Diaries 1969-1979_ The Python Years - Michael Palin [229]
Monday, March 21st
Phone call from John Goldstone – the IBA [Independent Broadcasting Authority], or powers that be, have heard our Jabberwocky radio commercials and will not let us say ‘warm, brown heaps’, mention the Queen, name roads (e.g. M40, A4), say ‘here is a flash’, dub on screams or sirens, and we can’t say the word ‘motions’ in an ad in which a little boy is saying that he was on his way to school ‘when a huge, fire-breathing monster ate the entire school buildings, including the toilet. The headmaster says the buildings may reappear in his motions, but until then we’ve got the day off.’To think that someone is drawing a salary for preventing people hearing the word ‘motions’.
Wednesday, March 23rd
Do not wake until eight, despite reasonably early night. The hour before breakfast doesn’t seem to be falling naturally into my schedule. Both body and mind, but in that order, seem to be rebelling. But I just don’t feel I can do all the work that I’ve let myself in for at the moment without that extra hour.
The Python meeting is very constructive. Eric, who hadn’t written much apart from a song, which wasn’t that special, was nevertheless on good analytical form, putting his finger time and time again on what was right and wrong with the more sizeable contributions from John C and Graham, and Terry and myself. But we had supplied some good ideas, especially for the end, and the morale of the meeting was high.
We decided that John Goldstone should produce it, and the shooting dates would be January/February/March 1978, abroad. Cleese is anxious to take a tax year out of England and does not want to work here after April 6th 1978. He’ll be doing this plus a series of seven Fawlty Towers before then. We have given ourselves a three-week writing session in July and a final session in October. We didn’t discuss director – I feel that Terry J will do it, unless anyone feels strongly enough against.
Terry J suggests a press ban on discussion of the film. We agree to keep it a secret. John and Eric particularly vociferous about press on set. They just get in the way and do no good. Eric very positive on no deals with censors or producers over language or taste. We and we alone must decide what the final form of the film is to be.
With a great show of solidarity, we adjourned to Odin’s restaurant for lunch. The only other diner anywhere near our noisy table was Harold Pinter, dining alone and darkly debonair in a corner, shaking me for an instant with immediate recall of him sitting in a restaurant in The Servant. Rather comforting to sit beside Harold Pinter after a long writing session.
Back home. Unsatisfactory attempt to take Tom, Willy, Jake and Rachel swimming. Pool closed. Marine Ices (our second choice) closed. Ended up at 32 Flavours in Hampstead though even there sixteen flavours were off!
Heard from John Goldstone that after Sandy Lieberson had personally canvassed the Managing Director of Capital Radio, he had withdrawn a number of objections to our commercials, but we were still not allowed to call a commercial a commercial, we can’t mention ‘motions’, and ‘large, warm, brown heaps’ can only be ‘large heaps’.
Sunday, March 27th
We drove up to Abbotsley yesterday morning.
Today it rained incessantly, though never very heavily. But icy-cold north winds kept us indoors for most of the time.
In the early evening the steady rain gave way to showers – some of hail and snow – and dramatic skies – huge, black clouds against white, sun-filled patches. Took William out up the road and he learnt to ride his bike. A snowstorm swirled around us as we came back – Willy’s cycling career heralded with a virtuoso display of weather.
Back to London by nine.
By this time next week I will at least have Jabberwocky opening behind me, and we’ll have finished the first real draft of