Anna and Ben receive a mysterious package that sends them on a journey of critical analysis regarding Chuck Jones' animated adaptation of The Phantom Tollbooth. They confer about educational theory, converse about mindless tasks, and chat about wordplay before being subjected to the demon that is the terrible Trivium, um, trivia contest. https://audioboom.com/posts/7730310 Sources and … Continue reading Episode 7 November 1970: The Phantom Tollbooth

Nathan and Ben discuss the increasing public ire the six Python Boys are willing to display about the BBC, whether the existing show was the result of last minute edits, and charm of expecting a running gag. But nobody expects a quiz about the 1963 film Charade and a digression about 1992's tech espionage film … Continue reading Episode 15: The Spanish Inquisition

Nathan and Ben return with a scheme called "The Other Podcast" where we threaten to analyse episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus if you don't listen.  The next podcast scheme might be the turning point. Until then, enjoy their musings on Graham Chapman's depictions of camp and a quiz on Cartesian Dualism. https://audioboom.com/posts/7701543-episode-14-face-the-press Sources and … Continue reading Episode 14: Face the Press

Anna and Ben sit down to investigate the rebellious origins of BBS Productions' film Five Easy Pieces. While not actually a comedy, they examine it as a forerunner of Nicholson's manic performances and an extension of Rafelson's work with The Monkees, and then delve into trivia surrounding the classical music featured in the soundtrack. Sources … Continue reading 12 September 1970: Five Easy Pieces

Anna sits in with Ben to once again revisit anniversary cinema and discuss Billy Wilder's The Apartment on the event of its sixtieth anniversary. Does the romance hold up under contemporary power strictures, how has Mad Men influenced our opinions about office culture in the '60s, and who knows anything about that mishegas down at … Continue reading Episode W861: The Apartment Complex

Diverting somewhat from the mainstream of their remit, Nathan and Ben celebrate the 45th anniversary of the original broadcast of Eric Idle's Rutland Weekend Television by watching the first episode, "Gibberish", and weighing it against half a century of Python comparisons. https://audioboom.com/posts/7579644-episode-1975-rutland-weekend-television Sources and References Eric Idle and Neil Innes interviewed by the NME about … Continue reading Episode 1975: Rutland Weekend Television

A one-off episode in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the theatrical release of Robert Altman's M*A*S*H and inspired by avoiding the stress and pressure of social distancing.  Join Ben and special co-host Anna as they discuss the sexism, criticism, and other isms embedded in the trauma and drama of this wartime comedy. https://audioboom.com/posts/7534753-episode-4077-the-m-a-s-h-report Sources … Continue reading Episode 4077: The M*A*S*H Report

Nathan and Ben come to the end of the first series of the Flying Circus, weigh the episode's anarchic nature, tally its in-jokes, and other phrases, man. Money isn't real, but their hiatus until the next episode will be. There will now be a whopping great intermission. https://audioboom.com/posts/7475750-episode-13-intermission

Nathan and Ben heed the legend of the Sloan Rangers and peer into the inherited tendencies of the landed gentry. As they weigh the tension of delaying the expectations of an obvious laugh, does that mean they're falling for stalling? Or mauling for trawling, or squalling while zalling? "Zalling"? Is that even a word? https://audioboom.com/posts/7469970-episode-12-the-naked-ant

Nathan and Ben offer context on celebrity boutiques and the internal lives of Python's characters, while speculating on editing and group dynamics. And a quiz on Gumbies is deadly enough to qualify for the Batley Townswomen's Guild historical re-enactments. https://audioboom.com/posts/7464539-episode-11-the-royal-philharmonic-orchestra-goes-to-the-bathroom