Kelly Monteith Posted Wed Oct 25 17:45:14 BST 2000 by 'Frogfist 2000'

Always slagged off but I think he's had a tremendous influence on British comedy. Why? He was the first to use what for the want of a better phrase I'll call the "American style of acting-out people's reactions during a stand-up routine" method on homegrown British TV. Lots of amazed facial reactions and "What the HELL was that?"s. Everyone does it now.


Subject: Re: Kelly Monteith [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Unruly Butler' on Thu Oct 26 00:56:01 BST 2000:

And didn't he pioneer the Garry Shandling / Sean's Show "here I am in my TV house" method of presentation?

Or did I dream it?

Subject: Re: Kelly Monteith [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Jon' on Thu Oct 26 10:08:57 BST 2000:

Yes he did, in his last series, circa 1984.

Subject: Re: Kelly Monteith [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Mitch Benn' on Thu Oct 26 14:04:13 BST 2000:

Anybody know where he is now? Could be due for one of those kitsch rediscovery jobs.

Subject: Re: Kelly Monteith [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Jon' on Thu Oct 26 14:09:42 BST 2000:

We did a strand about him a few months ago, and someone did a search on the net and dug up a site that said he'd did a stint of stand-up on a Caribbean cruise liner, or something.

Subject: Re: Kelly Monteith [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Jon' on Thu Oct 26 14:10:26 BST 2000:

I mean, he did the cruise in the last year or 2, so he's still working.

Subject: Re: Kelly Monteith [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Mitch Benn' on Thu Oct 26 14:20:00 BST 2000:

Cool... Might be the age I was at but I have quite fond memories of that show.. One vignette that sticks in the mind is KM getting a rock-chick girlfriend who crams him into tight PVC trousers... they make out and we hear a loud creaking sound coming from KM's crotch. Quiter edgy for its time. And you're right about the Sean?Shandling comparison.

Subject: Re: Kelly Monteith [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Mitch Benn' on Thu Oct 26 14:24:30 BST 2000:

They oughta dig him up for HIGNFY. Seems to be the principal forum for career resurrections these days.

Subject: Re: Kelly Monteith [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Jake Thingy' on Thu Oct 26 18:39:49 BST 2000:

>We did a strand about him a few months ago, and someone did a search on the net and dug up a site that said he'd did a stint of stand-up on a Caribbean cruise liner, or something.

A while back, a friend sent me a file of a site that advertised KM's availability for work, agent's number and so on, and headed the message, "Kelly's zeroes".

I remember in the early 80's, the Listener or something like that asked people in TV to name their best and worst of the year - was a bit surprised that Barry Took gave the Young Ones as his best, as he was then Mr Points of View, didn't know about his role in forming Python etc. For his worst, he wrote, "Thumbs down to American comedian Kelly Monteith. He sets my teeth on edge. Or as the French say, mon teeth on edge."

Subject: Re: Kelly Monteith [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Jon' on Fri Oct 27 10:48:11 BST 2000:

I thought he was Canadian. KM, I mean. Not Barry Took.

[ Add Your Comment On This Subject ]
[ Add Your Comment Quoting Message ]