Masaryk University Faculty of Arts
Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Tereza Janáčková Monty Python vs Jára (da) Cimrman (A Study of some aspects of the British and Czech Humour from the late 1960s onwards) Bachelor Diploma Thesis Supervisor: Stephen Paul Hardy, Ph. D. 2007 2
I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Author’s signature 3
I would like to thank thank my supervisor Stephen Paul Hardy, Phd. for providing me with useful comments on my work and valuable advice. I would also like to thank to friends of mine who helped me form this thesis to its final shape. 4
List of abbreviations : CSR...... Czechoslovak Republic GB...... Great Britain JC……………………………………………………………..…………. Jára (da) Cimrman JCT……………………………………………………..………. Jára (da) Cimrman Theatre MP……………………………………………………...……………………. Monty Python MPFC...... ...... Monty Pythons Flying Circus 5
Table of Contents 1 Introduction ...... 2 2 The 60s and early 70s ...... 5 2.1 The British Swinging Sixties ...... 6 2.2 The Czechoslovakian Golden Decade ...... 7 3 IT΄S...... 9 3.1 Get on with it ...... 10 3.1.1 Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition ...... 12 3.1.2 The Dead Parrot ...... 13 3.1.3 Eric the Half a Bee ...... 14 3.1.4 Cartoons ...... 14 3.2 The movies ...... 15 4 Who is Jára (da) Cimrman ...... 17 4.1 The hero ...... 17 4.1.1 Cimrman’s Philosophy of Externism ...... 18 4.2 The monarchy ...... 19 5 The Jára Cimrman Theatre ...... 21 5.1 Seminars/ lectures ...... 22 5.2 The plays ...... 22 5.3 The movies ...... 24 6 Comparison ...... 26 6.1 University background ...... 26 6.2 Audience ...... 28 6.3 Code ...... 30 6.4 Media ...... 32 6.5 Academics ...... 33 6.6 Society ...... 35 6.6.1 Pathological phenomena in society ...... 37 6.7 Women ...... 38 6.7.1 Woman as an object ...... 39 6.7.2 Women as caricatures ...... 40 6.7.3 Acting women ...... 41 6.8 Authorities ...... 41 6.9 Death ...... 43 6.10 Political scene ...... 44 6.11 Religion ...... 45 6.12 National myths ...... 46 6.13 Vulgarity ...... 48 6.14 Interludes ...... 48 7 Conclusion ...... 50 8 Works cited ...... 52 8.1 Primary sources ...... 52 8.2 Secondary sources ...... 53 9 Appendices ...... 55 9.1 Who is the “thief”? ...... 55 9.1.1 Cimrman’s alleged grandson vs Deep Sea Insurance agent ...... 55 9.2 List of MP sketches ...... 60 9.3 List of JCT Plays ...... 73 6
9.4 DVD ...... 76
1 Introduction
There is no other such phenomenon that conveys such direct relevance to our daily lives, social interactions, and our nature as humour does. People simply need humour as an essential part of their lives. For centuries it was not only the satisfaction of basic needs that enabled mankind to survive, but also the ability to perceive the hardships of life from the less serious point of view. What is humour? It seems to be one of the special qualities that differentiates humans from animals. One of the most influential philosophers Henri Bergson stated in his essay called Laughter 1 that “the comic does not exist outside the pale of what is strictly human.”
Humour is one of the universally comprehensible means of communication. As well as language it has different means of expressing anything a person wishes to say ranging from gentle humorous remarks to bitter satire. Just as it is classified into various genres, various kinds of influence by humour can be observed in our daily lives: not only personal communication or comic situations that every day has for us in store, but also in the form of more or less mass culture with its comedy theatres, humorous journals, comic radio broadcasts, or TV entertainment programmes. Such products of the “entertainment industry” may have their minute of glory and then fade away, some other make people laugh for generations and gain the status of a “cult” entertainment.
I decided to concentrate on two phenomena included in the latter category that arose in the 1960s: Monty Python (hereafter MP) and Jára (da) Cimrman (hereafter JC). I deliberately left the titles in the form that indicates personal names because, as well as humans, both were 1 Bergson, Henri: Laughter http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext03/laemc10.txt , Chapter 1.1 7 shaped by the era they were “born” in. It is therefore possible to use humour as a chronicle depicting significant events and developments in various decades. The two concerned “cults”, however, do not bear a direct reference only to the then state of society and on going events but they depict the elementary issues common for every human being. As there is no scholarly work analysing MP and JC, I would like to offer a general introduction and comparison of the two. My intention is not to present deep analysis of their production but to compare and contrast the two phenomena in as many aspects as possible and suggest potential explanations for both the similarities and the differences between the two.
There are several reasons for preferring MP and JC to other notable projects of the time.
The first and the most important reason is their influence on Czech culture and society. In this thesis, I would like explore why is it possible that Monty Python humour, so obviously based on a British tradition of comedy, could gain such enormous popularity in such a little mid
European country as is the Czech Republic. This question will be answered by means of comparing and contrasting Monty Python with Jára (da) Cimrman cult that arose from Czech culture and therefore “inherited” its significant characteristics. The comparison itself poses another question and that is how are the two phenomena similar, to what extent and most importantly, how is the similarity possible when both developed under utterly different socio political circumstances.
The first section of the thesis is therefore devoted to a brief description of the 1960s, in which both phenomena emerged. Although both of the projects concerned lasted more than a single decade and Jára (da) Cimrman Theatre (hereafter JCT) even preserved to the present day, the sixties shaped the two more than any other following decades. I would like to list the most important events of the decade and also provide information basis for the analytical section. 8
The second and the two following sections are devoted to introduction of both MP and
JCT. My aim is to provide information basis for working hypothesises and possible conclusions presented in the next chapter. The sections are for the most part descriptive, because they are meant to offer the basic facts and sort them out into a clearly structured overview. Unfortunately, there are no official translations of the Czech texts, so I was obliged to translate some parts of the Jára Cimrman Theatre texts for the sake of comparison carried out in this thesis.
Section six: ‘Comparison’ is designed to interpret some of the similarities and differences between the two groups concerned. It explores some of the most notable aspects and focuses on such features as university influence, working methods and topics covered in their works. Each subsection refers to both MP and JCT, which may seem rather confusing but in my opinion, such structure is necessary for the main purpose of the section, i.e. highlighting similarities and differences and possible reasons that formed them. The following section shall close the whole thesis by stating and explaining the output of the thesis. The very last section attached to the main part of the thesis lists appendices that are included in order to provide extra information and offer deeper insight into what has actually been discussed. 9
2 The 60s and early 70s
The sixties are generally characterized as the era of changes in most of the states around the world. The milestone seems to be the Second World War, which shaped the development of many countries for at least two following decades. After the Second World War the two countries Great Britain and Czechoslovak Republic developed in opposite directions. British government wished to cooperate with their former war ally: the US, and tried to restore the glory of the old empire and maintain the status of world power, whereas the Czechoslovak government became pro communist oriented in 1948 and concentrated only on strengthening the bonds with USSR. In spite of the differences in political orientation, both of the countries underwent many political changes in the sixties and established significantly different culture from any other previous and following decades. The sixties in both countries can be characterized as a step towards greater cultural diversity because the practice of censorship was gradually abandoned. Individuals were guaranteed better security of personal rights and freedoms. Both countries experienced a kind of opening of boundaries and headed towards liberalisation. Unfortunately, the next decade put paid to these propensities. In GB changes executed by Mrs. Thatcher’s government were not as dramatic as those in the CSSR 2 caused by the occupation of the allied Warsaw Agreement. Let us have a closer look at the individual developments and characteristics of the sixties and early seventies in the countries concerned.
2 See next chapter 10
2.1 The British Swinging Sixties
Great Britain had enough time to recover from the post war depression and as its Prime
Minister Harold Macmillan put it at Bedford 21 th July 1957, they “have never had it so good”
(Mc Dowall 170).The economy was not absolutely stabilised but it improved enough to give rise to one of the most typical feature of the sixties: the youth culture. As opposed to the previous decades, young people had more money to spend and constituted considerably strong economic power. The cult of youth was partly imported from the U.S. altogether with drug abuse, peace movements “flower power” and resistance to the authorities. Young people shaped the visual image of Great Britain. They developed various fashion typical of certain groups of young people; stylish fashions had to be accordingly accompanied by an appropriate music style and fine art was dominated by the bright colours of pop art. Not only for young people, did the life style change. With economic growth arrived an increase in leisure activities, which meant also higher numbers of television viewers and the rise of popular or light entertainment programmes. Michael Palin commented on the political and social changes: “After Suez ´56 the whole idea of British Empire seemed suddenly absurd and it was all being given away. The severe, stern face of conservative Britain seemed to be gone, and into this slight limbo afterwards came the young comedians” (qtd. in McCabe 111). The comedians of this period were also superb observers and included much of the features typical of the sixties in their comedy programmes. Parody and satirical programmes became highly popular and were broadcast both on radio ( The Goon Show casting Spike Milligan, Harry
Secombe and Peter Sellers) and television (Peter Cook’s satirical cabaret Beyond the Fringe , parody on “news” from the previous week That Was the Week That Was ) Satirical fortnightly called Private eye (Laing 93)developed of the locally famous Mesopotamia magazine.
In the chapter called The End of Victorianism of his book Roads to Freedom 1958 73
Arthur Marwick described another major characteristic of the sixties, which was the loss of 11 the traditional Victorian values. Britain was no longer a great empire ruling over almost half of the world. The colonies gained independence. The perception of the traditional Victorian values regarding the family has changed. Scandals such as the Profumo affair 3 or trial for obscenity of the Lady Chatterley s Lover publishers made it clear that the notion of perfect family is only an idealistic vision hypocritically displayed to the public, regardless of the real
“morals” present in the society. British people suddenly wanted to get rid of such hypocrisy.
The Divorce Reform Act of 1969 enabled quicker divorces; abolition of the Sexual Offences
Act meant that homosexual relationship was no longer a criminal offence. The social climate was more that of liberalism, which along with the vital freedom in many aspects of both public and private life brought also increase of criminality which was accompanied by violence.
2.2 The Czechoslovakian Golden Decade
The situation in the then Czechoslovakia was considerably different from that of Great
Britain. The young generation grew up under the omnipresent supervision of the communist regime, they still remembered the war and the rationing system. The government quite successfully persuaded them that their lives were wonderful in comparison to the preceding generation. The state was isolated from the western countries by the Iron Curtain that existed between the western and eastern blocs. Those who had at least some information from abroad knew that the happy life under the protective guidance of the big Soviet brothers was not as happy as it was presented and that gave rise to the counter culture. Literature that was banned by the state commissionaires spread in Samizdat hand typed versions, which were “the actual testaments to the times when they were created 4.” Subversive remarks and the demand of
3 Conservative War Secretary John Profumo had consorted with a call–girl Christine Keeler, with whom also were assiciated the former Russian Ambassador and Stephen Ward a society osteopath, who confirmed the allegiations which Profumo had at first publicly denied (Marwick 153). 4 http://www.bl.uk/collections/easteuropean/czeslosamizdat/czeslosamizdat.html#furtherinfo 12 freedom were hidden in many movies, plays and songs. The reasons for development of this special cultural stream among young people were utterly different from the ones that led to the existence of counter cultures in Great Britain.
During the sixties the social conditions moved a little more towards democracy. The unjust political trials started to be discussed and even amnesties or rehabilitations were declared for the surviving prisoners of conscience, who were, however, threatened by the death penalty in order to keep quiet about their life in prisons and work camps. The strict measures were gone and culture began to flourish. The era is often spoken about as the
Golden Age of Culture or as of the ‘notoriously famous’ Prague Spring. Many new theatres arose, including the JCT, and western music such as certain forms of jazz was allowed to be broadcast on the radio.
21 st August 1968 put an end to these events. According to Brežněv doctrine, the Army of the Warsaw Agreement was allowed to intervene in any state regardless of its sovereignty.
The government representatives were forced to agree with the presence of Soviet troops at
Czechoslovakian territory. Another era of arresting and persecution followed but was not as severe as in the fifties. The process of ‘normalisation’ was described in Pravda daily as “the full exposure and suppression of subversive, activity (…)” (qtd. in Williams 40). The Golden
Age of culture has never returned. 13
3 IT΄S...
... Monty Pythons Flying Circus (hereafter MPFC). This line may be sufficient for introducing the Pythons as the group is sometimes called. Nevertheless, I would add a few more introductory lines for those who may not be familiar with their work.
Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Michael
Palin started working together in spring 1969. They were brought together thanks to the effort of the then Head of Comedy Barry Took who was not only a good organiser but also a superb author and brilliant actor (McCabe 190). He used to cooperate with Graham Chapman and
John Cleese on the At Last 1948 Show and as a head of the comedy department he offered
John Cleese to invite whoever he wanted to cooperate with provided that they create a brand new interesting show for the BBC. Cleese knew well the cast of Do Not Adjust Your Set and decided to get involved, Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Michael Palin as writers/performers plus
Terry Gilliam as an animator. The team got contract for thirteen episodes in the length of thirty minutes, but eventually they made 45 episodes consisting of 461 sketches and to their advantage the Pythons were not obliged to submit the scripts (Morgan 45). This enabled them to create a very specific type of show, which became widely popular and is usually referred to as cult. As the MPFC gained popularity, the Pythons started to perform their TV material in theatres (as early as 1971 in Coventry) on tours throughout the whole of Britain. In 1971 John
Cleese left the MPFC in order to shoot his own series called The Fawlty Towers , on which he cooperated with his wife Connie Booth. After the group felt that they started to repeat the old ideas in their sketches they wanted to proceed to “something different” and thus became film makers. Their movies more or less stick to the sketch format of the MPFC and similarly to the
MPFC also employ linguistic jokes, cross dressing and situational comedy. MP ceased to exist as a group after the death of Graham Chapman on 4 th October 1989; a day before MP’s 14 twentieth anniversary. Various reunions were held even after this sad event, but the Pythons never worked as a group thereafter.
3.1 Get on with it
Many British TV shows are sketch based and MP Flying Circus continues this tradition.
