Monty Python, Season 1, Episode 1 - 1 Whither Canada?

[antlerfight]

michael palin is a hottie.

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

This is it? The very beginning of Monty Python? The one moment in history when the English finally managed to become a bit funny? The comedies of Shakespeare were not a bit funny and so it took the English some pains to become funny at last; but it did not last and today English comedy is even worse than not being funny; when I first saw this abortive jester Cohen and his failed attempts to be funny I knew that the influence of Monty Python must have largely waned.

[functio1]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar - 'The one moment in history when the English finally managed to become a bit funny?' You seem to be forgetting Spike Milligan, who the Pythons copied quite considerably both in style and content.

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@functio1: Did that Spike person live between the Pythons and Charlie Chaplin – who was not funny at all – or even before? Can his comedies be viewed? I would like to judge for myself.

[functio1]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar - yes, just look for Spike Milligan here on youtube. Have a look for his 'Surgery sketch' or 'The Lords Prayer'. The Pythons borrowed alot from him. He would have them chased off the set of his Q series, saying they were stealing his ideas XD Later on he had a brief part in 'Life of Brian'...

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@functio1: The things I have seen appear to be pretty contemporary with the Pythons or not much earlier, though he looks a lot older than them. Was he a legend already when the Pythons founded themselves? But then again: J.S. Bach and G.F. Haendel were around at the same time as well (if such small things as the Pythons can be compared to those great composers). So would you say that the Pythons did steal his ideals or where they just inspired by his work?

[functio1]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar - he was around long before them. Without him and the Marx brothers there would be no alternative comedy. He was also one of the Goons, who all of the Pythons cite as an inspiration. They've also admitted in the past to 'borrowing' from him - military types, sketches that don't end (Milligan was famous for that), silly sound effects, silly films, etc..I'd say you need to do more research into classic British comedy - Steptoe & Son, In Sickness & In Health, etc. to name a few.

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@functio1: Alternative comedy? I think that term is rather nonsense as the Pythons follow in the line of classical comedy and they resemble a bit even the grandmaster Aristophanes, especially when they do tell a whole tale as they have done in The Holy Grail and the Life of Brian; and like Aristophanes they have predecessors and inspiration but are unlikely to have successors; and though I like Black Adder a lot it is to them as was Menander to Aristophanes.

[lcmiracle]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar ...so, while well known to be a surreal comedy group, that makes them classic comedians. You sir, are a loser.

P.S.: The lion which was mistaken for an anteater which was mistaken for a tiger was in fact two guys in a tiger costume.

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@lcmiracle: Your ignorance is amazing: In the said jest there was only shown a photograph of a lion shown and any disguised persons; and if the Pythons will ever become classical comedians is doubtful, as their fame begins to wane even in their latter days; though certain enthusiasts may still give them some immortality but in 200 or 300 years one will know more and if their jests and plays are staged them still like the ones of Aristophanes or Moliere then they will be classical.

[liverpoolmatt87]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar charlie chaplin not funny?........do you even have a sense of humour?

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@liverpoolmatt87: In reply I refer to the forth part of the Chronicles of the Black Adder (the secret history of England), in which Captain Edmund Blackadder explains to his lackeys why this Chaplin fool is for sure not funny at all:

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

George: Oh come on, skipper, it ain't fair. I haven't asked for all of this. When he kicked that fellow in the backside, I thought I'd die!

Edmund: Well, if that's your idea of comedy, we can provide our own without paying for the privilege. There, you find that funny?

George: Well, no of course not, sir, but you see, Chaplin is a genius.

Edmund: He certainly is a genius, George. He invented a way of getting a million dollars a year by wearing stupid trousers.

[liverpoolmatt87]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar yes yes I know the scene

[liverpoolmatt87]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar oh well didn't you say so

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@liverpoolmatt87: So you agree at last that one can have a decent sense of humour and yet can find this Chaplin dude to be not funny at all?

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@liverpoolmatt87: Agreeing in matters of taste and truth with the beliefs of the majority is somewhat dangerous as it shows you in a very unfriendly light; as a hind how much and why I will invoke some certain verses of Shakespeare:

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

POINS The reason?

