by John Cleese
Mee, Freddie (schoolmaster) 72
memorising (information and lines) 94–6, 271, 275–6; sketch about 317–19
Milgram, Stanley 71
Mill, John Stuart 368
Miller, Henry 159
Miller, Sir Jonathan 149, 150, 151
Milligan, Spike 79, 384–5
Mills, Michael 383–4, 401
Millward, Sid 78
mimics, skills of 365–6
Montgomery, Bernard, Viscount Montgomery of Alamein: death of first wife 34
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (film) 67, 387–8
Monty Python Live (Mostly) (2014 reunion show) 85, 346, 387–8, 400–404
Monty Python’s Flying Circus 356–7, 369, 374, 383–6, 389–404, 394; ‘Cheese Shop’ sketch 389–91; ‘Dead Parrot’ sketch 279, 351–2; fans 79, 402; stage shows 352, 358, 400; title 384
Monty Python’s Life of Brian (film) 116, 265, 382
Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (film) 73, 100, 207, 277
Moore, Dudley 204, 378; Beyond the Fringe 149–51; Not Only . . . But Also 266–7, 303
Morris, John 239
Mouse That Roared, The (film) 361
‘Mr Pest’ sketches 285, 332–4
Muggeridge, Kitty 265, 266
Muggeridge, Malcolm 265
Muir, Frank 262, 378
Murphy, Eddie 137
Murray, Chic 78
Murray, Pete 152
music hall 78
Mykonos 322, 328
Naraine, Bill 352–4
National Service, abolition of 83
Navy Lark, The (radio serial) 182
Nelson, Horatio, Lord 55–6
Never Too Late (play) 232
New York 193, 195–217, 229–40, 337–8, 341; JC’s impressions of 195, 211–12
New York Times 197–8, 237
New Zealand 187–93, 357
Newhart, Bob 266
Newsweek: JC writes for (briefly) 230, 237–8
Nichols, Peter 367
Nichols and May 266
Nicoll, Maurice 44
Night in Casablanca, A (film) 77
Nobbs, David 262
Norden, Denis 262, 374–5, 379
Not Only . . . But Also (television series) 266–7, 303
Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life (television series) 295
Nunn, Sir Trevor 151, 152–3, 157–8
Nye, Carrie 217, 235
O2 Arena, London: Monty Python reunion show 85, 346, 387–8, 400–404
Oates, Captain Lawrence 161
Oddie, Bill: at Cambridge 147; Cambridge Circus revue 168, 169, 170, 175, 179; New Zealand tour 188, 188, 190; New York run 196, 204, 207, 209; at first night of Half a Sixpence 229; I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again 254, 260, 261, 273; at World Cup Final 286
Olivier, Sir Laurence 231
only children 5, 66
O’Toole, Peter: as Macbeth 177
Oxford University 82–3
Palin, Helen 350
Palin, Michael 196, 274; How to Irritate People 350–51, 353, 355, 357; Do Not Adjust Your Set 383; Monty Python’s Flying Circus 352, 369, 383, 384, 385–6, 391, 394, 395–404
Palmer, David (and family) 188
Pascal, Blaise 200
Pearl Harbor 207
Pembroke College, Cambridge 147–8
‘Pepperpots’ (Python characters) 356–7, 389
Peters, Martin 289
Phillips, John (Clifton College school friend) 74
Phillips, Mrs (Burnham-on-Sea neighbour) 38–9
phobias, JC’s mother’s 9–10
photographs, dealing with requests for 345
Pink Panther, The (film) 361
Pinter, Harold 367
Pippa (friend) 290, 327–8, 336, 339
Playboy Club 241
Poles, jokes about 241
polka (dance) 214, 221, 229
Potter, Denis 296
Powell, Sir Charles 279
pranks: JC’s father’s 26, 30; JC’s schoolboy 65, 68–9, 86–7; in The Magic Christian 363; with Graham Chapman 370–74
Priestley, J. B., Man and Time 324
‘pronoia’ 263–4
psychiatrists: at comedy shows 175; sketch about 305–6
psychology 19, 35–6, 56, 65, 70–71, 84–5, 168
psychosomatic illnesses 123
public appearances, requests for 343–4
punchlines, problems with 185–6
Puritans 223
Purser, Philip 316
Q5 (television series) 385
Queen Elizabeth, RMS 341, 346
rabbit, humane attempt to kill a 112–15
Rae, Charlotte 216
Raffle, Mr and Mrs (Somerset farmers) 4, 14
Rattigan, Terence 4
records, comedy 265–7, 362
