Monty Python - History of the Joke

Super rare-- there's another, more elaborate version of this bit in Live At The Hollywood Bowl, but this version seems somehow more anarchic, more unhinged. Graham Chapman is clearly drunk onstage, and the expression on Terry Gilliam's face is priceless.

[@dharmaseed]

God, Gilliam's deranged smile totally makes this sletch.

[@owenlewis8006]

Gilliam’s facial expressions always crack me up, not just this sketch

[@herakleitus]

Yeah they’re always over the top. I especially like the one during the Deadliest Joke when he’s a German soldier who bursts into the room with a Sten, hears the joke, and strangles out a laugh and immediately falls stiff to the ground.

[@jessecruz7835]

Amazing. I never thought that I would laugh this hard at a pie-in--the-face sketch. Terry's faces are absolutely killing me.

[@MrGraphis]

Love the way Terry Gilliam can't suppress his laughter...

[@Julianna74]

RIP to Terry Jones and Graham Chapman. Thank you for the many laughs.

[@thecrimsonfloyd]

I love how Gilliam just can't stop smiling.

[@KrautGoesWild]

The look on Gilliam´s face... adds to the laughters, I´d say!

[@tommeiklejohn]

The surprise pie at 2:46 is the best bit of comedy timing ever. :)

[@rowbyrowby]

I was so fortunate to have been in the audience at the Hollywood Bowl. Was writing the Laugh-In series at the time and a bunch of us writers went to see the Pythons. The Pytons were very new to the U.S. audiences at the time, and for me it was seeing their classic sketches as if they were new. What a crazy bunch of wonderful zanies! ...Rowby

[@JaneDoe-ci3gj]

Cool to have seen them live!😎👍

[@breezingby2611]

Poor Terry Jones

[@glnnchrstphr9717]

Gilliam is absolutely hilarious. He can't help himself.

[@saikogrrl]

I love the choreographing it must have required to get that sequence of getting Terry Jones pied back and front at the same time XD

[@kellycichocki]

Terry Jones gets it, while Terry Gilliam is about to lost it!! Classic! The same skit they do at the Hollywood Bowl includes a banana..

[@thexalon]

It's amazing how good Terry Gilliam's comic acting is, given that he never really trained in it, and his real genius is animation.

[@Android2137]

Poor Terry Gilliam. As the sole American, he has the natural disadvantage of lacking that British stiff-upper-lippery.

[@renderizer01]

Android2137 No disadvantage here. He's just perfectly contrasting the other lads with that mischievous grin of his.

[@AaronMk91]

Lol, Gilliam's so awesome in this; it's in his look.

[@Sedalb]

Terry Gilliam's expressions are priceless!

[@roxannedunlop1044]

Oh my God - a Python bit I've never seen before! How wonderful to laugh so hard my stomach hurts. How the HELL did they keep straight faces??!?Now THAT'S real discipline, folks.

[@Jcolinsol]

Terry Gilliam cannot keep from grinning through the whole thing.

[@AdirondackRuby]

i LOVE this sketch. At my school, the junior class always does a talent show. When my brother was a junior they decided to make it a british theme, so they did 3 or 4 Monty Python sketches during it [including this one], and even called it "And now for something completely different..."

[@thecircledk8597]

if this is "Live At The Hollywood Bowl" then Chapman was sober - as he was tee total since before the making of "Life of Brian"

[@einysjame]

Graham is probably drunk, but you can hardly tell it 'coz he's such a great actor.. He's my favorite of 'em all..

[@kilroy8989]

the man who brimgs out the pies at 3:25. is that Bill Oddie form the goddies

[@kathiewippel7551]

Hadn’t noticed Bill Odie giving them the pies before.😂

[@bunnybrain]

it is funny not only in the rehearsals! the look on terry's face says it all and graham fighting not to laugh, great... i love it! but just in case someone is thinking to re-inact this sketch, i strongly recommend to throw some pies into the audience :D

[@legiogallica]

This is my absolute favourite Python sketch.

[@AnimeFanatic5602]

Terry Gilliam, the animator and the only american of the group. He never had too many on-set roles during the show.

[@FandPrulethesky]

Heheh very funny. Michael's deadpan face, and terry's fed up face are great but Gilliams faces steal this sketch thow for me

[@bellasparrow]

lol i love how in all the versions of this i've seen gilliam can't keep a straight face...i would have that same smirk haha one of my favorite sketches :D

[@Stephanlabize]

My favorite sketch of all time. The Edible Missiles shall be the name of my band

[@JoeRivermanSongwriter]

The unmistakable voice of Bill Oddie there.

[@KrautGoesWild]

"Edible Missile" - cracks me up everytime!

[@BasisBran]

The look on Terry's face want he stands by the chair xD Hysterical!

[@MrBradipo73]

you've got to be a genius to make something like that so irresistibly funny...

[@peticco]

"Would you ask that man not to come on stage again, please" LOL, Graham maybe drunk but he is still a legend!

[@quadturbo4]

That's fantastic. Their creativity and execution are just staggering. Thanks for uploading!

[@Drafur]

As one can see clearly this is NOT the piece from Hollywood Bowl. This one is from their performance called "Secret Policemans Ball" which were held in London in...'77 or '79 I think...

[@tsimon1234]

One of their best sketches ever! 5 stars!

[@RBEO22]

He's trying his hardest not to smile.

[@ISB]

appy-polly-logies then. and yes, this one's from 1-3 april 1976 gigs...

[@rlrsk8r1]

"The dispatch of an edible Missile"

[@monster762]

Long live Monty Python, and 22 people can piss off!

