Subj : Re: Rampage of the Cancerous Black Spot To : Albert Sims From : Nullibicity Date : Tue Oct 24 2006 03:36 am From: Nullibicity In article , "Albert Sims" wrote: > EDM wrote: > > "Albert Sims" wrote in message > > news:dhJZg.21139$O65.15398@bignews5.bellsouth.net... > >> EDM wrote: > >>> I have some off-the-air recordings of MPFC episodes, and in one > >>> of the animated bits ("Rampage of the Cancerous Black Spot"), > >>> Michael Palin tells a story of an enchanted prince who finds a > >>> black spot on his face. Now in my recording the line goes, > >>> "Foolishly, he ignored it...and three years later he died of > >>> syphilis", but in every rerun I've seen of that episode the word > >>> syphilis is overdubbed (rather obviously) with either "cancer", or, > >>> in one > >>> case, "gangrene". > >>> > >>> Anyone know the history of this edit? Was the word syphilis > >>> considered too risque by British censors at the time? > >>> > >>> > >> First time I've heard "syphilis" being used. In the original > >> airing, Carol Cleveland is narrating the story, and says "cancer". > >> In later years, a male voice is dubbed in JUST over the word > >> "cancer", that says "gangrene". Not sure why the change, unless the > >> group was just being sensitive to Graham's throat cancer... > > > > Ah ok, I wasn't remembering it correctly. I came across this: > > http://web.ukonline.co.uk/sotcaa/sotcaa_python.html?/sotcaa/pythonpages/pyt h > > on_press_1990_99.html > > > > "Gilliam: The BBC censored something on repeats, the 'Black Spot' > > thing. [In an animated section in the second series, a handsome young > > prince discovers a spot on his face. 'Foolishly he ignored it,' says a > > female narrator, 'and three years later he died of cancer.' In later > > broadcasts, the word 'cancer' was replaced with 'gangrene', spoken > > by a male.] It's extraordinary that the word 'cancer' was so > > frightening > > to them that they had to cut the word out." > > > > So strange, I could have sworn the word syphilis was used in > > that line. > > I have an audiocassette of the episode in question I recorded from PBS in > the late 1970's. The word "cancer" was there back then. In the DVD box set > released by A & E, they use the "gangrene" edit. I don't think I've ever heard the cancer version. Actually, I think the gangrene version is better, both because the edit is so blatant (I first thought it was supposed to be like that) and "gangrene" is a funnier word than "cancer." -- Nullibicity http://www.nullibicity.com/ --- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5 * Origin: FidoNet MONTE <--> alt.fan.monty-python (1:379/45) .