The 2011 Summer Re-Watch: Monty Python's Flying Circus "The Royal Philharmonic Goes to the Bathroom" Review

"The Royal Philharmonic Goes to the Bathroom" is an episode about social taboos--death, sex, toilet humor and suicide. Of course, this is Flying Circus so the Pythons don't stand on a pulpit and decry the taboos in popular culture. Instead, in true fashion, they embrace the taboos with glee and excitement. For example, Terry Jones' Undertaker advises the audience with dark, depressing thoughts to have no fear because he'll be the one taking care of the dead body.

The troupe anticipated negative feedback to the content in the episode. The four 3-4 minutes feature various letters-of-protests from fictional audience members who felt offended by the lavatorial humor in the 'royal philharmonic goes to the bathroom' bit. The letters then respond to previous letters that offended a random letter-writer. The cycle of protests and letters continue, perhaps arguing that people will always complain regardless of how silly the argument is. Of course, the series hardly received feedback during the first season. The oral history of Monty Python includes journal excerpts from Michael Palin. On several occasions, he anticipates some kind of negative response to an upcoming sketch or episode but it never happened. The BBC allowed the Pythons to get away with showing bare breasts on camera in one episode (or they didn't notice). So, if the Pythons were allowed to show one pair of breasts in one episode, then maybe they could get away with showing five topless women (which they did, without consequence).

The sexy women bits concluded during the 'battle of Trafalgar' sketch. A recurring sketch in the episode is 'world history,' in which random characters remembered historical events. In the 'Trafalgar' sketch, Carol Cleveland replaced Graham Chapman as the host of the program. The Pythons hired Carol for the sketches when they needed a genuinely attractive and sexy woman. Originally, they wanted to play every part themselves; however, the pepper pots wouldn't serve the joke properly in sketches that needed actual sexy women. Carol Cleveland lip syncs to John Cleese's narration as she seductively rolls around in bed in black net stockings, a bra, panties and what have you. The script reads: "She moves as if in the throes of orgasm as she mimes to a very masculine voice off to a superimposed caption on the screen: 'J. P. TAYLOR')." Again, the Pythons resorted to sex appeal during their sketches about history. Perhaps, it was a commentary on the BBC historical programs that were narrated in monotone with no excitement (I'm not sure as I didn't live in England during this era) and that some sex would add the sizzle that the program lacked. The sketch cuts to a brief few seconds of film that shows a woman trying on different tops so there's one more pair of bare breasts before the episode's done. All the while, the topic of the sketch is the battle of Trafalgar. Maybe the Pythons just wanted to show some breasts and have Carol Cleveland roll around seductively.

The 'Agatha Christie' sketch involves suicide but it's mostly a lampoon on law enforcement in England (a series-long theme). Constable after constable or detective inspector after detective inspector arrive at a home to investigate a mysterious murder, only there hasn't been a murder. The constables soon start dying either through suicide or homicide as they re-create the non-events of a non-murder. The sketch is highlighted by the histrionics of each man of the law when their silly names are repeated back as a question. For example, chief constable there's-a-man-behind-you is the lone one who doesn't look back in fear when his name's repeated (other inspectors/constables/detectives etc with names such as tiger and fire do).

The Undertakers sketch is quite an original and silly take on undertakers. The undertakers carry a coffin through England. When one becomes tired, he rests in the coffin and the undertaker inside of the coffin resumes carrying it with the others.

I have a fondness for the 'literary football discussion' in which Eric Idle talks about a football game using philosophy and literature. For example:

From the plastic arts we turn to football. Last night in the Stadium of Light, Jarrow, we wimessed the resuscitation of a great footballing tradition, when Jarrow United came of age, in a European sense, with an almost Proustian display of modern existentialist football. Vimally annihilating by midfield moral argument the now surely obsolescent catennachio defensive philosophy of Signor Alberto Fanffino. Bologna indeed were a side intellectually out argued by a Jarrow team thrusting and bursting with aggressive Kantian positivism and outstanding in this fine Jarrow team was my man of the match, the arch-thinker, free scheming, scarcely ever to be curbed, midfield coguoscento, Jimmy Buzzard.

The guest of the program is a football player portrayed by John Cleese, who is utterly befuddled by the literary approach to dissecting football matchups.

One criticism of the episode: the 'interesting people' sketch drags on for too long with no memorable bits or characters. Usually, longer sketches have some kind of narrative. The sketch is anchored by the host of the TV show but it's a directionless sketch. Overall, the episode's a success and it previews the darker humor that will come later in the series.

UP NEXT: "The Naked Ant" Watch it here.

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