Monty Python's Flying Circus, Episodes 1-26: An Utterly Complete, Thoroughly Unillustrated, Absolutely Unauthorized Guide to Possibly All the References from Two Sheds Jackson to Zambesi, Vol. 1 - Softcover

Larsen, Darl

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1589797124 ISBN 13: 9781589797123

Publisher: Scarecrow Press, 2013

Synopsis

In 1969, the BBC aired the first episode of a new comedy series titled Monty Python's Flying Circus, and the rest, as they say, is history. An instant success, the show ran until 1974, producing a total of 45 episodes. Despite the show's very English humor and allusions to many things British, the series developed a cult following outside the United Kingdom, particularly in the United States. Known for its outrageous humor, occasionally controversial content, and often silly spirit, Monty Python's Flying Circus poked fun at nearly all institutions—domestic or foreign, grand or intimate, sacred or not. Indeed, many of the allusions and references in the program were uniquely British and routinely obscure, and therefore not always understood or even noticed outside the British Isles.

This exhaustive reference identifies and explains the plethora of cultural, historical, and topical allusions of this landmark series. In this volume, virtually every allusion and reference that appeared in episodes from the last two seasons—whether stated by a character, depicted in the mise-en-scène, or mentioned in the printed scripts—is identified and explained. Organized chronologically by episode, each entry is listed alphabetically, indicates what sketch it appeared in, and is cross-referenced between episodes. Entries cover literary and metaphoric allusions, symbolisms, names, peoples, and places as well as myriad social, cultural, and historical elements (photos, songs, slogans, caricatures) that populate and inform these episodes. See volume 2 for the third and fourth seasons (episodes 27–45).
Volume 1 Entries Include:

• “Arabella Plunkett”
• Group of famous characters from famous paintings
• "Hell's Grannies"
• “Kandinsky”
• “Spanish Inquisition”
• “total cashectomy”
• “Two-Sheds”
• Vicar sitting thin and unhappy in a pot
• “What's all this then?”
• Raymond Baxter type

About this title

About the Author:

Darl Larsen is Professor of Media Arts and the Center for Animation at Brigham Young University, where he teaches film, animation, and popular culture studies. He is the author of A Book about the Film Monty Python's Life of Brian (2018), A Book About the Film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (2015), and Monty Python, Shakespeare and English Renaissance Drama (2003).

Review:

A book to throw at that guy you know who's always quoting lines from famous Monty Python episodes--because the detail here is so great, he's bound to go off in a corner reading for everything he missed! The very heavy book offers up episode-by-episode details of shows from the second half of the legendary comedy program--not just show details and sketches, but a wealth of background information that went into the jokes--listings of all the references you might not have gotten the first time around--showing just how smart and deeply-layered the writing was in Monty Python. We'll admit to being huge Python fans in our youth--and even though we went through most episodes with a fine-tooth comb, we've still found a huge amount of new information here--especially in the big bits about references, which make us marvel at the humor all over again. (dustygroove.com)

About this edition

• Publisher: Scarecrow Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1589797124
• ISBN 13: 9781589797123
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 492