Diaries 1969-1979_ The Python Years - Michael Palin [141]
Thursday, April 3rd
Today our second film opens in London. An encouragingly good notice in The Guardian this morning. Even though they exhorted the team to stay together, they couldn’t remember our names: ‘Cleese, Idle, Chapman, Graham and Jones’!
Graham and I did a voice-over for Bulmer’s Cider in the morning. After the voice-over I dropped in at Anne’s. It has taken her and Alison1 a week to cope with the complications of tickets, parties, dummy Princess Margarets, etc – all the ramifications of a premiere which none of us really wanted, which EMI got cold feet about, and which Mark Forstater has washed his hands of. Anne, finger in the dyke, is single-handedly avoiding disaster tonight.
A very good Alexander Walker review in the Evening Standard (‘The brightest British comedy in ages’) and Time Out, who’ve also enjoyed it, help to cheer us all up, for these two are influential amongst our London audience. In fact there is no bad review today – but there is an unpleasant little piece in the Daily Mail. Not a review, but a variation on the Python split-up story, which seems as elusive as the Holy Grail to most papers.
In the foyer, the flabby head of EMI Distribution was trying to be jolly, but was obviously quite worried about the Princess Margaret dummy, which he had heard was to be around after all. He was clearly very nervous about how and where and when we were going to spring this royal embarrassment on them.
Up in the circle bar, the head-nodding, the hand-shaking, the across-room smiles had all begun. There were just so many people to talk to there. I talked to John Peel briefly and Brian McNulty, and Ron Hellard, and even my wife. Ten-week old Rachel Mary lay, undisturbed by all this merrymaking, in a corner of the bar.
The film was very well received. Simon A, and André, both of whom were quite severe critics of the showings, both enjoyed the film for the first time tonight.
Afterwards, a party had been laid on in the stalls bar (this entirely due to Anne H and Terry G’s initiative) for all the crew (who had not been invited to the later party at the Marquee).
I was particularly touched when Terry Bedford, who has had a good deal of praise in the reviews for his photography, said ‘You were great.’ I’m so used to being anonymous in Python that it’s nice to know someone noticed.
From the Casino we all moved on to the Marquee Club. A party which I hadn’t been looking forward to, but which turned out to be excellent, full of nice people and everyone in good spirits. The occasion had really been organised and paid for by Charisma – the company which we all love, but which doesn’t actually seem too keen on paying us royalties.
Neil Innes, looking like a Belgian shopkeeper in his Sunday best, is on good form. He and I decide that the time has come to talk to our backers, and we converge on Messrs Page and Plant from Led Zeppelin, who are standing, almost shyly, together. They are great fans of the show – they liked the ‘Bicycle Tour’ particularly – and apparently many pop groups now carry video cassettes of Python, as an obligatory part of their equipment.
Sunday, April 6th
The popular press, News of the World, Daily and Sunday Express, Daily Mail, The People, The Sun, have given us rave reviews. The News of the World even said that the credits on their own were funnier than most comedy films.
Dilys Powell, in the Sunday Times, in a much longer review, was soft, kind and unenthusiastic, and The Observer joined Sounds and the New Musical Express in panning us. But I am generally surprised and greatly relieved by the reactions.
Graham rings to tell me that the Sunday Express is the latest paper to join in the Python-splitting activities, and that I am quoted this time as saying that John Cleese is interested only