'AM America': ABC's Monty Python-Hosted, Ill-Fated 'Today' Rival (VIDEO, PHOTO)

It's not every day that a morning show is taken over by Monty Python — but, for whatever reason, that's what happened on "AM America" in 1975.

What, you ask, is "AM America"? Well, ladies and gentlemen, before Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos sat side by side; before Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson greeted viewers in the wee hours of the morning; before there even was a "Good Morning America," there was "AM America."

We here at HuffPost Media consider ourselves to be students of history, so we're honored to bring you the third in a (somewhat) occasional series, "A Look Back." Today, we examine the first of many attempts ABC made to compete with morning show rival "Today" (a fierce competition that persists).

ABC debuted the morning show in January 1975. Hosts Bill Buetel and Stephanie Edwards joined from local ABC stations. A youngish Peter Jennings reported the news. Edwards quit about four months after the show's debut, and "AM America" wound up lasting just eleven months in total. "GMA" started two days later, and continues to this day.

The clip below could be a sign of why "AM" didn't quite have superhuman staying power. Monty Python guest-hosted the program to promote the upcoming release of their then new/non-classic film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Edwards appears a tad frustrated by what she was being asked to endure. Co-host Beutel got to be on "special assignment" and miss this rather dubious edition of his show.

The segment goes about as well as you'd expect! Monty Python run amok and basically terrorize Edwards throughout the entire hour. Among other things: howling over her as she introduces segments (yes, like werewolves), purposefully reading the teleprompter incorrectly, and creating shadow puppets when the lights were down and the opportunity presented itself.

Highlights of the video include a campy commercial, a wonderfully, absurdly long photo montage of the sun rising over various landscapes and — in our favorite moment — the cutaway to Peter Jennings, who looks as though he is holding a complex set of emotional reactions back.

WATCH:

Comments

[headly67]

07:19 PM on 10/25/2011

Insanity!!! LOL

[Litho-stone]

01:19 PM on 10/25/2011

Wouldn't it be wonderful if instead of Peter Jennings, they had John Cleese playing Peter Jennings reading the news?
Graham, you left us too soon.

[NortontheCat]

06:54 PM on 10/24/2011

In Edwards' defense, it looks like she was playing along with their shenanigans a bit, maybe even playing the part of a miffed broadcaster. I wasn't sure, but at the end when she finally breaks up laughing it seems genuine, as if she's finally letting it out after holding it back the whole hour.

I bet the idea was to never actually interview them in the first place, so that they could throw up their hands in disgust and run amock in the studio in response. That sounds like something the Pythons would have done.

[Hypocrites are Watching]

03:53 PM on 10/24/2011

Ah the tears are running down my face what joy!

[elblanc0]

03:31 PM on 10/24/2011

Peter Jennings second intro - classic.

[jeffeastwood15]

02:48 PM on 10/24/2011

Anyone else noticed Graham giving the finger? Starts around the 4:55 mark

[roald]

04:38 PM on 10/24/2011

Yep.

[ptrgamb]

12:41 PM on 10/24/2011

I had totally forgotten about Stephanie Edwards

[Paute]

12:30 PM on 10/24/2011

How amazing they are. Love them. For ever and ever.

[Massconfusion]

11:49 AM on 10/24/2011

Brill!

[John Fudrow]

11:19 AM on 10/24/2011

I just love how she comments on their intelligence. I would wager real cash that her education pales in comparison to theirs. Host fail.

[Massconfusion]

11:49 AM on 10/24/2011

And how's her Latin?

[JamesVanHise]

11:07 AM on 10/24/2011

I wish someone would release this on video somehow. The entire hour still exists as I watched it on You Tube a few years ago but then it was taken down. They could do a new interview with Stephanie Edwards, whom we saw being carried off by Terry Jones right after Eric Idle gave her a hard shove which almost knocked her off her chair!

[William Ham]

01:39 PM on 10/24/2011

It was Gilliam who shoved Edwards, bless his ugly-American soul.

[JScott]

10:40 AM on 10/24/2011

Ah yes I remember the local LA version AM Los Angeles hosted by Stephanie and Ralph Story-a legend in local TV but when they made the format national sans Ralph IT DIDN'T WORK. Execs and the powers that be f**ked up. But you can sometimes see Stephanie hosting the Rose Parade, and other local stuff. Ralph passed away several years ago, but he was a local broadcast legend like Walter Cronkite. Too bad those in 'the corporate media' still don't get it, They always want to put the pretty folks (and inevitably the blonde female) on screen blabbing about vapid stuff like who's no 1 on DWTS or what the Kardashians are to. The local AMLA struck that right balance to inform the view and IT WAS LIVE FOR 2 HRS. IN THE MORNING, ya don't see that anymore.

[Hypocrites are Watching]

03:55 PM on 10/24/2011

like the Bio :)

[LLNYRN]

08:23 AM on 10/24/2011

I can't believe I remembered this. I was 12. All the school-mates would watch anything "MONTY PYTHON" in those days. Especially staying up past 10pm to watch it on Channel 13/WNET NYC.

Bill Beutel was one of our most respected local New York anchors in those days. For him to do a national program was a really big deal then. Vaguely recall Stephanie Edwards though.

"BRUCE LEE WAS TO MARTIAL ARTS WHAT RIN TIN TIN WAS TO GERMAN SHEPERDS".
I remember than infamous line too.

[Imzadi]

07:00 AM on 10/24/2011

And hilarity ensued...

Thanks for including this clip! :-)

[BlankVerse]

06:39 AM on 10/24/2011

Before there was "AM America", there was "AM Los Angeles" with Stephanie Edwards and Ralph Story. AM Los Angeles was a great show and AM America was a pale sequel because it didn't have the great raconteur Ralph Story, who for whatever reason, didn't go to New York where AM America was broadcast. My guess is that the network thought that he was too old and maybe a little too West Coast for a national broadcast (and maybe even a little too intellectual).