Dead Parrots Across the Ages

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. The vaunted "Parrot Sketch" opens with Mr. Praline, played by John Cleese, entering a nondescript pet shop. What is Mr. Praline’s first line of the sketch? "Well, I didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition." "Hello, I wish to register a complaint." "Do you sell marmosets here?" "Is this a pet shop?"

2. What variety of parrot goes into the great beyond during this sketch? African Grey Australian King Parrot Norwegian Blue Cuban Amazon

3. According to Mr. Praline, to what had the pet shop owner (played by Michael Palin) attributed the parrot’s lack of movement? It was tired and shagged out after a long squawk. It was in a somnambulistic state contemplating its next profound words. It was emerging from its species’ unique brand of avian hibernation. It was depressed about the poor fortunes of the Labour Party.

4. In making his case for the parrot’s obvious lack of the vital spark, Mr. Praline offers that he had taken the liberty of examining the parrot and discovered that the only reason that it had been sitting on its perch was that it had been nailed there. What is the shopkeeper’s rather surreal retort? "Those weren’t nails! The Norwegian Blue has specially adapted talons for just that purpose." "Ah, the Norwegian Blue! Carpenter of the Aves class!" "Of course it was nailed there! Otherwise, it would have muscled up to those bars, and then VOOM!" "Well, the Norwegian Blue does require a good deal of iron in its diet, guv’nor!"

5. The denouement of the sketch comes when Praline finally loses his waning patience and begins stating his case emphatically, pointing out the parrot’s postmortem state in a vast number of ways. Which of these phrases does Praline NOT use to elucidate his case? "It sleeps with the fishes!" "It’s run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible!" "If you hadn’t nailed it to the perch, it’d be pushing up the daisies!" "It’s not pining, it’s passed on!"

6. When "The Parrot Sketch" was performed in the Monty Python original film, “And Now for Something Completely Different”, the seldom-quoted last two minutes of the work were excised in favor of a segue into another of the troupe’s well-known pieces. Which sketch was this? The Ministry of Silly Walks The Black Knight The Argument Clinic The Lumberjack Song

7. A particularly raucous rendition of “Dead Parrot” was given at a benefit performance in 1976, a film of which was later released as part of the “Secret Policemen’s Ball” series. What Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization was the beneficiary of this performance? Amnesty International FIFA The Red Cross Band-Aid

8. In 1988, a British Prime Minister invoked “The Parrot Sketch” in a speech denigrating the emerging Liberal Democrats, stating: “This is an ex-parrot. It is not merely stunned, it has ceased to be, expired, and gone to meet its maker.” Which conservative leader made such good rhetorical use of Britain’s national treasures? Tony Blair John Major Margaret Thatcher James Callaghan

9. In 1997, Cleese and Palin made a surprise guest appearance on a venerable variety show (that not infrequently pays homage to the ideas of Monty Python) to reprise the classic parrot piece - to great reception! What long-running comedy-music program was this? Laugh-In The Late Show with David Letterman Blue Peter Saturday Night Live

10. In 1989, John Cleese gave perhaps the greatest eulogy in the history of the English language (with the possible exception of the Gettysburg Address) at the memorial service of the first Monty Python member to pass on. This magnum opus began with Cleese proclaiming: “[He] is no more. He has ceased to be, bereft of life, he rests in peace, he has kicked the bucket, hopped the twig, bit the dust, snuffed it, breathed his last, and gone to meet the Great Head of Light Entertainment in the sky.” Which member of Monty Python was the object of this tribute? Eric Idle Graham Chapman Michael Palin Terry Gilliam