Memorable Characters
Graham's colonel was famous for stopping the show because "it's too silly.... and I bit suspect I think."
Graham's Raymond Luxury-Yacht (pronounced Throat-Warbler Mangrove) appeared in the Cosmetic Surgeon Sketch in which he visits a plastic surgeon (John) to get a bit lopped off his "nose". John agreed to do so... but only if he agreed to go on a camping holiday with him. He also did an interview conducted by Michael Palin, who threw him out because....
"You're a very silly man and I'm not going to interview you."
Who can forget John as the Hungarian man in the Hungarian Phrasebook Sketch?
Arthur "Two-Sheds" Jackson (played by Terry Jones) is one of the most signifigant modern composers, but never mind that. Does he have two sheds? Is he planning on buying a second shed in the near future? Does he write songs in his shed?
Beavis: Michael Palin's phsychotic barber who wanted to be a lumberjack. What can I say other than: "He's a lumberjack and he's okay."
John Cleese as the Albatross "girl" selling Terry Jones a dead albatross at the theatre.
Eric Idle's Camel [Train] spotter and former Yetti spotter is a fine example of some humor very characteristic of Python.
Who could forget the knight that made a habit of walking into the scene and hitting people with dead chickens?
The Whizzo Chocolates Sketch wouldn't be what it was without Terry J's performance as Mr. Hilton. Only Terry could almost make lark's vomit and baby frogs sound edible...
Terry Jones moved us all with the death scene of Karl Gambolputy
de von ausfern schelpten schlitter crasscrendon fried digger dingle dongle dungle burstein von knackerthrasher applebanger horowitz ticolensic grander knotty spelltinkle grandilch grumblemeyer spelterwasser kurstlich himbeleeisen bahnwager gutenabend bitte ein nurnburger bratwusle gernspurten mitz weimache luber hundsfut gumberaber shonedanker kalbsfleisch mittler aucher von hautpopft of Ulm.
Terry Gilliam's Cardinal Fang from the Spanish Inquisition is probably, besides Patsy in the Holy Grail, his most famous role. Who could forget such profound and moving lines as: "The... comfy chair?" and of course, that wonderful facial expression seen on the left here.
G'day Bruce! Oh, Hello, Bruce! How are you Bruce? It's the Bruces from the Bruces sketch-- all four of 'em:
Bruce #1, Eric "Hot enough to boil a monkey's bum" Idle.
Bruce #2, Graham "That's a strange expression, Bruce" Chapman.
Bruce #3, Michael "Blimey, it's hot in 'ere, Bruce" Palin.
Bruce #4, John "There is no rule six!" Cleese.
Spiny Norman, played by a cartoon hedgehog, appeared in the Tale of the Pirahna Brothers Sketch and in later animation sequences. Norman could be anywhere from about twelve feet snout to tale, but when Dinsdale was depressed Norman could be anything up to eight hundred yeards long.
"I wish to register a complaint." John's character in the Dead Parrot sketch was as unforgettable as the sketch itself. In that lovely coat he wore in several other episodes, including the Fish Lisence sketch, John was the man who was sold a dead Norweigan Blue parrot who he was convinced wasn't "Pinin' for the Fjords?!?!"
"No, he's not dead, he's restin'." Michael's brilliant performance as the shop keeper whose character was modled after a used car salesman one of the Pythons came across. The constant denial of anything at all being wrong with this dead bird who has quite clearly, as John put it: "f***ing snuffed it", is pure genius.
Michael played several Cardinals, most notably Cardinal Richelieu- seen here impresonating Petula Clark- and Cardinal Ximinez of the Spanish Inqusition. He was very skilled at these characters, and he looked good in the nice red uniforms.
The bit about the nice red uniforms from the Spanish Inquisition.
Ken Shabby, played by Michael Palin (left), is a grubby, smelly, perverted, dirty man who uses rancid polecat for aftershave. But his extraordinry personal magnetism has endeared him to the beatiful young Rosamund (and her father?)
"I just want to make sure you can look after my daughter"......
"What job do you do?"
"I clean public lavatories."
"Is there a promotion involved?"
"Yeah, yeah.... After five years they give me a brush."
Graham's Inspector Zatapathique (forensics expert from the Monoco murder squad) singing his song "Bing Tiddle Tiddle Bong" for the Eurovision song contest is one thing you'll never forget.
Eric's Rita Fairbanks, head of the Batley Townswomen's Guild, is the finest example of Eric's pepperpots. Unlike Terry's believable housewife-ish pepperpots or John's... well, let's just say "unique" pepperpots, Eric added a distinct sass to the field of pepperpotting.
"Say no more!" Eric Idle's performance as the Nudge Nudge chap will go down in Python history forever. Words cannot descibe how well Eric can pull off this character... know what I mean, know what I mean? Nudge, nudge.
Is your wife a goer, eh? Knowhatuhmean knowhatuhmean, nudge nudge...
Michael Palin dressed what appears to be a normal everyday safari-type outfit, but what is actually the tradition costume worn for the Fish Slapping Dance.
"Funny that penguin being there isn't it..." Yes, it's Graham and Jonh's pepperpots from the Penguin on the Telly Sketch. These two "ladies" brought us such wonderful bits of Python-ology as "BURMA!" and "Oh, instercourse the Penguin!".
The whole matter of what happens if the penguin lays an egg...
And who can forget the gumbies? Those lumbering, loud, clumsy men who hit bricks together and yell about brain surgeons... And if there is one gumbie that stands out most profoundly it's Michael's gumby.