Diaries 1969–1979 The Python Years

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Diaries 1969–1979 The Python Years Page 89

by Palin, Michael


  Monroe, Marilyn, 229, 566–7

  Mom St Michel, New York, 219

  Monterey, 125

  Montmorency (dog), 240, 242

  Montreal, 121, 153

  Montreux Festival, 13, 59, 65

  Monty Python: The Case Against, 603 and n

  Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 225, 274, 303, 325, 343, 579

  finances, 108, 140, 141–3, 148, 169–70

  meetings about, 109, 152

  script, 111, 145, 146, 147, 158–9, 163

  John Cleese and, 132–3, 151

  rehearsals, 166

  filming in Scotland, 166–80, 390n

  rough cut, 182

  publicity, 185

  preview, 189–90, 191

  revisions, 192

  and Magical Mystery Tour, 204

  Magazine Critics’ showing, 206

  synopsis for EMI, 206

  album, 211, 214

  opening, 211–13

  film certificate, 212–13, 214–15

  premiere, 225–6

  reviews, 227

  success of, 227–8

  New York opening, 228–32

  at Hampstead Classic, 237

  success in US, 239

  MP sees in Norwich, 241

  shown in Yugoslavia, 248

  success in France, 279, 546

  book, 398, 421

  re-released, 550

  tax position, 564

  Monty Python Productions Ltd, 31

  Monty Python’s Big Red Book, 65, 106–7

  Monty Python’s Brand New Book, 136, 142, 143, 147, 149, 153, 194

  Monty Python’s First Farewell Tour (repeat), Drury Lane show, 150, 152–3, 154, 157, 158, 159–60

  Monty Python’s Flying Circus

  origins of, ix

  name, 1n

  first days’ filming, 1–3

  tide music, 5

  filming in Southwold, 9

  first show, 10–11

  title animation, 10

  cinema film for US proposed, 13, 14, 22

  success of first series, 13

  second series, 15, 18–19, 21–2, 28–9, 31, 35, 37, 48–9

  awards, 17, 21, 103

  screened in America, 22–3, 112, 187, 194, 206, 211, 251, 417–18, 458

  LPs, 23, 56, 60–2, 65, 82, 85, 109, 136–9, 153, 163, 208, 209

  filming in Torquay, 24–7

  repeats, 37

  third series, 47, 57, 67, 72, 74–5, 79

  Bavarian TV shows, 48, 59 and n, 71, 79, 85–91, 321, 356–7, 579

  as a stage show, 52–3

  on introduction of decimal coinage, 54–5

  spin-offs, 56–7

  wins Silver Rose at Montreux Festival, 59, 65

  fancy-dress squash match, 64

  foreign sales, 65

  football matches, 83

  BBC cuts third series, 88, 94–5, 99, 104

  future plans discussed, 93–4, 98

  ‘collective responsibility’, 94

  single, 94, 95–6

  viewing figures, 95

  ‘First Farewell Tour’, 104–5, 111, 112–19, 149

  Canadian tour, 119–24, 150

  American tour, 121–2, 123, 124–8

  fourth series, 122, 130–1, 133, 136, 143–4, 153, 162–3, 184, 186, 188, 193–7, 201, 319

