Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
Encyclopedia
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl is a 1982 concert film
in which the Monty Python
team perform many of their greatest sketches at the Hollywood Bowl
. The show also included filmed inserts which were mostly taken from two Monty Python specials, Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
, which had been broadcast on German television in 1972. The performance was recorded on videotape in September 1980 and transferred to film. In the wake of the worldwide success of Monty Python's Life of Brian
, the Pythons originally planned to release a film consisting of the two German shows edited together, but this proved impractical, and so Hollywood Bowl was released instead.
The film stars all six Monty Python members, with Carol Cleveland
in numerous supporting roles and Neil Innes
performing songs. Also present for the shows and participating as an 'extra' was Python superfan Kim 'Howard' Johnson.
Although it mostly contains sketches from the TV show, the scripts and performers are not identical to those seen on television. The lineup also includes some sketches that predated Monty Python's Flying Circus
, including the "Four Yorkshiremen sketch
", which dated from 1967's At Last the 1948 Show
.
The "Silly Olympics" sketch is from the first Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
episode, dubbed into English.
, which includes the 1998 Monty Python Live at Aspen
retrospective and the first episode of Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
. It was also released as part of The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset and as part of Almost Everything Ever in One Gloriously Fabulous Ludicrously Definitive Outrageously Luxurious Monty Python Boxset.
Concert film
A concert movie, or concert film, is a type of documentary film, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by a musician ....
in which the Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
team perform many of their greatest sketches at the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
. The show also included filmed inserts which were mostly taken from two Monty Python specials, Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus consisted of two 45-minute Monty Python German television comedy specials produced by WDR for West German television...
, which had been broadcast on German television in 1972. The performance was recorded on videotape in September 1980 and transferred to film. In the wake of the worldwide success of Monty Python's Life of Brian
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as Life of Brian, is a 1979 British comedy film written, directed and largely performed by the Monty Python comedy team...
, the Pythons originally planned to release a film consisting of the two German shows edited together, but this proved impractical, and so Hollywood Bowl was released instead.
The film stars all six Monty Python members, with Carol Cleveland
Carol Cleveland
Carol Cleveland is a British actress/comedienne, most notable for her appearances as the only significant female performer on Monty Python's Flying Circus.-Early life:...
in numerous supporting roles and Neil Innes
Neil Innes
Neil James Innes is an English writer and performer of comic songs, best known for his collaborative work with Monty Python, and for playing in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later The Rutles.-Personal life:...
performing songs. Also present for the shows and participating as an 'extra' was Python superfan Kim 'Howard' Johnson.
Although it mostly contains sketches from the TV show, the scripts and performers are not identical to those seen on television. The lineup also includes some sketches that predated Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
, including the "Four Yorkshiremen sketch
Four Yorkshiremen sketch
The "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch is a parody of nostalgic conversations about humble beginnings or difficult childhoods. Four Yorkshiremen reminisce about their upbringing, and as the conversation progresses, they try to outdo one another, their accounts of deprived childhoods becoming increasingly...
", which dated from 1967's At Last the 1948 Show
At Last the 1948 Show
At Last the 1948 Show is a satirical TV show made by David Frost's company, Paradine Productions , in association with Rediffusion London...
.
Sketches and songs
- "Sit on my FaceSit on My Face"Sit on My Face" is a short song by the members of the comedy troupe Monty Python which originally appeared on the album Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album. It was later included in the album Monty Python Sings, and was sung in the Python concert filmed and released as Monty Python Live...
" – A ribald parody of Gracie FieldsGracie FieldsDame Gracie Fields, DBE , was an English-born, later Italian-based actress, singer and comedienne and star of both cinema and music hall.-Early life:...
' "Sing as We GoSing as We GoSing As We Go is a 1934 British musical film starring Gracie Fields and Stanley Holloway. The script was written by Gordon Wellesley and J. B. Priestley; it was directed by Basil Dean....
" from Monty Python's Contractual Obligation AlbumMonty Python's Contractual Obligation AlbumMonty Python's Contractual Obligation Album is an album released by Monty Python in 1980, a mixture of songs, new sketches and some rerecorded pre-Python work. As the title suggests, the album was put together to complete a contract with Charisma Records...
