How Not to Be Seen (8 Dec. 1970)

Conquistador coffee campaign; Repeating groove; Ramsey MacDonald striptease; Job hunter; International Chinese Communist Conspiracy; Crelm Toothpaste/Shrill petrol; Agatha Christie sketch (... See full summary »

Director:

Ian MacNaughton

Writers:

Graham Chapman, John Cleese,

Stars:

Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Graham Chapman	...	Lady Partridge / Martin Curry / Julius Caesar / Madly Dressed Man / Second City Gent / Priest the Most Popular Religion Ltd
John Cleese	...	Advertising Boss / Announcer / Mr. Glans / Gavin Millarrrrrrrrrr / Man with Enormous Ears / Old Gramophone / Fourth City Gent / Priest / Naughty Bishop / 'How Not to Be Seen' Narrator (voice)
Eric Idle	...	S. Frog / John / Admiral Nelson / Third City Gent / Arthur Crackpot / John Lennon / Archbishop Arthur Nudge
Terry Jones	...	Neville Shunt / Mr. Bee / Inspector Davis / Matthew Padget / Labienus / Toad / Man with Enormous Teeth / Fifth City Gent / Ali Byan / Ludovic Grayson (voice)
Michael Palin	...	'It's' Man / Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald / Tony / First City Gent / Mrs. Collins / Archbishop Gumby / Archbishop Ken Shabby / Bill / Presenter
Terry Gilliam	...	Various
Carol Cleveland	...	Jasmina / Interviewer

Storyline

Conquistador coffee campaign; Repeating groove; Ramsey MacDonald striptease; Job hunter; International Chinese Communist Conspiracy; Crelm Toothpaste/Shrill petrol; Agatha Christie sketch (railway timetables); Mr Neville Shunte - railroad playwright; Gavin Millarrrrr writes; Film director/dentist Martin Curry (teeth); City gents vox pops; 'Crackpot Religions Ltd'; 'How not to be seen'; Crossing the Atlantic on a tricycle; Interview in filing cabinet; 'Yummy yummy'; Monty Python's Flying Circus again in thirty seconds.

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Plot Keywords:

nose joke | camouflage | toothpaste advertisement

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Details

Release Date:

8 December 1970 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Goodrington, Paignton, Devon, England, UK

Company Credits

Did You Know?

Goofs

At the end of this episode, an announcer introduces a recap of the entire program, consisting of split-second repeats of the various sketches and cartoons (like fast forwarding on a DVD). However, after the Crackpot Religion cartoon, there are brief shots of two more cartoons (one involving a devil peeping out of the ground and three figures crucified to telephone poles behind him) that were not shown in the episode. (It is possible that these cartoons were cut before the show aired.)

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Quotes

Voice Over: Mr. Ken Andrews, of Leighton Road, Slough has concealed himself extremely well. He could be almost anywhere. He could be behind the wall, inside the water barrel, beneath a pile of leaves, up in the tree, squatting down behind the car, concealed in a hollow, or crouched behind any one of a hundred bushes. However we happen to know he's in the water barrel.
[the water barrel explodes]

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theatre 3000: Monster A-Go-Go (1993)

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Soundtracks

"Yummy Yummy Yummy"
Performed by Jackie Charlton and the Tonettes
Written by Joey Levine (as Joe Levine), Arthur Resnick

User Reviews

Confusion between Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones

Thought you ought to know that Neville Shunt, writer of the train timetable murder mystery, was played by Terry JONES not Terry Gilliam, as listed above. Besides that, I loved the episode, as I do all Monty Python (hence the 10 stars), but, of course, particularly the train timetable murder mystery. Although the murder mystery bit itself is not overly funny, the bit following it where the writer is shown at a typewriter, pretending its a train is hilarious. Also the bit after that, where John Clease, as a critic, discusses the meaning and whether there is deliberate ambiguity, etc., in a very round about way is very funny - anyone who has done some kind of literary analysis or studied poetry or anything at all will find Clease's performance here funny.