1.
Monty Python's Flying Circus
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Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a British sketch comedy series created by the comedy group Monty Python and broadcast by the BBC from 1969 to 1974. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and it also featured animations by group member Terry Gilliam, often sequenced or merged with live action. The first episode was recorded on 7 September and premiered on 5 October 1969 on BBC One, with 45 episodes airing over four series from 1969 to 1974, the show often targets the idiosyncrasies of British life, especially that of professionals, and is at times politically charged. The members of Monty Python were highly educated and their comedy is often pointedly intellectual, with numerous erudite references to philosophers and literary figures. The series followed and elaborated upon the style used by Spike Milligan in his ground breaking series Q5, the team intended their humour to be impossible to categorise, and succeeded so completely that the adjective Pythonesque was invented to define it and, later, similar material. The Pythons play the majority of the characters themselves, including the majority of the female characters. Regular supporting cast members include Carol Cleveland, Connie Booth, series Producer Ian MacNaughton, Ian Davidson, Neil Innes, and Fred Tomlinson, the title Monty Pythons Flying Circus was partly the result of the groups reputation at the BBC. The group added flying to make it less like an actual circus. The group was coming up with their name at a time when the 1966 Royal Guardsmen song Snoopy vs. the Red Baron had been at a peak. Manfred von Richthofen, the World War I German flying ace known as The Red Baron and they later explained that the name Monty. made us laugh because Monty to us means Lord Montgomery, our great general of the Second World War. The BBC had rejected other names put forward by the group including Whither Canada. A Horse, a Spoon and a Basin, The Toad Elevating Moment, several of these titles were later used for individual episodes. In contrast to many other comedy shows, Flying Circus had only a handful of recurring characters, many of whom were involved only in titles. Continuity for many of these characters was frequently non-existent from sketch to sketch. The Its Man, a Robinson Crusoe-type castaway with torn clothes, before being abruptly cut off by the opening titles and Terry Gilliams animation sprouting the words Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Its was a candidate for the title of the series. A BBC continuity announcer in a jacket, seated at a desk, often in highly incongruous locations. His line, And now for something different, was used variously as a lead-in to the opening titles
2.
Parody
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A parody is a work created to imitate, make fun of, or comment on an original work—its subject, author, style, or some other target—by means of satiric or ironic imitation. As the literary theorist Linda Hutcheon puts it, parody … is imitation, another critic, Simon Dentith, defines parody as any cultural practice which provides a relatively polemical allusive imitation of another cultural production or practice. Parody may be found in art or culture, including literature, music, animation, gaming, the writer and critic John Gross observes in his Oxford Book of Parodies, that parody seems to flourish on territory somewhere between pastiche and burlesque. According to Aristotle, Hegemon of Thasos was the inventor of a kind of parody, in ancient Greek literature, a parodia was a narrative poem imitating the style and prosody of epics but treating light, satirical or mock-heroic subjects. Indeed, the components of the Greek word are παρά para beside, counter, against, Thus, the original Greek word παρῳδία parodia has sometimes been taken to mean counter-song, an imitation that is set against the original. The Oxford English Dictionary, for example, defines parody as imitation turned as to produce a ridiculous effect, because par- also has the non-antagonistic meaning of beside, there is nothing in parodia to necessitate the inclusion of a concept of ridicule. Old Comedy contained parody, even the gods could be made fun of, the Frogs portrays the hero-turned-god Heracles as a Glutton and the God of Drama Dionysus as cowardly and unintelligent. The traditional trip to the Underworld story is parodied as Dionysus dresses as Heracles to go to the Underworld, roman writers explained parody as an imitation of one poet by another for humorous effect. In French Neoclassical literature, parody was also a type of poem where one work imitates the style of another to produce a humorous effect, the Ancient Greeks created satyr plays which parodied tragic plays, often with performers dressed like satyrs. In classical music, as a term, parody refers to a reworking of one kind of composition into another. The term is sometimes applied to procedures common in the Baroque period. The musicological definition of the parody has now generally been supplanted by a more general meaning of the word. In its more contemporary usage, musical parody usually has humorous, even satirical intent, in which familiar musical ideas or lyrics are lifted into a different, often incongruous, context. Musical parodies may imitate or refer to the style of a composer or artist. For example, The Ritz Roll and Rock, a song and dance performed by Fred Astaire in the movie Silk Stockings, parodies the Rock. Conversely, while the work of Weird Al Yankovic is based on particular popular songs. The first usage of the parody in English cited in the Oxford English Dictionary is in Ben Jonson, in Every Man in His Humour in 1598, A Parodie. The next citation comes from John Dryden in 1693, who also appended an explanation, suggesting that the word was in common use, in the 20th century, parody has been heightened as the central and most representative artistic device, the catalysing agent of artistic creation and innovation
3.