[@HumanDichotomy]

I love how Terry Gilliam is obviously trying not to laugh. :D

[@uglykidmo7777]

RIP, Terry!

[@romanramirez7847]

Love Terry G in this skit! His expressions are the best! Also where’s Eric in this?

[@georgia00ful]

Palin is amazing and my fave LOVE HIM.

[@shaddar666]

they are Greatest !

[@LivveHult]

Imagine rehearsing the cakebit!!

[@AmadeusKing]

You could tell Gilliam was really enjoying the sketch.

[@DeaconArael]

This is a bloody masterpiece! I love it!

[@argetlamgirl711]

jones was being such a good sport, kudos 2 him!!

[@BrandNewBriefcase]

this has to be my favorite MP skit, I was laughing my ass off!

[@Drego642]

Lol, Terry Gilliam couldn't keep a straight face! And I can't blame him!

[@ButterflyofOceans]

this is so much better than the hollywood bowl version. I love the audiences energy.

[@Scoused5000]

That man that came is Bill Oddie

[@armadafanforever]

@rrtodd95 Okay I know I'm late in commenting, but yes he is drunk, because this was NOT the version from Live at the Hollywood Bowl, this is much earlier than that. He was still drinking at this time. Although I have to agree, this isn't rare, you can buy this on DVD

[@rozzie101]

Brilliant

[@laddiebuck12]

Hey, that's Bill Oddie bringing the pies in!

[@scopedoc]

Pre-Python, at University, Cleese and Gilliam were in the Cambridge Footlights with the future Goodies: Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden. The two groups had multiple connections.

[@Nikihungary]

One of my favs!!!!!

[@kellycichocki]

Grahama Chapman was drunk a LOT during the filming of THG!!! Lots of great books out there about MP!!

[@Lundix]

I cried so much the first time I saw this, my eyes were red the day after.

[@tryharder75]

Bill Oddie!!!!!

[@Snurdgerbly]

@kilroy8989 Bill Oddie of the Goodies? Yes, it is.

[@batmanofni]

Well at least he got off the drink w=by the time they got to 'Life of Brian', they all said he seemed alot happier then. Mr Chapman, you are still missed by many RIP.

[@rail11389]

yes he did some work with the Pythons

[@bumblinggimp]

cameo from Bill Oddie!

[@isaackim7675]

I feel sorry for the guy in the middle. He never got the chance to throw a pie.

[@bigwillietheb]

they have the same skit but done by women which is better

[@m.c.b.4323]

Terry Jones. Brian's mother. And the great director of Life of Brian, by the way.

[@CelticSaint]

'The suprise deposit' LOL

[@doitman9974]

Great find!

[@bsl103158]

think how many coma-inducing lectures these guys sat through as boys in England...becoming world class comedians is probably how they dealt with all the incredible education/over-education they obviously all had

[@misium]

It seriously made me rolling on the floor, laughing my ass off.

[@bjalborough]

Bill Oddie being typically difficult.

[@emerce17]

lol chapman is so drunk

[@hollywoodwerewolf]

Another sketch well done and silly

[@OloBustyoas]

Oh so timely with today's events at Parliament with Rupert Murdoch!

[@pinkdestroyer]

HAHA, Terry Giliam is hardly trying not to laught.

[@Legotruck82]

Is that Bill Oddie (Goodies) who handed them the pies and says "god i wish i were doing it"

[@PAJA63]

Sure looks and sounds like him. :-)

[@GCMPJLRMYLIFE]

HAhahahaa!! I love the end! I think Graham Chapman was my favorite python....it sucks that he died :( :( :(

[@MichaelPalinFan2008]

Lool Terry Gilliam!!!!

[@murielsartre]

Bill Oddie! Yay! And Michael's just gorgeous.

[@BethGoth15]

My dirty mind thought you meant something else. LOL!

[@foutupourfoutu]

Because it's not from the same performance at all, it's 1976 here, Hollywood Bowl was shot in the early 80's I guess

[@TheGrenfellRatio]

This was originally done by cambridge footlights in 1963. The cast was bill oddie, tim brooke taylor, jonathan lynn and david hatch narrating

[@yeetusyourmeetus]

seems like a "Goodies" kind of sketch

[@chrisdamico4869]

Mmm, don't think so. This sketch was written by Terry Jones at Oxford. It may have been done at Cambridge, but it originated in Oxford.

[@RetroMusicLover11]

Your full of crap sit down idiot

[@RetroMusicLover11]

You're

[@sunxel3264]

I and some guys in school are gonna redo this... And i am the one in the midle😞

[@kellycichocki]

Pardon my misspellings....!! Laughing too hard..

[@squanto2]

perfection

[@____Ai____]

:D:D:D:D Gilliam is great :D and jones looks like "oh do I have to do this?" :D

[@teverde]

Completamente de acuerdo.

[@Veggieman87]

Yeah, Chapman's clearly drunk.

[@mrp3co]

!! ernestborg9 dude !! thank you very much!

[@33Keith33]

If only Moe Howard had lived to see this.

[@pmckeown40]

@rmenardster the official VHS copies etc are obviously in short supply.

[@kfcthanksgiving]

Last part was soo unexpected!

[@TwistedAnvil]

ZOMG BILL ODDIE!!! "God I wish I were doing it!" "Could you ask that man not to come on stage again please?"

[@EtotheZtotheKyle]

the end was the best

[@TNitroxT]

lol Ultra Rare!!

[@ruruandbennydoo]

lol PIE THROWING

[@edwardbwmn]

Michael Palin does great deadpan

[@randiekay4994]

I read Graham Chapman had a drinking problem around the time this sketch was done