  business meetings, 139–40, 185, 208–9, 236, 254, 321

  accounts, 140

  and the oil crisis, 149

  at Drury Lane, 150, 152–3, 154, 157, 158, 159–60

  Live at Drury Lane album, 163, 180, 185, 208

  BBC censors, 193, 194

  financial problems at Charisma Records, 194, 195

  possible fifth series, 197–8, 228

  demise of, 209–11, 214

  US publicity tour, 215–24

  New York stage show, 266–7

  court case against ABC, 267 and n, 269–79, 289, 319, 323, 324–5, 355

  New York show, 280, 284, 301–14

  video rights, 355

  BBC wipes tapes, 362 and n

  in Japan, 362

  asked to appear on Royal Variety Performance, 399

  in Penguin Dictionary of Modem Quotations, 421

  ‘Complete Monty Python’ fan book, 475

  Los Angeles stage show, 544

  Royal 10th Anniversary of Python celebration in New York, 558

  BBC documentary on, 560 and n

  The Secret Policeman’s Ball, 561, 562, 563

  tax position, 563, 564

  plans for fourth film, 572, 579, 581, 584, 598, 599, 602

  ‘Python Sings’, 605

  see also individual films, books and albums

  Monty Python’s Flying Circus sketches

  ‘Argument’, 69, 113, 301, 308

  ‘Bicycle Repairman’, 1

  ‘Big Boots’, 126

  ‘Black Eagle’, 49

  ‘Blackmail’, 280, 306

  ‘Book of the Month Club Dung’, 28n

  ‘Bruces’, 280

  ‘Celebrity Sketch’, 563

  ‘Changing on the Beach’, 2

  ‘Cheese Shop’, 561 and n, 562

  ‘Children’s Story’, 126

  ‘Cocktail Bar’, 280

  ‘Co-Ed’, 36

  ‘Confuse-a-Cat’, 9

  ‘Court Martial’, 277

  ‘Court Sketch’, 297, 300, 301, 306

  ‘Crunchy Frog’, 280, 301

  ‘Custard Pie’, 113, 159–60, 561

  ‘The Death of Mary Queen of Scots’, 306

  ‘Derby Council v. The All Blacks’, 25

  ‘Election’, 160

  ‘Eric the Half-Bee’, 94, 114

  ‘Fairy Story’, 252

  ‘Fish Licence’, 251

  ‘Four Yorkshiremen’, 160

  ‘Gambolputty’, 58

  ‘Golden Age of Ballooning’, 319 and n

  ‘Gorn’, 277

  ‘Grimsby Fish-Slapping dance’, 57

  ‘Gumby Flower Arranging’, 52, 58, 126

  ‘Hearing-Aid’, 87–8

  ‘Hilter’, 22, 23

  ‘How Not to be Seen’, 41

  ‘Hungarian Phrase Book’, 29

  ‘Idiot Song’, 117

  ‘It’s Man’, 35 and n

  ‘Joke’, 41

  ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, 356

  ‘Llamas’, 52, 113

  ‘Lochinvar’, 10

  ‘Long John Silver v. Gynaecologists’, 251

  ‘Lumberjack Song’, 41, 58, 85n, 203, 257–8 and n, 259–60, 300, 301, 309, 311, 511

