When film studios refused to finance Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the project was saved by unlikely investors: British rock legends including Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Elton John, and Jethro Tull helped fund the film’s production. When major studios refused to finance Monty Python and the Holy Grail in 1974, the comedy troupe turned to an unexpected group of investors: some of Britain’s biggest rock stars. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Jethro Tull, and Elton John helped provide the film’s £175,000 budget, partly because they were fans of the show and partly because the investment offered a tax advantage during a time when the UK’s highest income tax rate reached 90%. The limited budget forced the filmmakers to get creative, resulting in some of the movie’s most memorable moments. Unable to afford real horses, the cast famously pretended to ride while assistants clapped coconut shells together to imitate the sound of galloping hooves. The low-cost solution became one of the most recognizable jokes in comedy history, made possible by the support of rock legends.(Historic Vids)