October 5, 1969: "Monty Python's Flying Circus" Premieres

Left to right: Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, John Cleese,

Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin

October 5, 1969: Monty Python's Flying Circus premieres on BBC1. It becomes one of the most beloved comedy programs in the history of television on planet Earth.

The Monty Python comedy troupe consisted of John Cleese, about to turn 30, from the Bristol area; Terry Gilliam, about to turn 29, from Minneapolis and thus the only non-British member; Graham Chapman, 28, from Leicester; Terry Jones, 27, from Colwyn Bay, Wales; Eric Idle, 26, from the Newcastle area, and Michael Palin, 26, from Sheffield.

Chapman was considered the leader of the group, and took the lead roles in their films Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975, King Arthur) and Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979, Brian). Cleese is best remembered for his "Ministry of Silly Walks" and "Dead Parrot" sketches. Palin wrote and starred in the "Lumberjack Song" and "Spanish Inquisition" sketches. Gilliam was responsible for most of the show's animated sketches, Idle for composing most of their music.

The show aired 45 episodes over 5 years, ending in 1974. That year, it began airing in America on PBS, with its penchant for showing British programs.

Chapman died in 1989. Jones died in 2020. As of October 5, 2022, Cleese, Gilliam, Idle and Palin are still alive.

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October 5, 1969 was a Sunday. The NHL season started 6 days later; the NBA season, 9 days later; the ABA season, 12 days later.

Baseball was in its 1st-ever League Championship Series, and both were in Game 2. In the National League, the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 11-6 at Atlanta Stadium. (It was renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1975.) Tommie Agee, Ken Boswell and Cleon Jones hit home runs for the Mets; Hank Aaron for the Braves.

In the American League, the Baltimore Orioles beat the Minnesota Twins, 1-0 in 11 innings at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Curt Motton singled home the winning run, off Dave Boswell. He and Dave McNally both went the distance. The Mets and the Orioles each finished their sweeps the next day, setting up one of the most stunning World Series ever played.

There were 8 games played in the NFL:

* The New York Giants beat the Chicago Bears, 28-24 at Yankee Stadium.

* The Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-7 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

* The Baltimore Colts beat the Atlanta Falcons, 21-14 at Grant Field in Atlanta, moved there due to the Braves having first choice at Atlanta Stadium.

* The Los Angeles Rams beat the New Orleans Saints, 36-17 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

* The football version of the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-14 at Pitt Stadium in Pittsburgh

* The Detroit Lions beat the Cleveland Browns, 28-21 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* The Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers, 19-7 at Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. As with the Braves and Falcons, this game had to be moved because the Twins had first choice on Metropolitan Stadium in suburban Bloomington. This would remain the only game the Vikings would play in Minneapolis proper until the Metrodome opened in 1982.

* And the Washington Redskins and the San Francisco 49ers played to a tie, 17-17 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco.

There were 3 games played in the American Football League:

* The New York Jets beat the Boston Patriots, 23-14 at Alumni Stadium, on the campus of Boston College, just outside Boston in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

* The Houston Oilers beat the Buffalo Bills, 28-14 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* And the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos, 26-13 at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

Two other AFL games were played the day before. The Oakland Raiders and the Miami Dolphins played to a tie, 20-20 at the Orange Bowl in Miami. And the San Diego Chargers beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 21-14 at San Diego Stadium.

September 19, 1975: “Fawlty Towers” Premieres

September 19, 1975: Fawlty Towers premieres on the BBC.

In May 1970, the Monty Python performers stayed at the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, Devon, in England's West Country, while filming on location. John Cleese became fascinated with the behavior of the owner, Donald Sinclair, whom Cleese later described as "the rudest man I've ever come across in my life."

Sinclair became Cleese's character Basil Fawlty. Prunella Scales plays his wife Sybil. Connie Booth played the sensible chambermaid Polly, and Andrew Sachs played Manuel, the Spanish waiter.

Between the four of them, they attempted to run the hotel amidst farcical situations, and an array of demanding and eccentric guests. This included taking on German guests, which would inevitably lead Basil to tell everyone, "Don't mention the war!" Ironically, Sachs was born in Germany, and, when he was 8 years old, he and his family escaped from the Nazis and settled in England, where he grew up.

The series lasted for 4 years, and has been shown in the U.S. on PBS. Although set in Torquay, the building used for exterior shots was in Buckinghamshire, and burned down in 1991.

Sachs died in 2016. As of September 19, 2022, the remaining castmembers are still alive.

