We Have Ways of Making You Laugh

Last updated

We Have Ways of Making You Laugh
We Have Ways of Making You Laugh title with Frank Muir.jpg
title screen with host Frank Muir
Genre Comedy
Directed byBill Turner
Presented by Frank Muir
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes12 (all unaired)
Production
Producer Humphrey Barclay
Production company London Weekend Television
Original release
Network ITV
Release2 August 1968 (1968-08-02)

We Have Ways of Making You Laugh is a comedic television series produced by Humphrey Barclay and directed by Bill Turner for London Weekend Television. [1] Frank Muir hosted the show. [2] It featured Kenneth Cope, [1] Eric Idle and Katherine Whitehorn, with music and writing by Benny Green. The theme music was composed by Don Partridge and played in his 'one-man-band' style. Dick Vosburgh prepared material spoofing Jimmy Young for the show. Terry Gilliam created animations using cut-outs, a technique he later used in Monty Python's Flying Circus . [3] The series was live. Its debut broadcast was scheduled for 2 August 1968. Although the cast performed, only the first 15 seconds of the first show were transmitted, due to an industrial action [2] (other, prerecorded programming was unaffected by the labour dispute). [4] There are no known recordings of its 12 episodes. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Do Not Adjust Your Set</i> British television series

Do Not Adjust Your Set (DNAYS) is a British television series produced originally by Rediffusion, London, then, by the fledgling Thames Television for British commercial television channel ITV from 26 December 1967 to 14 May 1969. The show took its name from the message that was displayed when there was a problem with transmission or technical difficulties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Chapman</span> English actor, comedian and writer (1941–1989)

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, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Life of Brian (1979).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cleese</span> English comedian and actor (born 1939)

John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and presenter. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report. In the late 1960s, he cofounded Monty Python, the comedy troupe responsible for the sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. Along with his Python costars Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Graham Chapman, Cleese starred in Monty Python films, which include Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979), and The Meaning of Life (1983).

<i>Monty Pythons Life of Brian</i> 1979 film by Terry Jones

Monty Python's Life of Brian is a 1979 British comedy film starring and written by the comedy group Monty Python. It was directed by Jones. The film tells the story of Brian Cohen, a young Jewish-Roman man who is born on the same day as—and next door to—Jesus, and is subsequently mistaken for the Messiah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monty Python</span> British surreal comedy group

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Parrot sketch</span> Monty Python sketch

The "Dead Parrot Sketch", alternatively and originally known as the "Pet Shop Sketch" or "Parrot Sketch", is a sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus about a non-existent species of parrot, called a "Norwegian Blue". A satire on poor customer service, it was written by John Cleese and Graham Chapman and initially performed in the show's first series, in the eighth episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Palin</span> English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter

Sir Michael Edward Palin, is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. He received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2013 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.

<i>Monty Python and the Holy Grail</i> 1975 British comedy film

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Idle</span> British comedian, actor and writer (born 1943)

Eric Idle is an English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright. He was a member of the British comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band the Rutles. Idle studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and joined Cambridge University Footlights. He reached stardom when he co-created and acted in the sketch series Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974) and the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983) with John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman.

Throughout film, television, and radio, British comedy has become known for its consistently peculiar characters, plots, and settings, and has produced some of the most renowned comedians and characters in the world.

<i>Monty Pythons The Meaning of Life</i> 1983 film by British comedy group Monty Python

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.

<i>At Last the 1948 Show</i> Satirical television show made by Paradine Productions and broadcast on ITV

At Last the 1948 Show is a satirical television show made by David Frost's company, Paradine Productions, in association with Rediffusion London. Transmitted on Britain's ITV network in 1967, it brought Cambridge Footlights humour to a broader audience.

<i>Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl</i> 1982 British film

Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl is a 1982 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.

<i>And Now for Something Completely Different</i> 1971 British film

And Now for Something Completely Different is a 1971 British sketch comedy film based on the television comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus featuring sketches from the show's first two series. The title was taken from a catchphrase used in the television show.

<i>Rutland Weekend Television</i> British sketch show by Eric Idle (1975–76)

Rutland Weekend Television (RWT) was a television sketch show written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. Two series were broadcast on BBC2, the first consisting of six episodes in 1975, and the second series of seven episodes in 1976. A Christmas special was broadcast on Boxing Day 1975.

<i>The Frost Report</i> 1960s British television series

The Frost Report is a satirical television show hosted by David Frost. It introduced John Cleese, Ronnie Barker, and Ronnie Corbett to television, and launched the careers of other writers and performers. It premiered on BBC1 on 10 March 1966 and ended on 12 December 1967, with a total of 26 regular episodes over the course of 2 series and 2 specials as well.

Richard Kennedy Vosburgh was an American-born Grammy and Tony-nominated comedy writer and lyricist, working chiefly in Britain.

<i>Monty Pythons Flying Circus</i> British sketch comedy television series (1969–1974)

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.

<i>Holy Flying Circus</i> 2011 BBC television comedy film

Holy Flying Circus is a 90-minute BBC television comedy film first broadcast in 2011, written by Tony Roche and directed by Owen Harris.

<i>Monty Python Live!</i> Book on Monty Python live performances 1971-1980

Monty Python Live! is a book detailing the various live performances of the Monty Python team between 1971 and 1980.

References

  1. 1 2 The Stage Year Book, Carson & Comerford Ltd., 1969, p. 129, We Have Ways of Making You Laugh with Frank Muir, Kenneth Cope, Dick Vosburgh. Prod Humphrey Barclay. Dir Bill Turner. London Weekend
  2. 1 2 Louis Barfe (2013). Turned Out Nice Again: The Story of British Light Entertainment. Atlantic Books Ltd. ISBN   978-1848877573. The launch night, on Friday 2 August 1968, was to kick off with We Have Ways Of Making You Laugh, a live comedy show hosted by Muir himself [...] nobody transmitted the first We Have Ways Of Making You Laugh. Ongoing industrial action [...] meant that screens went blank after only fifteen seconds. The performers were allowed to remain oblivious and carry on [...]
  3. David Sterritt and Lucille Rhodes (2004). Terry Gilliam: Interviews. Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 71–73. ISBN   1578066247. [...] Humphrey went to London Weekend Television, [...] and he dragged me along with Eric Idle. There was a group [...] consisting of Benny Green, who was a jazzman and a good writer; Katherine Whitehorn, [...] [and] Dick Vosburgh, who was a great comedy writer. [...] Vosburgh had spent three months taping [...] Jimmy Young's radio show. [...] I suggested that I do an animated film. [...] the only way to work on that budget in that amount of time was to do cut-outs [...] So when it came later to doing Python [...] I didn't have the patience to draw [...] I just started cutting out the things I liked [...]
  4. David Frost (1993). "We+Have+Ways+of+Making+You+Laugh" An Autobiography: From congregations to audiences. HarperCollins. p. 364. ISBN   9780002150132. So far, we gradually learned, the strike was not continuous, but selective. Recorded programmes were still getting on the air, but live programmes like We Have Ways of Making You Laugh were not.
  5. "Missing or incomplete episodes for programme We Have Ways of Making You Laugh, lostshows.com