The scheme of “the two men at a desk” sketch sustained in some of the most notable MPFC sketches ( The Argument Clinic ; episode 29, The Parrot Sketch ; episode 8). As there were many well designed comedy programmes on at that time, many of which influenced the writers of the MP Flying Circus, the new show was meant to bring innovations. Firstly, they invented the cold open, which means that some of their episodes start without the usual opening credits. Instead, the famous Robinson like ‘IT’S’ man appears or the beginning is announced by a ordinary presenter sitting behind his desk in the most extraordinary place
(crowded street, sea etc.). They played with the established structure of TV, sometimes running the closing credits of the show half way through, or being announced as a completely different programme altogether and starting with a mocked up false title sequence. The core innovative element of Monty Pythons’ sketches consists in the lack of the classical structure: introduction, the plot itself and the punch line. Their sketches often start and proceed as usual until the humorous potential is exploited and at this point are simply abandoned because they have “become too silly”. They may also continually transform into another sketch. Dropping the punch lines enabled the group to employ kind of a stream of consciousness method where one sketch gradually melts into the other; sometimes to reappear later in an absolutely different context.
Terry Jones states 5 that the idea originally came from Terry Gilliam’s animation from Do Not Adjust Your Set TV programme called Beware of the elephants. The very
5 Ed. McCabe. Bob:The Pythons’ Autobiography. 194 15 beginning of this scheme is to be seen in the radio and TV shows of great British comedian of the previous decades: Spike Milligan. The to be Pythons were all attracted to these shows and admit taking inspiration from the way of working with the form of the presented material.
Michael Palin points out the influence of Spike Milligan’s surreal radio programme called the
Goon Show . Typical feature that differentiates MP Flying Circus from other similar programmes is that the same sketch often develops in different direction later on in the programme or even in other episode because the routine was to shoot several episodes at once. Timing, editing and cutting became therefore crucial for the MP Flying Circus and the authors tried to keep in control of these despite having a professional cutter. The timing did not include a compulsory amount of jokes per certain time as was the custom in the US comedy programs. It was entirely up to the authors, when they decide to revive part of previous sketch or to get on to another one without any concluding sentence. Graham
Chapman commented on the loss of the punch lines:
“Our biggest thing was getting rid of the punch line. For years people had been doing a punch line, and we had to do it too as writers. The producer would look quite blank if there wasn’t a punch line (...) he can’t cue the audience to applaud. Well, we don’t worry about the audience particularly, let them get on with it.” (qtd. in McCabe 192)
The common denominator for all of the MPFC sketches was the realistic setting. As
Fiske put it “ the more ‘realistic’a programme is thought to be, the more trusted, enjoyable – and therefore more popular it becomes” (Fiske 160) According to the basic law of parody the imitation is witty as long as it looks as realistic as possible to the original situation
(Gemkow 6). MP used only a minimum of studio takes, partly on economic and partly on artistic grounds. A perfectly trustworthy scene formed the basis for displaying the absurd, surreal and silly humour in its full strength. A special feeling of fragmentariness in the show seems to be common for all the sketches because they lack a punch line. The show has a
6 mitglied.lycos.de/FrankGemkow/lyrik/lyrik3.htm 16 unified lay out and is presented as a work of the whole MP team. Although one cannot draw a precise line between the authors of particular sketches, it is possible to sort them out according to the personal styles.
3.1.1 Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition
The first type of the sketches came out of the pens of the writing pair Terry Jones and
Michael Palin. Emphasis on the visual rather than verbal part is typical of their style. What is going on seems to be less important than how is it going on. About one half of these sketches is full of ordinary people appearing in the most extraordinary places or in the most unexpected or silly situations as shown e.g. in the extremely short, but an extremely witty sketch called
Fish Slapping Dance (episode 28). The sketch depicts two uniformed men facing each other on the bank of a river. The smaller one starts to slap his opponent’s cheeks with two tiny fish in a slightly dancing manner. Suddenly his taller opponent takes out a large fish and hits his head so heavily, that he staggers and falls into the water. This sketch is devoid of any verbal expression but still thanks to its situational humour and visual qualities it works well with the audience.
In the other the half of Jones/Palin sketches there are lavishly dressed up persons appearing in perfectly casual situations or in ordinary places such as The Spanish Inquisition
(episode 15), which is set in a Victorian style, in which suddenly the appear Spanish
Inquisition Cardinals appear. This sketch also plays with its own inherent feature because
Cardinal Ximinez does not know his lines by heart and has to come again several times revealing that what the audience is watching at the moment is a performance not a real situation, which is a notion that other programmes usually try to hide. The concepts are fanciful and play with absurd ideas and situations. The core notion here seemed to be silliness as a means of creating humour and depends upon the impossible. Their chief weapon against the viewer’s diaphragm is the moment of surprise, which is always vital when creating 17 humour. Typical of Jones/Palin sketches are long exterior takes, which provided the working name “Pan Over Idyllic Countryside” as Michael Palin states in McCabe 196. Some interesting information to add is that Jones/Palin working team was more concerned about the format and visual qualities of the show, whereas Chapman/Cleese team was slightly more responsible for the contents.
3.1.2 The Dead Parrot
The other usual authorial team consisted of Graham Chapman and John Cleese. They tried to explore the boundaries of what the TV entertainment can tolerate both in terms of light entertainment department and the audience of its programmes. They pushed the notion of the absurd into the realm of surrealism. As well as Jones and Palin they kept the ordinary place/strange situation method, but tried to expand humour into taboo ideas such as illness or death ( The Undertaker’s sketch; episode 26 , The Dead Parrot Sketch episode 8). The idea is to shock the audience either by presenting taboo topics or words or simply creating surreal situation where one piece of nonsense follows another ( Flying Sheep ; episode 2).
Another significant group is formed by the aggressive so called “confrontation” sketches, written, for the most part, by John Cleese. Usually, they consist of an originally innocent dialogue concerning request or complaint and end up in verbal abuse, fit of anger or physical violence. A third type of Chapman/Cleese writing is of a more verbal character resulting in sketches full of uselessly placed synonyms ( Cheese Shop ; episode 24) or even enriching the language by inventing new coinages such as “splunge” in Twentieth Century
Vole (episode 6), which was Chapman’s domain.
18
3.1.3 Eric the Half a Bee
Language based humour is also typical for Eric Idle, the only MP member generally writing on his own. He created sketches about people who speak only in the beginnings, ends or middles of words, sometimes even anagrams such as The Man Who Speaks in Anagrams
(episode 30) or The Man Who Says the Words in Wrong Order (episode 36). These characters deliberately reveal their literary origin. They are created entirely by means of language and could be used in any other sketch with different props without losing the humorous effect.
Similarly there are characters with bizarre verbal quirks as in Nudge Nudge (episode 3).
A second type is represented by “endless” monologues of angry customers in the I know my rights style or confused announcers speeches. Eric Idle also shaped the format by writing an indispensable part of MPFC which are songs. People not familiar with his sketches certainly know at least the Always Look on the Bright Side of Life song from the Monty
Python’s Life of Brian movie.
3.1.4 Cartoons
Although it may not seem probable, the cartoons are responsible for the whole idea of
MP structure of humour. Terry Gilliam designed several cartoons for various comedy programs preceding Python (Do Not Adjust Your Set) . Importantly, he created his little animated motion pictures by the means of the “stream of consciousness method,” which resulted into the “flowing” and endlessly developing character of the sketches.
Gilliam’s working technique is flat cut out animation shot by frame by frame camera.
The imagery seems to be based on the ideas of surrealism, which springs from the examination of the unconscious in humans, dreams and “psychical automatism”. According to
André Breton, the author of Manifesto of Surrealism, who stated in 1924 that surrealism 19 requires: “no control of mind, no moral principles whatsoever 7.” Historically, surrealistic painting developed from Dadaism, which emphasises free playfulness over well thought out concepts. This almost perfectly corresponds with the nature of the MP’s sketches, apart from the notion of violence. Dadaism arose as a reaction to war and therefore is primarily anti violent, it uses nonsense as a parallel to senseless violence whereas surrealism employs violence as its inherent feature because it views violence as a part of the subconscious mind.
Surrealism enabled the animator to tear off part of human body in order to turn the figure into somebody else, to create such images baby carriage eating elderly ladies or a giant foot that damages everything including the opening credits. Gilliam uses famous works of art and
Victorian era engravings and illustrations (which the British audience may have been well familiar with) in absolutely innovative concepts. Again, the viewer is confronted with familiar image, but immediately surprised by the new associations that it evokes.
3.2 The movies
This section serves as a short introductory note to the later analytical part, which uses some parts of the MP’s movies as examples for some of its statements. Only a brief account of the feature films is offered in this section in order to give a general overview, not a deep insight into the movies created by the Pythons. Their first film And Now For Something
Completely Different 8 (1971) was meant for the US market but eventually it was shown in
Britain, so it ended up being “completely the same”. It was, in fact, a remake of the old sketches, only using better technical devices, which may have increased the visual quality but in my opinion, it has also deprived the sketch form of its charm. In 1975 they made film based on the Arthurian legend called Monty Python and the Holy Grail 9, which is a parody of the
7 http://www.tcf.ua.edu/courses/Jbutler/T340/SurManifesto/ManifestoOfSurrealism.htm 8 And now for Something Completely Different.Dir. McNaughton, Ian. Perf. Chapman, Graham et al. Columbia Pictures Corporation, 1971 9 Dirs.Jones, Terry and Gilliam Terry. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Perf. Chapman, Graham et al.Michael White Productions, 1975 20 historical movie, historical research and historical figures with enormous relevance to any other era; present or future. Their third movie is their most popular and also controversial work. It is entitled Monty Python’s Life of Brian 10 (1979) and depicts universal ways of human contemplation more than the Judea of 33 AD. Its controversial nature springs from the misinterpretation of its contents with mockery of Jesus Christ, who has almost no appearance in the film. It tells the story of Brian, who gets confused with Jesus, which affects his whole life. Another movie brought another repetition of the old material. Monty Python Live at the
Hollywood Bowl 11 (1982) is a compilation of the MPFC sketches performed in the Hollywood
Bowl stadium. Their last movie The Meaning of Life 12 (1983) is designed in sort of patchwork style series of sketches concerning various stages of human life, each of which is commented on by six fish speaking in the voices of the six creators.
10 Dir. Jones, Terry Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Perf. Chapman, Graham et al. HandMade Films, 1979 11 Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl. Dirs. McNaughton Ian and Hughes, Terry. Perf. Chapman, Graham et al. Columbia Pictures Corporation. 1982 12 Dirs. Jones, Terry and Gilliam Terry The Meaning of Life. Perf. Chapman, Graham et al. Celandine Films 1983 21
4 Who is Jára (da) Cimrman
Jára Cimrman “was born” in the early 1960s in the minds of the Czech humorists Jiří
Šebánek and Zdeněk Svěrák. The character seems to be a compilation of what Czech society hoped to find in its actual history the history that is generally not considered a mystification, which Jára Cimrman obviously is. Jára Cimrman is designed as omni talented historical figure that had travelled all over the world and influenced almost all possible cultural and scientific fields. He is presented as Czech Austro/Hungarian genius, whose mother Marlene Jelinek was
Vienna opera singer and father Leopold Zimmerman (German version of the name Cimrman) was a Czech tailor (Smoljak. 1998. 3). His birth is situated somewhere around 1850 1870 and early life are veiled in mystery. He is said to have met Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, found an underlease for Gustave Eiffel, advise Anton Pavlovich Chekhov on the number of sisters present in his play, lead an extensive correspondence with G.B. Shaw, but unfortunately the dogged Irishman never seemed to reply. He allegedly helped Thomas Alva Edison with his light bulb, designed an airship called Karel with Count Zeppelin or arranged the first telephone based version of the World Wide Web service run by stammering professor Weber, who answering the phone introduced himself, due to speech his impairment, as w.w.w.
Weber.
4.1 The hero
In 2005 JC was pseudo elected by vast majority of votes The Greatest Czech
Personality, however, as a fictional character, he was excluded from the competition. As the
TV show was based on British format of 100 Greatest Britons, one can say that JC influenced
British public life more than Anne of Bohemia, the daughter of Charles IV and wife of
Richard II of England, because the BBC had to create a unique category especially for JC.
Apparently, a caricature character won not only over the great Czech public personalities but 22 also over the show business machinery. What makes him so interesting apart from being enormously and often (from his point of view) unintentionally witty?
Czech people have always felt a kind of inferiority in terms of national heroes. Almost any other nation celebrates one or two influential figures who managed to win international fame. Such nations that lack this advantage have at least legendary figures, who are reported do their best on behalf of the nation. At the first sight it seems that history deprived the Czech nation of this advantage. In the 19 th the intellectuals realized that there are no heroic epic poems two educated men Václav Hanka and Josef Linda announced to have found such manuscripts that are proof of the brave deeds of the Czech heroes living in 12 th century. Years later both of the manuscripts were declared as mid 19 th century forgeries, but some scientist are not sure about the falsehood to the present days. This historical event seems to be one of the sources of inspiration for creating the character of Jára Cimrman. It seems to follow the in case there is no real hero let us create a– fictional one idea, which aplies to almost all smaller nations as described in The Invention of Tradition (81).
Jára Cimrman is simply a caricature of what the little Czech person could be if there was not for so many difficulties around. Thus the Cimrmanonologists are forced to admit that
Cimrman has failed to obtain any recognition in any of the diverse fields of his vast interests because his methods were far too ahead of his time. What is more, he is designed as omni talented genius whose only disadvantages are his late arrivals to the patent office and uncontrollable hatred of mice.
4.1.1 Cimrman’s Philosophy of Externism
The Cimrman’s gnoseological philosophy of Externism seems to offer a clue to JCT humour as a whole. The theory is designed as a contrast to the “officially recognized” philosophical theory of solipsism. Original version and loose translation of the Philosophy of Externism goes as follows: 23
...podle této filosofie se to má s existencí věcí přesně naopak , než jak odpovídá běžnému názoru: věc je tam, kde se domníváme, že není, a není tam, kde se domníváme, že je. (...)Držím li v ruce tuto křídu, pak podle Cimrmana vyplňuje tato křída souvisle celý prostor svého okolí a jen v místě, které vidíte, tato křída není. (The things are not physically present i.e. do not exist as the observer perceive them, but fill the space around the empty place where they are thought to be. Cimrmanologists use the example of blackboard crayon. The crayon is according to the theory only an empty bubble in continuous crayon mass around the place where the crayon is, in fact, not present, but visible.) (Svěrák et al. 1988. 75)
In the process of acquiring new information one approaches the core of the problem and what s/he finds out is only an empty bubble. This seems to be the grounding thesis for the
JCT humour. The main character, JC, is a mystification – the empty bubble, which the audience tries to understand. The performers debate about fictional theories and after describing the painful process of scientific work announce the discovery of something that was obvious from the beginning or, pushing the events even further, announce that the effort was all in vain because no conclusion at all was achieved. The seminars deal with absurd ideas or interviews that usually approach a certain goal but never reach it. This idea works on the same principle as many of the MP sketches, which being deprived of the punch line, do not have any particular concluding idea.
