Monty Python Tops Laughter Lines Poll

Reuters ^ | 2-19-2002

[Cagey]

LONDON (Reuters) - Monty Python's cult comedy "The Life of Brian" has topped a poll of UK internet users' favorite film lines.

More than 20 years after it was banned in parts of Britain for its supposedly blasphemous content, the biblical satire dominated a survey for online shop bol.com.

Director Terry Jones, who played the mother of Brian, a young man mistaken for the Messiah, delivered the winning line to a crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of their idol -- "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy." "The line was first performed to an audience of Arabic speaking Tunisian women and they didn't think it was funny at all," Jones said in a statement released Monday.

The film also took seventh place with John Cleese's famous attack on Roman rule where he asks "what have the Romans ever done for us?," before listing a string of benefits.

"I can now die a happy man," Cleese joked in a statement.

The film claimed 10th place with "I'm Brian and so's my wife," a line delivered by actor Terence Bayler, who played Gregory, while he and his screen spouse are being crucified and are told that someone called Brian is to be released. Veteran British actor Michael Caine came second with "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off," shouted to gang members practicing for a bullion raid in the 1969 caper "The Italian Job."

Canadian actor Mike Myers took third place with "Yeah baby," the catchphrase of his James Bond spoof Austin Powers.

The BBC's classic World War Two comedy "Dad's Army" provided the funniest line from television, the bol.com survey found.

The winning line was "Don't tell him Pike," delivered by Captain Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe), in a scene where a German officer demands to know the British reservists' names.

In second place was John Cleese as the irate hotelier Basil Fawlty in 1970s comedy "Fawlty Towers."

After insulting a group of German guests over dinner, Fawlty tells his staff: "Don't mention the war, I mentioned it once but I think I got away with it."

[Cagey]

And Now for Something Completely Different....

[steve50]

I've been looking for a set of the old TV series tapes. Any place offering the full series?

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

BBC-America offers it. Be warned though, they're awfully proud of the Python$.

[Cagey]

Start here maybe

[RedBloodedAmerican]

FYI

[Exeter]

Alright, what's all this?

[nov7freedomday]

"Come see the violence inherent in the system … come see the violence inherent in the system...I’m being oppressed !!!"

[Jack Wilson]

My favorite phrase is 'hot liquid magma' as uttered by Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movies.

[BikerNYC]

JESUS: They shall have the earth...

GREGORY: What was that?

JESUS: ...for their possession. How blest are those...

MR. CHEEKY: I don't know. I was too busy talking to Big Nose.

JESUS: ...who hunger and thirst to see...

MAN #1: I think it was 'Blessed are the cheesemakers.'

JESUS: ...right prevail.

MRS. GREGORY: Ahh, what's so special about the cheesemakers?

GREGORY: Well, obviously, this is not meant to be taken literally. It refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.

[steve50]

Hmm, 200 bucks a set. Very proud indeed

[FreedomPoster]

I bought a complete set of MPFC DVD's at Costco about a year ago for $100. I think it's 15 or so DVD's. Not a bad deal, as these things go. I watched the Cheese Shop skit the other night, FReepers will be glad to know. ;-)

[FreedomPoster]

And BTW, you really ought to consider getting a DVD player, and giving up on VHS. It's now were casettes and LP's were 20 years ago vs. CD's. You can get a basic player for $100, or move up to a progressive scan unit for around $200. *BIG* picture quality improvement, and there are all kinds of cool extras on the MPFC DVD's (and DVD's in general) that I'd bet money aren't on the VHS tapes.

[stainlessbanner]

Can't argue with anyone who can quote Python like that!

[FreedomPoster]

/were/where/

[Carolina]

"Always look on the bright side of life...whistle..."

[Rain-maker]

[Portnoy]

The judges would surely have added The Worlds Most Deadly Joke to the list...but they died reading it.

[FreedomPoster]

They weren't able to read it - it was classified by the Ministry of Defense.

[Clemenza]

Gee, I was only expecting a simple line of inquiry via what we find funny, I WASN'T EXPECTING A KIND OF SPANISH INQUISITION!