PRINCE HENRY What wouldst thou think of me, if I should weep?

POINS I would think thee a most princely hypocrite.

PRINCE HENRY It would be every man's thought; and thou art a blessed fellow to think as every man thinks: never a man's thought in the world keeps the road-way better than thine: every man would think me an hypocrite indeed. And what accites your most worshipful thought to think so?

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@liverpoolmatt87: So do you confess yourself as a staunch supporter of whatever majority you happen to come across? Normally people would not dare to do so, at least in decent society; but if you are so inclined you should indulge in it, just like those strange animals called lemmings, which jump all together into some abyss.

[liverpoolmatt87]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar I didn't confess to anything, I'm just stating common knowledge that whenever there's a concept a majority will rally behind it and they usually do outweigh the minority. Normally people would go for the majority...especially in a decent society....that's the reality of it. oh btw I'm human not a lemming ;)

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@liverpoolmatt87: No you are a lemming and among human beings you would make a fool of your self by saying so; and in order to cure your delusions about obeying the majority I will invoke the German philosopher Immanuel Kant about the meaning of the term enlightenment in order to show that such a behaviour is an obscene insult against the human mind:

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

“Enlightenment is man's release from his self-incurred tutelage. Tutelage is man's inability to make use of his understanding without direction from another. Self-incurred is this tutelage when its cause lies not in lack of reason but in lack of resolution and courage to use it without direction from another. Sapere aude! "Have courage to use your own reason!" - that is the motto of enlightenment.”

[lcmiracle]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar Just because you contradict everybody doesn't mean you think independently from others. You sole action of continuously contradicting others proves only what a dick you are. And do bother contradicting me cuz I really like to contradict you.

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@lcmiracle: More matter, with less art.

[liverpoolmatt87]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar I don't give toss about your recitements, you're better off doing that in church or in a mosque. you should know that action is louder than words mate.

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@liverpoolmatt87: Reciting Immanuel Kant in Christian churches or the iniquitous dens of Mohammedanism? Well frankly sir, I'd rather spend an evening on top of a stepladder in No Man's Land smoking cigarettes through an illuminous balacava. You must be stark raving mad!

[liverpoolmatt87]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar as far as I am concerned you're talking a load of bollocks

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@liverpoolmatt87: No chance, English bed-wetting type. I burst my pimples at you and call your Charlie Chaplin a silly thing, you tiny-brained wiper of other people's bottoms! Yes, depart a lot at this time, and cut the approaching any more or we fire arrows at the tops of your head and make castanets out of your testicles already! And now, remain gone, illegitimate-faced bugger-folk! And, if you think you got a nasty taunting this time, you ain't heard nothing yet, English!

[unhacked1explorser]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar my gosh, you seem to debate a lot, about what, I'm not sure, but I believe your arguments would be much better if you summarized everything in 20 words or less

all I have to say to you, and most other people, is this:

Monty Python is awesome, it's better than most junk on TV today.Please don't bring religion into any conversation anywhere.

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@unhacked1explorser: Only modern coxcombs, writing text messages on mobile phones, would do such a thing; and no one questions that Monty Python does prevail over the current television programmes, but the matter in question is if they will stand the test of time and outlive their age for centuries or not! When it comes to Monty Python religion is everywhere: Remember “The Bishop”, “The Holy Grail” and of course “Life of Brian” (also called “Jesus Christ: Lust for Glory”)!

[lcmiracle]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar hum... I have a decent sense of humor and I find FIreEyedMaidOfWar a very dull and unfair person

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@lcmiracle: Well, yes, but you see your comments here say that you are an extremely dull person. You see, they describe you as an appallingly dull fellow, unimaginative, timid, lacking in initiative, spineless, easily dominated, no sense of humour, tedious company and irrepressibly drab and awful.

[lcmiracle]

@FireEyedMaidOfWar well at least I can tell an ant eater from a tiger...

[FireEyedMaidOfWar]

@lcmiracle: The Python puritans would inform you that it is a lion and not a tiger which is confused with the said anteater.

