John Cleese was the most famous of the team even before Python started. How the heck did that happen?
Mostly thanks to the radio show “I’m Sorry, I’ll Read that Again,” which had a huge fan following for reasons still unknown to those who participated in it. Cleese himself was baffled by the show. He created a great series, “At Last the 1948 Show,” starring Marty Feldman, Graham Chapman and Tim Brooke-Taylor, shortly before Python, but this was not widely seen and only three episodes are known to exist in full today, the rest long since erased. Q: What is that that the lingerie shop robber mutters under his breath in “And Now for Something Completely Different?” A: The line is “adopt, adapt, improve.” It is used here without proper explanation but comes from an episode of the Flying Circus. It is, supposedly, the motto of the Round Table, and the robber’s motivation for stealing panties when he finds no cash. Q: What is the name of Biggus Dickus’ wife in the film Monty Python’s Life of Brian? A: Incontinentia Buttocks. If you don’t understand the reference, drink a lot of Guinness, or
