - Our Lord, John Cleese.”

For their part, the Pythons have always maintained (most recently on the DVD commentary) that the film is heretical rather than blasphemous, since it mocks the practices of organised religion rather than the God being worshipped.

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
Python's final film returned to something closer to the style of Flying Circus. A series of sketches loosely followed the ages of man from conception to death. Directed again by Jones, The Meaning of Life is embellished with some of Python's most bizarre & disturbing moments, as well as various elaborate musical numbers. The film is by far their darkest work, containing a great deal of spectacular violence & black humour: at the time of its release, the Pythons confessed their aim was to offend "absolutely everyone". A short film by Gilliam - The Crimson Permanent Assurance - originally planned as a sketch within the film, eventually grew so ambitious that it was cut from the movie & used as a supporting feature in its own right (on video & DVD, & also in television screenings, this section is tagged onto the start of the film as a prologue).

Though a commercial & critical success, The Meaning of Life is generally not regarded as being of the same quality as its predecessors. Many feel that it lacks the structure of Holy Grail & Life of Brian. Idle claims it was just "one re-write away from being perfect". The Pythons had originally wanted to do one final re-write introducing one lead character (along the lines of Arthur or Brian) who could be followed through the ages of man. However, Cleese refused as he had grown tired of the already protracted writing process for the film.

Crucially, this was the last project that all six Pythons would collaborate on, except for the 1989 compilation Parrot Sketch Not Included where we see the Python cast sitting in a closet for 4 seconds - which would also be the last time Chapman was filmed on screen with the rest of the Pythons.
Python involvement in the Secret Policeman's Ball benefit shows
Various members of Monty Python have contributed their services to multiple charitable endeavors & causes over the years - sometimes as an ensemble - at other times as individual members. The cause that has been the most frequent & consistent beneficiary of Monty Python's generosity has been the human rights work of Amnesty International. Between 1976 & 1981, the troupe & /or its members appeared in four major fund-raisers for Amnesty - known collectively as the Secret Policeman's Ball shows - which were turned into multiple films, TV shows, videos, record albums & books. These benefit shows & their many spin-offs raised considerable sums of money for Amnesty, raised public & media awareness of the human rights cause & influenced many other members of the entertainment community (especially rock musicians) to become involved in political & social issues. Among the many musicians who have publicly attributed their activism - & the organization of their own benefit events to the inspiration of the work in this field of Monty Python are Bono, Bob Geldof, Pete Townshend & Sting. The shows are also credited by Amnesty with helping the organization develop public awareness in the USA where one of the spin-off films was a major success.

Two of the six Pythons - Cleese & Jones - had an involvement (as performer, writer & /or director) in all four Amnesty benefit shows. Palin was involved in three, Chapman in two & Gilliam in one. Eric Idle did not participate in any of the Amnesty shows. Notwithstanding Idle's lack of participation - the other five members (together with two "Associate Pythons" - Carol Cleveland & Neil Innes - all appeared together in the first Secret Policeman's Ball benefit - the 1976 A Poke In The Eye (With A Sharp Stick) performing several Python sketches & in this first show, they were collectively billed as Monty Python. (Peter Cook deputized for the errant Eric Idle in one major sketch The Courtroom). In the next three shows, the participating Python members performed many Python sketches - but were billed under their individual names rather than under the collective Python banner. After a six-year break, Amnesty resumed producing Secret Policeman's Ball benefit shows in 1987 (sometimes with, & sometimes without variants of the iconic title) & by 2006 had presented a total of twelve such shows. The shows since 1987 have featured newer generations of British comedic performers - including many who have attributed their participation in the show to their desire to emulate the Python's pioneering work for Amnesty. (Cleese & Palin made a brief cameo appearance in the 1989 Amnesty show - but apart from that, the Python members have not appeared in any of the shows after the legendary first four shows.)

The five surviving members of the main Monty Python team are directors of Python (Monty) Pictures Limited which was incorporated in 1973 & now manages ongoing activities resulting from their previous work together. In the accounts return, the company describes its activities as the 'exploitation of television & cinematographic productions'. In the last financial year for which accounts are available (to March 2004), the company's turnover was £4.9M.

When Monty Python's Flying Circus was shown in the USA by ABC in their "Wide World of Entertainment" slot in 1975, the episodes were re-edited to allow time for commercials, thus losing the continuity & flow intended in the originals. When ABC refused to stop screening the series in this form, the Pythons took them to court. Initially the court ruled that their artistic rights had indeed been violated, but refused to stop the ABC broadcasts as this would cause “financial damage” to ABC. However, on appeal the team gained control over all subsequent U.S. broadcasts of its programmes. The case also led to them gaining the foreign rights to all Python shows from the BBC, once their original contracts ended at the end of 1980 (a unique arrangement at the time).

A driving force behind Python in the late 1970s was George Harrison, who not only funded Life of Brian but guest-starred as Mr. Papadopolous (though his voice is dubbed by Palin), & also produced a number of their songs from that period, including "The Lumberjack Song" single. He also made a cameo appearance in Idle & Neil Innes' cult Beatles parody All You Need Is Cash (aka The Rutles), which also featured cameo appearances by three members of America's Saturday Night Live team - produced by Broadway Video, SNL's production company. Harrison even claimed in an interview that "Monty Python helped me get over the trauma of the breakup of the Beatles."

Four of the remaining Pythons (excluding John Cleese) reunited along with Python associate Neil Innes for a Concert for George salute to Harrison on the first anniversary of Harrison's death in 2002.

Each member pursued other film & television projects after the break-up of the group, but often continued to work with one another. Many of these collaborations were very successful, such as Fawlty Towers (written by & starring Cleese & his then wife Connie Booth), & A Fish Called Wanda (1988) (also written by Cleese, & in which he starred along with Palin). The latter pair also appeared in Time Bandits (1981), a movie written by Gilliam & Palin, & directed by Gilliam. Gilliam also directed & co-wrote Brazil (1985) & The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), which featured Palin & Idle respectively. Gilliam has now become a cult director; he often struggles to find the money for his work because his films tend to go over-budget & fail at the box-office. Palin & Jones wrote the comedic film series Ripping Yarns, starring Palin with an assortment of British actors. Palin's BBC travel series have also proved extremely popular as have Jones' historical documentaries. In terms of numbers of productions, John Cleese has had the most prolific solo career, having appeared in 59 theatrical movies, 22 TV shows or series (including Cheers & Will & Grace), 23 direct-to-video productions, six video games, & a number of commercials.[9] Idle enjoyed critical success with Rutland Weekend Television in the mid-70s & as an actor in Nuns on the Run (1990) with Robbie Coltrane. He also had a UK #3 single with "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."

Mony Python the facts part 2

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