4.2 The monarchy
Setting the character in the period of the late nineteenth century is extremely convenient not only because of all the changes brought worldwide by the new inventions and discoveries but also from the strictly patriotic point of view. The 1848 uprisings throughout Europe brought about the question of national identity and national states. Czechs thought of themselves as smart but very small nation. Small in terms of size and also in terms of historical, political and cultural significance in the world.
Till 1918 the Czech Republic was part of the Austro Hungarian Empire. Ordinary people did not mind the fact that the country was not self governing, but the intellectuals tried 24 to fight for independence. The reasons were cultural as well as economic oppression, but the true situation was not as bad as it is sometimes interpreted. In fact, it was very similar to the one depicted in the MP’s monologue What have the Romans done for us? from the Monty
Python’s Life of Brian film. Certainly, the population of the Czech countries (including
Moravia and Silesia) was heavily Germanized and had to pay taxes to foreign authorities but there were positive sides to that. The peace was relatively secure. Although the tax money collected in this region was redistributed also to other parts of the empire, the economy was not stagnating. The school system included a considerable proportion of lectures in German, but it was able to educate the Czech intellectuals, who started revolting against the monarchy.
A significant part of the JCT audience saw the Austro Hungarian monarchy setting as a parallel to the state of the political scene in the 1960s. The totalitarian regime of the leading communist party was not as cruel as in the early 1950s. The time of the constructed trials and unjustifiable capital punishments was gone and most of the people tried to avoid any conflicts with the regime. They felt relatively contented with their own little worlds they have created, but still were anxious to hear any subversive remarks. 25
5 The Jára Cimrman Theatre
In the beginning was the word, in fact, the whole radio show called Nealkoholická vinárna u Pavouka ( Spider's Non alcoholic Wineroom ) run by Zdeněk Svěrák and Jiří
Šebánek and directed by Helena Philippová. She played an important role not only in establishing the JCT but also in the beginnings of other notable scenes such as Na Zábradlí
Theatre and Semafor Theatre and was the only woman present among the exclusively male
Jára Cimrman Society. The format of monthly broadcast Spider's Non alcoholic Wineroom combined humour with mystification. JC was introduced as a steam roller driver, who occasionally exhibits his naïve sculptures in escaping inflatable air tent. Only later “the discoverers” realized that more convenient setting to the figure is the turn of the nineteenth century, which enables them to make use of all the significant events of the era. The theatre itself was founded on 29 th October 1966 by Jiří Šebánek, Miloň Čepelka, Ladislav Smoljak and Zdeněk Svěrák. The discovery of Jára Cimrman’s exceptional work was announced by the presenter and jazz musician Karel Velebný in the above mentioned radio show “ Spider's
Non alcoholic Wineroom ” at Christmas 1966. The first performance of the newly established ensemble took place on 19 th June 1967 in Malostranská Beseda Theatre and introduced the JC character to invited audience only.
Jiří Šebánek and Helena Phillipová decided to leave the theatre in 1969 due to personal and professional reasons and continue the mystification in their own way in occasional performances called Salon Cimrman . Part of the ensemble of the JCT also participates in the performances of Salon Cimrman. These shows are not as influential as the actual JCT, which is lead by writers/directors Ladislav Smoljak and Zdeněk Svěrák. 26
5.1 Seminars/ lectures
Originally, the performances of JCT should have been constructed of two short one act plays. However, the authors did not manage to finish the two plays in time and therefore decided to change the intended structure. The idea of the scholarly seminar came into being.
The actors are impersonating academic experts on various aspects of the newly emerging branch of the history science called Cimrmanologie (Cimrmanology), which focuses on the life and work of JC. Each performer uses academic title and delivers one or more profound speeches either in order to enlighten the audience with the latest issues studied by
Cimrmanology or to lead a “scholarly” debate with the colleagues. Such a debate usually ends up in boasting the importance of one’s own personal discoveries and looking down on the work of the other scientists. The contributions cover various topics from JC hatred of mice to the invention of CD=Cimrman’s long playing Discs.
The seminars are per formed as a forbína (forestage) 13 , which continues a post WWII tradition established by another famous Czech writers/performers comedy theatre called
Osvobozené divadlo founded by Jiří Voskovec and Jan Werich. Forbína is a special kind of play interlude, which is played in front of a retracted curtain and does not necessarily have to be closely connected to the play as is the case of most of the JCT seminars. Forbina requires a
‘shallow scene’ formed by the curtain and minimalist props only. As the seminars are designed as a scholarly event the necessary equipment is lectern, charts and diagrams.
5.2 The plays
The plays were written over a period of more than forty years, which explains the obvious change of the style and topics in the JCT plays. However, the general characteristics of the plays remain the same. All of them are ascribed to the mythical Czech/Austro
13 Forbína/ proscenium: the part of a modern theater stage played in front of the curtain; between the curtain and the orchestra ( wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn ) 27
Hungarian genius JC and emphasise his patriotism and positive attitude towards the Czech nation. JC’s patriotism seems to be based on humanistic views rather then nation conscious feeling. Cimrman’s nonsensical theories are presented in the plays with enormous enthusiasm typical of provincial scenes.
With the exception of Němý Bobeš (Mute Bobeš, 1971) , each play is divided into two halves: the seminar and the play itself. Němý Bobeš is similarly exceptional the Cycling Tour
(MPFC, episode 34) because the seminar and the play form a unified complex lasting for the whole performance similarly as the Cycling Tour sketches form the whole 34 th episode. Němý
Bobeš is structured as a ‘reconstruction’ of a fragmentary play by JC, in which the scholars compare their reconstructed version with the version of the fictive Austrian Cimrmanologist
Dr. Erich Fiedler.
Not only Němý Bobeš has its special qualities. Each play is based on different literary genre and therefore is shaped by the specific feature of the genre. The first JCT play called
Akt (1967; akt means both nude and a theatre act) uses the form of a light hearted French style comedy, Dlouhý, Široký a Krátkozraký ( The Long, the Short and the Shortsighted 14
1974) is a unique adaptation of well known fairy tale, which should prepare children for the hardships of life. Lijavec (Heavy rain 1982) is based on a kind of revolutionary–didactical format. It depicts the time immediately before the fall of the Austro Hungarian empire and the rise of national states. Lijavec is often perceived as a play about the antecedent atmosphere before the 1989 Velvet Revolution. Blaník (The Blaník Mountain 1990 ) mocks a legend about mythical army that is prepared to save the Czech nation at its most difficult moment. Posel z
Liptákova ( The Messenger of the Liptákov Village 1977) includes two short plays. The first one is called Vizionář ( Visionary 1977) and touches upon such topics as death and the impact 14 The original fairy tale tells the story of a prince, who has to save his beloved princess. The princess is held captive by a bad magician. Fortunately, the prince meets three pople, endowed with special gifts. The three eventually help the prince to succeed in his task. The version of JCT not only deprives the characters of their special gifts but also changes the behaviour of the character according to how would they behave in reality of the modern world. 28 of the communist regime on private property. Sci fi genre is represented in the second short one act play called Posel světla (The Messenger of Light 1977), which tells the story of an elderly couple, whose son cares nothing about them and that is why they have to buy a robot to have someone to talk to. Eventually, the son pays a visit to his parents only to tell them, that he intends to move them to a retirement home and built a torch factory in their house.
5.3 The movies
There are only three movies concerning the Cimrmanological topic. The first was finished in 1983 and is called Jára Cimrman ležící, spící 15 (Jára Cimrman, Lying, Sleeping).
It was directed by Ladislav Smoljak, one of the co authors writing for the JCT. The other co author Zdeněk Svěrák performed the part of the main character i.e. JC himself. Similarly as
MP’s And Now For Something completely Different the movie was made because of the growing demand for Cimrmanological works and was composed of the most famous old material with up to date additions. The Jára Cimrman ležící, spící film lacks the usual seminar/play format. It is designed as biographical movie about Jára Cimrman depicting different stages of his life. The second film called Rozpuštěný a vypuštěný 16 (Dissolved and
Drained; 1984) an adaptation of JCT play Vražda v salónním coupé ( Murder in a Chair
Carriage ; 1969). The play parodies the detective genre and the methods of deduction. The chief inspector called Trachta is based on the archetype of congenial detective such as
Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot only with the distiction that, in the same way as JC,
Trachta is depicted as a caricature of the famous detectives. One can trace the influence of
Cimrman’s Theory of Externism because the whole play is about investigating a murder; which eventually lacks the victim as the end reveals that the murdered person is not dead at
15 Jára Cimrman ležící, spící. Dir.Smoljak Ladislav. Perf. Svěrák, Zdeněk et al. Filmové studio Barrandov. 1983 16 Rozpuštěný a vypuštěný. .Dir.Smoljak Ladislav. Perf. Svěrák, Zdeněk et al. Filmové studio Barrandov. 1984 29 all. The last film traces back the history of the JCT and is called Nejistá sezóna 17 (Uncertain
Season; 1987). This film offers a deep insight not only into working processes of the JCT but also in the practices of the former communist censorship practices.
17 Nejistá sezóna. .Dir.Smoljak Ladislav. Perf. Svěrák, Zdeněk et al. Filmové studio Barrandov. 1987 30
6 Comparison
This section will introduce some of the many aspects common for both ensembles.
Some of the sections apply more to MP, other to JCT but still most of the discussed notions appear in works of both groups. I would like to suggest some of the possible answers for the appearance of the common topics and the differences in grasping these topics. Each section contains pieces of information on both MP and JCT, which may seem rather confusing, but, in my opinion, it is the best way of comparing and contrasting various aspects of both ensembles. Two of the subsections entitled Media and Academic refer to each group separately, the former to MP, the latter to JCT. Aspects covered range from the topics touched upon in the works, working methods, to such items as the influence of university education on
MP and JCT works.
6.1 University background
A common feature of both MP and JCT are jokes based on a university level of general knowledge and high brow culture or academic background. One can trace features of playful comedy that usually arise from a school background. What are the possible reasons for this?
All of the concerned people are university educated and took part in different kinds of university revues and clubs. MP’s humour is often referred to as Oxbridge humour, meaning that the members of the group studied either at Oxford or Cambridge Universities. Both universities had a long time revue tradition; especially Cambridge is famous for its Footlights
Club. Though run by the students themselves, the Footlights were more of a formal and also elitist organization. It had a strictly hierarchical structure with the club president as the head.
The newcomers were chosen at auditions by a committee of their fellow students, who decided about the newcomers’ admission or dismissal. Official support of the school meant a great benefit for the club because the performers could use fully equipped college theatre. 31
Cambridge provided British culture with many successful comedians, withinthe MP: Graham
Chapman, John Cleese and Eric Idle, who was appointed the president of the club in 1963
(McCabe 127). Outside the MP group it were Tim Brooke Taylor, Bill Oddie and Graeme
Garden (the future Goodies ), Jonathan Lynn (co writer of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime
Minister ) and, during the time of Idle's presidency of the Footlights Club, feminist writer, the author of The Female Eunuch, Germaine Greer.
At Oxford the situation was different. There were two dramatic organisations but neither of them especially supported by the school. One of them was called Oxford University
Dramatic Society and resembled to the structure of the Footlights Club , the other:
Experimental Theatre Club headed towards innovative theatre. Oxford revues presented dramatic plays; sketches and songs were also indispensable part of the performance. Michael
Palin, who studied at Oxford, commented on the MP movie Monty Python and the Holy
Grail : “It quite skilfully managed to combine sketches into a narrative story, but I think what really worked was that the events in the story could be broken down into an old university revue format ten sketches and three songs...” (qtd. in McCabe 310)
Czech culture is heavily ‘populated’ by comedians, who never studied drama or scriptwriting, but were enormously successful. Almost every faculty had its own amateur theatre in the sixties. The students who took part not only in the compulsory lectures but also in the voluntary ensembles were very often more successful comedians than their professionaly trained colleagues. Jiří Voskovec and Jan Werich, the founders of Osvobozené
Divadlo and great exemplars for Zdeněk Svěrák and Ladislav Smoljak, studied law at Charles
University in Prague. During their studying years they managed to write a first version of their famous play Vest Pocket Revue . Zdeněk Svěrák and Ladislav Smoljak studied at the pedagogical faculty of the same university in Prague and, even though this part of their literary work is not accented, co operated as early as studying years. They both studied 32 pedagogy, which strongly influenced the character of JCT plays; predominantly the seminar part and the use of academic environment as a whole.
The importance of university studies for future comedy writers therefore consists not only in the education itself, which broadens their knowledge and thus enables them to create the “high brow” jokes, but also in gaining precious experience in front of the audience. The performances were regarded as being of a high standard. However, the writers actors still had space for experimenting with various kinds of humour and reactions of the audience because they were not professional full time comedians. They could employ new challenging ideas or stretch the boundaries of what was permitted on stage at that time. Besides, comedy was not the only genre presented at British universities, so the performers obtained a kind of classical education as regards acting.
Both MP and JCT ensembles are formed of students of diverse faculties, which have enriched the groups with providing insight to several specific fields. Nevertheless, a significant difference between the to be MP and most of the JCT performers is that whereas the former became full time writers/performers, the latter sustained their position of an amateur ensemble and still work regularly in their original occupations. Only their free time is devoted to the JCT. Amateurism and sort of student like playfulness became their trademarks for over more than forty years.
6.2 Audience
As a theatre based on mystification was a unique phenomenon in the founding years of
JCT, diverse reactions to the JCT plays were observed. Some people considered them humorous, some asked punishment for those who tried to deceive people, and others (at least in the beginning) believed them. Those who saw through the mystification were rewarded not only by enjoying the jokes but also by the special feeling that they know more than the others; that they are the ones initiated in a secret brotherhood. 33
The JCT humour is not only multi levelled, as well as the humour of MP, but also offers several degrees of intensity from gentle kind hearted jokes to satirical remarks with verbal abuse, which makes their humour comprehensible for various age groups. The audience is also coming of age with their theatre. The fans, who were coming to see the early performances keep bringing their children and grandchildren to the performances. In terms of gender the audience seems to be fairly balanced. Again, the reason is the wide range of topics and layers of humour present in the JCT plays. Internationally, the audience is limited by the language barriers. Nevertheless, the popularity of JC has outreached the boundaries of the
Czech Republic. Teatr Tradycyjny Theatre 18 from Krakow, Poland reworked four of the JCT plays 19 for Polish audience and seem to be quite successful in transposing the humour.
