# Classic Python two-person scenes, but... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2003, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-python-two-person-scenes-but/219942 "2003-12-19T09:16:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-python-two-person-scenes-but/219942/1 "2003-12-19T09:16:04Z")
I was just going over a lot of my Monty Python DVDs and I found myself amazed at the number of John Cleese-Michael Palin scenes that have become the cream of the Python crop: Dead Parrot, Argument Clinic, Cheese Shop, Ministry of Silly Walks, and the Fish-Slapping Dance. So I tried to think of other combinations of Pythons in classic two-person scenes. Now I want to hear from the Dopers: name one absolutely essential two-person Python sketch for each combination of Pythons **except** the ubiquitous Cleese-Palin combo. In other words: Chapman-Cleese Chapman-Idle Chapman-Jones Chapman-Palin Cleese-Idle Cleese-Jones Idle-Jones Idle-Palin Jones-Palin Bonus points if you can think of ways to cram Terry G or Carol C into two-person scenes. Some scenes are a bit dodgy to judge, because someone else is present on screen but doesn’t say anything – or someone isn’t on screen but narrates. I’m flexible. Everything counts, by the way: records, the original series, the movies, and so on. My selections in my next post. FISH ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-python-two-person-scenes-but/219942/2 "2003-12-19T11:05:50Z")
[list] [li] **Penguin on Top of the Television Set** - Chapman and Cleese.[/li][li] **Rat Cuisine** - Idle and Jones.[/li][li] **Flying Lessons** - Chapman and Cleese.[/li][li] **Cannibal Undertakers** - Chapman and Cleese (Oh look, a pattern.)[/li]**Watney’s Red Barrel (Tourist who won’t shut up)** - Idle and Palin ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-python-two-person-scenes-but/219942/3 "2003-12-19T13:11:46Z")
Chapman/Palin - [“Help, help! I’m being repressed”](http://www.mwscomp.com/movies/grail/grail-03.htm) - the ‘bloody peasant’ scene from _The Holy Grail_ Cleese/Chapman - [“Romanes Eunt Domus”](http://www.mwscomp.com/movies/brian/brian-08.htm) - from _The Life Of Brian_ ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-python-two-person-scenes-but/219942/4 "2003-12-19T15:26:16Z")
the Squire sketch - “your wife, is she a goer?” that was Idle and Chapman, wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Skillet38](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Skillet38](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skillet38)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-python-two-person-scenes-but/219942/5 "2003-12-19T15:40:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrDibble \* > \*\*the Squire sketch - “your wife, is she a goer?” > that was Idle and Chapman, wasn’t it? \*\* Idle and Jones “a nod’s as good as a wink to a blind bat” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Wrong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Mr.Wrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Wrong)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-python-two-person-scenes-but/219942/6 "2003-12-19T16:14:31Z")
The first thing that came to mind for Chapman/Jones was “Spam”, but I may just be hungry (now that I think about it, that was a three-man sketch, with Palin? My brain hurts!) For Chapman/Cleese, how about the Arthur/French Castle Guard scenes from _Holy Grail_? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-python-two-person-scenes-but/219942/7 "2003-12-19T17:12:23Z")
Cleese/Jones - the Mr Creosote sketch Cleese/Palin - the rescue at Castle Anthrax ---
**Author:** ![Naz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e99b99/32.png) [@Naz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Naz)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-python-two-person-scenes-but/219942/8 "2003-12-19T17:16:45Z")
Crunchy Frog was Jones/Chapman, IIRC. Gilliam was there, but didn’t say anything. \*From the Monty Python Live! DVD \* ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-python-two-person-scenes-but/219942/9 "2003-12-20T00:25:44Z")
**Michael Ellis** : Flying Lessons was Chapman and Jones, not Chapman and Cleese. **Little Nemo** : Hey, no Cleese-Palin (per my OP). There are so many! **Naz** : Crunchy Frog was also Cleese-Jones on the original TV performance, with Chapman as the sidekick. You could get away with both. Okay, the hamsters last night ate my picks, so here they are again: **Chapman-Cleese** : “I’m invincible!” “You’re a loony.” “The Black Knight always triumphs! Have at you!” **Chapman-Idle** : “I love animals. That’s why I like to kill 'em.” **Chapman-Jones** : “No, I want to learn to fly an aeroplane.” “Oh! An _aero_plane.” **Chapman-Palin** : “Nail 'em up, I say!” “Guards!” “Nail some sense into 'em! Best thing the Romans ever did for us. If we didn’t have crucifixion, this country’d be in a _right_ bloody mess.” **Cleese-Idle** : “They were going to build a bridge between the two peaks. My idea, I’m afraid.” **Cleese-Jones** : “And 'ow are we doing today, monsieur?” “Better.” “Better?” “Better get a bucket. I’m gonna frow up.” **Idle-Jones** : “Nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more.” **Idle-Palin** : “Not to enter the room, even if you come and get him.” “No no–until I come and get him, make sure he doesn’t leave.” “We don’t need to do anything apart from just stop him from entering the room.” “No no–leaving the room.” “Leaving the room. Right.” **Jones-Palin** : “But I don’t like her!” “Don’t like her? What’s wrong with her? She’s beautiful, she’s rich, she’s got huuuuuuuge… tracts of land!” FISH