Say Cleese: Holy Grail is 50 years old. Watch it with John Cleese at Golden State Theatre.

In a way, John Cleese was predisposed to become a comic and an absurdist. His family’s last name was in fact "Cheese," changed and replaced by a meaningless word "cleese" before Cleese’s father joined the military during the WWI effort. 

This family story had to equip one in a sense of humor, the appreciation of the absurd, just as the experience of WWI—and then WWII—turned out to influence British culture not only as an experience of tragedy, but also that of absurdity.

To continue this logic of the absurd and the constant play between absurd and seriousness, Cleese and Graham Chapman met in a law school in Cambridge. In 1968, Cleese, Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Michael Palin formed a comedy troupe called Monty Python, sometimes described as the Beatles of comedy. The group was known for its sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus, which aired on the BBC from 1969 to 1974.

Cleese’s specialty has been playing dead serious characters who behave in an absurd way without realizing it. It’s hard to pick between so many fantastic sketches from Monty Python's Flying Circus with Cleese, but one of the favorites is about the dead parrot that you can watch here. In this wonderful, less than six-minute-long masterpiece taking place in a zoological store, Cleese plays the man who tries to return a parrot that was sold to him already dead. The clerk, Palin, attempts to convince him the dead bird is just “resting.” Cleese proceeds to scream at “Polly” in an attempt to wake her up.

In 1975, a year after the Flying Circus series ended, the group released their first film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a comedy based on the Arthurian legend. They wrote and starred in the movie that has since gathered a cult following.

This year, Holy Grail turned 50 years old and special screenings took place all over the world. Cleese, who co-wrote and co-starred in the film, is currently traveling with it across the United States, including a stop at Golden State Theatre in Monterey on Saturday, Sept. 13.

In the film, he plays Lancelot known as “The Brave,” a member of the Knights of the Round Table led by King Arthur. The year is 932. King Arthur journeys through villages, towns and castles to find brave warriors who will join him and become Knights of the Round Table. The search is fraught with adventure, but eventually Arthur manages to persuade five knights to accompany him. The king desires to reach Camelot with them. Suddenly, God himself speaks to him and gives him another mission: to find the Holy Grail.

During their journey, the company will face numerous dangers, including French mockers, knights who say "Ni," flying cows and the Bloodthirsty Rabbit.

The screening at Golden State Theater will be followed by a conversation and audience questions to Cleese, who is now in his 80s. 

"Not Dead Yet! John Cleese and the Holy Grail at 50." 6:30pm Saturday, Sept. 13. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $77-$299. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com.