The entire comedy world, online and elsewhere, is enjoying a long, nostalgic love-in during the 40th anniversary of the formation and premiere of the Monty Python comedy troupe.
In a perfect convergence of immensely talented and funny men – rarely seen in entertainment history – John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and the very late Graham Chapman combined to shape the future of comedy.
See Python reunion:The surviving Pythons reunite in New York City at 9 p.m. EST Thursday for a screening of the new documentary Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer’s Cut). Watch a free live stream at IFC.com or Pythonline.com. Catch live tweets from the show @theunderwire.
Suffice to say without Monty Python, you have no Saturday Night Live, no SCTV, no Young Ones, no Red Dwarf, no Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, no Fawlty Towers, no French and Saunders, no Black Adder, no Office, no Mighty Boosh. You get the idea.
While brilliant bits like "The Dead Parrot Sketch," "Spam," "The Argument Clinic," "The Black Knight," etc., are deeply entrenched in pop culture, there are other prime Python moments that don't get talked about so much. Wired.com picked nine of the best.
Why nine? I was supposed to pick five, but narrowing the list is too hard. And 10 would be pushing it, space-wise. So, nine it is. Off we go, in no particular order:
1. Intercourse the Penguin: The sketch (video above) kicks off with "The Death of Mary Queen of Scots" (top) and ends with the penguin on top of the television exploding. But you get the bonus of Cleese and Chapman fighting back laughter throughout the bit to the point of never looking at each other.
2. World Philosophy Final: Originally shot for a European TV special, this short film first reached American audiences during Python's first U.S. tour. It comes to us here via Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl. A brilliant and painfully intelligent piece of conceptual comedy, a choice moment is when Karl Marx puts all pretense away and protests that the game-winning goal was off-sides.
3. Woody and Tinny Words: A lesser-known but classic sketch from the show's final, sans-Cleese season, this send-up of snooty Brits features Chapman in rare form.
4. Bavarian Restaurant: From a rarely seen German TV special, this filmed bit serves up Python at its most bizarre. It also demonstrates how well Python grasped how funny pointless violence can be.
5. Mr. Hilter and the National Bocialists: An extended, but very groundbreaking bit, it doesn't get the same play as other Python classics because it takes the risk of mocking the Holocaust (with "these here boncentration bamps").
6. There is no No. 6. (Thank you, Bruce.)
7. The Silly Olympics: Another treat from Live at the Hollywood Bowl, this sports spoof includes the little-used line, "Not a tight sphincter in sight."
8. Election Night Special: The personal favorite of this reporter, this political square-off between the Sensible, Silly and Very Silly Parties is highlighted by the stirring upset victory of Tarquin Fintimlinbinwhinbimlim Bus Stop F'tang F'tang Ole Biscuit Barrel.
9. Graham Chapman's Funeral: There is something particularly painful about the sudden death of a truly funny individual. You lost a chance to laugh, you lose something very essential to life. But Cleese and the surviving Pythons turned Chapman's memorial into a laugh-filled celebration.
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