Long story short, it's a gloomy Monday morning and I could use a good laugh.
Here is the skinny:
Disgruntled customer Mr Eric Praline (John Cleese) enters a pet shop from which he previously bought a Norwegian Blue parrot. He complains to the shopkeeper (Michael Palin) that the parrot is dead, though the shopkeeper insists that it is "just resting" or "stunned." An argument ensues with both men holding their position until the shopkeeper sends Praline to his brother's pet shop in Bolton. However, when Praline arrives, it is the same pet shop with the same shopkeeper, who has put on a moustache, but is told that he is actually in Ipswich. He leaves and complains to a porter (Terry Jones), who tells him that he is indeed in Bolton. Praline returns to the pet shop and the men argue about puns and palindromes until the Colonel stops the sketch for being too silly.
The "Dead Parrot" sketch was inspired by a "Car Salesman" sketch that Palin and Graham Chapman had done in How to Irritate People. In it, Palin played a car salesman who refused to admit that there was anything wrong with his customer's (Chapman) car, even as it fell apart in front of him. That sketch was based on an actual incident between Palin and a car salesman.
It was also based on an ancient joke told by the Romans: A Man brought a slave who died soon afterwards. He went to the market to complain. He told the market salesman that the slave had a problem, he died. The market salesman said that he didn't have that problem before he sold him. The joke is one of the oldest jokes in the world. - Source
Check Out:
No comments:
Post a Comment