  ‘Man Who Gives Abuse’, 308

  ‘Michael Miles’, 280

  ‘Mr Neutron’, 193, 267

  ‘Montgolfier Brothers’, 267

  ‘Nudge-Nudge’, 23, 117, 126

  ‘Paradise Lost’, 74–5

  ‘Pepperpots’, 128, 159, 280

  ‘Pet Shop/Parrot’, 29, 58, 81, 113, 115, 160, 300, 301, 498

  ‘Pither Cycling Tour’, 100n, 101, 226

  ‘Proust Competition’, 81, 452

  ‘Psychiatrists’ Dairies’, 26

  ‘Queen Victoria and Her Gardener’, 1, 10

  ‘RAF Banter’, 277

  ‘Salvation Fuzz’, 280

  ‘Scott of the Antarctic’, 251

  ‘Scott of the Sahara’, 26

  ‘Shabby’, 58

  ‘Silly Elections’, 280

  ‘Silly Ministers’, 69

  ‘Silly Olympics’, 126, 356

  ‘Silly Walks’, 65, 113, 159, 305

  ‘Soft Fruit’, 23, 41, 452

  ‘Spam’ song, 82, 85n

  ‘Spanish Inquisition’, 509

  ‘Superman’, 9

  ‘Thomas Hardy Novel-Writing’, 218

  ‘Time-Check’, 69

  ‘Travel Agent Sketch’, 312

  ‘Tudor Jobs’, 79

  ‘Undertakers’, 22

  ‘Upper Class Twit of the Year’, 22, 45

  ‘Working Class Culture’, 36

  ‘World For
um’, 58

  ‘World of History’, 22

  ‘The World’s Most Awful Family’, 267

  ‘Wrestling’, 113, 126

  ‘Yangtse Song’, 94

  Monty Python’s Life of Brian

  discussions about, 224, 236, 310–11, 335

  projected profit, 328

  script, 344, 348–56, 367–74, 395, 397–8, 402

  filming, 372, 390, 393–4, 402, 445

  casting, 395, 423, 426, 434, 472–3

  read-throughs, 396–7, 475

  financing, 420, 436, 444–5, 446–7, 462, 464, 465, 479

  rewrites in Barbados, 420–1, 428–35

  music, 440, 443

  further rewrites, 440–1, 445

  Pythons sue EMI, 465, 497

  title, 473, 533, 535

  costumes, 480

  filming in Tunisia, 484–509, 510

  Tunisian extras, 491, 505

  early working cuts of, 510, 515 and n

  publicity, 514–15, 517, 564–5, 566, 567, 569, 573, 592–3

  editing, 516, 523, 532, 534–5, 544–5, 549

  US distribution problems, 517, 533, 543–4

  Festival of Light objects to, 518, 545, 547, 594, 596 and n

  reactions to, 519, 523–4, 577

  previews, 522–3, 525, 531–3, 534, 544, 546, 559

  American viewings, 534

  book, 371n, 538, 539, 541–2, 543, 545–6, 607

  merchandising, 545

  soundtrack album, 545, 565, 570, 571

  film certificate, 547

  US marketing trip, 554–8

  blasphemy case unlikely, 559

  ‘Ex-Leper’ sequence re-shot, 561–2, 564

  Pythons’ earnings from, 563, 579–80

  US opening, 571, 572, 573

  Jewish reactions in US, 574

  success in US, 574, 575, 576, 580, 582, 583

  US publicity, 576–7

  banned in South Carolina, 588–9

  slows in US, 588–9

  showing for the crew, 592

  Bishop of Southwark and Malcolm Muggeridge criticize, 595–6, 597

  reviews of, 597

  success of, 597, 607

  MP’s mother sees, 600

  Monty Python’s Papperbok, 194

  Monty Python’s Scrap Book, 581

  Moon, Keith, 248 and n, 410, 432 and n, 443, 472, 484

  moon landings, 3, 4–5, 20–2, 222, 427

  Moore, Dudley, 40, 297

  Moore, Stephen, 240 and n, 241–4, 246, 255, 256

  More, Kenneth, 291

  Morecambe, Eric, 21, 101, 425

  Morecambe, Lancashire, 83

  Morecambe and Wise, 12, 469

  Morley, Sheridan, 224 and n

  Morning Telegraph (Sheffield), 315

  Mornington Foot Clinic, 598–9

  Morris, Colin, 599

  Morris, Garrett, 456

  Morris, Jan, 473

  Mortimer, John, 559 and n

  Morton’s restaurant, London, 264–5

  Moses, Grandma, 310

  Mountbatten, Lord, assassination, 573

  Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 329

  Muggeridge, Malcolm, 594, 595–6, 597, 604

  Muir, Frank, 18n, 262n

  Mulchrone, Vincent, 39

  Munich

  Monty Python Bavarian TV shows, 48, 59 and n, 71, 79, 85–91

  Olympic Games, 86

  bookshops, 441

  Municipal Arts Society of New York, 588

  Munro, David, 562 and n, 563

  The Muppet Show (television series), 433, 442

  ‘Murder at Moorstones Manor’ see Ripping Yarns

  Murphy, Stephen, 214

  Murray, Bill, 453n, 456–7 and n, 458–9, 461, 462, 529–30, 553

  Musgrove, Mr (throat specialist), 291

  Myra Breckinridge (film), 56

  N

  Nabokov, Vladimir, 38

  Ada, 392

  Despair, 392

  Nag’s Head, Hampstead, 438

  La Napoule, North Audley Street, 69

  Nash, John, 471

  Nash, Julia, 436–7

  Nation, Terry, 441, 442

  National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, 289

  National Book League, 473

  National Coal Board (NCB), 385

  National Farmers’ Union, 399

  National Film Finance Corporation

  (NFFC), 142 and n, 391 and n

  National Film School, 283–4

  National Film Theatre (NFT), 38, 415

  National Front, 517

  National Gallery, London, 155

  National Lampoon, 249–50, 263

  National Theatre, London, 331, 415

  National Union of Railwaymen (NUR), 248–9, 524

  National Viewers’ and Listeners’Association, 115n

  Natural History Museum, London, 584

  Navarro Hotel, New York, 222–4, 229, 231, 271, 272, 577

  NBC TV

  Burbank Studios, 126–7

  and The Rutles, 367

  comedy special, 465, 468, 474, 478

  and Ripping Yarns, 482

  MP invited to be guest host on Saturday Night Live, 436 and n, 453–4, 455–62

  MP’s second appearance on Saturday Night Live, 528–31

  MP’s third stint on Saturday Night Live, 551–3

  Neal Street Restaurant, London, 331

  Neal’s Yard, London, 296 and n, 314, 320, 364, 403–4, 516, 531, 532, 564

  Nellie Dean (pub), 136, 227

  Nesbit, Evelyn, 361

  Neuschwanstein Castle, 87

  Neville, John, 29

  Neville, Richard, 62 and n

  New College, Oxford, 318

  New England, 250–1

  New Haven, Connecticut, 527–8

  New Musical Express, 155, 163–4, 176, 227

  New Orleans, 76n, 458

  New Statesman, 39, 415

  New York

  MP’s first trip to, 76n

  difficulties in selling Monty Python to, 153

  Monty Pythons success in, 194

  US publicity tour, 215–19, 222–4

  Monty Python and the Holy Grail in, 228–32, 239

  Bert Fegg publicity tour, 249–50, 251–3

  Monty Python stage show, 266–7, 280, 284, 301–14

  Monty Python court case against ABC, 271–8

 

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