Rediffusion (television company) 280, 298, 301
‘Regella’ (astronomy) sketch 149, 196
Reid, John (prep schoolboy) 41
Reith, John, Lord 402
religion 43–4, 68, 72–3, 148–9, 223, 338
Rembrandt 231
Rentadick (film) 350, 361, 367, 378–81, 383
Rentasleuth see Rentadick
Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer, The (film) 280, 286, 287–8, 290, 321, 361, 377–8, 380
Risely, Mrs (Cambridge landlady) 146
Rix, Brian, Lord 184
Robinson, Tony 124–5, 146
Rogers, David (prep schoolboy): parallels with Basil Fawlty 48–9, 50
Rogers, Tony (Clifton College schoolboy) 6
Roosevelt, Franklin D. 207
Round the Horne (radio serial) 260
Rubin, Charles 206
Ruby, Thelma 380
rugby 6, 47, 58–9, 73
Runyon, Damon 221
Rushton, Willie 374
St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London 157, 181
St Brendan’s College, Bristol 25, 26
St Peter’s Preparatory School, Weston-super-Mare 93; JC as pupil at 1, 40–60; JC as teacher at 87, 89–121, 142–4
Saks, Gene 216–20, 229, 236
Salkow, Sidney 371–4
Sanders, George 375, 376
Sanger-Davies, Mr (schoolmaster) 53
Saunders, Jennifer 299
Savundra, Emil 296
Schnellinger, Karl-Heinz 289
Scott, Robert Falcon 55, 161
Scott, Terry 184
screenplays, bad 288, 363
scripture, study of 43–4, 68
Seagal, Steven 345
Seagulls Over Sorrento (school production) 74
Secombe, Sir Harry 79, 302, 324–6
Second World War 109; bombing raids 3–4, 29; destruction of Cleese family furniture 18
Secret Policeman’s Ball, The (Amnesty benefit shows) 220–21, 310, 346
Seeler, Uwe 289
Sellers, Peter 79, 266, 361–7, 375–6
Shakespeare, William 56, 66, 96, 122, 177, 209
Sherlock, David 290, 328, 329, 367, 369
Sherrin, Ned 380–81, 383
‘shit’, first said on British television 377
Shoemaker, Ann 216–17, 228, 236
Sid Millward and the Nitwits 78
Silvers, Phil 78
Sim, Alastair 77
Simon, Neil 236
Simpson, N. F., One Way Pendulum 77
Skinner, B. F. 71
Skynner, Robin 240
Smith, Nicholas 257
soccer see football
Socrates 73
Somerset County Cricket Club 40, 200
Songs for Swinging Sellers (comedy album) 362, 364–5
South Africa 345
Southern, Terry, The Magic Christian 362–3, 376
Spamalot (musical) 387–8, 401
Square East (New York supper-club theatre) 198–9, 206
Steafel, Sheila 257, 258
Steele, Tommy 203–4, 215, 217, 218, 224, 236
Stoppard, Sir Tom 367
Strasberg, Lee 209
string
, sketch about 320–21
Stuart-Clark, Chris 168, 179–80, 179
Stubbs, Dr (schoolmaster) 71
stupidity, persistence of 120, 242
Sukarno, President, proposed obituary 238
Sullivan, Ed 210
Sunday Times 46
Swedes, jokes about 187, 354
Sweig, Murray 206
Tales of Men’s Shirts (television special) 376
tapes, destruction of 302–3
Tartuffe (school production) 85
Taylor, Ted 171
Tenerife 254
That Was The Week That Was (television series) 139, 163–4, 245, 266, 295
Thatcher, Margaret 278–9
therapy 12, 34–5, 55, 66
There’s a Girl in My Soup (film) 364
Thom, Mr (schoolmaster) 53
Thompson, Bernard 270
Thompson, Harry, Peter Cook 378
Thorndike, Dame Sibyl 231
Thorpe, Jeremy 293
Thorson, Linda 374
Thurber, James 111, 221
Time (magazine) 230, 237
time, theories of 302, 324
Times, The 175; crossword 96, 157, 160
timing, comedic 154–5, 176–7
Tinniswood, Peter 262
Titheradge, Peter 171, 184, 185–6, 188, 261, 273
Tolson, Geoffrey (headmaster) 45–6, 53–6, 57, 87, 89, 90, 94, 99–106, 109, 142–4
Tolson, Jean (headmaster’s wife) 54, 57, 96, 103–5
Tonight (television series) 278
Took, Barry 262, 383, 384
Top of the Form: sketch about 307–8
Toronto 227–9
Totnes, Devon 14, 145
‘Tour Guide’ sketch 275–7
Travers, Ben 253, 258
Twelfth Night: school production 56
Two-Way Stretch (film) 361
Ullett, Nick 210–11
