The great thing about performing in front of a live audience is that they are generally sitting in a large auditorium, something especially true in the case of the Hollywood bowl in Los Angeles. After John Cleese's stint as an Albatross vendor, we again come to Eric Idle in terms of who made full use of this space during their live performance. Remembered for number of reasons, the Watney's Red Barrel sketch, also known as the holiday or travel agent sketch, is one of the best examples of what the Hollywood Bowl could add to Monty Python's repertoire. To begin with, the restrictions of the BBC and British television etiquette no longer applied. Much to the delight of a screaming American crowd (whose network TV rules are even tighter than Britain's), Carol Cleveland's line of "do you want to go upstairs" became the rather less subtle "would you like a blowjob". The main reason this live performance is celebrated so much however, is Idle's rather long monologue on how holidays always disappoint. In character as the strangely named Mr. Smoketoomuch. he is soon escorted off stage by John Cleese in a white coat, but then escapes into the auditorium, even climbing over audience members to do so. Adding to the banality of the monologue and Idle's escape, even to the point of interrupting the next sketch, is the rather impressive fact that he recites it without fumbling or forgetting any words, or even missing a breath.