, performed by Cleese, Chapman, Gilliam and Jones in waiter outfits, sans trousers or underwear. - "Colin 'Bomber' Harris" – Chapman is his own opponent in the wrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
ring as Cleese delivers play-by-play. This is a mime piece that dates back to Chapman's college days. - "Never Be Rude to an ArabNever Be Rude to an ArabNever Be Rude to an Arab is a satirical song by the members of Monty Python's Flying Circus. It appears as sung by Terry Jones in the theatrically released concert film Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl as well as on the album Monty Python Sings.The song dispenses advice about not resorting...
" – Jones performs an ostensibly anti-racism song filled with demeaning epithets, and is subsequently blown up. This sketch has two parts at different points in the show. In the first part, he's blown up and dragged offstage by Kim Johnson dressed as a large frog. In the second, he's blown up and dragged off by Johnson dressed as a Christmas tree. Also from Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album. - "The Last Supper" – MichelangeloMichelangeloMichelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
(Idle) defends his creative first draft of The Last Supper painting against the objections of the Pope (Cleese). Was originally written for the TV series by Cleese and Chapman but somehow never got on the air, and was first performed for one of the Secret Policeman's Ball shows. It's based on a historical incident involving the Renaissance painter Paolo Veronese. - "Silly Olympics" – In a filmed section, athletes compete in absurd sporting events of the "Silly Olympiad," an event traditionally held every 3.7 years. The events include
- The 100m for Runners with No Sense of Direction. On the starting gun, the runners run off in every single direction.
- The 1500m for the Deaf. They don't move because they can't hear the starting gun.
- The 200m Freestyle for Non-Swimmers. At the starting whistle, they all jump into the water and immediately sink without surfacing, to which the commentator remarks that they'll return to the swimming when they start "fishing the corpses out".
- The Marathon for Those with Extremely Weak Bladders. In this, runners fall away from the group every couple of metres to relieve themselves, giving others the lead.
- The 3000m Steeplechase for People Who Think They're Chickens. In this, the runners are all doing chicken movements all over the course, and seem to be trying desperately to lay eggs.
- The High Jump briefly features, with one of the Pythons, perhaps Cleese, dressed as a woman. They take a run-up, then jump ridiculously high over a wall and onto a high balcony.
The "Silly Olympics" sketch is from the first Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus consisted of two 45-minute Monty Python German television comedy specials produced by WDR for West German television...
episode, dubbed into English.
- "Bruces' Philosophers SongBruces' Philosophers Song (Bruces' Song)Bruces' Philosophers Song was a popular Monty Python song written by Eric Idle, and was a feature of the group's stage appearances and its recordings. According to the sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus, it was rendered by a number of Australian university lecturers...
" – The University of Woolloomooloo's Philosophy Department throws cans of Foster's LagerFoster's LagerFoster's Lager is an internationally distributed Australian brand of 5.0% abv pale lager, It is a product of Foster's Group brewed under licence in several countries, including the U.S. and Russia...
at the audience and perform "The Philosophers' Song", accompanied by large Gilliam cutouts, detailing the drinking habits of history's great thinkers. Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
, Michael PalinMichael PalinMichael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
, and Neil InnesNeil InnesNeil James Innes is an English writer and performer of comic songs, best known for his collaborative work with Monty Python, and for playing in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later The Rutles.-Personal life:...
play three "Bruces" (from the classic sketch of Flying Circus, Season Two). - "The Ministry of Silly WalksThe Ministry of Silly Walks"The Ministry of Silly Walks" is a sketch from the Monty Python comedy troupe's television show Monty Python's Flying Circus, episode 14, which is entitled "Face the Press". The episode first aired in 1970. A shortened version of the sketch was performed for Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl...
" – Palin has difficulty gaining funding for his (only slightly) silly walk. This also contains colour footage of the same archival 'silly walks' seen in the first episode of the second Python television series. - "Camp Judges" – British judges (Idle and Palin) behave unconventionally outside the courtroom.
