The Odd Job | |
---|---|
Directed by | Peter Medak |
Written by | Graham Chapman Bernard McKenna |
Produced by | Graham Chapman Mark Forstater Stephen O'Rourke Tony Stratton Smith |
Starring | Graham Chapman David Jason Diana Quick Simon Williams |
Cinematography | Ken Hodges |
Edited by | Barrie Vince |
Music by | Howard Blake |
Production company | Charisma Films |
Distributed by | Columbia-EMI-Warner |
Release date | September 1978 |
Running time | 87 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
The Odd Job is a 1978 British comedy film starring Monty Python member Graham Chapman. [1] It tells the story of a man named Arthur Harris (Chapman) who is recently abandoned by his wife. He becomes so depressed that he hires an "odd job man" to kill him. Once his wife returns, Harris finds himself unable to cancel the contract. [2]
The concept originated as an episode of the London Weekend Television/ITV series Six Dates With Barker in 1971, with Ronnie Barker as Arthur Harris and David Jason as the Odd Job Man (who plays the same role in the feature film). [3] [4]
The role of the odd job man was originally intended for Chapman's friend, Keith Moon, but Moon was going through alcohol withdrawal at the time and in no real physical shape to play the part, although he did audition. [5] It was shot at Shepperton Studios with location shooting around London.
Graham Chapman was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the surreal comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel and the lead role in two Python films, Holy Grail (1975) and Life of Brian (1979).
Monty Python were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, which aired on the BBC from 1969 to 1974. Their work then developed into a larger collection that included live shows, films, albums, books, and musicals; their influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles' influence on music. Their sketch show has been called "an important moment in the evolution of television comedy".
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 British comedy film satirizing the Arthurian legend, written and performed by the Monty Python comedy group and directed by Gilliam and Jones in their feature directorial debuts. It was conceived during the hiatus between the third and fourth series of their BBC Television series Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, also known simply as The Meaning of Life, is a 1983 British musical sketch comedy film written and performed by the Monty Python troupe, directed by Terry Jones. The Meaning of Life was the last feature film to star all six Python members before the death of Graham Chapman in 1989.
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl is a 1982 British concert comedy film directed by Terry Hughes and starring the Monty Python comedy troupe as they perform many of their sketches at the Hollywood Bowl. The film also features Carol Cleveland in numerous supporting roles and Neil Innes performing songs. Also present for the shows and participating as an 'extra' was Python superfan Kim "Howard" Johnson.
Dentist on the Job is a 1961 British comedy film directed by C. M. Pennington-Richards, the sequel to Dentist in the Chair (1960). It was released in the US with the title Get On with It!. The film was co-written by Hugh Woodhouse and Hazel Adair. It stars Bob Monkhouse, Kenneth Connor, Ronnie Stevens and Eric Barker repeating their roles from the previous film. Other actors appearing in the film include Shirley Eaton, Richard Wattis and Charles Hawtrey. Monkhouse, Eaton, Connor, Barker and Hawtrey had all previously acted together in unrelated 1958 comedy Carry On Sergeant.
The Dirty Fork, also known simply as Restaurant Sketch, is a Monty Python sketch that appeared in episode 3 of the first series of the television series Monty Python's Flying Circus, and later in the film, And Now For Something Completely Different. It is notable for being the first Monty Python sketch wherein the characters react to the audience "booing" them.
How to Irritate People is a US television broadcast filmed in the UK at LWT on 14 November 1968 and written by John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Marty Feldman and Tim Brooke-Taylor. Cleese, Chapman, and Brooke-Taylor also feature in it, along with future Monty Python collaborators Michael Palin and Connie Booth.
"Candid Photography", better known as "Nudge Nudge", is a sketch from the third Monty Python's Flying Circus episode, "How to Recognise Different Types of Trees From Quite a Long Way Away" featuring Eric Idle and Terry Jones as two strangers who meet in a pub.
The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog is a fictional character in the Monty Python film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The scene in Holy Grail was written by Graham Chapman and John Cleese. The rabbit is the antagonist in a major set piece battle, and makes a similar appearance in Spamalot, a musical inspired by the movie. The iconic status of this scene was important in establishing the viability of the musical.
A Liar's Autobiography: Volume VI is a comical autobiography written by Graham Chapman of Monty Python fame, featuring a fictionalised account of his life. First published in Britain in 1980, it was republished in 1991, 1999 and 2011.
"Colin 'Bomber' Harris vs Colin 'Bomber' Harris" is a Monty Python comedy sketch in which wrestler Colin Harris fights himself, Colin Harris. As Colin fights himself, a commentator hastily reports the events.
Six Dates with Barker is a series of six one-off, half-hour situation comedies showcasing the talents of Ronnie Barker. All were broadcast by London Weekend Television early in 1971.
Jake's Journey was a television pilot created, co-written and starring Monty Python member Graham Chapman in 1988. It was one of the last projects for Chapman and the last for director Hal Ashby.
Monty Python's Flying Circus is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who became known collectively as "Monty Python", or the "Pythons". The first episode was recorded at the BBC on 7 September 1969 and premiered on 5 October on BBC1, with 45 episodes airing over four series from 1969 to 1974, plus two episodes for German TV. A feature film adaptation of several sketches, And Now for Something Completely Different, was released in 1971.
The Colonel is a recurring fictional character from the British television show Monty Python's Flying Circus, played by Graham Chapman.
"Albatross" is a sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus. It is particularly known for its opening lines: "Albatross! Albatross! Albatross!"
Monty Python's The Life of Brian/MONTYPYTHONSCRAPBOOK is a large format book by Monty Python, released in 1979 to tie in with their film Monty Python's Life of Brian. As the title suggests, it consists of two separate books joined together. The first contains the film's screenplay, illustrated by black and white stills. On the reverse side is the scrapbook, which contains a variety of material such as scenes cut from the film, newly written material plus unrelated items, including the lyrics to Bruces' Philosophers Song. The book was assembled by Eric Idle, with assistance from Michael Palin.
The Pythons is a BBC documentary film about the Monty Python team which was shot in Tunisia in 1978 during the making of Monty Python's Life of Brian. As well as promoting their upcoming film, the documentary also serves as a tenth anniversary profile of the team, despite the original broadcast date of 20 June 1979 being some months ahead of both the tenth anniversary of their TV debut and the UK release of their new film.