[TheTechnoToast]

3:15 Violet Stebbings = Violent Stabbings

[naganokumas]

IT'S De Sonne.

[F2L4Life]

He shouldn't be saying that; we haven't done comparitives yet.

[TonyBranston]

My name is also John Dark.

[Tareltonlives]

Good think I know some Italian.

[1958boomergirl]

"It's all sex and death as far as I can tell." ---from "Black Sun" by Dead Can Dance. YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE­EEE!!!

[StripesndSuch]

thankyou so very muchmuch for putting this up! :)

[csibatmanfan]

Is it just me or do we we see more of Terry Gilliam in the Monty Python movies then we do on the actual show?

[jayrox40]

ITS!!!!!!

[Stonewall42]

15,000 days ago, today.

[Alexmo555]

It's......

[MrJesusrodeaharley]

i think i speak for everyone when i say thank you esmr and thank pythons

[TheSpursrule4ever]

this is timeless comedy, we'll still be laughing at it in another 40 years.

[goldieboylover986]

KHHISS MEE HAAAAAAAARDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE­EEEEEE..OUGHm!

[PaigeEvonne]

oh thank geeze, everywhere else i went 4 Monty Python was put together by primates.. missing parts & half episodes & crap. TY sooo much ESMR! u rule

[mussonman]

ah.. the meaning of life is the best...

[TheOdderOne]

'Strooth!  Huaaah!

[Maphysto]

.....IT'S....

[drunkandmisguided]

Its kind of funny because when I first saw Graham Chapman on this show, I actually thought he looked either Scottish or German. I also thought that he could drink a lot, vodka in particular (probably because I thought he was German). And he always kind of stood out like a sore thumb because he looked so much more serious, but that was just his face. He was funny regardless.

[hattrickster33]

watching this when ur stoned is awsum

[John6yt]

LOL Edward VII with only 3 points

[Saywardstudio]

I remember seeing this episode as a test run on PBS years ago. I vividly remembered Arthur 'Two Sheds' Jackson...that's my favorite sketch of this episode, and possibly the series. One of my friends' ex wife bought a second shed on his credit card and we're always calling him 'Two Sheds.' .... he doesn't get it. XD

[patrickstar20]

sonow italianow from milanow lol

[queensofia123]

What a landmark.

one of the GREATES comedy things of all time!! :D

[mowub]

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of this episode!

[graaar]

hahaha I love the first episode- their studio audience was full of elderly suburbanites who had no idea what to make of the show. The tentative awkward laughter makes it even funnier.

[NyeTunes]

That's not this episode though. The second episode was actually taped first.

[graaar]

oh yeah? I didn't know that, interesting.

[NyeTunes]

You know, watching that episode again, their story doesn't seem true. That gets a lot more response than this one does.

[graaar]

well they're all quite ancient now, I've noticed they've given different answers to the same questions in interviews before (I'm just that nerdy.) so I suppose it happens

[Gubbywubby]

One of the evergreen bucket kickers??!!!! Hahahahaahaha.

[MordredPenndragon]

eric idle is the best

[Maphysto]

STREUTH!

[golbezomega]

I think is Strewth!

[andyandymax]

Verily, 'tis.

[drsdino]

AND SO THE MADDNESS BEGINS!! (Jumps out the window and rides backwords on Llama to Sweden, then opens a shop were evety one gets a discount for screaming, NI! nine hundred times in a row.)

[petaboil]

its...

[thatwassolastweek1]

I love that opening scene

[Lennoxed]

Graham in traditional German hosen x3

[billybobjoeericidle]

does john actually play piano?

[MrNemanja0404]

Terry Jones and Chapman are great at this one!!!

[NickInfante92]

john cleese,eric idle and michael palin are the funniest guys in monty python flying circus

[mikeysrose]

Is that Alan Cumming in the back row in the classroom?

[mellielli]

we haven't done comparatives yet:D When you pay attention you notice how important language and linguistics are in MP sketches. eg. woody and tiny words, the man who speaks only the beginnings/middles/ends of sentences and the Spanish Inquisition.

