Diaries 1969-1979_ The Python Years - Michael Palin [118]
Thursday, September 12th, Exeter
Today the weather was grey and rather miserable and, owing to a wrongly chosen location, I stood around for two hours in full drag, false eyelashes and all, before shooting for the day was cancelled. Eric and I walked up to the casde, or what remains of it after Cromwell. The weather began to improve and we wandered around some gardens, then, both in rather a silly mood, walked back through the town and stopped at a shop which was prominently displaying ladies’ panties with little messages on the front. We went inside. A chunky, middle-aged lady assistant, looking rather like I had done an hour previously, came up to us.
‘Oh, she’d love a pair of these,’ she said to us.
Eric indicated me, ‘No, they’re for him.’
I told her I wouldn’t be able to get them over my head.
‘We’re looking for some with the AA sign on them,’ said Eric.
She took this quite seriously and helpfully said ‘We did have some with road signs on.’
‘No, it’s AA ones we want,’ Eric confirmed.
We later bought some dressed crab and ate it with our tea back at the hotel.
Friday, September 27th
Filming aboard HMS Belfast moored by the Tower of London. I was to go along there at lunchtime, meet them and prepare for quite a long sketch to be filmed on Westminster Bridge in the afternoon. The rain fell heavily and persistently all morning and I arrived at HMS Belfast at about 12.45. ‘Oh, the BBC, yes/said an obliging Petty Officer. ‘You know where the bar is, don’t you?’
Well, I found the BBC ensconced, incredibly happily, in a warm, busy bar amidships – the only oasis of light and warmth and cheerfulness on board this steel-grey hulk. Terry, with an angelic smile, recommended the rum. Ian was as red-faced as I’d ever seen him on this filming. Outside it still poured. The morning’s shot had been completed, but with much laughter amongst the crew of Belfast – for Graham was dressed as a Captain in full drag. ‘Better keep Les below decks,’ and other naval banter was apparently heard.
On from Belfast, in heavy drizzle, to our rendezvous point in a car park beside County Hall. When we arrived it was raining heavily again and it was obvious they wouldn’t be able to film for a while. However, in the car park there just happened to be an enormous marquee, with ‘2nd International Festival of Wine’ in large letters outside. So I added four glasses of wine to my rum and lagers and, when we actually came to start filming, at about 4.00, beneath the South Bank Lion, I was in an extremely cheery state and ready for anything.
The advantages of being dressed as a policeman are that I was able to stop four lanes of traffic on Westminster Bridge at rush hour, walk across the road, hit Terry, dressed as a lady, grab his armchair and walk back across the road with the cars still respectfully at a standstill!
Disadvantages of being dressed as a PC were that, as I waited for the cue for action, I would be approached by Americans asking where they could find a restaurant where they wouldn’t need to wear a tie and harassed motorists asking me where the GLC licensing department was. One old lady approached me, stared hard at my false moustache and said, ‘What are you? Real or a fake?’
‘Have a guess,’ I said
She surveyed my loose moustache and pinned-up hair for a moment, ‘You’re real.’
Tuesday, October 1st
In the evening we had an investors’ preview of Monty Python and the Holy Grail at the Hanover Grand.
Tony Stratton-Smith was there, and Ali and Brian Gibbons – the financial wizards behind Charisma. I chatted up Madeline Bell to try and get her to appear as the Romettes in the next Python record1, and there were a lot of beautiful people, presumably Pink Floyd and their wives, and also Maggie Gilliam, Carol Cleveland and Helen, who had never seen the film before.
Mark had to make an announcement before