The characteristics of the MP audience differ in regard to MPFC and MP’s movies.
Whereas the same conclusions concerning audience, which are valid for the JCT plays, are roughly applicable on the MP’s movies, MPFC mostly seems be popular among the younger generation. Concerning gender the MP works are equally popular among men and women. As regards the international audience, it is widely popular all over the world. According to a documentary called The Life of Python 20 Japanese fans created Monty Python’s Guide to
London a list of python exterior shooting places in London. MPFC is so popular in the Czech
Republic, that an adapted theatre version of MPFC called Monty Pythonův létající kabaret was prepared for the Czech audience by the Rokoko Theatre 21 in 2007.
18 http://www.teatrtradycyjny.prv.pl/ 19 Akt, Posel z Liptákova, Vyšetřování ztráty třídní knihy(Investigation of the Class Register Loss 1967 ) , Dobytí Severního Pólu Čechem Karlem Němcem 5. dubna 1909. 20 The Life of Python. Dir .Redhead, Mark. Perf. Cleese John et al. Tiger Aspect Productions . 1990 21 http://www.mestskadivadlaprazska.cz/repertoar/g chapman j cleese t gilliam e idle t jones m palin monty pythonuv letajici kabaret 26.html 34
6.3 Code
In terms of linguistics, code means language. In this subsection I do not intend to argue that both MP and JCT used the same or similar verbal means of communication, but similar language of humour. Both the discussed comedy groups are creating humour that is widely understood. This would not be possible without creating special kind of multi layered humour.
MP and JCT developed a custom of combining the elementary simple comic with fun requiring at least general level of knowledge. On the one hand the Match of German and
Greek philosophers (Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus 1972) requires at least a basic knowledge of philosophy, but on the other the fact itself that the people, who are supposed play are inappropriately dressed and do not mind the ball at all is witty as well. In fact, a literal changing of codes appears in two MPFC sketches that are also based on the play with works of art placed in unusual context and those are The Semaphore Version of the Wuthering
Heights (episode 15) and Terry Gilliam’s cartoons are based on multi layerism as well. Some people can enjoy the absurdity of putting famous works of art (Botticelli’s Venus) into surreal contexts; other will laugh at the fact that a fair woman presented on TV is executing strange movements. There is an immense amount of such scenes in the works of the JCT; for example a scene in Lijavec, where two people are discussing the defenestration of vice regent earl
Thuna, whose name resembles to Czech form of the word ‘ton’. While the debate takes place one of the characters involved in the discussion (called Formánek) throws a sack full of excrement out the window. A third character (called Pihrt) enters the room announcing that earl Thuna has been thrown out of the window. Formánek misunderstands the information, thinking that the Pihrt reported seeing a ton of excrements being thrown out of the window, he answers that there was not that much of it. The layers can be formed both on a verbal basis, frequently one observes a combination of situational comedy and verbal humour; sometimes there is a combination of all three. Nevertheless, the humour of both MP and JCT is mostly 35 designed as a mixture of universally understood elementary and “high brow” humour.
Another case of a second layer added to a humorous situation is that what is being made fun of actually happens as depicted in Dé já vu sketch (episode 16). Opening credits introduce what seems to be a scientific weekly magazine concerning psychiatry and the announcer introduces the topic of the issue which is dé ja vu. Suddenly, the announcer experiences dé ja vu himself and the introductory scene starts to repeat over and over. In the case of JCT the presenter speaks about one of his academic colleagues, who fails to concentrate on the topic that he is supposed to be speaking about and the presenting scholar himself diverts the monologue to almost anything else than the topic he started from (seminar before the JCT play called Švestka [Plum Tree 1997] ).
Another level of humour is created by breaking the norm of credibility and thus revealing that the output is not a “serious” work of art but a comedy. Announcers in MPFC are finishing their branches while on air, admit that the BBC does not pay them well or walk from one sketch right into another. The JCT actors do not hesitate to ask for a prompt or interrupt the ongoing scene in order to explain some of the details from the “scientific” point of view.
To conclude this subsection both of the ensembles build their humour on the ground of universal humour based of pub jokes. Frequently they pose rude elements or topics that are inappropriate to be spoken about in public (bodily functions etc.) in contrast with profound well thought out jokes requiring complex knowledge. Such features make their humour widely accessible regardless of class or education. Accessibility and choice of the coding used in communication also depends on the executive form of transmission TV accessible to millions of people and theatre accessible for to few dozens viewers at once. 36
6.4 Media
This section is applicable to the MP only because it discusses the main topic of the
MPFC similarly as the next section is will discuss the main topic of the JCT. Most of the MP sketches are disguised as the actual TV programmes that were broadcast in the early 1970s.
They use the same means of expression as the actual documentaries (“ Life of Tchaikovsky”, episode 28), quizzes (“ Communist Quiz” , episode 25), competitions ( Summarize Proust
Competition, episode31), cooking or hobby programmes (“ Storage Jars ”, episode 33), advertisements ( Commercials , episode 26 ), news ( News for Parrots, episode 20) and educational broadcasts ( Miss Anne Elk , episode 31). Again, as the basic law of parody requires maximum credibility, the audience is confronted with real set up belonging to the particular type of programme making them subconsciously expect an ordinary programme that has certain message for the viewer to decode. Instead the audience is confronted with an
“upside down” version of what they anticipated. This effect can be created by various means, but all the methods develop from the same point because the sketches start and proceed as an ordinary programme.
They do not take off only the programmes itself but also TV as an institution. They doubt the intelligence of the BBC programme planners as shown in ( Penguins [inc. BBC
Programme Planners] episode 38). Programme Title Conference (episode 42) depicts the usual “wrapping” of the old material in new lay out and criticizes the attitude towards viewers. It also warns the public not to watch everything that is broadcast. TV was one of the favourite leisure activities and also the most influential mass media. The audience was liable to watch and believe almost everything that was broadcast. MP confronts the audience with believable set up and realistic opening credits, but decorates it with absurd situation. In case the viewer understands such kind if humour, s/he has to be aware of the practices used by mass media. 37
The “sport broadcasts” of MPFC form a special category. Why are they so specific? One is almost tempted to say that they were led by the Cimrman’s Theory of Externism because they show all the usual features typical of sport broadcasts apart from the sporting events themselves. Sport commentator style is used on such occasions as Thomas Hardy writing novels or the contest called Upper Class Twit of the Year (episode12). The German version of
MPFC shows football match between German and Greek philosophers who hardly notice the ball. Besides its humorous potential the MP may be trying to emphasise that sport is not as interesting as culture, which is being overlooked.
6.5 Academics
As well as Monty Python consciously mocks the media, the JCT is making fun of the academic world as is apparent in the seminar part of their performances. Each member of the
JCT ensemble uses an academic title more or less resembling to the ones used at universities.
There is an utmost diversity among the various titles because the actors present themselves as specialists on different fields of JC’s interests. Each actor often uses several different titles accordingly to the topic he is speaking about.
Ladislav Smoljak and Zdeněk Svěrák, who both started their careers as teachers, observed the academic soil to the tiniest details. The humour rises from the parody and hyperbole used in recreating the observed characteristic features. This approach lead them to create caricatures of experts who are jealous of one another’s position in the academic rank.
The rivalry causes that a “seminar” is accompanied by murmur in a low voice of an offended colleague, who was not given enough space to describe his overwhelming discoveries.
When mentioning the work of the fictive Cimrmanologist Dr. Erich Fiedler, the presenter not only points out that Dr. Fiedler’s theories are mistaken, but also refers to the low level of Cimrmanology studies in Vienna. As the stereotype of the “little Czech man” is the unifying topic for all the JCT plays, is is obvious that the criticism of Dr. Fiedler represents 38 victory of the overlooked Czech scientist above the overestimated foreign capacity. It seems to be meant half as a parody and half as a hope that such a situation can come true.
Every now and then the lecturer remarks how sad it is that Cimrmanology is not taken seriously and is looked down upon by other sciences. Professors often grieve about the low number of students interested in Cimrmanology and not enough public and financial support from the authorities. They make fun of the scientific methods and processes of discovering as well. They often highlight the impossibility of acquiring exact data in historical studies, which implies that no information is to be taken for granted, and people should not believe everything that they are told, however profound it may seem. At the beginning of the play
Blaník , they offer a list of historical dates, which are not easy to learn by heart suggesting the imperfection of the Czech the educational system, which is based on memorising facts instead of using one’s own deduction. This criticism is hidden under the indication that historical events should be scheduled on memorable round dates.
As the actors want to create the impression of a real lecture or didactic play, their speech is strictly bound to the correct non–dialectical form of Czech. They sustain austere faces and use highly and sometimes over correct register to speak about such topic as is the odour in a lodging house after the pilgrims remove their footcloths. In order to create a humorous effect they mock the real academic debates by involved discussions about absolutely banal topics.
The detailed research is carried out with the utmost enthusiasm and the professors are obviously proud to refer to insignificant nonsense. Although it may not seem so, this approach offers a great basis for both linguistic and extra linguistic jokes. The discrepancy between the level of language and the crudeness of the topic is witty in itself. Situations, when the scientific debate outreaches the boundaries of a professional dialogue and ends up in personal argument are not infrequent. The involved decent scholars suddenly snap one or two offending vulgarisms among perfectly chosen grammatically correct words. Sometimes, the 39 honourable professors even push each other from the lectern. A similar situation occurred in
“Probe” (Episode 13) which pushed the rivalry much further than just a dispute over the sequence of speeches:
First Interviewer: Yes, tonight 'Probe Around' takes a look at crime... (A shot rings out and he slumps forward. A second interviewer runs into shot from behind camera with smoking gun.) Second Interviewer: I'm sorry about that, but I always introduce this programme, not him. (he pushes the first interviewer off his chair with his foot and takes his place) This fragment also nicely illustrates one of the forms of multi layer joke construction.
The sketch’s topic is crime, which is not only spoken about but also executed on the scene by one of the announcers.
6.6 Society
Usually, when a writer decides on the choice of a topic, s/he chooses from the issues s/he is familiar with. The same is valid for both MP and JCT. Both groups are writing about the contemporary society mapping its problems and interesting issues, even though the JCT hides this under the cover of the historical setting. One is able to trace descriptions of the
1960s society throughout their work. Some of the images came out uniquely from the given era (communist officers in the Nejistá sezóna movie) but other are inherent to human nature
(forgetfulness, greed, infidelity) and thus also observable in any era of the history of mankind.
MP lampoons all of the main characteristics of the era in the sketches. The audience is confronted with hippies squatting in a patient’s stomach ( Operating Theatre , episode 13), or the adventures of shopping in a newly emerged hypermarkets ( Buying a Bed , epsiode 8,
Buying an Ant episode 41) The latter topic enables to sustain the classical “two men at a desk” sketch format and usually expresses contemptuous view on the new ways of shopping.
The feature indispensable in British comedy and typical of society: the class stratification cannot be omitted at MPFC. Towards the end of the sixties there was a tendency 40 to get rid of nobility titles and view the society as equal. Arthur Marwick states in his book
Roads to freedom 1958 73: End of Victorianism that “as the economy was getting better the social differences were becoming sharper.” (Marwick 145) It is necessary to say that the representatives of different classes in many MP sketches were used just to emphasise the humorous aspects of the given “typical class specimen” and were not meant to criticise the class system as such. The characters were assigned exaggerated determining features (e.g. bowler hats of the city gents) in order to highlight the stereotypical social stratification. Class issues are covered in e.g. ( Working Class Playwright, episode 2) in which the roles of hard labour and freelance work are interchanged.
The increase in leisure activities including TV watching, typical for the era, provided a good source of material for parody, The late 1960s era witnessed also the beginnings of the contemporary tabloid journalism. Suddenly, hordes of programmes showing off sensations appeared as taken off in ( The Man with Three Buttocks episode 2). Apart from the temporary phenomena the MP explored the areas of job searching ( Silly Job Interview , episode 5) and housing 22 ( Housing Project Built by Characters from Nineteenth century English Literature , episode 35), which are important issues in any decade not only in the 1960s. The area of human relationships represented by various marriage counsellors ( Marriage Guidance
Counsellor, episode 2) or family sketches ( Most Awful Family in Britain , episode 45) is a universal topic category as well.
JCT uses the society from the Austro Hungarian times as a metaphor to the contemporary one, but still the JCT topics remain on more general level that is not bound to any particular decade. They explore the area of family ties and upbringing ( Akt) , getting old and the possible troubles involved with the old age ( Švestka ) and the cult of famous people, who may not be as great as they are said to be. Such notable character is the character of an
22 Marwick 62 41 enormously famous but very forgetful actor called Prácheňský in Záskok (The Alternance
1994 ).
Both comedy teams also touched upon the topic of political correctness. JCT did so by depicting gypsies automatically as thieves and rioters ( Vizionář ). MP disliked any kind of labelling and uninformed opinions, which (including politically incorrect statements) were mocked in Take Your Pick (episode 20)
“Michael Miles: And what's your name? Woman: I go to church regularly. , Woman: I don't like darkies”. MPFC episode 37 called Prejudice , where the audience is asked to create insulting name for the Belgians, invoked public affair concerning political correctness. Stephen Wagg in his essay You’ve Never Had It So Silly suggests that the sketch inspired the Sun tabloid to encourage its readers to invent derogatory names for the French during the Sheep Meat scandal of 1982 (Wagg 272).
6.6.1 Pathological phenomena in society Whereas JCT uses crime only as a one of the possible topics used for the sake of creating a detective genre, MP clearly sends up the then socio pathological phenomena. High criminality became a highly discussed issue in the 60s. In the 1966 election the restoring of law and order was placed on the political programmes for the first time (Marwick 144). The total number for crimes of violence was 21 046 in 1968 and there was an extreme increase in the juvenile delinquency (Marwick 144). Sketches about the ‘angry old women’ gang as depicted in Hell´s Grannies (episode 8) or babies attacking other people were just witty reminiscent of the serious situation of the then society. The Piranha Brothers sketch (episode
14) are inspired by the notoriously famous vicious and sadistic East End criminal siblings
Ronnie and Reggie Kray, who were arrested and tried in 1966. 42
The second most frequently depicted pathological phenomena are psychological illnesses. MP shows mentally disordered patients and their therapists (who were often the ones in need of medication) in their sketches most probably only for the purpose of highlighting one of the many impacts of Americanisation on the previous decade. In 1960s the orientation towards the US became more significant in the political rather than cultural sphere. Nevertheless, one is able to trace the influence on cultural scene as well.
