Halfway To Hollywood: Diaries 1980-1988 (Volume Two) Read online

  For Angela

  Halfway To Hollywood

  MICHAEL PALIN

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Title Page

  List of illustrations

  Acknowledgements

  Who’s Who in the Diaries

  Timeline

  Introduction

  Epigraph

  1980

  1981

  1982

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  Extract from Michael Palin’s Travelling to Work: Diaries 1988–1998

  About the Author

  By Michael Palin

  More on W&N

  Copyright

  List of illustrations

  Section One:

  With Laurel and Hardy in the garden at home1

  Rachel Palin at Tower Bridge2

  Tom with Denis the cat2

  By a pool in Kenya2

  Tied to a tree with Shelley Duvall, Time Bandits 19813

  Filming the Giant on Wembley Studio roof, Time Bandits 19813

  Pythons at the Hollywood Bowl 19804

  With George Harrison, Denis O’Brien, John Cleese and Neville Thompson on Time Bandits set2

  John rehearsing Silly Walk, Hollywood Bowl 19822

  MP and John in Dead Parrot sketch, Hollywood Bowl 19822

  MP disrobing during Camp Judges sketch, Hollywood Bowl 19822

  Framed photos from the Missionary 19822

  MP with Rachel on set, Missionary 19822

  Bathing in the waterfall at Shava Lodge, June 19822

  Richard Loncraine, MP plus executive producers, Missionary 19822

  Receiving award from Chamrousse Festival, March 19855

  MP as The Missionary6

  MP receives pie in the face, Missionary publicity, Dallas October 19827

  MP before cameras at same event7

  MP as TV Presenter for Comic Roots, Sheffield 19832

  Section Two:

  Pythons (sans Eric) at video launch, September 19858

  MP and animals supporting City Farm, 19842

  MP as Dad in Every Sperm is Sacred, Meaning of Life 19829

  Eric, Terry Jones, MP with friends, Christmas in Heaven, Meaning of Life 19829

  Dad with children, Meaning of Life 19829

  Pythons on location, jungle scene, Meaning of Life 19829

  MP as Jack Lint, Brazil 19842

  MP, Terry Gilliam and Jonathan Pryce rehearsing Brazil 19842

  MP surprised by Jonathan Pryce, Brazil 198 32

  Terry Gilliam with Ray Cooper2

  MP’s mother in New York, January 198410

  MP, sister Angela, Nancy Lewis and his mother, New York January 19842

  MP’s mother and Angela, Saturday Night Live party, January 19842

  Tristram Powell and Innes Lloyd, East of Ipswich filming, June 19 862

  End of filming party, East of Ipswich2

  MP, Terry Gilliam, David Robinson, John Cartwright and interpreter, Moscow 19862

  MP’s mother and neighbour, at Reydon, Southwold, Suffolk2

  Launching a rebuilt steam engine, Bluebell Railway2

  “Mash” Patel, newsagent2

  Sam Jarvis, painter and decorator2

  Section Three

  Will Palin and Eric Idle, at Eric’s cottage in France 19842

  Al Levinson and Norman Rosten, Brooklyn, New York2

  Filming of Private Function, 1984

  George H and Denis O’Brien, Executive Producers3

  Alan Bennett and MP on location in Yorkshire2

  Maggie Smith and MP on location11

  Trying to kill the pig. MP, Betty (the pig) and Maggie Smith11

  Alan Bennett, Maggie Smith, MP with large foot, on location11

  The two Grannies, Helen and MP, Private Function Royal Premiere, November 21st 19845

  Denholm Elliott and others in Private Function cast, in the gents toilet, Great Western Hotel Paddington11

  Will, Tom, Rachel and Helen in Majorca, August 19862

  MP in cycling publicity shot, March 19862

  MP on Joan Rivers Show, 198612

  A Fish Called Wanda, Summer 1987

  MP with Charlie Crichton2

  MP with stand-in Gerry Paris2

  MP with Kevin Kline2

  John Cleese trying to get information from MP13

  Ken Pile. Fan photo13

  Jamie Lee Curtis and MP embrace13

  The family with Granny outside Sunset House, Southwold 19872

  MP on location with Joyce Carey, Number 27, June 19882

  1 Brian Moody

  2 Author’s Collection

  3 HandMade Films Partnership

  4 Sam Emerson

  5 Pic Photos

  6 Trevor Jeal

  7 Andy Hanson

  8 Chris Richardson

  9 David Appleby

  10 Mark Mullen

  11 David Farrell

  12 Erik Heinila

  13 David James

  While every effort has been made to trace copyright holders, if any have inadvertently been overlooked the publishers will be pleased to acknowledge them in any future editions of this work.