[gambolholic]

Eric Idle wrote many of the linguistic sketches. John and Graham wrote many of the sketches that had many synonyms (dead parrot, cheese, etc)

[Thundermonk99]

@gambolholic john usually wrote with michael, though he occasionally wrote with others

[Anargie]

Deutschen Klasses :P

[dfire]

Finished putting every episode on a playlist. I'll begin watching it right about...now.

[malibudollparts]

woop on my second viewing now :) i can imagine it will only get better!

[tendollabill]

wow

[graaar]

You know that clip they played throughout the show of little old ladies clapping? That was their first audience (that's why there isn't much laughter- they should have had a younger audience).

Best sketch show ever- the only time anything's ever come remotely close is Mr. Show.

[dragonboyjgh]

and so begins the pig running gag.

The italian speaking students remind me of Joseph Jones and that one Markus kid in my German class.

already know the language, and are taking it for a bunny class.

[swsproul]

Dude! In the opening credits, they spelled Python with an 'i'. I wonder when that changed.

[NivMizzet89]

I think its still an Y, but with the two upper pegs extremely close together.

[KBMemon]

dude, its a Y

[batmanofni]

The very first episode, whooooooooooo.

[jessiethegeek]

Time stood stil mouths were agape as monty python entered the world:)

i love this.ericidle has such a grea smile.a good beginign to a groundbreaking show

[RantingPriest]

it was also filmed in front of a live audience. You can tell by the way the people react that none of them is really sure what the hell the Pythons are going on about. There is hardly any laughter in the first part; nobody ever saw anything like this before :D

[fromthesidelines]

The series originally premiered on BBC 1 at 11pm on a Sunday night, replacing a repeat of a religious discussion program. No one was sure how the first episode would be received at that late hour...

[jessiethegeek]

and then then comedy as we knew it was blown out of the water!!!:)

[Titaniacy]

Graham as the German is simply HILLARIOUS!!!

[moonlightwing99]

I thinks it's really funny that the italians are taking an italian class! XD really great!!

[daspenguin]

Strewth!!

[greg5566]

Wow, really insane from the very beginning. The guy just says "it's," then you think there's going to be some traditional talk show sketch, but instead Graham never says a word, but just sits on a pig--how random is that, then it's _not_ Amadeus, but a show about death. Just amazing.

[moviemogul18]

I forget which of the original members has passed away recently? I tihnk it was Graham but I'm not 100% sure..

[MadEyze]

yeah it was Graham.

[AtTheApostasy]

recently? he died in 1989. but that's still more recent than any of the other pythons, as they havn't passed away yet. arf.

[Sukriti]

Oh god. This is it.

That very first "IT'S" ever...

Dun Dun Dun...

[greendaygal63]

hilarious from the very beginning!

[capnhawkins]

So now I know how all of Monty Python begins. Love it.

[Maulkorb]

Eric and his Italian.. ^^

[foreverWHOfan]

=P eric idle's just awesome

[jessiethegeek]

Hi5.i agree:)

[Greensmurf]

So this is where the madness began. Thanks for posting this

[shadowpig13]

how awesome^^

graham chapman's not even that bad at german! nice 'dankeschön' ^_^

[lionelthebat]

You're right.  He does look like your dad.

[EilertPilarmDM]

just can't help but imagine the good folks tuning in to the BBC over thirty years ago....and they see THIS.

Cheers for uploading all the Python(Monty) shows! 5 stars

[leela145]

if ou put everysingle thing on here, I will be soooo happy. great job!!!

[ESMR]

almost there man! almost there!

[PheatherP]

John Cleese has such a creepy smile!

[sandblastyourself]

he looks like my dad without a moustache :/

[jessiethegeek]

youknow ive never noticed but he does.kind of like that creepy uncle every fears and admires lol.but hes funny as all get out :)

SGLY

[MontyPythonManiac93]

Yay! More python :D thank you ^^

[360waveboarder]

monty python rocks i cant believe that there are only 4 views

[modica68]

10,870 actualy wave border... you bastard