The Colonel (Monty Python)
Encyclopedia
The Colonel is a recurring fictional character
from the British television show Monty Python's Flying Circus
, played by Graham Chapman
.
" comic foil to the show's absurd characters and sketches. He maintains a rigidly mirthless personality and is always dressed in a green British Army
uniform. He occasionally makes appearances in the show, usually breaking the fourth wall and disrupting sketches to pronounce them too silly for the public and, therefore, demanding that something else be shown. He often orders the show to proceed in a different direction (sometimes to the unshown director) and frequently makes offhanded insults to men with long hair.
during World War II
.
He appears three times in "Owl-Stretching Time", protesting rip offs of the British army's slogan, "It's a Man's Life in the Modern Army."
The Colonel appears most frequently in "Full Frontal Nudity." In this episode, the Colonel is writing in his office when he is suddenly approached by Private Watkins (played by Eric Idle
), a young soldier who has been in the army for one day, claiming he wants to leave as it is dangerous and people get killed. They are interrupted by the entrance of two gangsters, Dino and Luigi Vercotti, who attempt an outrageously obvious protection racket
, hoping to extort money from the Colonel in exchange for agreeing to protect his army. After a brief dialogue between the gangsters and the humourless Colonel, the latter stands up, exclaiming that the whole premise is too silly. He addresses the unseen director of the sketch and begins to take over the show. He claims that he has not been given a single funny line and demands to have the camera zoom in on his face. Looking straight into the camera, the Colonel orders that the show proceed to an animated segment, which it does.
Later on, the Colonel again stops the episode to announce “Now, I’ve noticed a tendency for this programme to get rather silly.” After a brief speech of condemnation, he lets the show move on to an outdoor sketch. He then interrupts this sketch in the middle of a scene, forcing the actors and, in fact, the entire filming crew to desert the set.
He later interrupts the famous parrot sketch, when after Mr Praline
calls the situation too silly, the Colonel bursts in on the scene, expressing his agreement and demanding that the show “Get on with it!”
The Colonel lastly appears in this episode during the documentary sketch about “Hell’s Grannies,” when the documentary’s narrator (Eric Idle) is attacked by vicious gangs of keep-left signs. The Colonel effectively ends the episode, by staring straight into the camera and saying “Now for a complete change of mood.”
and on Saturday Night Live
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the British television show Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
, played by Graham Chapman
Graham Chapman
Graham Arthur Chapman was a British comedian, physician, writer, actor, and one of the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe.-Early life and education:...
.
Character
The Colonel acts as a "straight manDouble act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
" comic foil to the show's absurd characters and sketches. He maintains a rigidly mirthless personality and is always dressed in a green British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
uniform. He occasionally makes appearances in the show, usually breaking the fourth wall and disrupting sketches to pronounce them too silly for the public and, therefore, demanding that something else be shown. He often orders the show to proceed in a different direction (sometimes to the unshown director) and frequently makes offhanded insults to men with long hair.
Main appearances
The Colonel appeared first in the pilot episode, "Whither Canada?" in a documentary-formatted sketch, to help describe the Allied Forces involvement in joke warfareThe Funniest Joke in the World
"The Funniest Joke in the World" is the title most frequently used for written references to a Monty Python's Flying Circus comedy sketch, which is also known by two other phrases that appear within it, "Joke Warfare" and "Killer Joke", the latter being the most commonly spoken title used to refer...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
He appears three times in "Owl-Stretching Time", protesting rip offs of the British army's slogan, "It's a Man's Life in the Modern Army."
The Colonel appears most frequently in "Full Frontal Nudity." In this episode, the Colonel is writing in his office when he is suddenly approached by Private Watkins (played by Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
), a young soldier who has been in the army for one day, claiming he wants to leave as it is dangerous and people get killed. They are interrupted by the entrance of two gangsters, Dino and Luigi Vercotti, who attempt an outrageously obvious protection racket
Protection racket
A protection racket is an extortion scheme whereby a criminal group or individual coerces a victim to pay money, supposedly for protection services against violence or property damage. Racketeers coerce reticent potential victims into buying "protection" by demonstrating what will happen if they...
, hoping to extort money from the Colonel in exchange for agreeing to protect his army. After a brief dialogue between the gangsters and the humourless Colonel, the latter stands up, exclaiming that the whole premise is too silly. He addresses the unseen director of the sketch and begins to take over the show. He claims that he has not been given a single funny line and demands to have the camera zoom in on his face. Looking straight into the camera, the Colonel orders that the show proceed to an animated segment, which it does.
Later on, the Colonel again stops the episode to announce “Now, I’ve noticed a tendency for this programme to get rather silly.” After a brief speech of condemnation, he lets the show move on to an outdoor sketch. He then interrupts this sketch in the middle of a scene, forcing the actors and, in fact, the entire filming crew to desert the set.
He later interrupts the famous parrot sketch, when after Mr Praline
Mr Praline
Mr Eric Praline is a fictional character from the television show Monty Python's Flying Circus, played by comedian John Cleese.-Appearances:The Monty Python team consciously decided to avoid recurring characters...
calls the situation too silly, the Colonel bursts in on the scene, expressing his agreement and demanding that the show “Get on with it!”
The Colonel lastly appears in this episode during the documentary sketch about “Hell’s Grannies,” when the documentary’s narrator (Eric Idle) is attacked by vicious gangs of keep-left signs. The Colonel effectively ends the episode, by staring straight into the camera and saying “Now for a complete change of mood.”
Other appearances
The colonel has made appearances in Monty Python Live at the Hollywood BowlMonty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl is a 1982 concert film in which the Monty Python team perform many of their greatest sketches at the Hollywood Bowl. The show also included filmed inserts which were mostly taken from two Monty Python specials, Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus, which had been...
and on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
.