- "World Forum" – Important historical socialist figures are asked general-knowledge questions in a quiz showQuiz ShowQuiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
format. - "I'm the Urban SpacemanI'm the Urban Spaceman"I'm the Urban Spaceman" was the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band's most successful single, released in 1968. It reached #5 in the UK charts. The song was written by Neil Innes and produced by Paul McCartney and Gus Dudgeon under the pseudonym "Apollo C. Vermouth". The B-side was written by Viv Stanshall...
" – Neil Innes performs the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah BandBonzo Dog Doo-Dah BandThe Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band are a band created by a group of British art-school denizens of the 1960s...
number as Carol ClevelandCarol ClevelandCarol Cleveland is a British actress/comedienne, most notable for her appearances as the only significant female performer on Monty Python's Flying Circus.-Early life:...
tap danceTap danceTap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...
s and constantly loses timing of the song. - "Whizzo ChocolatesCrunchy Frog"Crunchy Frog" is a fictional sketch originating from a Monty Python sketch titled "Trade Description Act", inspired by the British law Trade Descriptions Act 1968.- The sketch :In this sketch, Mr...
" – Candymaker Jones answers to the police (Chapman and Gilliam, who vomits into his helmet) for his disgusting varieties of chocolates. - "AlbatrossAlbatross (Monty Python sketch)"Albatross" is a well known sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus. It is particularly known for its opening lines: "Albatross!! Albatross!! Albatross!!" and the question: "What flavour is it?"...
" – Cleese, dressed as a waitress, attempts to vend a wandering albatrossWandering AlbatrossThe Wandering Albatross, Snowy Albatross or White-winged Albatross, Diomedea exulans, is a large seabird from the family Diomedeidae, which has a circumpolar range in the Southern Ocean. It was the first species of albatross to be described, and was long considered the same species as the Tristan...
to audience member Jones. The sketch is stopped by the colonel (Chapman) for being too silly, who then orders Jones to report on stage for the next sketch. - "Nudge NudgeNudge Nudge"Candid Photography", better known as "Nudge Nudge", is a sketch from the third Monty Python's Flying Circus episode, "How to Recognise Different Types of Trees From Quite a Long Way Away" featuring Eric Idle and Terry Jones as two strangers who meet in a pub.-Sketch description:As patrons in a...
" – Idle pesters Jones with perplexing innuendoInnuendoAn innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
. - "International PhilosophyThe Philosophers' Football MatchThe Philosophers' Football Match is a Monty Python sketch depicting a football match in the Olympiastadion at the 1972 Munich Olympics between philosophers representing Greece and Germany...
" – In a filmed bit, German philosophers take on Greek philosophers on a football field. This piece is from the second Monty Python's Fliegender ZirkusMonty Python's Fliegender ZirkusMonty Python's Fliegender Zirkus consisted of two 45-minute Monty Python German television comedy specials produced by WDR for West German television...
episode. It is shown in two parts, with "Four Yorkshiremen" in between each. - "Four Yorkshiremen sketchFour Yorkshiremen sketchThe "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch is a parody of nostalgic conversations about humble beginnings or difficult childhoods. Four Yorkshiremen reminisce about their upbringing, and as the conversation progresses, they try to outdo one another, their accounts of deprived childhoods becoming increasingly...
" – Well-to-do YorkshireYorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
men (Palin, Idle, Chapman and Jones) try to top one another's tales of their austere beginnings, each story getting more exaggerated and absurd. Originally written for At Last the 1948 ShowAt Last the 1948 ShowAt Last the 1948 Show is a satirical TV show made by David Frost's company, Paradine Productions , in association with Rediffusion London...
. - The Argument Sketch – Palin pays Cleese to disagree with him. Sketch interrupted by Gilliam performing "I've Got Two Legs." Cleese ends Gilliam's singing by shooting him with a shotgun.
- "How Sweet to Be an Idiot" – Neil Innes sings an ode to lunacy.
- "Travel Agency" – Palin attempts to sell a package tour to Mr. Smoketoomuch (Idle), who will not stop talking about travel difficulties, even as he is chased by an asylum orderly (Cleese) all about the stadium. He even interrupts the next sketch.
