US versus UK Comedy: Monty Python says Go American!

[Laurel]

This is from Yahoo - don't blame me!

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010821/re/people_cleese_dc.html


LONDON (Reuters) - John Cleese, the gangly creator of the classic ``Fawlty Towers,'' said on Tuesday that American television comedies were funnier than British shows.

But the 61-year-old ``Monty Python'' cult star firmly scotched media reports that he planned to quit his homeland for good.

Cleese, a master at portraying the repressed Englishman, mourned the passing of a golden era, complaining that ``For the first time for a very long time the comedy on American television is rather better than we are producing.''

Speaking from his Californian home in Santa Barbara, he told BBC Radio: ``I thought British television was the best in the world or, as somebody memorably said a few years ago, the least bad television in the world.

``I do think television in England is much less good than it was,'' said the comedian who created the bowler-hatted Ministry of Silly Walks, the Upper Class Twit of the Year and the gibbering hotel owner Basil Fawlty.

 

[alexander tzara]

"Speaking from his Californian home in Santa Barbara" Sounds like he's really researched the subject. LOL There's very good American and British comedy on tv just now but they have very different styles. TV comedy in the UK at the moment is mostly quite dark and straight-faced - not necessarily geared towards ex-pats in their mid-60s.

 

[Ask For More]

I think Frasier is the best comedy show around at the moment, but most of the recent British comedy shows have been far superior to American shows though.

Not sure what John Cleese has been watching.

 

[Barb Dwyer]

I think his reasoning is fawlty.

 

[sexy-girl]

he was probably joking

 

[Dhalgren]

flying circus...

An interesting little fact is that the word we all use when referring to net junk mail, "Spam" came from a famous Monty Python skit regarding a restaurant that only served spam in EVERYTHING...

On the menu..

"Spam eggs spam sausage spam spam eggs spam.."

"But I don't like spam.."

"Then order the..

Spam spam bangers spam spam sausage spam."

"But I HATE spam!"

"Well, then order the sausage spam eggs sausage spam.
There isn't much spam in that.."

 

[p_p_man]

John who?

 

[OUTSIDER]

USA has some great comedy but I tend to find most US stuff a little tame, you have great and I mean great dialogue writer's but the situations they can write about are restricted to what can be shown on your TV channel's, I understand HBO can show some rougher stuff but not many other stations I mean can you imagine CBS or Fox making a show like Ab Fab or Men Behaving Badly.

And yes I know there was a US version of Men Behaving Badly but you really need to see our version...trust me.


Oh and give The Fast Show a try to.

 

[Todd]

I think Frasier is the best comedy show around at the moment, but most of the recent British comedy shows have been far superior to American shows though.

Not sure what John Cleese has been watching.

Fraiser is a comedy?????

 

[p_p_man]

It's sad in a way...

John Cleese belonged to a group of great innovative entertainers, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Eric Idle among them, who started their careers together in "Monty Python" and went on to other things.

They broke new ground with "Python" and helped change UK TV humour from the more traditionally based "sit-com" format to the more lively, eccentric "sketch" show format.

Although Cleese no longer has to work, like most people in his profession, he obviously still feels the call of the stage and is doing some serious arse licking in the States after failing to secure any new contracts in the UK!





ps. and this is all your fault Laurel...you knew this would bring the Brits out in force, you just knew!

 

[Laurel]

Re: It's sad in a way...

ps. and this is all your fault Laurel...you knew this would bring the Brits out in force, you just knew!

LOL! Hey, just trying to bring more controversy and debate to the boards...

 

[Guru]

 

[Starfish]

I like that one, really funny show from America........

What's it called again?????


Oh yeah......Literotica.. That's the ticket...

Damn funny stuff!

 

[pabloback]

john cleese hasnt been funny for years he has made his money recently by making company videos [yuck]

 

[p_p_man]

I like that one, really funny show from America........

What's it called again?????

Oh yeah......Literotica.. That's the ticket...

Damn funny stuff!

And that Mensa! LOL!...

he's a card! LOL!...

 

[WriterDom]

I think Mr. Bean is funny.

 

[p_p_man]

I think Mr. Bean is funny.

To me he's nothing but a vicious little psychopath!

Now "Only Fools and Horses" that's what I would call funny.

British comedy shows on TV seem to have more substance to them with far more characterisation.

I find American comedy has me holding my sides with laughter at times but I'm laughing at the one liners (which I think the American writers excel at) rather than at the whole show.

Shows like Friends and Cheers are really just a string of one line gags around that particular episode's central theme.

 

[Mensa]

My card, sir.

And that Mensa! LOL!...

he's a card! LOL!...

But aren't jokers considered spare cards?

 

[Svedish_Chef]

Now "Only Fools and Horses" that's what I would call funny.

British comedy shows on TV seem to have more substance to them with far more characterisation.

AHEM...


The fast show.

 

[Ask For More]

greeeeeeeaaaat.....

 

[Demian]

American T.V. Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe people still watch Family Ties reruns, but I guess everyone iz entitled to their own Funny Bone...

I still look forward to Seinfeld reruns every day...Northern Exposure on cable...And only look forward to the current show of King of the Hill...

