That Show – That Night That Python Bombed on SNL

That Show Hasn't Been Funny In Years: an SNL podcast on Radio Misfits

“Monty Python’s Flying Circus” was a major influence on the early days of “Saturday Night Live.” As Monty Python gained huge popularity in America, SNL was also making its mark. In this episode, Nick looks back at the time Michael Palin and John Cleese appeared on SNL in 1997—and absolutely bombed. They not only bombed, but they did so while performing one of Python’s most beloved and hilarious sketches: “The Dead Parrot.”

Nick provides a complete history of the “Dead Parrot” sketch and details all the appearances Monty Python members have made on SNL, featuring many audio clips. You’ll also hear how Chevy Chase essentially owes his SNL career to Monty Python. This episode includes three versions of the classic parrot sketch (including the infamous night it tanked on SNL), a strange appearance by Graham Chapman on a 1982 episode, and the Cold Open that Palin and Cleese performed the same night they bombed with the “Dead Parrot.”

The relationship between Python and SNL is both significant and historic, and this episode of “That Show…” offers deeper insight into their influential comic connection. [Ep77]