University College, Oxford 82
Unwin, Stanley 137, 139
Uphill, Somerset 2
Upton, Adrian 65, 133, 138
Ustinov, Sir Peter 266
variety shows 78
Vermeer, Johannes 19, 231
Video Arts 278, 369
Viney, Anthony 110–11, 112–15
Vosburgh, Dick 262, 263, 302
Walker, Alexander 381
Wall, Max 78
Walls, Tom 258
Walt, Nick 200–202
Washington, DC 246–8
Waterhouse, Keith 262
waterskiing, in Ibiza 283–4
Waugh, Auberon 131
Weber, Wolfgang 289
Welles, Orson 362
Wells, H. G., Kipps 205
Werner, Oskar 327, 334
Weston-super-Mare 22, 26, 31–2, 33, 40, 225, 249; wartime bombing 3–4, 18; see also St Peter’s Preparatory School
Whalley-Tooker, H. C. 126
Which? magazine, building of offices for 156
White, Michael 173, 174–5, 179, 187
Whitmarsh, Mr (schoolmaster) 67–8
Williams, ‘Billy’ (schoolmaster) 69, 79, 80–81
Williams, John 19
Wilson, Keppel and Betty 78
Wisdom, Sir Norman 78
Wodehouse, P. G. (and his brother) 28–9
Wolfe, General James 55–6
Wordsworth, William 19
World Cup (1966) 280, 286–7, 288–90
wrestling: in ancient Rome 67; sketches about 196, 313
writer’s block 185
Yes Minister (television series) 278
York 173, 174
Yule Be Surprised (radio programme) 184
Zahl, Sonny 304
zookeepers, sketches about 210, 265, 306–7
Zulu (film) 189–90
Picture acknowledgements
All images are from the author’s personal collection, unless otherwise indicated.
Plate section 1
p. 5, bottom: Clifton College; p. 8, top: reproduced with permission of The Master, Fellows, and Scholars of Downing College in the University of Cambridge.
Plate section 2
p. 3, bottom left: John Vere Brown / University of Bristol Theatre Collection / ArenaPAL; p. 6, top: © Getty Images; p. 7, top: © BBC / credit: Photo Library; p. 7, middle: © BBC / credit: Photo Library; p. 7, bottom: ITV / Rex Features; p. 8, top: © Lewis Morley Archive / National Portrait Gallery, London; p. 8, bottom: © BBC / credit: Photo Library.
Plate section 3
p. 2, top: Mirrorpix; p. 2, bottom: Warner Bros / Seven Arts courtesy RGA; p. 3, bottom: FremantleMedia Ltd / Rex Features; p. 4, top: © Moviestore collection Ltd / Alamy; p. 4, bottom: Everett Collection / Rex Features; p. 5, top: Everett Collection / Rex Features; p. 5, bottom: Phillip Jackson / Associated Newspapers / Rex Features; p. 6, top: © BBC / credit: Photo Library; p. 6, bottom: Mirrorpix; p. 7, bottom: © AF archive / Alamy; p. 8: © AF archive / Alamy.
Integrated images
p. 86 (Clifton College Lord’s XI, 1957): Clifton College; p. 152 (drawing of John Cleese): Humphrey Barclay; p. 188 (Cast of Cambridge Circus before the New Zealand tour): Lord Crathorne; p. 258 (The Frost Report team, 1957): Ben Jones / Rex Features; p. 394 (The Pythons, 1970): © Rolf Adlercreutz / Alamy.
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Epub ISBN: 9781448149728
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Published by Random House Books 2014
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Copyright © John Cleese 2014
John Cleese has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work
Extracts from sketches written by John Cleese and Graham Chapman © John Cleese and The Graham Chapman Estate by kind permission of David Sherlock and
The John Tomiczek Trust
This book is a work of non-fiction based on the life, experiences and recollections of the author. In some cases names of people, places, dates, or the detail of events and conversations have been changed solely to protect the privacy of others. The author has stated to the publishers that, except in such respects, the contents of this book are true
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ISBN 9781847946966