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First 20 Years of Monty Python.
Longtime Python fanatic Kim "Howard" Johnson's update of The First 200 Years of Monty Python retains at its core the nearly blow-by-blow account of each of the 45 classic episodes in which this British troupe blew gale-force fresh air into television comedy. But for this new volume the author has extensively reinterviewed the Pythons, as well as Carol Cleveland (the lone female performer--unless you count the guys in drag); expanded the material on individual members and their work before and after Monty Python's Flying Circus; and added a bibliography of their output in every medium (plus coverage of PythOnline).
Johnson first met John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and the late Graham Chapman in 1978, when he published a Python fanzine, and he actually worked on their third film, Life of Brian. That 21-year relationship gives the book a jovial insider's tone making it a nice complement to David Morgan's more conventional oral history, Monty Python Speaks! Johnson conscientiously profiles every manifestation of Python's creative madness, but his first loves remain "The Spanish Inquisition," "Cheese Shop," "Dead Parrot," and all the other insanely inventive sketches that are as fresh and funny in reruns as they were 280 years ago. --Wendy Smith
Hardcover
First published October 15, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 10, 2014
The appeal of Monty Python's Flying Circus continues to draw people to this eccentric, irreverent, and hilarious group of British maniacs. The television program is still playing in re-runs after all these years and finding new fans. This book covers the first 20 years of the group with profiles of each member and those of their continuing supporting cast; photos; and a synopsis and script of each program. Back in the day, phrases from the program found their way into everyday language; i.e. "It's only a flesh wound", and "Bring out your dead". It is British humor at its best but is an acquired taste. I remember as a kid when my brother who was an Anglophile like myself said, "I just saw the funniest program I have ever seen. It is called Monty Python's Flying Circus". I thought he had lost his mind until I watched it and I was hooked. I still am. This is the premier reference book for the Python fan. Now I must go to my job at The Ministry of Silly Walks!!!
November 23, 2009
An amusing if overly cute history of Monty Python written by a guy who was essentially a celebrity stalker of the group before celebrities realized they should be afraid of such people and therefor was able to become a friend of several members of the group.
November 5, 2012
Lots of good info, but obviously outdated since it was published before Graham Chapman's death. I will be interested to see the one being published soon with more episode annotations.
November 20, 2013
Very thorough walk through of every episode and movie. Lots of dishy behind the scenes Pepperpots vs. Gumbies action.
July 4, 2012
I picked this off my bookshelf after re-viewing the complete Monty Python's Flying Circus series on DVD recently. In reading back through it now, I realize that this book, written by someone who was a fan before an author was rather shallow. It does give some insights into the origins of the show, but then fails to really examine any kind of influence the show, movies, or group had. Although the book can't be faulted for this, it is rather frustrating having the scope end in the late '80's. A follow up and expansion would be nice. Good for some basic information, and the synopses of the episodes is handy, but there are (I am sure) other books out there to explore Python better than this.
May 1, 2018
This had been on my “To Read” shelf since 1990 (I know because I was using the sales receipt as a bookmark). A biased, glowing look at the Pythons, it is full of useless but amusing trivia, which is exactly what Python fanatics like myself buy these books for. As a history, it’s nowhere near the level of Hill and Weingard’s Saturday Night (a look at the making of Saturday Night Live and its myriad cast members), but as histories of the series goes, it’s about as good as it gets. There’s also a complete vid/bib/discography in the back for those completists out there.
June 12, 2014
I picked this book up when I was in high school, right around the time they started re-broadcasting Flying Circus on channel 13. I'd set the VCR to tape the episodes when they came on at midnight, then watch them while getting ready for school. This book served as a great companion to the series, especially when there were jokes I didn't quite get, and it made me an even bigger Python fan.
April 5, 2011
hard to find, but a must for any self-respecting python fan.
April 11, 2013
not bad.
May 22, 2016
This was a Did Not Finish. I would've expected something about Monty Python to be less - boring. It's as dry as a high school history text book.
September 7, 2017
Full of detailed trivia about this grand comedy troupe.
March 19, 2021
Covers a wide variety and is very well setup. Lots of great information and tidbits!
January 9, 2021
For as long as I can remember, I have been a Monty Python fan...actually, no, I can remember at some point in my late childhood/early teens coming across MP (probably Holy Grail) and realizing how silly these five Englishmen and one American truly are. Not silly like "fan favorite character recycled endlessly by SNL for fun and profits" but silly like "groundbreaking comedy and timeless laughs." Anyway, Monty Python kept me from getting laid in high school...I'm sure it had nothing to do with my personality.
"The First 28 Years of Monty Python" is a delightful look at the group's coming together and their most important contribution to the Shakespearean canon, the sketch-comedy show that ran on the BBC from 1969 to 1974. Kim "Howard" Johnson makes the very compelling argument that Python's legacy is dependent on the show, because it was just so damn out-there that nothing before or really since can live up to the legacy of those forty-five shows. Britain, once conqueror of the world in a very nasty, unpleasant way, became the conqueror of comedy through a much more nice, civilized way (chiefly thanks to Michael Palin, but also Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, and resident American Terry Gilliam).
