Four Score Of Something Different

Believe it or not, John Cleese turns 80 today.  If I had to name the funniest person of the past 50 years, he'd certainly be up there--might even win.

In the 60s, after showing his talent in Cambridge, he became a successful writer and performer for British television and radio.  This put him in the position to create--with fellow writer-performers Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam--Monty Python's Flying Circus in 1969.

Python was a TV show at first, though ultimately the troupe would put out books, records, movies and do live performances. One could write a book on the group--many have--but let's just note it was one of the funniest, most groundbreaking TV shows ever. And as good as the others were, I think Cleese takes top honors, both as performer and writer.

There are numerous famous routines he took part in--the Dead Parrot Sketch, the Ministry of Silly Walks, the Argument Clinic, the Cheese Shop and so on--but even in lesser material he was top-notch.

He always looked for new challenges, and got tired of doing the same thing faster than the rest of the troupe.  Though there had never been anything like it before, after 39 episodes of Python, Cleese was ready to leave (so the troupe did a final season of six episodes without him).  Cleese then went on to create another classic series, Fawlty Towers. He played Basil Fawlty, a man who ran a (second-rate) hotel where he seemed annoyed that he had customers at all, and was generally filled with (impotent) rage.

There were two seasons, 12 episodes overall, and each one is a classic example of farcical construction.  My favorite episode is the final one, "Basil The Rat," where the hotel team does its best to keep a rat away from a health inspector.

If Cleese had done nothing else but create these two series, he'd be a comedy giant.  But then there are the great Python movies, such as Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975) and Life Of Brian (1979).  And some fine films, such as his big hit A Fish Called Wanda (1988), which he also wrote, and the little seen Clockwise (1986).

Cleese has done many other things--book-writing, political activism and so on.  Good for him.  But I think it's all the brilliant comedy for which he'll be remembered.