John Cleese Trivia

1. Which line was John Cleese's in the witch scene of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"?

From Quiz "Yes! We Have No Dead Parrots"

Answer: "She turned me into a newt!"

The Pythons played multiple characters in the 1975 film, with John Cleese portraying Sir Lancelot, The Black Knight and Tim the Enchanter, among others. In the witch scene, he was a peasant who provided vital evidence against the witch (the carrot nose and pointy hat weren't enough). The witch (Connie Booth) protested that "They dressed me up like this", another peasant (Eric Idle) suggested that they "Build a bridge out of her", and it was Sir Bedevere (Terry Jones) who asked "Who are you who are so wise in the ways of science?" of the stranger who turned out to be King Arthur (apparently the picture on the coins didn't do him justice).

From Quiz "Yes! We Have No Dead Parrots"

Answer: Jehovah

In the 1979 film, Cleese portrayed an official in the scene in which a prisoner was to be stoned for saying "Jehovah", but the over-eager crowd started pelting Cleese when he mentioned the name. The hand-size rocks knocked him to the ground before a large slab of stone took him out, in true Monty Python fashion.

From Quiz "Yes! We Have No Dead Parrots"

Answer: "Jolly good!"

The 1981 film about a band of time-traveling robbers had a star-studded cast, including Sean Connery, Ralph Richardson, Ian Helm and a very entertaining David Warner. In the Robin Hood scene, the gang had ended up in Sherwood Forest with a bag of loot, which Cleese mistakenly thought they were donating to the cause. Cleese was utterly charming until the little robbers left, at which time he can be heard muttering "what awful people"!

From Quiz "Yes! We Have No Dead Parrots"

Answer: A mint

In the interest of good taste, I'm not going to describe this sketch from the 1983 film. Suffice it to say, that Mr. Creosote was a large man who had way too much to eat, and the mint put him over the edge. Interestingly, Michael Palin (the nice Python) thought that this was "one of the best things that Python [had] ever done in terms of elevating some tiny idea to a sort of great gothic extravaganza".

From Quiz "Yes! We Have No Dead Parrots"

Answer: Sheriff Langston

This was a serious role for John Cleese, although there's something about his physical appearance that is always comical! Sheriff Langston was a fanatical lawman, determined to maintain the peace in the town of Turley, even if a little injustice was necessary to do so. As the sheriff, Cleese accounts for his English accent by explaining that he's "not from around here". According to the Python's official website, Cleese had to learn to ride a horse for "Silverado". However, many years earlier, he was seen riding a horse in the Python's "Dennis Moore" ("hand over your lupines!") skit so we now know that this was a Cleese double -- there are TWO of him!

From Quiz "Yes! We Have No Dead Parrots"

Answer: He supported the defendant's prosecution.

As Mr. Toad's lawyer, John Cleese unleashed a blistering bashing of his client, demanding "the severest sentence" allowed. After the judge (Stephen Fry) pointed out that Cleese was supposed to be counsel for the defense, Cleese explained that the crime of his client was "so blaggardly" that he was offering the best defense possible. The court scene was reminiscent of a Python skit where Cleese arrived late to court and proceeded to badger the defendant into confessing, only to be reminded by the judge that he was to be counsel for the defense.

From Quiz "Yes! We Have No Dead Parrots"

Answer: A lemur

Much like the fish called Wanda in the film of the same name, there was a lemur named after Cleese's character in 1997's "Fierce Creatures". One of the zookeepers had named the animal in honor of the zoo manager (Cleese) -- something Cleese only found out when he was planning to shoot it. The film had many similarities to "A Fish Called Wanda" -- the same principal cast was used, several of the other actors from the earlier film also appeared, and there were lines and gestures that were seen in both films. Cleese referred to "Fierce Creatures" as a nonquel, neither a sequel nor a prequel - just the same main cast. Incidentally, the film was released in Poland as "A Lemur Called Rollo".

From Quiz "Yes! We Have No Dead Parrots"

Answer: R

Cleese first showed up as Q's assistant, R, in "The World is Not Enough". Following the death of the actor who played Q (Desmond Llewelyn), Cleese assumed the role of Q in "Die Another Day". The Bond series took on a more serious tone in the next film, and the somewhat comic role of Q was not included. Ironically, John Cleese appeared in a 1990's ginger ale commercial promoting the "James Bond" film, "License to Kill". After his Q appearances, he appeared on the BBC T.V. show, "Batteries Not Included" (to the sound of "James Bond" music) to watch a jet pack test (he was very disappointed that the test pilot didn't crash).

From Quiz "Yes! We Have No Dead Parrots"

Answer: He had nearly been decapitated.

One of Hogwart's benevolent resident ghosts, Nearly Headless Nick had been sentenced to death back in 1492 for a bad orthodontic spell, but thanks to a blunt axe, his head didn't completely detach. John Cleese first appeared as the recurring character in 2001's "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" aka "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone".

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