h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I just love these guys. They have great minds for nonsense, and their sketches rarely descend into mere farce. Their accents also give the show a huge amount of character, which is more than you can say for many modern comics of today. The total lack of plot and avoidance of central characters allowed tham to concentrate on the central theme - comedy. I didn't really like *The meaning of Life* but the first two movies were brilliant, despite having plots.

the greatest comic team of all time, BAR NONE!

DWD

They inspired me to want to write. They taught me how to laugh. They made me stick my sister's head in a vice and walk off for a few hours. (No, I didn't really, but it would have been funny if I had!)

"Just a mere flesh wound!"

Am I one of the only two people in the world who have seen the "Ken Clean-Air System" sketch?

Yes!

At ten, Ken jogs to what he thinks is the gym. It might be a bus stop, it might be a butcher's shop; but today it's a hospital...

And tonight on "It's the mind", the strange phenomena of Deaja Vu

And tonight on "It's the mind", the strange phenomena of Deaja Vu

The shot of Terry Jones balancing an egg on his head, priceless there are no other words to describe it.

Excuse the potential heresy, but does anyone else feel the end of Holy Grail was a major let-down?

I have to admit that I do. Methinks that they ran out of money and ideas towards the end somewhat. But I always like to think that the quality of the earlier parts of the film makes up for all that.

"I'm INVINCIBLE!"

"You're a bloody looney."

I got such a kicking off my brother for that!
It was about, oooh, 8 years ago (ish) and Holy Grail was on the telly that night. My bro asked me to tape it (what with me being too young at the time to join him in his boozy escapades).
The next day when he watched it, he thought I'd managed to miss the end of the film! He only really believed me this Xmas, when I bought him the film on DVD.
Didn't say sorry though.

I must say, the Fish Slapping Dance represents everything I love about the Python humor. It's quick, understated in the way that they could have made it even crazier if they wanted to, combines familiar elements with twisted touches (the music and a nice bridge with hitting people with fish), totally bonkers, and ends with a bang.

And it's insanely funny!

My favorite sketch is the one with the four rich guys talking about how they were happier when they were impossibly poor. It ended with one of them saying, "I had to get up at half ten, half an hour before I went to bed, work 29 hours a day at the mill and pay sixpence a week for tha honour of being allowed to work, and when I got home my father would kill us and dance on our graves. And if you tell that to the youth of today, they won't believe you!"

I too feel that the end of *Holy Grail* was a bit poor, but it was quite clever.

Hey, did anyone else see *Jabberwock*? I'm not sure if the Monty Pythons made it, but it SUCKED!

I loved Jabberwocky.
When you consider that python embraced the utterly ridiculous, don't you think the end of Holy Grail was poetic?

The bodies of work created by all the individual members seems to be left out of many discussions.

Jabberwocky, Ripping Yarns, The Missionary, Time Bandits, Clockwise, A Fish called Wanda/Fierce Creatures...
I could go on ad nauseum - without going into all the other collaborations in various media over the years.

Their influence has been revolutionary and enduring - beyond the obvious catchphrases and references. I doubt anything will ever compare.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition !

I loved Jabberwocky too... and the Holy Grail, And the Meaning of Life ("Every Sperm Is Sacred"... I watched it in Montreal I think in the early 80's... half the people walked out !

But Life of Brian was best....!

"He's not the messaiah, he just a naughty little boy !"

But I do feel that The Goon Show paved the way for Python... that irreverant humour that was the first of its kind on this planet I think.. well at least on the BBC !

Anyone know if its available in DVD ?

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is good !
If any sperm is wasted
God gets quite irate ....

I probably have got it wrong... but I saw the movie once in 1983, so thats as much of the somg as I can remember... and the nuns doing cartwheels during the songs....