Americanisation was most apparent in change of personal daily habits. The new life style included such items as the rise of the “consumer culture”(Hebdidge 4), increase in leisure activities and also the popularity of psychiatric examination.
6.7 Women
Women are in both by MP and JCT usually designed as stage accessories only. Female characters are reduced to the basic determining physical features. Terry Jones admits: “I think we were fairly sexist actually” (qtd. In McCabe 208). The depiction of women in the works of the both ensembles is affected by taking solely male point of view on the subject. The image of woman is that usually drawn in exclusively male pub sessions and therefore corresponds with the idea of folk entertainment. Creating humour at the expense of women is an even older than the works of the great master of parody, Geoffrey Chaucer, whose comical stories contain a certain amount of the light hearted stories about dull, ugly, dominating or unfaithful women. This notion comes most probably from the biblical stereotypes of women who brought doom to their partners (Delilah, Judith) or even to the whole mankind (Eve). The MP continues this old tradition of the depiction of women. MP’s female characters are portrayed either as sexual objects (in the case of MP Flying Circus usually played by female actors notably Carol Cleveland) or caricatures of not terribly intelligent tired mothers, representatives of various feminist groups or stereotypical stupid blondes. 43
6.7.1 Woman as an object
The first type of comic situation depicts woman as an object, which does not act on its own. Usually, such a woman is only a prop to the scene, although a crucial one. This seems to be the case in the Marriage Counsellor Sketch or Registrar (Wife Swap Sketch MPFC episode
21):
Man: Look, all I want you to do is change the wife, say the words, blah, blah, blah, back to my place, no questions asked. Registrar: I'm sorry sir, but we're not allowed to change. Man: You can at Harrods.
(MPFC episode 21)
Similar role represents the character called Růženka who is spoken about only as a sexual object as is evident in the JCT play called Hospoda na Mýtince (The Pub in a Forest
Glade 1969). The JCT fairy tale play called Dlouhý, Široký a Krátkozraký (1974), shows a prince asking for slight cosmetic changes in the process of turning the enchanted princess back into a ‘beautiful 23 ’ young lady. The princess was enchanted into a male body and three touches of a magical ring turn her back into a fair woman. The final phase of the transformation process which restores her female physiognomy is symbolised by the inflation of balloons substituting the actor’s breast is accompanied by the following dialogue:
Král: Nuže, princi Jasoni, líbí se ti tvá nevěsta? Jasoň : Líbí, ale nešlo by to ještě trochu… ? Král: Ale proč ne. (Pokyne do zákulisí a princezna dostane další dávku vzduchu. Vzduchová ňadra mohou popřípadě prasknout.) Jsi spokojen? Jasoň : Ano. Je krásná. ( King: Well, Prince Jasoň, how do you like your bride? Jasoň: I do like her, but can’t you do a little bit more about.... King: Why not?! (signalizes to backstage and immediately princesses breasts enlarge or in some performances even explode) Satisfied now? Jasoň: Yes, she is beautiful.)
(Divadlo Járy Cimrmana 256)
23 Performed by male autor, of course. 44
Both of the groups employ a rather pub styled humour but also react on the state of the society in the 1960s, when various family and marriage Acts were passed in order to improve the rights of women. The atmosphere of the “permissive sixties” in Britain and Prague spring in the CSSR meant not only in the views concerning politics, but also in the evaluative processes in the society. Generally speaking, the opinions on sex and sexuality started to be discussed in public. The JCT and MP works might have been inspired by this phenomenon to present female characters only as a topic for discussion.
6.7.2 Women as caricatures
Caricatures found in the works of MP and JCT are usually identified as worried mothers, radical feminists or bored street gossips, they also act solely as an expletive to the scene. A scene requiring a housewife usually features one of the male actors speaking in falsetto wearing a housecoat with an apron. Caricature of motherhood is typical of both the
Czech and British writers/performers groups. In the JCT play called Lijavec there is parallel drawn between constipation and pregnancy. The Stan character from the Monty Python’s Life of Brian dreams about being a woman, desires to have babies and asks his friends call him
Loretta. JCT play called Švestka depicts the character of suffragette Jenny Suk, who does not use politically correct language and writes a bad literature. These figures express the authors’ doubts about radical feminist movements that arose in the era. Both MP and the JCT warn before the gender equality developed ad absurdum and the confusion of the traditional roles in the family. They do not seem to be against women’s liberation, they just state that no extreme opinion is vital to the society.
MP created the notoriously famous characters called the Pepperpots. These are elderly ladies talking down to their adult children in a childish manner (Mrs. Niggerbaiter explodes episode 28) debating about the structure of the TV programmes or zodiac signs, buy a new brains for themselves or bury cats alive. The name Pepperpot was devised from the shape of 45 their body that is small head, crooked back and no waist– just like a pepper pot. They usually complain about the behaviour of other people or discuss nonsensical topics. Similar looking kind of always complaining character is to be found also in JCT play Lijavec in the character of the head concierge of the retirement home Karolina Králová.
6.7.3 Acting women
Either because of the tradition of Greek drama or because of pure necessity both MP and
JCT consists of male members only. The comic is not based on cross dressing only because the dialogues still remain witty if played by female actors but cross dressing adds another level to structure of humour. The lines provoke laughter regardless of whether the part is performed by female or male actor. The linguistic and situational humour is just accompanied by the visage of charming ‘ladies’ with moustaches. This idea was taken one step further by the character of enchanted princess JCT fairy tale play called Dlouhý, Široký a Krátkozraký as described in the previous chapter. In Dlouhý, Široký a Krátkozraký a male actor performs a female enchanted in a male body or women who impersonated men in the stoning scenes of
Monty Python's Life of Brian.
Within the MP the parts were divided more or less according to the age of the character.
Michael Palin and Eric Idle usually played younger ladies, Graham Chapman and Eric Idle housewives and Terry Jones experienced immense fame in the various motherly roles. The feminine parts in the JCT were usually executed by Miloň Čepelka, Pavel Vondruška or
Jaroslav Vozáb.
6.8 Authorities
A great potential of parody is a hidden in depicting authorities. Usually, the stupidity of a character increases simultaneously with the importance of his position in society. This rule 46 is to be seen in the main characters of such MP sketches as The Minister for Not Listening to
People (episode 32) or The Ministry of Silly Walks (episode 14) . The JCT play called Blaník inspired by the myth of legendary army who is prepared to save the Czech nation on its worst day follows this scheme as well. The smartest of Blaník characters are placed in the lowest ranking positions, whereas the leader, saint Wenceslaw, is portrayed as hopelessly indecisive and absolutely incapable. A similar hierarchy can be traced in Vyšetřování ztráty třídní knihy
(Investigation of the Class Register Loss 1967), which is an absurd play about the loss of an official document at an elementary school. Several inspectors question the pupils about the document and the higher office rank the person has, the more crazy the character is.
Another way how to make fun of an authority is to admit that s/he has a certain level of intelligence, but decorate the character with a witty anomaly as is depicted in e.g. Monty
Python ’s Life of Brian . The roman officials suffer from a speech impediment, which in the end causes “Bwaien’s cwucifiction”. In connection to Monty Python ’s Life of Brian it is also necessary to mention various representations of church authority in the MPFC. The sketc are full of bishops taooed at the back of their necks accordingly to the diocese they belong to, drink too much sherry or disturb people by strange behaviour ( Silly Noise s/Sherry Drinking
Vicar , episode 26)
The MP contempt for authorities can also take the form of sending up occupations that are supposed to give advice such as medical practitioners ( Me Doctor , episode 13), policemen, judges ( Poofy Judges episode 21), lawyers and courts as a whole ( Court
Scenes/Charades , episode15), whereas the JCT challenges authority only in high ranking positions such as the Austro Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I when represented in the jokes that are crucial to the plot of Lijavec . Neither of the groups seems to make fun of any of the above listed groups of authorities in particular. The criticism is aimed generally against authority as a whole and rebel against the idea that the decisions of authorities are not to be 47 doubted. For the most part both JCT and MP seem to communicate that authority is vital for the society only provided that is represented by non hypocritical intelligent person, whose existence they strongly doubt (at least it seems so from their works)
6.9 Death
The only topic that used to be excluded from the wide sphere of parody was illness and death. Not many comedians dared to break this unwritten rule and thus both of the ensembles became pioneers in experimenting with these topics. MP’s approach is more that of experimenting with what the audience will tolerate. The primary aim is to shock. This is valid for example for Undertakers film (episode 11), which is nonverbal burlesque intended to create the shocking impression by visual means, The Undertakers Sketch from the 26 th episode or Is there life... after death? , which apart from bringing up the inappropriate topic for a comedy programme also sends up religious type of discussion programme. The MP’s goal is perhaps to break the boundaries of an ordinary parody and approach the sphere of the absurd.
The Undertakers Sketch depicts a man, coming to arrange a burial of his mother. Eventually, he ends up agreeing to the suggestion that his dead mother serves as a lunch for him and two of the present employees. The sketch studies human behaviour from various points of view.
At first the character who brought his mother to the undertaker seems to be very depressed, but cheers up no sooner than the sketch ends. As a product of mass entertainment, it explores what the viewers are able to tolerate as witty and what is already considered as violating the norms of good taste. The BBC shows created in the following decades and, more or less, inspired by MP proved that the ethical border is quite elastic and the range of acceptable topics quite wide. 48
JCT seems to follow its didactic goal. They seem to explain that death is part of life as well as anything else and here is no need to worry about it. In Vizionář, the Death 24 comes to take an old man, Mr. Hlavsa, who is able to predict the future. He knows that his death is
‘scheduled’ on that day and therefore everything seems pretty natural. As is typical of a JCT play the expected end is not carried out as suggested, because eventually the Death realizes that, he has stayed too long to take Mr.Hlavsa with him. The Death must collect a victim of a brutal murder scheduled on that day, because murders are given priority to natural deaths.
Death is presented as nothing to be feared of but as a feature that makes human lives unique.
While departing, the character of Death addresses the audience and reminds them that one day they shall meet as well: leaving the message that nobody should waste his or her life on unnecessary deeds but should live as intensively as possible without causing any harm to other people. The fact that life itself is the true treasure of human existence, not money nor property, is also highlighted in this play. JCT include ill or dying people on purpose in their comedy plays, e.g. the dying mother in Záskok . Apart from the source of situational and verbal humour, they use it to point out that such things simply happen and life is not to be taken for granted.
6.10 Political scene
Humour, even though set to past times, has always at least some relevance to the present state of society, which includes also the political situation. Both JCT and MP make more or less open comments on contemporary politics. Neither of them expresses any extremist views.
There are many rumours saying that JCT designed their works only to fight with the communist regime. It is more objective to say that indeed in many plays the JCT did include attacks on the red “party and government”, but on the other hand it had to sacrifice certain passages of their work and depart with some members of the ensemble (e.g. Andrej Krob) to 24 in Czech literary works it is often a male figure 49 be allowed to perform. Certainly, their criticism was hidden under the veil of the atmosphere and characters of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
MP do not criticize the political scene directly. The group depicts electoral practices, where sillier party wins over a silly party, labels Margaret Thatcher’ knee as her brain, but always seem to use politicians only as figures to play with. A particular emphasis on the topic is placed in the Monty Python’s Life of Brian . This film clearly illustrates the behaviour and rhetoric of political parties, which declare to fight for ethic values but, in fact, fight against each other. The parties are by no means economic with their pre elect promises but almost in every case ‘are prevented’ from keeping to their words. MP’s satire seems to be aimed at politics as a whole and not against any particular person or party. The Pythons did not express their political views publicly, but John Cleese admitted to predomimantly of left wing views in the interview from 12 th December 1987 for The Times ( qtd in. Wagg 274). In my opinion, the personal views of the Pythons did not play as important role in their work as the desire to comment on the political situation as a whole in order to get rid of the importance that has been ascribed to often meaningless political speeches and deeds.
6.11 Religion
Many sections of this part of the thesis include similar notions in works of MP and JCT, but this section is exclusively contrastive. The MP and JCT views on religion and its use as a topic of their works differ significantly. JCT stays neutral on the topic by announcing that JC was an atheist fearing God’s punishment for such opinion. Such statement did not label JC as practising Christian but neither an atheist because otherwise he could not fear God’s punishment. Whereas JCT takes into consideration only the Roman Catholic religion MP speaks also of other religions, but devotes special attention to Christianity.
As opposed to JCT, MP rejects more or less directly some of its core notions or rather their practical realisations. It mocks the dogmas in the “ He Left Us His Shoe! ” scene of Monty 50
Python’s Life of Brian. The MP suggests that dogmas lead to a decline in personal contemplation and result in blind obedience as is shown in the scene where Brian talks to the people of Judea. He tries to convince them to use their own ideas and thoughts instead of the ones implemented by the church by saying to the crowd “You are all different.” The crowd repeats “we are all different” in one voice, which is commented on by a character called
Dennis, who claims: I’ m not! [different]. MP does not reject religions as a whole but criticizes the behaviour of the churches and interpretation of sacred texts according to one’s needs.
Bishops or priests are often depicted as strange behaving creatures with no relevance to practical life as depicted in Sherry Drinking Vicar or Silly Disturbances (the Rev. Arthur
Belling) both from the 36 th episode of the MPFC, which is more connected to mocking authorities than the religion itself. In fact, MP never made fun of the religion itself but only of the practical consequences of some of the dogmas as e.g. in The Meaning of Life , where birth control is one of the highlighted topics. They use irony and satire to criticise the orthodox
Catholic views on sex and marriage.
6.12 National myths
Toying with national self conscience and making fun of the glorified mythical heroes is a common feature in both JCT and MP works. The JCT uses the stereotype of national hero even in its main creation i.e. Jára (da) Cimrman himself as described in section 4 of the thesis.