*

September 19, 1975 was a Friday. These games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Cleveland Indians, 3-2 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Former Yankee Fritz Peterson outpitched Jim "Catfish" Hunter. Frank Robinson, the Indians' player-manager, did not put himself into the game. Both Yankee runs came on solo home runs by Bobby Bonds.

* The New York Mets lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3 at Shea Stadium. An 8th-inning home run by Dick Allen off Skip Lockwood ruined a nice start by Tom Seaver. Phillies pitcher Larry Christenson also hit a home run. Mike Schmidt went 1-for-4. Ed Kranepool hit a home run for the Mets.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Chicago Cubs, 9-6 at Jarry Park in Montreal.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-5 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The O's scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th, with the winning run coming when Tom Murphy walked Royle Stillman with the bases loaded. Mark Belanger, the Orioles' great-fielding, light-hitting shortstop, hit a home run, which was a surprise. Don Baylor hit one, which was not. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-3. Robin Yount went 1-for-4. Hank Aaron, on the Brewers' roster, did not get into the game.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves, 7-6 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Pete Rose went 1-for-5. Johnny Bench did not play.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-1 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Willie Stargell went 0-for-1 before leaving the game due to an injury. Lou Brock went 2-for-4.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-5 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Carl Yastrzemski went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Chicago White Sox, 10-6 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics, 5-4 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. George Brett went 2-for-4. John Mayberry had no official at-bats, but drew 4 walks, scoring 2 runs. Reggie Jackson went 0-for-4.

* The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5 at the Astrodome in Houston. Ken Boswell singled Milt May home with the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning.

* The California Angels beat the Minnesota Twins, 1-0 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Have you ever heard of a 12-hit shutout? This was one: Joe Pactwa allowed 9 hits over 7 innings, and Jim Brewer allowed 3 over 2, outpitching Bert Blyleven. Rod Carew went 4-for-5.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres, 3-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

April 12, 1975: "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" Premieres

April 12, 1975: Monty Python and the Holy Grail premieres. It is the 1st original feature film made by the Monty Python comedy troupe. They had previously released, in movie theaters, And Now for Something Completely Different, a collection of sketches from their TV show, Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Directing credits are shared by Python members Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones. All 6 members are credited as writers: Gilliam, Jones, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin and Eric Idle.

Palin said, "It was by no means unanimous that we should do a film after the television series. John, to his credit, was doing Fawlty Towers. Eric was doing Rutland Weekend Television. But the two Terrys wanted to direct a film, and I loved cinema as well, so that was the only way forward, not to make it three Python shows tacked one after the other, but to make it a full cinematic experience. No other television series had, as far as I know, leapt into cinema, but we thought we'd have a go."

He appears to have been right: This was before Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and the film-fed growth of that franchise: Usually, it was the other way around, with a film being a success, and then a TV show would be based on it. In the last 10 years, in America, this had included Peyton Place, Gidget and M*A*S*H.

"We had to do something that used all six of us," said Palin, "and, of course, the Round Table was the perfect template for that, because we could each play one of the knights. And also because the Holy Grail legend was something that everyone had heard of, but nobody really knew anything about it. You could create any sort of story based around the search for a Grail."

Each member played multiple roles. Chapman didn't direct, but he did play God. Or, at least, the voice of God. He also played the lead role, King Arthur. Cleese played Sir Lancelot the Brave, and a French castle guard who taunts Arthur and his men. And he plays the Black Knight, whom Arthur slowly defeats, but keeps on fighting Arthur anyway: "'Tis but a scratch!" "'Tis but a flesh wound," and so on, until, with no arms and no legs, he still talks trash, and Arthur, having previously saluted the man's bravery, says, "What are you going to do, bleed on me?"

Gilliam played Patsy, Arthur's servant, who follows him around, clapping coconuts together, to simulate the sound of horse's hooves, as was done in pre-television radio programs. You see, there was a small budget, and they couldn't afford horses, so every knight had a squire who walked behind him and carried coconuts, and the knights merely pretended to ride horses.

Idle played "Sir Robin the-not-quite-so-brave-as-Sir Lancelot," and Lancelot's squire Concorde. He also played the man who drove a cart full of corpses, shouting, "Bring out your dead!" Jones played Sir Bedevere the Wise, whose appellation is ironic, since he seems more a conspiracy theorist. He builds not a Trojan Horse, as in ancient Greece, but a Trojan Rabbit.