Spanish Inquisition
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The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition, was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms and to replace the Medieval Inquisition and it became the most substantive of the three different manifestations of the wider Christian Inquisition along with the Roman Inquisition and Portuguese Inquisition. The Inquisition was originally intended primarily to ensure the orthodoxy of those who converted from Judaism, the regulation of the faith of the newly converted was intensified after the royal decrees issued in 1492 and 1502 ordering Jews and Muslims to convert or leave Spain. The Inquisition was not definitively abolished until 1834, during the reign of Isabella II, the Spanish Inquisition is often stated in popular literature and history as an example of Catholic intolerance and repression. Modern historians have tended to question earlier accounts concerning the severity of the Inquisition, Henry Kamen asserts that the myth of the all-powerful, torture-mad inquisition is largely an invention of nineteenth century Protestant authors with an agenda to discredit the Papacy. Although records are incomplete, about 150,000 persons were charged with crimes by the Inquisition and about 3,000 were executed. The Inquisition was created through papal bull, Ad Abolendam, issued at the end of the century by Pope Lucius III as a way to combat the Albigensian heresy in southern France. There were a number of tribunals of the Papal Inquisition in various European kingdoms during the Middle Ages. In the Kingdom of Aragon, a tribunal of the Papal Inquisition was established by the statute of Excommunicamus of Pope Gregory IX, in 1232, during the era of the Albigensian heresy. With time, its importance was diluted, and, by the middle of the fifteenth century, there was never a tribunal of the Papal Inquisition in Castile. Members of the episcopate were charged with surveillance of the faithful, during the Middle Ages, in Castile, little attention was paid to heresy by the Catholic ruling class. Jews and Muslims were tolerated and generally allowed to follow their traditional laws, however, by law, they were considered inferior to Catholics and were subject to discriminatory legislation. The Spanish Inquisition can be seen as an answer to the nature of Spanish society following the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslim Moors. After invading in 711, large areas of the Iberian Peninsula were ruled by Muslims until 1250, when they were restricted to Granada, which fell in 1492. However, the Reconquista did not result in the expulsion of Muslims from Spain, since they. The Jews, who had previously thrived under Muslim rule, now suffered similar maltreatment, however, as Henry Kamen notes, so-called convivencia was always a relationship between unequals. Despite their legal inequality, there was a tradition of Jewish service to the crown of Aragon and Jews occupied many important posts. Castile itself had an unofficial rabbi, ferdinands father John II named the Jewish Abiathar Crescas to be Court Astronomer
4.
Catchphrase
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A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, some become the de facto or literal trademark or signature of the person or character with whom they originated, and can be instrumental in the typecasting of a particular actor. People are doing it to feel good about themselves, to make others laugh, to make themselves laugh and he found that all of the participants in his study had used film quotes in conversation at one point or another. They overwhelmingly cited comedies, followed distantly by dramas and action adventure flicks, horror films, musicals and childrens films were hardly ever cited. List of catchphrases List of political catchphrases List of exclamations by Robin Category, Catchphrases Barba, Catchy Phrases, over 2000 Catchy Slogans Ideas, Powerful Copy Connectors, Catchy Phrases for Business Tag lines, Magnetic Blog Triggers. Catchphrase, Slogan and Cliché, the origins and meanings of our favourite expressions, a Dictionary of Catch Phrases, American and British, from the sixteenth century to the present day Lanham, Maryland, Scarborough House,1992. Planet Simpson, How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation
5.
Jarrow
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Jarrow is a town in north-east England, located on the River Tyne. Historically part of County Durham, in 1974 it became part of the county of Tyne. In the 8th century, the monastery of Saint Paul in Jarrow was the home of Bede, who is regarded as the greatest Anglo-Saxon scholar and the father of English history. From the middle of the 19th century until 1935, Jarrow was a centre for shipbuilding, Jarrow had a population of 43,431 in 2011. Later spellings are Jaruum in 1158, and Jarwe in 1228, today Jarrow residents popular nickname for Jarrow is Jarra. Along with the abbey at Wearmouth, Jarrow became a center of learning and had the largest library north of the Alps, primarily due to the travels of Benedict Biscop. In 794 Jarrow became the target in England of the Vikings. The monastery was dissolved by Henry VIII. The ruins of the monastery are now associated with and partly built into the church of St. Paul. One wall of the church contains the oldest stained-glass window in the world, just beside the monastery is Bedes World, a working museum dedicated to the life and times of Bede. Bedes World also incorporates Jarrow Hall, a grade II listed building, originally three copies of the Bible were commissioned by Saint Ceolfrid in 692. This date has been established as the monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow secured a grant of additional land to raise the 2000 head of cattle needed to produce the vellum for the Bibles pages. Saint Ceolfrid accompanied one copy on its journey to be presented to Gregory II, the book later appears in the 9th century in the Abbey of the Saviour, Monte Amiata in Tuscany, where it remained until 1786 when it passed to the Laurentian Library in Florence. Jarrow remained a town until the introduction of heavy industries like coal mining and shipbuilding. Charles Mark Palmer established a shipyard – Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company – in 1852, john Bowes, the first iron screw collier, revived the Tyne coal trade, and Palmers was also responsible for the first modern cargo ship, as well as a number of notable warships. Around 1,000 ships were built at the yard, they produced small fishing boats to catch eel within the River Tyne. Palmers employed as much as 80% of the working population until its closure in 1933 following purchase by National Shipbuilders Securities Ltd. This organisation had set up by Stanley Baldwins Conservative government in the 1920s
6.