There is also a whole play dedicated to one of the famous Czech legend called Blaník (1990)
It is based on a tale about legendary army hidden within the Blaník mountain, which will save
Czech nation when its worst moment comes. As no authority is able to say, whether some particular moment is really the worst one. This adaptation depicts the clash between the
“commander in chief”, the indecisive saint Wenceslaw, and his liege Veverka of Bitýška
(Veverka means squirrel but also there is a town named Veverská Bitýška in CR), who is 51 imprisoned for not obeying the orders from higher authorities. The problem is that is no other order is given apart from waiting.
The play does not mock the legend itself; it is more or less satirizes historical events. It even tries to promote the legend because one character, who doubts the existence of the legendary army is convinced in favour of the existence after he witnesses how “excrements” are turned into gold, which shall prove that really entered the realm of the Blaník knighs. The excrement scene is apparently one of JCT’s additions to the original legend. Blaník criticizes the lack of activity (in the figure of saint Wenceslaw) or, on the other hand, the action without previous consideration of the consequences in the character of Veverka of Bitýška. The play seems to mourn about that the Czech nation ceased to cherish its legends as part of national heritage, but also seems to criticise contemporary bureaucracy by showing off the nonsensical order coming “from above.”
MP chose to work with one of the most powerful legends of British History in the Monty
Python and the Holy Grail (1975). They used “The Matter of Britain” as a background only.
They subvert the heroic notions regarding the Arthurian legend and, as well as the JCT does in Blaník (1990) , comment on the contemporary society. Some of the most notable scenes show King Arthur among his liege people who cannot recognize him. The fact that he has to introduce himself reflects the distance between the king and its people, not only in terms of the level nobility, but also in terms of thinking. Ordinary people in the mid 1970s also did not care what the Queen Elizabeth or more specifically Thatcher’s government decided to change in economy only to the extent that affected their daily lives. There is a wonderful sequence doubting the idea of national consciousness not only via mocking the legend itself but via rejecting the concept of nationality as not comprehensible. After introducing himself as
Arthur, the King of the Britons, the crowned head is asked “Who are the Britons?” After few seconds of confused silence Arthur, explains that they all are Britons and he is their king. The 52 scene nicely explains that the concept of nation is absolutely vague besides being artificially invented.
6.13 Vulgarity
Breaking the taboos in both the then Czechoslovakian and British relatively puritan societies was one of the chief successes of both ensembles. Using swear words in public belongs to the taboo items as well. However, each ensemble employs vulgarity for different purposes and in different way. The MP intends to shock and break the conventions. The MP deliberately uses taboo expressions and does not seem to have any set rules for placing them at particular point. The usual example is represented in the classic “two men at a desk” sketches by customer/ shop assistant dialogues. Their attitude towards the boundaries of TV norms concerning vulgarity is clearly visible in John Cleeses proud statement that he was the first man to say “fuck” on TV and at Graham Chapman’s memorial service. JCT also uses vulgar expressions but is said to have limited the amount to one vulgarism per play, which is not entirely true, but the swear words seem to have more a functional value in their work.
They help to create the discrepancy between the hypercorrect languages of the professors or simply make the text more interesting. Many times the vulgarism is only suggested by an unfinished rhyme that indicates such word but do not finish it as in Dlouhý, Široký and
Krátkozraký .
6.14 Interludes
Both of the ensembles employ sort of interludes in their works. By an interlude is meant an interruption of the on going event by an action that is not internally related to the scene in which it appears. Such intermezzos are used as purely technical writing devise and are most probably included in order to re catch the possibly wandering audience’s attention or just to push the humour over the boundary of absurdity. In the case for MPFC it is not so apparent 53 because one of its essential characteristics is fragmentariness. Nevertheless, the knight with rubber chicken can be listed among such interludes. As regards the MP movies the interlude is usually recognized in cuts to contemporary world as in the Monty Python and the Holy Grail or to the sci fi world as is the animated sequence in Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
In case of JCT the interludes are more highlighted and have a rather constant form.
Usually, it is a person from the technical background of the theatre coming on the scene and disturbing the lecture or play; sometimes the curtain or the lights “do not work,” so the emerging problems have to be solved immediately. A good example is the character of a recently employed technician called Měcháček in the introductory lecture to the Dobytí
Severního Pólu Čechem Karlem Němcem 5. dubna 1909. Sometimes, the interlude has only a verbal form, as the letter by Jaroslava Kozáková of Přelouč, which is read at the beginning of the lecture in the play Němý Bobeš (1971) and has no relevance to the topic whatsoever.
Kozáková only wishes to thank publicly to a man called Standa, who rescued her from drowning in a pond and uses the theatre as a means to communicate her thanks publicly. In other cases the interlude takes visual form such as in the JCT play called Afrika (2002) the technician drops his bag instead of an eagle that was supposed to be shot in one of the crucial scenes. 54
7 Conclusion
As this is, to the best of my knowledge, the first comparative academic study regarding
Monty Python in relation to Jára Cimrman, it was designed to provide the reader with a general overview and background information regarding the history, development and significance of the two concerned comedy groups. Apart from listing the descriptive and factual items, the sections 1 5 indicated the position in the sequence of ‘evolution’ of comedy concerning each group and its country of origin. Explanations are offered for possible reasons that encouraged the development of the most typical features of the two groups.
Number six represents not only the figure of the MP members and the two last numerals of the JCT founding year, but also the core section of this text. The section demonstrated the relevance of the relevance of the university education to the formation of some of the specific features, which make both the JCT and MP unique in their style and humour. Further enquiry, however, revealed that some of the topics considered specific for creating uniquely
Pythonesque of Cimrmanological humour are common for both of the concerned groups.
Besides the general issues applicable to many other works of art as well, both the JCT and MP invented their unique way of creating humour that is suggesting its future aim but never reaches it as described in the subsection called Cimrman’s Philosophy of Externism . This theory serves as an evidence for one of the most strikingly common notions in the works of
JCT and MP. Had the thesis more space, it would be extremely convenient to provide a deeper analysis of the narrative technique that approaches a suggested aim, but eventually never reaches it, as is usually the case of JCT and MP. Other notable phenomena such as adapting different genres for parody or exploring the boundaries of taboo topics and last but not least also the way of working with the language for the sake of creating humour can prepare ground for further research. 55
Despite finding important common characteristics, it is necessary to repeat that the MP and JCT are culturally bound phenomena. They could not enjoy the status they have at present without being understood first in their home countries. Both were not only observers and commentators but also fierce critiques of the events in their countries of origin. Their humour is often based on situational or linguistic jokes referring specifically to culturally bound features such as personal and geographic names or historical events. The basis of their style is bound to the tradition of the two concerned countries. Although continuing the tradition established by their predecessors, both groups were able to bring important innovations to their genres (i.e. drama and TV show) and thus influence their cultures.
The culturally specific background is, however, not as important as the courage to step out of the mainstream entertainment machinery. The ability to create new forms and contents, deal with taboo topics and explore humour from various points of view are core elements of their influence, which is apparent even forty years after the formation of the groups. The influence on the Czech culture in particular has been immense as is obvious from the repeated broadcasting of MP and JCT works on TV or in cinemas. As discussed in chapter six of this thesis, the fact that example of humour based on parody of Britishness is so successful with the Czech audience can be explained via comparison with humour based on a genuinely
Czech background. The comparison revealed that each of the groups developed their specific means of communicating similar general ideas. Although with different formal devices, both groups intend to remind their audience that they should not take themselves and the world around them too seriously because it is not the fiction but the reality that is actually absurd. 56
8 Works cited
8.1 Primary sources
Monty Python's Flying Circus: The Sketches . 2005. Orange cow Productions.5 th Jan. 2007. http://orangecow.org/pythonet/sketches/index.htm#W. Morgan, David. Monty Python Speaks!. Avon Books. New york. 1999 And now for Something Completely Different .Dir. McNaughton, Ian. Perf. Chapman, Graham et al. Columbia Pictures Corporation, 1971 Dir.Jones, Terry and Gilliam Terry. Monty Python and the Holy Grail . Perf. Chapman, Graham et al.Michael White Productions, 1975 Dir. Jones, Terry Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Perf. Chapman, Graham et al. HandMade Films, 1979 Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl. Dirs. McNaughton Ian and Hughes, Terry. Perf. Chapman, Graham et al. Columbia Pictures Corporation. 1982 Dir. Jones, Terry and Gilliam Terry The Meaning of Life. Perf. Chapman, Graham et al. Celandine Films 1983 Perf. Cleese, John et al. The Life of Python . Dir. Redhead, Mark.Tiger Aspect Productions.1990 Jára Cimrman ležící, spící. Dir.Smoljak Ladislav. Perf. Svěrák, Zdeněk et al. Filmové studio Barrandov. 1983 Rozpuštěný a vypuštěný. . Dir.Smoljak Ladislav. Perf. Svěrák, Zdeněk et al. Filmové studio Barrandov. 1984 Nejistá sezóna. Dir.Smoljak Ladislav. Perf. Svěrák, Zdeněk et al. Filmové studio Barrandov. 1987 Smoljak Ladislav and Svěrák Zdeněk. Dobytí Severního pólu Čechem Karlem Němcen 5.dubna 1909 , Paseka, Praha 1993 . Cimrman v říši hudby . Paseka. Praha 1997 . Divadlo Járy Cimrmana , Melantrich. Praha 1988 Vražda v salónním coupé, Paseka. Praha 1992 Posel z Liptákova, Paseka, Praha. 1992 Hospoda na Mýtince, Paseka, Praha. 1992 57
Švestka (Plum Tree) Paseka. Praha .1997 Lijavec , Paseka. Praha. 1992 Dlouhý, široký a Krátkozraký Paseka. Praha. 1992 Akt . Paseka. Praha. 1992 Záskok .Paseka. Praha 1994
8.2 Secondary sources
Ed. McCabe, Bob. Pythons’ Autobiography (by the Pythons) . Orion. London. 2004 Williams, Kieran. The Prague Spring and its Aftermath: Czechoslovak Politics, 1968,1970 Cambridge University Press.Cambridge 1997 Eds. Strinati, Dominic and Wagg, Stephen. Come on down? –Popular Media Culture in Post war Britain . Routledge, London, 1992 Zdeněk Svěrák et.al. Dodatky Historie Divadla Járy Cimrmana, Doslov Rejstřík, Paseka Praha, 1999 Smoljak Ladislav and Svěrák Zdeněk. To nejlepší ze Smoljaka, Svěráka a Járy Cimrmana , Exact, Praha, 1992 Šebánek Jiří and Velebný Karel. Byli jsme a buben Odvrácená tvář Járy Cimrmana . Mladá Fronta. Praha 1998 Eds. Moore Gilbert, Bart and Seed John Cultural Revolution : the Challenge of the Arts in the 1960s , Routledge London, 1992 Samizdat, The British Library 5th Jan. 2007 http://www.bl.uk/collections/easteuropean/czeslosamizdat/czeslosamizdat.html#furtherinf o Smuts, Aaron: Humor 5th Jan. 2007 http://www.iep.utm.edu/h/humor.htm Mc Dowall David: An Illustrated History of Britain. Longman. Harlow. 2003 Bergson, Henri. Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of Comic 5th Jan. 2007 http://www.authorama.com/laughter 1.html Marwick Arthur. Roads to freedom 1958 73 : Hearth, Home Street and Corner 10 th Oct. 2006 http://www.phil.muni.cz/elf/file.php/48/Hearth_Home_and_Street_Corner.pdf 58
Marwick Arthur . Roads to freedom 1958 73 : Consensus Re examinned 10 th Oct. 2006 http://www.phil.muni.cz/elf/file.php/48/Consensus_Re examined.pdf Marwick Arthur. Roads to freedom 1958 73 : Critiques, Boutiques and Pop 10 th Oct. 2006 http://www.phil.muni.cz/elf/file.php/48/Critiques_Boutiques_and_Pop.pdf Marwick Arthur. Roads to freedom 1958 73 : The End of Victorianism 10 th Oct. 2006 http://www.phil.muni.cz/elf/file.php/48/End_of_Victorianism.pdf Hebdidge, Dick . Hiding in the Light 10 th Oct. 2006 http://www.phil.muni.cz/elf/file.php/48/hiding.rtf Breton, André. Manifest of Surrealism.1924 5th Jan. 2007 http://www.tcf.ua.edu/courses/Jbutler/T340/SurManifesto/ManifestoOfSurrealism.htm Gemkow, Frank. Parody. 5th Jan. 2007 mitglied.lycos.de/FrankGemkow/lyrik/lyrik3.htm WorldNet Glossary, Forestage 5 th Jan. 2007 wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn Smoljak Ladislav et al. Jára (da) Cimrman, Mladá Fronta, Praha 1998 Eds. Hobsbawm, Eric and Ranger, Terence: The invention of Tradition . Cambridge University Press 1992 Fiske John and Hartley John: Reading Television. Methuen New York. 1987 Eds. Crowther, Jonathan and Kavanagh Kathryn, Oxford guide to British and American Culture , Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000 General overview Divadlo Járy Cimrmana 5 th Jan. 2007 http://www.cimrman.at/ General overview Theatr Tradyczny 5 th Jan. 2007 http://www.teatrtradycyjny.prv.pl/ Rokoko Theatre. Monty Python’s Flying Kabaret 7 th June. 2007 http://www.mestskadivadlaprazska.cz/repertoar/g chapman j cleese t gilliam e idle t jones m palin monty pythonuv letajici kabaret 26.html The19th C forgery documents usually abbreviated as RKZ 7 th June 2007 http://utf.mff.cuni.cz/~podolsky/rkz/shrnuti.htm 59
9 Appendices
9.1 Who is the “thief”?
There are several texts that seem almost seem to be copied by one team from another.
The resemblance is in the development of the narrative, in the jokes included and also the type of humour used. According to the year of origin, the real pioneers of this kind of humour seem to be the JCT. Seriously speaking, there is, of course, not thief at all but a remarkable coincidence, which caused that two groups of authors with similar sense of humour published almost the same texts in approximately the same era.
9.1.1 Cimrman’s alleged grandson vs Deep Sea Insurance agent Interview with Alleged Cimrman’s Grandson
(...) What I predominantly mean is the courage typical of Cimrman. It even influenced Mr.
Schmoranz’s choice of occupation. Mr. Schmoranz, can you tell the audience what is Your occupation?
(...)Mám na mysli především tu příslovecnou cimrmanovskou odvahu. Ta se projevila už ve volbě povolání pana Schmoranze. Prozraďte prosím divakům své povolání., pane
Schmoranzi.