And Palin narrates the film, and also plays Sir Galahad the Pure, who ultimately finds the Holy Grail, since he's the only one pure enough. He also plays the leader of the Knights Who Say Ni. According to Arthur, "Those who hear them seldom live to tell the tale!" Apparently, their speaking the word "Ni" causes great pain. But Arthur inadvertently discovers that the Knights Who Say Ni can't handle the word "It," and he and Bedevere pass through the forest that the Knights Who Say Ni were blocking.

There is also a Three-Headed Giant, played by Jones, Chapman and Palin.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is regarded as one of the funniest films of all time, regardless of country or genre. It lead to two additional Python films: Monty Python's Life of Brian in 1979, and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life in 1983.

I swear, I am not making this up. I had never seen the film until 1992. I was playing in a softball game with members of my church's youth group, and, an inning after getting a hit, I injured my knee. It didn't seem bad enough to go to the hospital, but, in hindsight, I probably should have. After the game, there was a party at a group member's house. He was a Python fanatic, and showed the film. And every time a Knight said, "Ni!" I felt it in my knee. (I should have had surgery on it, but didn't, and have regretted it ever since.)

So I wasn't in the mood for it, and was already not a Python fan, and so, I didn't "get it." About 20 years later, I was in a British-themed restaurant (now defunct) in Brooklyn, and they showed it. Maybe it was the atmosphere, but I liked it a lot better.

In 2005, Idle reworked the film into a Broadway musical titled Spamalot, using songs from the group's entire repertoire. Tim Curry played King Arthur, Sara Ramirez the Lady of the Lake, Hank Azaria Sir Lancelot, and David Hyde Pierce Sir Robin. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical.

*

April 12, 1975 was a Saturday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Detroit Tigers, 7-2 at Shea Stadium, where the Yankees were playing during the renovation of the original Yankee Stadium. Vern Ruhle outpitches Pat Dobson. Lou Piniella got 2 hits, but the rest of the Yankees combined only got 4. Bill Freehan and Nate Colbert hit home runs for the Tigers.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-5 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Bob Gibson and former Cardinal Steve Carlton started, but neither was the pitcher of record: Mike Garman was the winning pitcher, Gene Garber the losing pitcher. Ted Simmons singled Ted Sizemore home with the winning run in the top of the 9th inning. Mike Schmidt went 2-for-4.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles. 3-2 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Carl Yastrzemski went 2-for-5. Brooks Robinson went 1-for-6.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Montreal Expos, 6-3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cleveland Indians, 6-5 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Robin Yount hit a home run. Hank Aaron went 1-for-3 with a walk. Indians player-manager Frank Robinson did not put himself in the game.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins, 2-1 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. Hal McRae singled Freddie Patek home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. George Brett went 0-for-4. Rod Carew did not play. Nor did Harmon Killebrew, the longtime Twins star playing his last season, with the Royals.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers, 5-4 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. The Rangers cored 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th, but it wasn't enough. Reggie Jackson went 1-for-4. Billy Williams and Sal Band hit home runs for the A's.

* The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-5 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2 at San Diego Stadium (later Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). Pete Rose went 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. Johnny Bench and Dave Winfield each went 0-for-3 with a walk, but had an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Willie McCovey, then with the Padres, went 2-for-4.

* The California Angels beat the Chicago White Sox, 4-3 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Leroy Stanton hit a home run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants, 7-4 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

* And, as it was the day after the Pittsburgh Pirates' home opener, in which they beat the New York Mets, 4-3, those 2 teams had the day off.

Football was out of season. There were 2 games in the NBA Playoffs. The New York Knicks lost to the Houston Rockets, 118-86 at the Hofheinz Pavilion (now the Fertitta Center) in Houston. And the Seattle Supersonics beat the Detroit Pistons, 100-93 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

There were 2 games in the American Basketball Association Playoffs. The Denver Nuggets beat their then-rivals, the Utah Stars, 130-119 at the Denver Auditorium Arena. And the San Antonio Spurs beat the Indiana Pacers, 110-109 at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs were between rounds. There were 3 games in the World Hockey Association Playoffs:

* The Houston Aeros beat the Cleveland Crusdaers, 5-3 at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston.

* The Quebec Nordiques beat the Phoenix Roadrunners, 3-0 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.

* And the San Diego Mariners beat the Toronto Toros, 7-6 at the San Diego Sports Arena (now the Pechanga Arena).

And in English soccer, Yorkshire team Leeds United defeated Arsenal, the team I would one day follow, 2-1 at the Arsenal Stadium, a.k.a. Highbury, in North London.