John Cleese; is he funny?

he spent the 90s doing corporate video work

As someone who has had to sit through a number of these training videos, I can confirm that they're mildly amusing in places at best. 'Liable to raise a wry smile every few minutes' would be a generous summary.
Basically like this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UFNCrxWI2M

He'd been doing those since the 70s fwiw.

The main advantage of these training videos was that Cleese could present to camera without looking awkward like so many Open University lecturers. Here's a good example (although again not from one of the training videos):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bDIxI8HV8g

He was in some embarrassing Sainsbury’s ads in the 90s

I remember a Derek & Clive bit about a public info ad where he told ppl how to send a letter “he said put a stamp and address on, that’s what I’ve been doing since I watched those fucking ads”. So even his contemporaries held him in contempt going way back

"A Fish Called Wanda is unwatchable IMO, I've failed to get past the first 30mins many times as a teenager after being told it was "hilarious", though Cleese is by no means the worst thing in it"

what an incredibly strange opinion

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ecJvyvh_Ics/maxresdefault.jpg

He was always a bit of a hack, wasn't he? Even during the height of Python he and Chapman were writing for The Two Ronnies and Doctor in the House (although he did ditch Python first, which I suppose wasn't hackish).
How many comedians have still got it after the age of *plucks at random* 65?

Eight

JUST ANNOUNCED: @MelBrooks On Broadway at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on June 17 + 18! Tickets are on sale tomorrow 4/23 at 10am.

Get more info here: https://t.co/ZUE965yUoW pic.twitter.com/1bAM8iaLOz

— In Residence On Broadway (@inresidencebdwy) April 22, 2019

As has been pointed out, Cleese was finished well before he was 65.

Mel Brooks is entertaining if not funny in public speaking situations at age 90+, which puts him ahead of nearly all of his films

I saw Clockwise as a kid in the cinema. A much superior movie than Cannon + Ball's Boys In Blue in terms of production and writing obv.. but seriously lacking a chortle as funny as when Bobby Ball jumps chest first onto a cowpat.

https://gifimage.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/spaceballs-alien-gif-10.gif

All the Pythons seem to have been in agreement that Cleese was a colossal soft-Tory arsehole his entire life, but very funny and a very hard worker. He combined the deep vein of superiority with his sense for funny in public appearances through the '90s, but Wanda was definitely his last hurrah at writing, aged 45.

(also nb the only solo writing he ever did was probably a few episodes of Doctor At Large in 1971, and possibly his 2014 autobiography:

It’s just that the overall tone of the book is cross and churlish, the story of his life rendered in the voice of an ornery old man who never made it in showbusiness rather than the fully realised genius behind comedies of such towering brilliance as Fawlty Towers, Monty Python’s Flying Circus and The Life of Brian.

"A Fish Called Wanda is unwatchable IMO, I've failed to get past the first 30mins many times as a teenager after being told it was "hilarious", though Cleese is by no means the worst thing in it"

what an incredibly strange opinion

― akm, Tuesday, May 21, 2019 7:24 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

you... think it's a funny film? that's cool, each to their own, it's just not for me

He was always a bit of a hack, wasn't he? Even during the height of Python he and Chapman were writing for The Two Ronnies and Doctor in the House (although he did ditch Python first, which I suppose wasn't hackish).
How many comedians have still got it after the age of *plucks at random* 65?

― fetter, Tuesday, May 21, 2019 7:50 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

And Les Dawson.

Who is a genius, tbf..

at least through Young Frankenstein, Mel's films get big laughs when seen properly with a theater audience.

Fawlty is still one of the funniest sitcoms ever, maybe dial back the hate just a tad.

Fawlty is unimpeachable yes.

Remember enjoying Clockwise, but I was a child and of unsound opinion

It was OK, it had funny.

The final speech was just bad "Basil Fawlty with concussion", mind.

Fawlty Towers really not all that, the pompous useless husband + hyper efficient wife who stays with him for no reason set-up has been a bad influence on sitcoms in general and Manuel is the worst fucking character.

