Pleasure at Her Majesty's / The Mermaid Frolics

1976, Amnesty International, 101 min. Film of the very first Amnesty benefit show – a direct progenitor of THE SECRET POLICEMAN’S BALL. The show was instigated by John Cleese who rounded up his friends from Monty Python and other Brit-com luminaries including Peter Cook, Eleanor Bron, Neil Innes and Dame Edna for an historic gathering of the British comedic tribes performing their ‘Greatest Hits’. The stage show, directed by Beyond The Fringe’s Jonathan Miller was originally titled “A Poke In The Eye (With A Sharp Stick)” by Cleese.

1977, Amnesty International, 52 min. Dir. Roger Graef. The TV special of the 1977 Amnesty benefit, stage-directed by Monty Python’s Terry Jones. It features very rare John Cleese performances -- teamed with his then-wife Connie Booth of "Fawlty Towers" fame -- and with one of his hero/role-models -- Jonathan Miller. Plus Peter Cook, Terry Jones, Peter Ustinov, Sue Jones-Davies and Julie Covington ("Rock Follies").