The Pythons all contribute to the book with long-ranging interviews about the series, the films, and the general coming-together that occurred between them all, working on different shows in the late Sixties but sensing that they really should get together to change the world of comedy forever. Sadly, Chapman and Jones are ex-Pythons, Chapman having passed in 1989 (on the eve of their twentieth anniversary), and Jones in January of last year. But the work that they contributed to the Python legacy will live forever, I think.
Some parts of this book are entertaining and essential, like the story of how the show came to be and all the summaries of each episode (many of which had me chuckling at remembered favorite bits). The profiles of each Python, which follow the discussions of the films, are mostly quotes pulled from old interviews and can be skimmed as the reader sees fit. There is a touching remembrance of Chapman, and I can imagine any future editions of this book will add one on Jones as well, and for any future Pythons who cease to be, and who, if they weren't nailed to the perch, would be pushing up the daisies by now (sorry, couldn't resist).
A nod's as good as a wink to a blind man, but Monty Python is the absolute best in sketch comedy, in my opinion. And this book is a very fun, enjoyable way to waste your time.
"The First 28 Years of Monty Python" is a delightful look at the group's coming together and their most important contribution to the Shakespearean canon, the sketch-comedy show that ran on the BBC from 1969 to 1974. Kim "Howard" Johnson makes the very compelling argument that Python's legacy is dependent on the show, because it was just so damn out-there that nothing before or really since can live up to the legacy of those forty-five shows. Britain, once conqueror of the world in a very nasty, unpleasant way, became the conqueror of comedy through a much more nice, civilized way (chiefly thanks to Michael Palin, but also Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, and resident American Terry Gilliam).
The Pythons all contribute to the book with long-ranging interviews about the series, the films, and the general coming-together that occurred between them all, working on different shows in the late Sixties but sensing that they really should get together to change the world of comedy forever. Sadly, Chapman and Jones are ex-Pythons, Chapman having passed in 1989 (on the eve of their twentieth anniversary), and Jones in January of last year. But the work that they contributed to the Python legacy will live forever, I think.
Some parts of this book are entertaining and essential, like the story of how the show came to be and all the summaries of each episode (many of which had me chuckling at remembered favorite bits). The profiles of each Python, which follow the discussions of the films, are mostly quotes pulled from old interviews and can be skimmed as the reader sees fit. There is a touching remembrance of Chapman, and I can imagine any future editions of this book will add one on Jones as well, and for any future Pythons who cease to be, and who, if they weren't nailed to the perch, would be pushing up the daisies by now (sorry, couldn't resist).
A nod's as good as a wink to a blind man, but Monty Python is the absolute best in sketch comedy, in my opinion. And this book is a very fun, enjoyable way to waste your time.
November 22, 2018
When this was originally published it was a indispensable insight into the interior workings of the life of Python. It was the best book on the subject and the place to go for insight that came directly from the Pythons themselves.
But the years since have left it somewhat dated. Other publications and histories in other media have rendered The First 200 Years somewhat redundant and superficial. There's more information in other sources and in the years since they spoke to Kim Johnson, the surviving Pythons have opened up more about their internal struggles, Chapman's crippling alcoholism and the tensions that frequently served to almost tear the group apart.
The first 200 Years is still an interesting enough read, and the trivia on the individual episodes are fun, but anyone who has watched the five hour documentary series available on netflix will feel like this is just a quick hurtle through their history with no depth or revelations.
But the years since have left it somewhat dated. Other publications and histories in other media have rendered The First 200 Years somewhat redundant and superficial. There's more information in other sources and in the years since they spoke to Kim Johnson, the surviving Pythons have opened up more about their internal struggles, Chapman's crippling alcoholism and the tensions that frequently served to almost tear the group apart.
The first 200 Years is still an interesting enough read, and the trivia on the individual episodes are fun, but anyone who has watched the five hour documentary series available on netflix will feel like this is just a quick hurtle through their history with no depth or revelations.
February 24, 2019
Published shortly before Chapman's death in 1989, it includes all of the usual elements that would be found in a book about Monty Python - biographies of the stars, the story of how they got together, sections about making the TV show and the movies, and about the tours. It also has a section listing every TV episode, summaries of the sketches and also trivia about that. The book suffers a bit from including information that can be found elsewhere, and which is a bit less complete than those other sources. I liked that much of it was in an interview format (like its more complete cousin, The Pythons Autobiography By The Pythons), and I want to mention the section on Hazel Pethig, whom I knew little about.
I'd like to give this one 3.5 stars.
I'd like to give this one 3.5 stars.
September 3, 2022
It’s… OK. A reasonable primer on the TV series but it contains many inaccuracies. I bought this in WH Smith, back when it was a decent shop.
April 5, 2025
Lousy, unfunny TV show. Worse book on it. Benny Hill considered funnier than Monty Python by two TV stations --W0R and WLVI! Get Hill books instead on here!
September 12, 2016
One of the first Python books I ever got and still one I enjoy.
December 10, 2009
a good anthology of monty mishaps.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews