• Spike Milligan cameo in Holy Grail

    From Newsgroups@1:396/4 to All on Mon Aug 18 21:30:20 2008
    From: Newsgroups <none@nomail.com>

    Hi group,

    The Spike Milligan cameo in 'Life of Brian' is well-recognised, but did
    Spike Milligan *also* had a cameo role in 'Monty Python and the Holy
    Grail'?

    There are two quick shots in the 'Burn the Witch' scene that look
    awfully like him.

    The first shot is when the crowd of peasants are rushing towards
    Bedivere with the witch in tow. The Eric Idle peasant holding the sickle
    calls out, 'We've found a witch', and shortly afterwards, the Michael
    Palin peasant puts his face in the camera and says, 'We've got a witch'.
    Almost imemdiately after that, we see a white-haired man in the crowd
    with shaving cream on his face.

    The second shot is immediately after the witch has been placed onto the scales. There is a quick shot of the same white-heaired man with shaving
    cream on his face, framed between a youth with a hat and a man with a beard.

    The shots are otherwise unimportant, and seem to be there precisely in
    order to serve as vehicles for a cameo. They look like Milligan, even underneath the shaving cream.

    I can't find any previous discussion on this matter. Any thoughts?

    Douglas
    --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
    * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 - Meridian, MS - USA (1:396/4)
  • From Reverend Ozone@1:396/4 to Reverend Ozone on Mon Aug 18 21:24:21 2008
    From: "Reverend Ozone" <CaptainOzone.1@netzero.teeheeyukyuk.com>

    For reasons known only to Him, *Newsgroups* typed:

    Hi group,

    The Spike Milligan cameo in 'Life of Brian' is well-recognised, but did
    Spike Milligan *also* had a cameo role in 'Monty Python and the Holy
    Grail'?

    There are two quick shots in the 'Burn the Witch' scene that look
    awfully like him.

    The first shot is when the crowd of peasants are rushing towards
    Bedivere with the witch in tow. The Eric Idle peasant holding the sickle calls out, 'We've found a witch', and shortly afterwards, the Michael
    Palin peasant puts his face in the camera and says, 'We've got a witch'.
    Almost immediately after that, we see a white-haired man in the crowd
    with shaving cream on his face.

    The second shot is immediately after the witch has been placed onto the scales. There is a quick shot of the same white-heaired man with shaving cream on his face, framed between a youth with a hat and a man with a beard.

    The shots are otherwise unimportant, and seem to be there precisely in
    order to serve as vehicles for a cameo. They look like Milligan, even underneath the shaving cream.

    I can't find any previous discussion on this matter. Any thoughts?

    Hmmm, hadn't heard of this before but I did a cursory look around the MPATHG site (and his own) on IMDB.com and found nothing to connect him with "Grail".

    Now I'm gonna have to watch it /again/, you've got me curious.

    --
    Reverend Ozone

    "Non illegitimi carborundum est"


    --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
    * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 - Meridian, MS - USA (1:396/4)
  • From Stacie@1:396/4 to All on Fri Aug 29 01:10:38 2008
    From: Stacie <staciey@gmail.com>

    On Aug 18, 11:30 pm, Newsgroups <n...@nomail.com> wrote:
    Hi group,

    The Spike Milligan cameo in 'Life of Brian' is well-recognised, but did
    Spike Milligan *also* had a cameo role in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'?

    There are two quick shots in the 'Burn the Witch' scene that look
    awfully like him.

    I can't find any previous discussion on this matter. Any thoughts?

    Douglas

    I think this article seems to point to it being so.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1386241/Spike-Milligan.html?mobile=true

    --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
    * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 - Meridian, MS - USA (1:396/4)
  • From Reverend Ozone@1:396/4 to Reverend Ozone on Fri Aug 29 07:45:21 2008
    From: "Reverend Ozone" <CaptainOzone.1@netzero.teeheeyukyuk.com>

    /Something/ spurred *Stacie* to post:

    On Aug 18, 11:30 pm, Newsgroups <n...@nomail.com> wrote:

    Hi group,

    The Spike Milligan cameo in 'Life of Brian' is well-recognised, but did
    Spike Milligan *also* had a cameo role in 'Monty Python and the Holy
    Grail'?

    There are two quick shots in the 'Burn the Witch' scene that look
    awfully like him.

    I can't find any previous discussion on this matter. Any thoughts?

    I think this article seems to point to it being so.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1386241/Spike-Milligan.html?mobile=true


    I did some more - and extensive - research and come up with a few clues, some yea, some nay, take your pick.

    From this one would say no (from http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~mhjarron/spike/welcome.htm, under the "Cinema"
    category, 1/3 the way down the page):

    "[NB - Many Spike filmographies include "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" - Spike did not appear
    in this, but "The Case of the Mukkinese Battlehorn" was re-released as a supporting short]"

    But wait, there's this (from http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=44737, an obit page about Spike, citation very close to the bottom of the page):

    "For those of us who didn't really follow the Goon Show, due to lack of age or lack of Britishness, I might point out that Spike is probably known by more people worldwide for his French Knight in Monty Python & The Holy Grail. Let's not overlook his best-known performance."

    French knight? News to me. Anyone else?

    Lest we be further confused, according to this "Grail" quiz (http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz.cfm?qid=104883. Play it, it's fun!) - and mind you, it's not necessarily definitive - he does not. The first question asks "Which of the actors does *NOT* star in the movie?".

    According to the author/editor, the correct answer /is/ Spike Milligan.

    Awright, I'm exhausted and hungry. Pizza awaits......and then, a HERRING!

    --
    Reverend Ozone

    "Non illegitimi carborundum est"


    --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
    * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 - Meridian, MS - USA (1:396/4)