And Now for Something Completely Different

I have to admit it ... I'm a Monty Python fan. Have been since High School, and continue to love the classic skits and movies to this day.

I think British Humour has got to be far and above the standard American comedy (which is mostly swearing, and making fun of a race or group or themselves). Not that there are not a lot of great American comics, there are. Guys such as Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham and his puppets and Canadian Russell Peters are excellent comedians and even standouts in their field.

But they are not really trendsetters. They are great comedians, will go a long way and are very, very entertaining. No doubt they are standouts in the field of stand-up comedy.

But nothing broke the Comedic mold like Monty Pythons did in the late 60's and through to the 1980's with movies and reruns. Written in large part by John Cleese, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, Monty Python quickly earned cult status for its unique approach to 'not-so mainstream' comedy. Unfortunately conflicts between Cleese and another writer and the evils of alcoholism took their toll on the TV show and it ended in 1974-1975.

While America was tuning into shows such as Gilligan's Island, which was great slapstick comedy but not much else. Popular comedies such as Bewitched, I love Lucy and Hogan's Heroes - did very well in North America - Britains and to a large part - Canadians quickly developed a fondness for a zany British comedy with the big foot!

The show spawned several movies, the most famous being Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The movie itself was done on such a low budget it puts Hollywood's massive productions to shame, yet is one of the most popular films produced over the past 40 years.

Monty Python's legacy officially ended in 1984 with their final film The Meaning of Life. Another low-budget movie which has gone onto glory. Not as popular as The Holy Grail, but still a masterpiece in a more traditional Monty Python format.

And to further their stance as comedic leaders, many of the original cast went on to write and produce or star in their own films over the next decade. Such movies you will recall as 'A Fish Called Wanda', 'Jabberwocky', 'Yellowbeard', and others are still popular among the comedy loving crowd.

Cleese himself had a great career during and after Monty Python. He has appeared in numerous shows, movies and skits, and written or directed many others.

This from Wikipedia: "In terms of numbers of productions, Cleese has the most prolific solo career, having appeared in 59 theatrical films, 22 TV shows or series (including Cheers, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Q's assistant in the James Bond movies, and Will & Grace), 23 direct-to-video productions, six video games, and a number of commercials.^[16] His BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers (written by and starring Cleese together with his then-wife Connie Booth), is considered the greatest solo work by a Python since the sketch show finished. It is the only comedy series to rank higher than the Flying Circus on the BFI TV 100's list, topping the whole poll."

Yes, Monty Python was indeed trend setters in the field of comedy..... their examples are shown in our modern language and discussions constantly. The Lumberjack song, Knights of Ni, shrubberies, and many others are ingrained into our culture.

And now Britain and the BBC have opened yet another door for the future of comedy with Irish funny-man Brendan O'Carroll and his play-turned-TV show Mrs. Browns Boys.

I won't go into detail other than to say - this is as outlandish now as Monty Python's was in its day. If you have a chance - click this link and watch a few episodes - but start with episode Number 1. If you like Monty Python - you'll love Mrs. Brown! Just make sure the younglings are not around!