I saw Cleese perform as part of a comedy gala Maybe 10 years ago? went because of fond childhood memories of Python/Fawlty/Wanda and absolutely regretted it - half an hour of desperately unfunny and bitter material about his ex-wife with generous helpings of misogyny and a light dusting of casual racism

I guess it's just like seeing a past-it rock act, but the nastiness was such that it really soured that any warm feelings I might've once had for his work

Having said that I sat down to watch an episode of The Goodies with my kids the other day, it opened with a woman getting beaten up to a laugh track and then evolved into a fully-fledged anti-Arab laugh riot - so I guess that era's humour has dated pretty shabbily

I was listening to some very old ISIHAC episodes and the calypso songs with comedy accents should really remain buried.

Every non-Caribbean calypso song ever has been done in a comedy accent.

If it's good enough for Bill Oddie it's good enough for Van Dyke Parks.

And Robert Mitchum

Of course, calypso is linked to satirical comedy in the UK, because of Lance Percival on That Was The Week That Was *pushes glasses up bridge of nose*

x-post!
And Lance Percival (who I've just discovered had the middle name of 'Blades'!)

(lance percival one of my dad's weird pet hates, along with jim dale and bilko)

and mike read

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYOBZ3Seeio

(lance percival one of my dad's weird pet hates, along with jim dale and bilko)

Hating Lance Percival doesn't seem weird to me tbh.

Fawlty Towers really not all that, the pompous useless husband + hyper efficient wife who stays with him for no reason set-up has been a bad influence on sitcoms in general and Manuel is the worst fucking character.

― Daniel_Rf, Thursday, May 23, 2019 10:35 AM (eleven hours ago)

i love the show but this is still kind of otm. polly is the best character.

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/1/23/1358954840656/Major-Gowen-Fawlty-Towers-010.jpg

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/1/23/1358954840656/Major-Gowen-Fawlty-Towers-010.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ac18ea5db4ccfb11dd4d529bdc9acc9e

Fawlty Towers really not all that, the pompous useless husband + hyper efficient wife who stays with him for no reason set-up has been a bad influence on sitcoms in general and Manuel is the worst fucking character.

― Daniel_Rf, Thursday, May 23, 2019 10:35 AM (eleven hours ago)

i love the show but this is still kind of otm. polly is the best character.

― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Thursday, 23 May 2019 21:44 (thirty-eight minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

with all due respect prime minister it is not otm

polly is the most believable character

but sybill and reilly are the best characters

Going full gammon this morning

Some years ago I opined that London was not really an English city any more

Since then, virtually all my friends from abroad have confirmed my observation

So there must be some truth in it...

I note also that London was the UK city that voted most strongly to remain in the EU

— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) May 29, 2019

I mean, it isn't even true.

But it wasn't, a short train ride south and you find the city of Brighton and Hove, we voted 69% in favour of remain to London's 60%
Never mind Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Cardiff, Bristol and Manchester, all a higher % for remain than London.

— Colibri (@StudioColibriUK) May 29, 2019

John Cleese: is he Morrissey?

Is this the first stage of you making it impossible to enjoy any of your work again, a la Morrissey?

— Nick (@Mikowaj) May 29, 2019

we're well past the first stage and heading towards the terminal stage iirc

fawlty towers is a documentary, written by connie booth abt the inside of her soon-to-be ex-husband's absurd head: it is funny! connie booth is funny!

But what has Johnny Marr done since Fawlty Towers?

Fawlty Towers is the greatest comedy ever. Nothing else even comes close.

yeah i think it's become increasingly obvious as time has gone on that connie booth was likely the real creative force behind fawlty towers

xp poll

yes minister beats it off top of head

counterpoint: yes minister did brexit

fawlty towers is a documentary, written by connie booth abt the inside of her soon-to-be ex-husband's absurd head: it is funny! connie booth is funny!

also her ex-husband

the fawlt in the timeline

love that bit where he hilariously falls through a bar and then starts self-flagellating with a twig till he bleeds to death.