The Holy Grail iz currently playing at a local theater, I think I'll sneak in a 1/2 rack of Budweiser and go see it today...You silly English Canigitt!

Spam was around long before Monty Python...It wuz used for holding airplanes together during the Korean war when they ran out of bolts...

As for T.V., I've found Canadien television to be more consistantly funny...SCTV...Kids in the Hall...South Park

 

[Neale]

*sighs*

You are now the proud witness to a very rare, for me, snotty mood! My head aches, and I feel like being rather unkind towards someone... Misery loving company, and such. Please feel free to fight back as best you may, for it couldn't make the ache any less throbbing!

Dhalgren... if you are going to give us a factoid that any geek worth his silicon knows, at least quote it correctly! All you have to do is perform a web search, and you will find the exact Spam Sketch. For example:
found in less than 15 seconds, including typing time, by a Google Search, with keywords Spam Sketch Monty Python

The Monty Python Spam Sketch

Scene: A cafe. One table is occupied by a group of Vikings.

A husband and wife enter.

Man (Eric Idle): You sit here, dear.
Wife (Graham Chapman in drag): All right.
Man (to Waitress): Morning!
Waitress (Terry Jones, in drag): Morning!
Husband: Well, what've you got?
Waitress: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg, sausage, and bacon; egg and spam; egg, bacon, and
spam; egg, bacon, sausage, and spam; spam, bacon, sausage, and spam; spam, egg, spam, spam,
bacon, and spam; spam, sausage, spam, spam, bacon, spam, tomato, and spam;
Vikings (starting to chant): Spam spam spam spam...
Waitress: ...spam, spam, spam, egg, and spam; spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, baked beans,
spam, spam, spam...
Vikings (singing): Spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam!
Waitress: ...or Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner
with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam.
Wife: Have you got anything without spam?
Waitress: Well, there's spam, egg, sausage, and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Wife: I don't want ANY spam!
Husband: Why can't she have egg, bacon, spam, and sausage?
Wife: THAT'S got spam in it!
Husband: Hasn't got as much spam in it as spam, egg, sausage, and spam, has it?
Vikings: Spam spam spam spam (crescendo through next few lines)
Wife: Could you do the egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam then?
Waitress: Urgghh!
Wife: What do you mean 'Urgghh'? I don't like spam!
Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!)
Waitress: Shut up!
Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!
Waitress: Shut up! (Vikings stop) Bloody Vikings! You can't have egg, bacon, spam, and sausage
without the spam.
Wife (shrieks): I don't like spam!
Husband: Sshh, dear, don't cause a fuss. I'll have your spam. I love it. I'm having spam, spam, spam,
spam, spam, spam, spam, beaked beans, spam, spam, spam, and spam!
Vikings (singing): Spam, spam, spam, spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!
Waitress: Shut up!! Baked beans are off.
Husband: Well could I have her spam instead of the baked beans then?
Waitress: You mean spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam... (but it is too late and the Vikings
drown her words)
Vikings (singing elaborately): Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Spam
spa-a-a-am spam spa-a-a-am spam. Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam!
Lovely spam! Spam spam spam spam!

Damien... the 'Canigitt' word is a joke on the French knights pronunciation of the word 'Knight'
Also, of course Spam was around before Python! What would have been the point of singing about it, did it not previously exist. However, the first usage of the word spam in reference to unwanted mass-e-mailing (well, Usenet posting, to be precise) was credited to the influence of the Spam sketch, Dholgren attempted to convey.

p_p_man: good point. American television certainly caters to, perhaps even actually causing, our remarkably short attention spans. Point in fact, just how many people do you think read this far in this godawful long post of mine? Did you?

WriterDom: ewwwww! Mr. Bean is a tool of a boring Satan!

Starfish: My head would explode before I EVER said one unkind word to you, Gretchie-love! *many hugs*

Laurel: see above message to Starfish

okay... enough bile spewed for one morning. bye!

 

[Myrrdin]

Re: Re: US versus UK Comedy: Monty Python says Go American!

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Laurel
... John Cleese, the gangly creator of the classic ``Fawlty Towers,'' ...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That is one of the few shows that made me really LOL. What a comic genius.

Fawlty Towers only ran for 13 episodes and then finished. He never wrote any more.

Can you imagine any US TV company stopping a hit show after one series. They would have milked and milked it for years.

The best British comedy of recent years. "Dinner Ladies" written by and starring Victoria Wood.

 

[alexander tzara]

I think some of the best British tv comedy shows over the last few years were: the Alan Partridge shows, the Paul & Pauline Calf video diaries, 'Father Ted', 'The Royle Family', 'Ali G', 'The Fast Show' and more recently things like 'People Like Us'. I haven't seen any good British comedy films for years. Hopefully Steve Coogan's 'Parole Officer' won't be too bad.

 

[Dhalgren]

but I do hate spam

Well..honesty when being a Lit "newbie"

...it's truly best to stay away from doing any copy and pasting job...

Really.


And I was talking more about where the word "spam" originated now that we all use it so casually to refer to our junk mail online.


Since I do know the skit by heart...I was just giving a condensed version of the rather long but very funny skit to convery the feeling of what I meant by the word being used..

But I HATE spam..when it's in EVERYTHING..


See?


So terribly sorry if I offended ye...