Graham Chapman
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Graham Arthur Chapman was an English comedian, writer, actor, author and one of the six members of the surreal comedy group Monty Python. He played authority figures such as the Colonel and the role in two Python films, Holy Grail and Life of Brian. Chapman was born in Leicester and was raised in Melton Mowbray and he enjoyed science, acting and comedy, and after graduating from Emmanuel College, Cambridge and St Bartholomews Medical College, he turned down a career as a doctor to be a comedian. Chapman established a partnership with John Cleese, which reached its critical peak with Monty Python during the 1970s. Chapman was openly homosexual and a supporter of gay rights. He was an alcoholic during his time at Cambridge and the early Python years, Graham Arthur Chapman was born on 8 January 1941 at the Stoneygate Nursing Home, Stoneygate, Leicester, the son of policeman Walter Chapman and Edith Towers. He had a brother, John, who was born in 1936. One of Chapmans earliest memories was seeing the remains of Polish airmen who had suffered an accident near Leicester, later saying the horrific sights of this remained in his memory. Chapman was educated at Melton Mowbray Grammar School and he showed a strong affinity for science, sports and amateur dramatics, and was singled out for attention when a local paper reviewed his performance of Mark Antony in Shakespeares Julius Caesar. Graham and John Chapman were both fans of radio comedy, being especially fond of The Goon Show and Robert Moretons skill of telling jokes the wrong way round. Biographer Jim Yoakum said the radio shows didnt necessarily make him laugh, in 1959, Chapman began to study medicine at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He joined the Cambridge Footlights, where he first began writing with John Cleese, following graduation, Chapman joined the Footlights show Cambridge Circus and toured New Zealand, deferring his medical studies for a year. After the tour, he continued his studies at St Bartholomews Medical College and his brother John later said, He wasnt ever driven to go into medicine. Following their Footlights success, Chapman and Cleese began to write professionally for the BBC, initially for David Frost, Frost had recruited Cleese, and in turn Cleese decided he needed Chapman as a sounding board. Chapman also contributed sketches to the radio series Im Sorry, Ill Read That Again and wrote material on his own and he wrote for The Illustrated Weekly Hudd, Cilla Black, This is Petula Clark, and This Is Tom Jones. Chapman, Cleese, and Tim Brooke-Taylor later joined Feldman in the comedy series At Last the 1948 Show. It was Chapmans first significant role as a performer as well as a writer and he displayed a gift for deadpan comedy, the series was the first to feature Chapmans sketch of wrestling with himself. Despite the shows success, Chapman was still unsure about abandoning his medical career, in between the two series of At Last the 1948 Show he completed his studies at St Bartholomews, and became professionally registered as a doctor
7.
Carol Cleveland
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Carol Cleveland is a British actress and comedian, most notable for her appearances on Monty Pythons Flying Circus. Born in East Sheen, London, she moved to the United States with her mother and she was brought up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lubbock, Texas, and later Pasadena, California where she attended John Marshall Junior High School and Pasadena High School. She is a former Miss California Navy and appeared as Miss Teen Queen in MAD Magazine at age 15, carol was Miss Teen in the August 1958 issue of Dig magazine. Cleveland returned with her family to London in 1960, and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, a stage actress and model who had appeared as an extra in The Persuaders. This brought her to the attention of the team of Monty Pythons Flying Circus. She appeared in 30 of the 45 episodes in the series, Cleveland has contributed on many post-Python projects including the Concert for George and Not the Messiah. Shes also appeared in documentaries about the groups history, including Monty Python. She most recently reunited with the Pythons in 2014 for their stage show Monty Python Live. Cleveland was voted number three in Splendor magazines 100 Most Beautiful Entertainers list in 1972, Cleveland was married to Peter Brett from 1971 to 1983
