Celebrate The 40th Birthday Of ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’ With Our Five Favorite Sketches

Forty years ago today, the world became a funnier place with the grand debut of “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” the television series showcasing the hilarious and often twisted comedy of the Monty Python sketch group, which included the likes of John Cleese, Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle among others.

But 40 years is a long time, as many of you out there — myself included — weren’t even alive at the time of the show’s inception. Hell, maybe your parents hadn’t even met yet. Nonetheless, the various sketches and skits of “Flying Circus” hold up incredibly well today, and every young fan of comedy owes it to themselves to partake in at least the bare essentials of the comedy troupe’s catalog.

Of course, there are an almost unlimited amount of gems to choose from — but these five sketches are some of my favorites, and are as good a place to start as any for the “Monty Python” uninitiated.

DEAD PARROT: Every pet owner eventually suffers the loss of their companion animal, oftentimes much earlier than expected — but how many of you have actually brought your deceased cat, dog, bird or other assorted animal corpse back to the pet store you bought it from? Even crazier, how many of these pet store owners have tried to convince you that the animal isn’t even dead?! The results, as you can imagine, are hilarious in the “Dead Parrot” sketch, but probably not so much in real life.

Money Quote: “Now that’s what I’d call a dead parrot.”

LUMBERJACK SONG: Not everybody is satisfied with their occupation, which is perfectly understandable. The Monty Python crew decided to explore this fundamental truth in the form of a barber that secretly wanted to be a lumberjack — a lumberjack that secretly wore high heels, a bra and other assorted women’s clothing. After you’ve witnessed the “Lumberjack Song,” you won’t be able to look at the tree-chopping industry in the same way ever again.

Money Quote: “I chop down trees, I wear high heels, suspendies and a bra! I wish I’d been a girlie just like my dear papa!”

MINISTRY OF SILLY WALKS: Don’t feel that bad if you walk with a bounce in your step, or a limp, or an otherwise noticeable oddity in your door-to-door movements — simply join the Ministry of Silly Walks, where everybody hops, skips and jumps to the beat of their own drummer. In terms of sheer, gut-busting physical comedy, the “Ministry of Silly Walks” sketch from “Flying Circus” is about as funny as it gets.

Money Quote: “Well, sir, I have a silly walk, and I’d like to obtain a government grant to help me develop it.”

SPAM: There aren’t many things worse than spam — save for a restaurant that includes spam as an ingredient in every single food option, of course. That’s the situation we find ourselves in during the “Spam” sketch, which takes place in a diner that serves “egg and spam,” “egg, bacon and spam,” “spam, bacon, sausage and spam” and “spam, eggs, spam, spam, bacon and spam.” The only saving grace is that the diner is ruled by a viking horde — which I suppose isn’t a saving grace if you don’t like spam.

Money Quote: “Well, ‘spam, eggs, sausage and spam’ doesn’t have much spam in it.”

THE SPANISH INQUISITION: Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, and certainly nobody expects it to inspire one of the funniest comedy sketches of all time. Several Monty Python enthusiasts consider the “Spanish Inquisition” episode to be the very best in the entirety of “Flying Circus,” which is an assessment I’m hard-pressed to disagree with. If nothing else, it features one of the greatest torture scenes in the history of fiction.

Money Quote: “Poke her with the soft cushion! Confess! Confess!”

What are your favorite “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” sketches? Let us know in the comments section or on Twitter!

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Submited at Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 at 5:01 am on Movies by jessica
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