Wednesday Trivia Question

What kind of parrot was the dead parrot in the classic MONTY PYTHON sketch?

Admittedly a parrot is not a turkey but in keeping with tradition I thought a bird-themed trivia question for Thanksgiving Eve might be worth a shot so here goes.

Obviously the groundbreaking sketch comedy series MONTY PYTHON’S FLYING CIRCUS had many classic sketches. Spam, Silly Walks, the Lumberjack Song, the Cheese Shop, the Spanish Inquisition are just a few of the most popular. A true Python fan such as myself might go deeper with references to Anne Elk, Michael Ellis, Mr. Neutron, Bicycle Repairman and Dennis Moore. Regardless of what makes you laugh, the Pythons no doubt gave you plenty of opportunity.

The Dead Parrot sketch is one of the most classic bits to have ever appeared on the show. Written by John Cleese and Graham Chapman, the sketch portrays a conflict between a disgruntled customer and a shopkeeper over a deceased parrot. It was performed in the series’ eighth episode, which aired December 1969, by Cleese and Michael Palin and has since been repeated in various forms for film, live shows and even other television programs.

In the original sketch as broadcast on the 1969 episode (titled “Full Frontal Nudity” if you’re keeping track), the parrot is ascribed many attributes. It has, Palin’s shopkeeper insists, beautiful plumage. The species “prefers kipping on its back” and apparently it has a propensity to pine for the fjords.