  Acknowledgements

  As with the first volume, 1969-1979, The Python Years, I have had to reduce over a million words of diary entries to something nearer a quarter of a million. In this task I have, as before, been sagely advised and supervised by Ion Trewin. Michael Dover at Weidenfeld and Nicolson has been a constant encouragement in the completion and collation of the edit, and Steve Abbott and Paul Bird at my office have been, as ever, hugely supportive.

  Once again, I must reserve my most special thanks to Katharine Du Prez for her patience and persistence in the Herculean labour of transcribing the contents of twenty-four close-packed, handwritten notebooks.

  Who’s Who in the Diaries 1980-1988

  FAMILY

  Mary Palin, mother, living at Reydon, Southwold, Suffolk. Father died in 1977.

  Helen, wife

  Children:

  Tom born 1968

  William born 1970

  Rachel born 1975

  Angela, sister. Married to Veryan Herbert and living at Chilton, Sudbury,

  Suffolk. Died 1987.

  Children:

  Jeremy born 1960

  Camilla born 1962

  Marcus born 1963

  Helen’s family:

  Anne Gibbins, mother

  Elder sister, Mary, married Edward Burd in 1964

  Daughter, Catherine, born 1966

  Younger sister, Cathy

  FRIENDS, NEIGHBOURS AND COLLEAGUES

  Richard and Christine Guedalla, and daughters Louise and Helen, neighbours

  Clare Latimer, neighbour

  Terry Jones and Alison

  Terry Gilliam and Maggie

  John Cleese, formerly married to Connie Booth, one daughter, Cynthia, born 1971, married Barbara Trentham 1981, separated 1987

  Graham Chapman, partner David Sherlock. John Tomiczek (adopted)

  Eric Idle, married Tania Kosevich 1981

  Robert Hewison. Contemporary of MP at Brasenose College, Oxford 1962- 5, during which time he persuaded MP to perform and write comedy for first time.

  Simon and Phillida Albury. Simon met MP after Oxford in 1965. Television journalist, producer and Gospel music fan.

  Ian and Anthea Davidson. Met MP at Oxford. Encouraged him to perform in revue and gave him early work at the BBC. A writer and director and occasional Python performer.

  Chris Miller and Bill Stotesbury. Chris lo
oked after Eric’s son Carey during Life of Brian. Bill is a designer and banjo player.

  Neil and Yvonne Innes. Neil, Ex-Bonzo Dog Band. Worked closely with the Pythons especially on their stage appearances. Collaborated with Eric to create the Rutles. Sons: Miles and Luke.

  Mel Calman, cartoonist and friend

  George Harrison. Musician, ex-Beatle. Married to Olivia Arias, son Dhani born 1978.

  Derek and Joan Taylor, Beatles’ publicist and wife

  Chris Orr, artist and printmaker

  Charles McKeown, actor, writer and performer in many MP films and TV shows

  Geoffrey Strachan. Editor at Methuen who encouraged Python to go into print. Also published the Ripping Yarns books.

  Tristram and Virginia Powell. Tristram was director/collaborator on East of Ipswich, Number 27 and worked on development of American Friends.

  André Jacquemin. Recording engineer, Python recordist, composer (with Dave Howman) of some Python songs. Founder of Redwood Studios.

  Trevor Jones/John Du Prez, musician and composer (Python songs and A Fish Called Wanda)

  Ray Cooper, legendary percussionist who became important go-between and general troubleshooter on all the HandMade films

  OFFICE

  At Mayday Management/ Prominent Features:

  Anne James, formerly Henshaw, manager. Married to Jonathan James, a barrister

  Steve Abbott, accountant/management, also film producer (A Fish Called Wanda)

  Alison Davies

  At EuroAtlantic/HandMade:

  Denis O’Brien, Chief Executive, Executive Producer (Time Bandits, The Missionary, A Private Function)

  Mark Vere Nicoll, legal expert

  FILM REGULARS

  Richard Loncraine, Director. First wife Judy. Married Felice 1985.

  Neville Thompson, Producer

  Mark Shivas, Producer

  Julian Doyle. Editor, cameraman, who could turn his hand to any part of the film-making process. Indispensable part of both Python and Gilliam films.

  John Goldstone, Producer of Monty Python films – Holy Grail, Life of Brian and Meaning of Life

  Sandy Lieberson, Producer and sounding board for many projects, including Terry Gilliam’s Jabberwocky

  Patrick Cassavetti, Producer

  IN AMERICA

  Al Levinson. After wife Eve’s death, married Claudie Calvez in 1979. Gwenola is their daughter.

  Nancy Lewis. Publicist for Python in the USA, deserves much credit for getting them on US TV in the first place. Married actor Simon Jones in 1983.

  The Films:

  MONTY PYTHON LIVE AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL

  TIME BANDITS

  THE MISSIONARY

  MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE

  BRAZIL

  A PRIVATE FUNCTION

  A FISH CALLED WANDA

  Timeline

  Main work projects during the period January 1980-September 1988

  1980:

  Writing and acting in Time Bandits

  Filming ‘Confessions of a Trainspotter’, one-hour episode for BBC Great Railway Journeys series

  Acting and filming Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl.