Schmoranz: Tak ja jsem úředník. Well, I work as clerk.
Svěrák ( puzzled ): Ale já tu mám napsáno, že jste pyrotechnik. My papers state that you are pyrotechnist.
Schmoranz: Ne. Já jsem uředník. No, I’ m clerk. 60
Svěrák: Co teď? To mě trochu zaskočilo. Já si pro pana Schmoranze připravil celou řadu pěkných pyrotechnických otázek (looking in the text) Ale ono to možná půjde. Tak povězte nám nejprve jak jste se ke svému povolaní dostal.
What shall we do now? This is quite a surprise for me. I have prepared a lot of nice pyrotechnical questions (looking in the text), but still... we can try that. Tell us how you became a clerk in the first place?
Schmoranz: Já jsem po absolvování devítiletky vystudoval dvouletou nástavbu pro uředníky z povolání.
After finishing the elementary school, I took a two year clerk study programme.
Svěrák: Takové povolání vyžaduje jistě pevné nervy a notný kus odvahy... nebránili vám rodiče, když jste jim poprvé řekl čím chcete být?
Such occupation certainly requires nerves of steel and great deal of courage...did your parents try to prevent you from choosing such occupation when you first told them about it?
Schmoranz: Ne. Naši s tím tak trochu počítali. U nás v rodině se to povolání dědí tatínek byl
úředník, jeho strýc byl uředník i moje sestra je úřednice.
No. My parents sort of expected it. This occupation is hereditary in our family daddy was clerk, his uncle was clerk and my sister is clerk as well.
Svěrák: No, že si i žena zvolí takové povolání... Well, how come that woman chooses such occupation...
Schmoranz: U nás v rodině je to taková posedlost . Já už jako kluk jsem chtěl být úředníkem.
For our family it is sort of an obsession. As a little boy I wanted to become a clerk.
Svěrák: A neměl jste ve škole nějaké potíže?Myslím, jestli jste třeba nenosil po kapsách nějaké ty nebezpečné...... materiály? Did that cause you any problems at school? I mean did
You bring some of the dangerous...... materials to the classes? 61
Schmoranz: No tak...někdy jsem byl přistižen, jak si pod lavicí čtu faktury. Well, at times I was caught while reading the invoices under the desk
Svěrák: A teď nám povězte neco o sve praci. Tak vy ráno vstanete, že, umyjete se, nasnídáte, jako my normální smrtelníci. Now, tell us something more about your work. ...So you get up in the morning, wash yourself, have breakfast; like us ordinary people.
Schmoranz: No, jistě. Já myslím, že o tom našem povolání panují přehnané představy. Já doma žiju jako každý jiný člověk: s dětmi si pohraju, žena mi tyká... Of course, I think there are excessive rumours spread about my occupation. In private I live as anyone else: I play with children, my wife is adressing me directly....
Svěrák: Teď jedna taková věc, nevim jestli to není služební tajemství: Nemáte vy k vlastní dispozici nějaké ty specialní...víte, co jsem měl na mysli? (naznačí úder a výbuch) Now I’ d like to ask about one special thing I m not sure whether it is not top secret: Do you have at your disposal any of those special...you know what I mean... ?! (indicates blow and explosion)
Schmoranz: Ano, já pochopitelně mám své vlastní razítko. Certainly yes, I do use my own stamp.
Svěrák: Nemáte je nahodou s sebou, aby diváci videli jak takové razítko... By any chance, do have it at yourself at te moment so that you can show the audience what such stamp...
Schmoranz: To jsou právě ty zkreslené představy o našem povolání. Lidé si myslí, že nosíme razítka po kapsách. Razítko nesmí za žádnou cenu opustit kancelář. Existují jen dvě výjimky: požár a mobilizace. To je takzvaná PM výjimka. This is an example of the excessive rumours. The stamp cannot leave the office under any condition. The only two exceptions are fire and mobilisation. This is so called FM exception.
Svěrák: A teď pane Schmoranzi, poslední otázku: Jak vy s takovou věcí pracujete? Já jsem to viděl ve filmu, ale tam už človek jenom sleduje jak vy prostě přijdete a odpálíte to. 62
Now, Mr. Schmoranz the last question: How do you work with such tool? I saw it in a movie, but movies usually just show how you approach the thing and blast it off.
Schmoranz: Tak odpálit není to pravé slovo pro ten pohyb, který já při razítkování provádím.
Ať už jde o razítkováni jednoduché nebo razítkování s mezidechem (naznačí navlhčení razitka dychnutim), jde v každém případě o takový speciální kolmý úder, pro který bohužel nemáme přesný odborný výraz. Já osobně, když o tom hovořím, říkám že to razítko na ten papír prdnu. Well, blast off is not the right expression for the movement I execute when stamping. In either case: single or double phased stamping (indicates exhaling on the stamp in order to moisten it) , it is a special vertical blow that is unfortunately not scientifically termed.
Personally, when I happen to speak about it, I say that I “prdnu 25 ” the stamp there.
Svěrák: Ano. Tak děkuji za rozhovor a na shledanou. (Potřese mu rukou a Schmoranz odejde sálem ven) Well, yes, thank You and good bye. (Shakes his hand and Schmoranz leaves the scene through the auditorium)
Deep Sea Insurance agent
(from the MP album called Hastily Cobbled for a Fast Buck )
John Cleese : Hello and welcome to another edition of „Adventure“. At this week we’re going to take a look at deep sea diving and here to tell us all about it is Mr. Albert Thomas. Mr.
Thomas I understand you’re a deep sea diver.
Terry Jones : No, I’m an insurance agent.
John Cleese : You’re what?
Terry Jones : I’m an insurance agent.
John Cleese : We’ve been given one stand that you were in fact a deep sea diver.
Terry Jones : No, no.
John Cleese : Yes. I see. Have you ever been a deep sea diver?
25 colloquial expression meaning either to fart or to put something somewhere quickly and carelessly 63
Terry Jones: Oh, no, nothing like that. no
John Cleese : Fine. OK, well we seem to have a few minutes left, so would you mind if I ask you a few questions about selling insurance?
Terry Jones : Oh, please, please, far away.
John Cleese : Tell me what is the greatest depth in which you’ve ever worked?
Terry Jones well I should say about 12 feet, probably.
John Cleese : 12 feet! well I never. And when you’re selling insurance, do you wear any special operators, you know like a nose clip, goggles, anything like that?
Terry Jones : No.
John Cleese : No. Tell me Mr. Thomas, when you’ve been doing your insurance bussiness, silly thing to ask really, but have you ever been attacked by any large fish, you know, sharks, killer herrings, hammer headed prawn???
Terry Jones: no, no, nothing like that.
John Cleese No. I see. Right.
Terry Jones : I once trod on an orange.
John Cleese : what?
Terry Jones : I once trod on an orange.
John Cleese : REALLY?
Terry Jones : Yes.
John Cleese : you mean you actually trod on an orange??!!
Terry Jones : On an orange, yes.
John Cleese : Good heavens, oh dear dear, what a small world it is. Good lord, fancy treding on an orange, like that! Well, you actually trod on it?
Terry Jones Yes, right on it.
John Cleese : What sort of orange was it? 64
Terry Jones : it was just an ordinary orange, that’s all I trod on.
John Cleese : well, at this stage Mr. Thomas, we were going to ask you to sing a few traditional sea chanties, do you have any traditional insuring chanties that you sing as you go insuring your way.
Terry Jones : No, we don’t have anything like that.
John Cleese : No, you don’t, well, why should you? I suppose you wouldn’t like to ask me anything bout being a television interviewer, would you?
Terry Jones : nnn, oh, wait a minute! I’ve just remembered an old insurance chanty.
John Cleese : Oh, do sing it!
9.2 List of MP sketches
SERIES ONE ONE– “Whither Canada?” Recorded on 7th September 1969 and first shown on 5th October 1969.
• “It’s Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart” • Famous Deaths • Italian Lesson • Whizzo Butter • “It’s the Arts” • Arthur 'Two Sheds’ Jackson • Picasso/Cycling Race • The Funniest Joke in the World.
TWO – “Sex and Violence” Recorded on 30th August 1969 and first shown on 12th October 1969
• Flying Sheep • French Lecture on Sheep aircraft • A Man with Three Buttocks • A Man with Two noses • Musical Mice • Marriage Guidance Counsellor • The Wacky Queen • Working class Playwright • A Scotsman on a Horse • The Wrestling Epilogue • The Mouse Problem.
THREE – “How to Recognize Different Types of Tree from Quite a Long Way Away” 65
Recorded on 14th August 1969 and first shown on 19th October 1969
• Court Scene (witness in coffin/Cardinal Richelieu) • The Larch • Bicycle Repair Man • Children's Stories • Restaurant Sketch • Seduced Milkmen • Stolen News Reader • Children's Interview • Nudge Nudge.
FOUR– “Owl stretching Time” Recorded on 21st September 1969 and first shown on 26th October 1969
• Song ('And Did Those Feet') • Art Gallery • Art Critic • It's a Man's Life in the Modern Army • Undressing in Public • Self defence • Secret Service Dentists.
FIVE– “Man's Crisis of Identity in the Latter Half of the Twentieth Century” Recorded on 3rd October 1969 and first shown on 16th November 1969
• Confuse a Cat • The Smuggler • A Duck, a Cat and a Lizard (discussion) • Vox Pops on Smuggling • Police Raid • Letters and Vox Pops • News Reader Arrested • Erotic Film • Silly Job Interview • Careers Advisory Board • Burglar/Encyclopedia Salesman.
SIX– (Untitled) Recorded on 5th November 1969 and first shown on 23rd November 1969
• 'It's the Arts' • Johann Gambolputty... von Hautkopft of Ulm • Non illegal Robbery • Vox Pops • Crunchy Frog • The Dull Life of a City Stockbroker • Red Indian in Theatre • Policemen Make Wonderful Friends • A Scotsman on a Horse 66
• Twentieth century Vole.
SEVEN– Titled: “You're no fun any more” Recorded on 10th October 1969 and first shown on 30th November 1969
• Camel Spotting • You're No Fun Any More • The Audit • Science Fiction Sketch • Man Turns into Scotsman • Police Station • Blancmanges Playing Tennis .
EIGHT– Titled: “Full Frontal Nudity” Recorded 25th November 1969 and first shown on 7th December 1969
• Army Protection Racket • Art Critic– the Place of the Nude • Buying a Bed • Hermits • Dead Parrot • The Flasher • Hell's Grannies .
NINE– Titled: “The Ant, an Introduction” Recorded on 7th December 1969 and first shown on 14th December 1969
• Llamas • A Man with a Tape Recorder up his Nose • Kilimanjaro Expedition (Double Vision) • A Man with a Tape Recorder up his Brother's Nose • Homicidal Barber • Lumberjack Song • Gumby Crooner • The Refreshment Room at Bletchley • Hunting Film • The Visitors.
TEN– (Untitled) Recorded on 30th November 1969 and first shown on 21st December 1969
• Walk on part in sketch • Bank robber (lingerie shop) • Trailer • Arthur Tree • Vocational Guidance Counsellor (chartered accountant) • The first Man to jump the Channel • Tunnelling from Godalming to Java • Pet Conversions • Gorilla Librarian 67
• Letters to 'Daily Mirror' • Strangers In the Night.
ELEVEN– (Untitled) Recorded on 14th December 1969 and first shown on 28th December 1969
• Letter (lavatorial humour) • Interruptions • Agatha Christie Sketch • Literary Football Discussion • Undertakers Film • Interesting People • Eighteenth century Social Legislation • The Battle of Trafalgar • Batley Townswomens' Guild presents the Battle of Pearl Harbour • Undertakers film.
TWELVE– (Untitled) Recorded on 21st December 1969 and first shown on 4th January 1970
• Falling from building • 'Spectrum'– talking about things • Visitors from Coventry • Mr. Hilter • The Minehead by election • Police station (silly voices) • Upperclass Twit of the Year • Ken Shabby • How far can a minister fall?
