Intro

Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

Today's episode will be on the comedy group Monty Python. The group was formed in the late 1960s consisting of six members whose work included television, film, and stage. Their absurd humour and social comedy entertained for decades and each member also went onto successful individual careers.

With that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monty_Python_O2_Arena.jpg

Wikipedia Summary

Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons)[2][3] were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, which aired on the BBC from 1969 to 1974. Their work then developed into a larger collection that included live shows, films, albums, books, and musicals; their influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles' influence on music.[4][5][6] Their sketch show has been called "an important moment in the evolution of television comedy".[7]

Monty Python's Flying Circus was loosely structured as a sketch show, but its innovative stream-of-consciousness approach and Gilliam's animation skills pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in style and content.[8][9] The Pythons had creative control which allowed them to experiment with form and content, discarding rules of television comedy. They followed their television work by making the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979), and The Meaning of Life (1983). Their influence on British comedy has been apparent for years, while it has coloured the work of the early editions of Saturday Night Live through to absurdist trends in television comedy.

At the 41st British Academy Film Awards in 1988, Monty Python received the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. In 1998, they were awarded the AFI Star Award by the American Film Institute. Holy Grail and Life of Brian are frequently ranked on lists of the greatest comedy films. A 2005 poll asked more than 300 comedians, comedy writers, producers, and directors to name the greatest comedians of all time, and half of Monty Python's members made the top 50.[10][11]

Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monty_python_collage.jpg

Mnemonic

Monty Python Members Mnemonic – MiG JETT

(Picture Monty Python’s TV show called Monty Python’s Flying Circus, with all six members of Monty Python packed into a MiG Jet flying around in circles, inside the circus tent)

1. Michael Palin

2. Graham Chapman

3. John Cleese

4. Eric Idle

5. Terry Gilliam

6. Terry Jones

Five Fun Facts

1. The name Monty Python does not mean anything in particular. John Cleese suggested “Python” because it sounded slithery, while Eric Idle came up with “Monty” because it suggested a drunken British stereotype.

2. All members of Monty Python came from the United Kingdom apart from Terry Gilliam who was born in Minnesota in the USA.

3. John Cleese and Graham Chapman starred in another sketch comedy prior to Monty Python called “At Last the 1948 Show”.

4. Most Monty Python members are well educated with Terry Jones and Michael Palin attending Oxford and John Cleese, Graham Chapman, and Eric Idol attending Cambridge.

5. The extras in the film “The Holy Grail” for the marriage scene were either students or tourists. Each got paid 2-pound, and had free transportation and food.

Just speaking of Monty Python's Holy Grail, apparently during the making of “The Holy Grail” a crazed gunman managed to get on set. Anyway, John Cleese and Graham Chapman were terrified for their lives, but it turned out the guy was just making Idle threats!

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monty_Python_Live_(Mostly).jpg

Three Question Quiz

Q.1. Which Monty Python member is an acclaimed travel writer having written 21 books as well as hosting travel documentaries?

Q.2. Which Monty Python member wrote and starred in Faulty Towers? And how many episodes did it run for?

Q.3. Who is the oldest member of Monty Python?

Mnemonic Recap