  1981:

  Writing The Missionary and Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life Time Bandits released

  First One-Man Show at Belfast Festival

  1982:

  Writing and acting in The Missionary and The Meaning of Life The Missionary released in USA

  1983:

  The Missionary released in UK and Australia

  The Meaning of Life released in US and UK. Wins Special Jury Prize at Cannes

  Film Festival

  Film Comic Roots, one hour autobiographical documentary for BBC

  Second Belfast Festival Show

  Begin filming Brazil

  1984:

  Complete Brazil filming

  Filming A Private Function

  Shoot short film The Dress

  A Private Function has Royal Premiere in London and opens in UK

  1985:

  A Private Function opens in USA

  British Film Year

  Dr Fegg’s Encyclopeadia of All World Knowledge published

  Write East of Ipswich film screenplay for BBC

  Third Belfast Festival Show

  Limericks published

  1986:

  Become Chair of Transport 2000

  Brazil released.

  East of Ipswich filmed in Southwold, Suffolk

  Begin writing ‘The Victorian screenplay’ (later to become American Friends)

  The Mirrorstone published

  Ripping Yarns premieres on US TV

  1987:

  East of Ipswich shown on BBC2

  Start filming ‘Troubles’ for LWT (cancelled after one week due to union dispute)

  Write American Friends, first draft

  Write Number 27 film screenplay for BBC

  Filming as Ken Pile in A Fish Called Wanda

  First discussions for Around the World in 80 Days

  Fourth Belfast Festival Show

  Resign Chair of Transport 2000

  1988:

  Rewriting, financing and casting trips for American Friends

  Filming of Number 27

  A Fish Called Wanda opens in America

  Begin London filming on Around the World in 80 Days

  Leave London to circumnavigate the world

  Introduction

  These diaries cover a period of my life when, briefly, the prospect of international stardom shimmered on the horizon. As the decade began the Monty Python brand was resurgent. The Life of Brian was causing a stir, our stage show was about to be revived at the Hollywood Bowl and there was unprecedented financial interest in any new film we cared to write. By the time these extracts end it was all very different. Python, after many premature obituaries, had, in effect ceased to be. So, to all intents and purposes, had my chances of a Hollywood career. The last entry records my anxiety, not about films, but about an eighty-day journey around the world.

  It wasn’t that I hadn’t given a film career a try. Between 1980 and 1988 I either wrote, or appeared in, seven movies. In varying degrees, all of them received support and interest from the major studios. Universal picked up Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life and, together with 20th Century Fox, picked up Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, Columbia took The Missionary, A Fish Called Wanda was made for MGM. The doors of Hollywood were open. Nor was I reluctant to look inside. As the diaries show I was spending more time on the West Coast than the East. I was hobnobbing with studio executives and being flown by Concorde to casting sessions. And yet, in the end, my feet remained firmly on this side of the Atlantic.

  I still can’t quite work out why all this happened the way it did, and I re-read the diaries with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief. The overall impression is of a kaleidoscope of characters and events, clarity and confusion, of great strides forward and long and rambling cul-de-sacs, from which a pattern emerges, but only briefly, like the moon between clouds on a stormy night. I’m in my late thirties when this volume begins and my mid-forties when it ends, so one might imagine that the course of my life and career would be settling down. But the inescapable conclusion from reading these entries is that this is a man who still doesn’t really know what he wants to do, or what he’s particularly qualified to do.

  If this were a history, or an autobiography written in the future looking back, I feel sure the temptation would be to impose order and reason and logic on this period of my life, to detect themes and trends that led in one direction, in other words to make sense of it all.

  But diaries don’t allow such luxuries. The events of everyday life are by their nature unpredictable, not at all at ease with the order that we crave as we grow older. Meaning changes, slips, adjusts, evolves. Narrative exists only in its most basic sense.

  Which is why I like diaries. The map may be constantly changing, the steering wheel may be spinning all over the pl
ace, but diaries are the sound of an engine running, day in and day out.

  Michael Palin

  London, April 2009

  ‘I did, I think, nothing’

  Evelyn Waugh’s diary, 26th June 1924

  1980

  As a new decade began I was enmeshed in two new projects. One was collaborating on the screenplay of a children’s fantasy dreamt up by Terry Gilliam, and the other a proper serious documentary, on railways, for the BBC. Both of these were off my normal patch, which was exciting in a way but a little less predictable than I’d have liked. The bedrock of the family was being quietly and unsensationally strengthened; Helen and I had been married nearly fourteen years. Tom was eleven and Will was nine and Rachel coming up to five. Which meant a lot more responsibilities than the same time ten years earlier. And I still had no regular job. I was an intuitively stable character living in a state of almost permanent flux. Quite a balancing act.