A question about Monty Pyton in the US

[toby]

Several episodes of Monty Python feature female nudity.
I know some PBS stations in the US aired the show in the 1970s and I am wondering how the nudity was dealt with.

 

[RadioMan203]

I think on my local PBS affiliate I remember them airing it without any editing/cropping, etc. However I do remember it airing later in the evening - perhaps after 10pm from what I remember.

Bill

 

[Riley_dfwm]

I specifically recall "Day in the life of a Stockbroker" sketch with frontal nudity. Aired on PBS, circa 1977 maybe

 

[mleach]

on a similar note there was Benny Hill. As a teen back in the early 80s I am pretty sure I saw a few bare breasts on that show which I saw on Washington's WDCA-TV. WDCA aired it late at night. I do remember the scene of Benny cracking jokes about Doris Day on one show where he said the word "t-i-t-s".

HBO aired an "uncensored" version of Benny Hill I would say around 1982 or so. Lots of nudity the ads promised and like most teens, we watched. Actually that really wasn't all not much different than what WDCA had been airing.

Now... I may be the only one who remembers this but I remember WDCA airing something like "After Benny..Thames Presents....Whats Up Next !! ". Reason I remember was they had a scene where a couple was fighting about something on TV and then the set blows up and in comes a totally nude woman riding a bike and smoking a cigar.

WDCA quickly cut away to a commercial. Guess that took them by surprise.

 

[Koste]

Apparently, the word "tits" is not taboo on UK televison. Just catch "What Not to Wear" on BBC America and you'll hear what I mean.

 

[LKellerIII]

If I remember correctly, a bit of nudity did show up in the Python bits. I doubt PBS would be willing to take that chance now, though, with all of the fuss caused by the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction incident, and the new FCC fines. In the Bay Area, as early as the late 70s, local stations here would take chances. The Australian movie "Walkabout" aired on KTVU with a couple of brief nude scenes, and they typically would not bleep non-"F" swear words, unless they were pre-edited for content. But again - nobody wants to take that chance now.

 

[azumanga]

If I remember correctly, a bit of nudity did show up in the Python bits. I doubt PBS would be willing to take that chance now, though, with all of the fuss caused by the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction incident, and the new FCC fines.

Of course, many PBS stations are airing Monty Python, though in slots past 11PM. I don't know if they were edited, since I haven't seen the series lately.

 

[bhayes1016]

As a teen back in the early 80s I am pretty sure I saw a few bare breasts on that show which I saw on Washington's WDCA-TV. WDCA aired it late at night. I do remember the scene of Benny cracking jokes about Doris Day on one show where he said the word "t-i-t-s".

The breasts made it to Houston TV as well.

 

[CrankyYankee]

Another PBS program I recall with use of the word "tits" was "Steambath" with Valerie Perrine and Bill Bixby.

From a review on amazon.com of the DVD...

"This unique play presents the afterlife as a steam bath, in which dead souls continue to obsess about the same petty concerns that obsessed them in their lives, until they are cast into a dark void by God, the Puerto Rican attendant (José Pérez). But new arrival Tandy (Bill Bixby) at first refuses to accept what's happened, and when he finally does, he pleads to be allowed to return to his life. Steambath was controversial in its day for its obscene language (which was softened for this filmed version, originally presented on PBS), its satirical take on religion, and some brief nudity by bombshell Valerie Perrine."