THIRTEEN– (Untitled) Recorded on 4th January 1970 and first shown on 11th January 1970
• Intermissions • Restaurant (abuse/cannibalism) • Advertisements • Albatross • Come back to my place • Me Doctor • Historical impersonations • Quiz programme– 'Wishes' • 'Probe around' on crime • Stonehenge • Mr. Attila the Hun • Psychiatry– silly sketch • Operating theatre (squatters). • SERIES TWO
FOURTEEN (Untitled) 68
Recorded on 9th July 1970 and first shown on 15th September 1970
• 'Face the Press' • New Cooker Sketch • Tobacconists (Prostitute Advert) • The Ministry of Silly Walks • The Piranha Brothers
FIFTEEN (Untitled) Recorded on 2nd July 1970 and first shown on 22nd September 1970
• Man powered Flight • The Spanish Inquisition • Jokes and Novelties Salesman • Tax on Thingy • Vox Pops • The Spanish Inquisition • The Semaphore Version of 'Wuthering Heights' • 'Julius Caesar' on an Aldis Lamp • Court Scene (Charades)
SIXTEEN (Untitled) Recorded on 16th July 1970 and first shown on 29th September 1970
• A Bishop Rehearsing • Flying Lessons • Hijacked Plane (to Luton) • The Poet McTeagle • Psychiatrist Milkman • Complaints • Déjà Vu
SEVENTEEN (Untitled) Recorded on 18th September 1970 and first shown on 20th October 1970
• The Architects Sketch • How to Give Up Being a Mason • Motor Insurance Sketch • 'The Bishop' • Living Room on Pavement • Poets • A Choice of Viewing • Chemist Sketch • Words Not to Be Used Again • After shave • Police Constable Pan Am
EIGHTEEN (Untitled) 69
First shown on 27th October 1970
• Live from the Grill o Mat Snack Bar, Paignton • 'Blackmail!' • Society for Putting Things on Top of Other Things • Escape (from Film) • Current Affairs • Accidents Sketch • Seven Brides for Seven Brothers • The Man Who is Alternately Rude and Polite • Documentary on Boxer
NINETEEN (Untitled) First shown on 3rd November 1970
• 'It's a Living' • The Time on BBC 1 • School Prize giving • 'if' a Film by Mr. Dibley • 'Rear Window' a film by Mr. Dibley • 'Finian's Rainbow' (Starring the Man from the Off license) • Foreign Secretary • Dung • Dead Indian • Timmy Williams Interview • Raymond Luxury Yacht Interview • Registry Office • Election Night Special
TWENTY (Untitled) First shown on 10th November 1970
• 'The Attila the Hun Show' • Attila the Nun • Secretary of State Striptease • Vox Pops on Politicians • Ratcatcher • Wainscotting • Killer Sheep • The News for Parrots • The News for Gibbons • Today in Parliament • The News for Wombats • Attila the Bun • The Idiot in Society • Test Match • The Epsom Furniture Race • 'Take Your Pick'
TWENTY ONE (Untitled) 70
First shown on 17th November 1970
• Trailer • 'Archaeology Today' • Silly Vicar • Leapy Lee • Registrar (Wife Swap) • Silly Doctor Sketch (Immediately Abandoned) • Mr. and Mrs. Git • Mosquito Hunters • Poofy Judges • Mrs. Thing and Mrs. Entity • Beethoven's mynah bird • Shakespeare • Michaelangelo • Colin Mozart (Ratcatcher) • Judges
TWENTY TWO (Untitled) First shown on 24th November 1970
• 'How to Recognize Different Parts of the Body' • Bruces • Naughty Bits • The Man Who Contradicts People • Cosmetic Surgery • Camp Square bashing • Cut price Airline • Batley Townswomen's Guild Presents the First Heart Transplant • The First Underwater Production of 'Measure for Measure' • The Death of Mary, Queen of Scots • Exploding Penguin on TV Set • There's Been a Murder • Europolice Song Contest • 'Bing Tiddle Tiddle Bong' (song)
TWENTY THREE (Untitled) First shown on 1st December 1970
• French Subtitled Film • Scott of the Antarctic • Scott of the Sahara • Fish License • Derby Council vs. All Blacks Rugby Match • Long John Silver Impersonators vs. Bournemouth Gynaecologists
71
TWENTY FOUR (Untitled) First shown on 8th December 1970
• Conquistador Coffee Campaign • Repeating Groove • Ramsey MacDonald Striptease • Job Hunter • Agatha Christie Sketch (Railway Timetables) • Mr. Neville Shunt • Film Director (Teeth) • City Gents Vox Pops • 'Crackpot Religions Ltd.' • 'How Not to Be Seen' • Crossing the Atlantic on a Tricycle • Interview in Filing Cabinet • 'Yummy Yummy' • Monty Python's Flying Circus Again in Thirty Seconds
TWENTY FIVE (Untitled) First shown on 15th December 1970
• 'The Black Eagle' • The Hungarian Phrasebook Sketch • Court (Phrasebook) • Communist Quiz • 'Ypres 1914' Abandoned • Art Gallery Strikes • 'Ypres 1914' • Hospital for Over actors • Gumby Flower Arranging • The Spam Sketch
TWENTY SIX (Untitled) First shown on 22nd December 1970
• The Queen Will Be Watching • Coal Mine (Historical Argument) • The Man Who Says Things in a Very Roundabout Way • The Man Who Speaks Only the Ends of Words • The Man Who Speaks Only the Beginnings of Words • The Man Who Speaks Only the Middles of Words • Commercials • How to Feed a Goldfish • The Man Who Collects Birdwatchers' Eggs • Insurance Sketch • Hospital Run by R.S.M. • Mountaineer • Exploding Version of 'The Blue Danube' • Girls Boarding School • Submarine 72
• Lifeboat (Cannibalism) • The Undertakers Sketch
SERIES THREE TWENTY SEVEN Titled: "Whicker's World and released on 19th October 1972
• Court Scene Multiple Murderer • Icelandic Saga • Court Scene (Viking) • Stock Exchange Report • Burying the Cat • Mrs. Premise and Mrs. Conclusion Visit Jean Paul Sartre • Whicker Island
TWENTY EIGHT (Untitled) First shown on 26th October 1972
• Emigration from Surbiton to Hounslow • Schoolboys' Life Assurance Company • How to Rid the World of All Known Diseases • Mrs. Niggerbaiter Explodes • Vicar/Salesman • Farming Club • 'Life of Tschaikowsky' • Trim Jeans Theatre • Fish slapping Dance • World War One • The BBC is Short of Money • Puss in Boots • It's Man Show
TWENTY NINE (Untitled) First shown on 2nd November 1972
• 'The Money Programme' • Erizabeth L • Fraud Film Squad • Salvation Fuzz (Dead Bishop) • Jungle Restaurant • Apology for Violence and Nudity • Ken Russell's 'Gardening Club' • The Lost World of Roiurama • Six More Minutes of Monty Python's Flying Circus • Argument Clinic • Hitting on the Head Lessons • Inspector Flying Fox of the Yard • One More Minute of Monty Python's Flying Circus
73
THIRTY (Untitled) First shown on 9th November 1972
• 'Blood, Devastation, Death, War, and Horror' • The Man Who Speaks in Anagrams • Anagram Quiz • Merchant Banker • Pantomime Horses • Life and Death Struggles • Mary Recruitment Office • Bus Conductor Sketch • The Man Who Makes People Laugh Uncontrollably • Army Captain as Clown • Gestures to Indicate Pauses in a Televised Talk • Neurotic Announcers • 'The Pantomime Horse is a Secret Agent film'
THIRTY ONE Titled: "The All England Summarize Proust Competition" First shown on 16th November 1972
• 'Summarize Proust Competition' • Hairdressers' Ascent Up Mount Everest • Fire Brigade • Our Eamonn • 'Party Hints' with Veronica Smalls • Language Laboratory • Travel Agent • Watney's Red Barrel • Anne Elk's Theory on Brontosauruses
THIRTY TWO (Untitled) First shown on 23rd November 1972
• Tory Housewives Clean up Campaign • Gumby Brain Specialist • Molluscs 'Live' TV Documentary • The Minister for Not Listening to People • Tuesday Documentary • Children's Story • Party Political Broadcast • Apology (Politicians) • Expedition to Lake Pahoe • The Silliest Interview We've Ever Had • The Silliest Sketch We've Ever Done • 74
THIRTY THREE (Untitled) First shown on 30th November 1972
• Biggles Dictates a Letter • Climbing the North Face of the Uxbridge Road • Lifeboat • Old Lady Snoopers • 'Storage Jars' • The Show so Far • The Cheese Shop • Philip Jenkinson on Cheese Westerns • Sam Peckinpah's 'Salad Days' • Apology • The News with Richard Baker • Seashore Interlude Film
THIRTY FOUR Titled: "The Cycling Tour" First shown on 7th December 1972
• Mr. Pither • Clodagh Rogers • Trotsky • Smolensk • Bingo crazed Chinese • 'Jack in a Box'
THIRTY FIVE (Untitled) First shown on 14th December 1972
• Bomb on Plane • A Naked Man • Ten Seconds of Sex • Housing Project Built by Characters from Nineteenth century English Literature • M1 Interchange Built by Characters from 'Paradise Lost' • Mystico and Janet Flats Built by Hypnosis • 'Mortuary Hour' • The Olympic Hide and seek Final • The Cheap Laughs • Bull fighting • The British Well Basically Club • Prices on the Planet Algon
THIRTY SIX (Untitled) First shown on 21st December 1972
• Tudor Jobs Agency • Pornographic Bookshop • Elizabethan Pornography Smugglers • Silly Disturbances (the Rev. Arthur Belling) • The Free Repetition of Doubtful Words Sketch, by an Underrated Author 75
• 'Is There?'... Life after Death? • The Man Who Says Words in the Wrong Order • Thripshaw's Disease • Silly Noises • Sherry drinking Vicar
THIRTY SEVEN (Untitled) First shown on 4th January 1973
• 'Boxing Tonight' Jack Bodell vS. Sir Kenneth Clark • Dennis Moore • Lupins • What the Stars Foretell • Doctor • TV4 or Not TV4' Discussion • Dennis Moore Rides Again • Ideal Loon Exhibition • Off licence • 'Prejudice'
THIRTY EIGHT (Untitled) First shown on 11th January 1973
• Party Political Broadcast (Choreographed) • 'A Book at Bedtime Redgauntlet' • Kamikaze Scotsmen • No Time to Lose • Penguins (inc BBC Programme Planners) • Unexploded Scotsmen • 'Spot the Looney' • Rival Documentaries • 'Dad's Doctors' and other stories
THIRTY NINE Titled: "Grandstand" First shown on 18th January 1973
• Thames TV Introduction • 'Light Entertainment Awards' with Dickie Attenborough • The Oscar Wilde Sketch • Charwoman • David Niven's Fridge • Pasolini's Film 'The Third Test Match' • New Brain from Curry's • Blood Donor • International Wife swapping • Credits of the Year • Back to the 'Light Entertainment Awards' • The Dirty Vicar Sketch • 76
SERIES FOUR FORTY Titled: "The Golden Age of Ballooning" and released on 31st October 1974
• Montgolfier Brothers • Louis XIV • George III • Norwegian Party Political Broadcast • Zeppelin
FORTY ONE Titled: "Michael Ellis" and released on 7th November 1974
• Department Store • Buying an Ant • At Home with the Ant and Other Pets • Documentary on Ants • Ant Complaints • Poetry Reading (Ants) • Toupee Department • Different Endings
FORTY TWO Titled: “Light Entertainment War” and released on 14th November 1974
• 'Up Your Pavement' • The Banter Sketch • Trivializing the War • Courtmartial (Basingstoke in Westphalia) • 'Anything Goes In' (song) • Film Trailer • The Public Are Idiots • Programme Titles Conference • The Last Five Miles of the M2 • Woody and Tinny Words • Show jumping (musical) • Newsflash (Germans) • 'When Does a Dream Begin?' (song)
FORTY THREE Titled: “Hamlet” and released on 21st November 1974
• Bogus Psychiatrists • 'Nationwide' • Police Helmets • Father in law • Hamlet and Ophelia • Boxing Match Aftermath • Boxing Commentary • Piston Engine (a Bargain) • A Room in Polonius' House 77
• Dentists (Live from Epsom) • Jockey Interviews • Queen Victoria Handicap
FORTY FOUR Titled: “Mr. Neutron” and released on 28th November 1974
• Post Box Ceremony • Mr Neutron • Mr Neutron Is Missing • Teddy Salad (CIA Agent) • Mr Neutron Is Still Missing • Mr Neutron Is Found • 'Conjuring Today'
FORTY FIVE Titled: “Party Political Broadcast” and released on 5th December 1974
• 'Most Awful Family in Britain' • Icelandic Honey Week • A Doctor Whose Patients Are Stabbed by His Nurse • Brigadier and Bishop • Appeal on Behalf of Extremely Rich People • The Man Who Finishes Other People's Sentences • The Walking Tree of Dahomey (with David Attenborough) • The Batsmen of the Kalahari • Cricket Match (Assegais) • BBC News (Handovers)
9.3 List of JCT Plays
Akt (Act) opening 4th October 1967 re opening 14 th November 1973 Seminar : Philosophy of Externism Cimrman’ s Attitude Towards Animals Cimrman’ s Drama and Fine Art Works The Reconstruction of the Drama Act Vyšetřování ztráty třídní knihy (Investigation of the Class Register Loss) opening 4 th October 1967 re opening 14 th November 1973 Seminar: The Second Discovery in Liptákov Personal Evidence of Dr. Svěrák Cimrman’s six rules for teachers 78
Separation of the unmemorable Teacher’s punishment for himself Shocking and Graphical Teaching Methods Animated wood Physics Lesson Gnoseological Theory Hospoda na Mýtince (The Pub in a Forest Glade) opening 17 th April 1969 Seminar: Cimrman’s Operetta Works Artistic Theft The Presumable Content of the Operetta Proso Frustration Composition Cimrman’s Style in Recording Tunes Vražda v salónním coupé (Murder in a Chair Carriage) Opening on 14 th May 1970 Seminar: Will there be a Cimrman Statue in Prague? At the Beginning of the Detective Carrier The Jewel Has Been Stolen New Methods Concerning Investigation Detective and Poet Revolution in the Silent film Němý bobeš (Mute Bobeš) opening 24 th November 1971 Cimrman v říši hudby (Cimrman In the Realm of Music) opening 3 rd May 1973 Seminar: The First Steps Towards Music Why Did Nnot Cimrman Became the Best Violin Player Ever Where Is the Third Sentence? At Kreibichs’ Music Academy A Room for the Violin Players beginners Libreto of the Opera “V chaloupky stínu”(In the Shadow of a Little House) Dlouhý, široký a Krátkozraký (The Long, the Short and the Short sighted) Opening 17 th October 1974 Seminar: Cimrman’s Way to Czech Fairy Tale Posel z Liptákova (The Messenger of the Liptákov Village) th Opening 20 April 1977 includes Vizionář(Visionary) and Posel Světla(Messenger of Light) Seminar: Journey From Prague to Liptákov Lipkákov Chronicle Discovery of Cimrman’s Murals Letter to a Monologue Performer form Zagreb 79
The First Agricultural Pyrotechnic Universal Platypus Cimrman and Sports Cimrman’s Descendant Geology of the Jizera Mountains (Isegebirge) –only if there is a time left Lijavec (Heavy Rain) opening 22 th January 1982 Seminar: A Little Note Concerning the Schedule What is a “Herberk”? How Long Was the Reign of Franz Joseph I ? Two Beggar’s Tales Cimrman as the Author of Jokes Cimrman Prisoner and Warder Women in the Ensemble Electrical Waltz Cimrman’s Medical Theatre Dobytí Severního Pólu Čechem Karlem Němcem 5. dubna 1909(Czech Karel Němec [=German]Raches the North Pole on 5 th April 1909 Opening 25 th October 1985 Seminar: The Yetti The ‘Animated’ Pictures Blaník (Blaník Mountain) opening: 16th May 1990 Seminar: Cimrman and History Defenestration Quizz The Blaník Legend Doubting Vlasák Záskok(The Alternace) opening 27 th March. 1994 Seminar: Hamlet Performed without Hamlet Cimrman’s Radio Play Cimrman and the National Theatre Cimrman’ Troupe Švestka (Plum Tree) opening 14 th November 1997 Seminar: The Problems of Old Age 80
Afrika (Africa) opening 5th October. 10. 2002 Seminar : The Manuscript of Železný Brod Town Cimrman and African Fauna Cimrman’s Information Tent Cimrman and J.V.Sládek Feathered Snake
9.4 DVD
Posel z Liptákova (1977) Blaník (1990) MPFC Sketches The Spanish Inquisition The Ministry of Silly Walks The Undertakers Sketch ….+ more