- "Comedy Lecture" – Chapman explains slapstickSlapstickSlapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
comedy fundamentals in an extremely highbrow manner as Palin, Gilliam, and Jones demonstrate, with Jones invariably becoming the jokes' victim. Originally written for Cambridge CircusCambridge Footlights RevueThe Cambridge Footlights Revue is an annual revue by the Footlights Club - a group of comic writer-performers at the University of Cambridge. Two of the more notable revues are detailed below.-"A Clump of Plinths" — "Cambridge Circus":...
. - "Little Red Riding Hood" – In a filmed bit, Cleese as Little Red Riding HoodLittle Red Riding HoodLittle Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
endures a fractured retelling of the classic fairy taleFairy taleA fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
. This piece is from the first Monty Python's Fliegender ZirkusMonty Python's Fliegender ZirkusMonty Python's Fliegender Zirkus consisted of two 45-minute Monty Python German television comedy specials produced by WDR for West German television...
episode, dubbed into English. (Some VHS versions of Hollywood Bowl omit this piece.) - "Bishop on the LandingDead BishopThe Dead Bishop sketch, also known as the Church Police or Salvation Fuzz, is a comedic sketch appearing in Episode 29 of Monty Python's Flying Circus, "The Money Programme"...
" (aka "Salvation Fuzz") – A dead bishop on the landing disrupts a family's mealtime.- During the performance of this sketch, technical difficulties (a microphone starts feeding back) make Terry JonesTerry JonesTerence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....
lose his place (he temporarily looks up with a smirk on his face). Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
has trouble keeping a straight face while delivering his lines with an extraordinarily overwrought accent, which also causes Terry JonesTerry JonesTerence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....
to openly burst out laughing. At one point, Jones loses his Pepperpot wig, which goes flying across the stage. Graham Chapman and Michael Palin slide across the stage in order to hide Jones as he replaces the wig, after which they all have trouble keeping a straight face (particularly Palin). This was always a difficult sketch to perform live—on other occasions, the 'Hand of God' (a large Gilliam-designed cut-out) fingered the wrong character. Idle describes the sketch as "shambolic" as he segues into:
- During the performance of this sketch, technical difficulties (a microphone starts feeding back) make Terry Jones
- "The Lumberjack SongThe Lumberjack Song"The Lumberjack Song" is a song by the Monty Python comedy troupe. The song was written by Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Fred Tomlinson.It first appeared on the ninth episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, "The Ant: An Introduction" on BBC1 on 14 December 1969...
" – A rugged, masculine outdoorsman (Idle, as opposed to Palin in the original BBC series) unsettles the chorus by revealing his fondness for women's clothes. - According to the Live at the Hollywood Bowl book, quite early on, there is also a Spanish band singing an absurd song about llamas, and a Gumby performing flower arranging. He does this by gathering his flowers, and then arranging them neatly in a vase. However, after saying this, he smashes the plants in with a hammer until he is dragged off by two men in white coats.
Box office
A film version of the Hollywood Bowl performances, with direction credited to Terry Hughes, was given a limited theatrical release in North America beginning on 25 June 1982. It grossed a total of $327,958 USD during its theatrical run.DVD availability
In the United Kingdom the film is available as a standalone DVD. In North America it is available as part of a two-disc set titled Monty Python LiveMonty Python Live
Monty Python Live is a two-disc DVD set featuring three TV specials and a live concert film of the British comedy group Monty Python. The set includes:*Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl*Parrot Sketch Not Included - 20 Years of Monty Python...
, which includes the 1998 Monty Python Live at Aspen
Monty Python Live at Aspen
Monty Python Live at Aspen was a reunion show featuring the five surviving members of Monty Python: John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Graham Chapman was also allegedly in attendance as his "ashes" were brought out in an urn. The Pythons looked back at their work...
retrospective and the first episode of Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus consisted of two 45-minute Monty Python German television comedy specials produced by WDR for West German television...
. It was also released as part of The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset and as part of Almost Everything Ever in One Gloriously Fabulous Ludicrously Definitive Outrageously Luxurious Monty Python Boxset.