style="font-size: larger;" | Monty Python Sketch

The Argument Sketch
Episode:	The Money Programme (2 November 1972)
Writer(s):	John Cleese John Cleese John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report... Graham Chapman Graham Chapman Graham Arthur Chapman was a British comedian, physician, writer, actor, and one of the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe.-Early life and education:...
Actors:	Michael Palin Michael Palin Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries.... John Cleese John Cleese John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report... Graham Chapman Graham Chapman Graham Arthur Chapman was a British comedian, physician, writer, actor, and one of the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe.-Early life and education:... Eric Idle Eric Idle Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot.... Terry Jones Terry Jones Terence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team.... Rita Davies

The Argument Sketch (or Argument, Argument Clinic, or Six More Minutes of Monty Python's Flying Circus when including the non-argument sections) is a sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus

Monty Python's Flying Circus

Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...

. It appeared in the show's 29th episode, following the ending credits. It featured Michael Palin

Michael Palin

Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....

 and John Cleese

John Cleese

John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...

. In addition to Cleese and Palin, supporting roles were provided by Rita Davies, Graham Chapman

Graham Chapman

Graham Arthur Chapman was a British comedian, physician, writer, actor, and one of the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe.-Early life and education:...

, Eric Idle

Eric Idle

Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....

, and Terry Jones

Terry Jones

Terence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....

.

Plot

Palin pays a receptionist (Davies) to have a five-minute argument

Argument

In philosophy and logic, an argument is an attempt to persuade someone of something, or give evidence or reasons for accepting a particular conclusion.Argument may also refer to:-Mathematics and computer science:...

. The receptionist directs him to Chapman's room, but when he walks in, Chapman hurls abuse at him, calling him a "tit" and a "heap of parrot droppings". After Palin protests that he wanted to have an argument, Chapman apologetically informs him that he's come to the wrong room: his job is solely to deliver abuse, while arguments are located next door. After Palin leaves, Chapman calls him a "stupid git

Git

Git may refer to:* Git , a British English term of abuse* Git , a distributed version control system* Git , by Skeletons & The Girl-Faced Boys...

".

Palin then enters Cleese's room, and double-checks that he is in the right place for his argument; Cleese manages to use his answer to start the argument by arguing with Palin that he has already told him the answer, with the argument broken temporarily while Cleese confirms the payment arrangements. The argument is petty, and consists primarily of the two men directly contradicting

Contradiction

In classical logic, a contradiction consists of a logical incompatibility between two or more propositions. It occurs when the propositions, taken together, yield two conclusions which form the logical, usually opposite inversions of each other...

 each other. Palin becomes frustrated with this, insisting that he paid for an argument, and "an argument is an intellectual process, while contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says." The two engage in a meta-argument about what constitutes an argument, until Cleese rings a bell signifying the end of the five minutes, even though barely a minute has elapsed.

Palin (who reveals that, despite his ostensible frustration, he was actually enjoying the petty contradiction), tries to argue that the first argument was too short; however, he is unable to negotiate, because Cleese refuses to argue unless Palin pays for another session. Palin begrudgingly pays again, and again tries to argue that the first session was too short; however Cleese instead starts to argue that he can't argue because Palin still hasn't paid. Palin tries to use logic and reason to defeat Cleese ("if you're arguing, I must have paid"), but when Cleese's answers start becoming particularly silly (that he might be arguing in his spare time), Palin gets annoyed and leaves to complain.

Palin goes straight to a room labelled "Complaints", only to find himself confronted by a professional complainer (Idle). Palin tries another room, but is hit immediately in the head by Jones wielding a large mallet. Jones reveals that he is giving "being-hit-on-the-head-lessons" (which apparently is done "properly" by clutching one's head and exclaiming "Whaaah!"), which Palin proclaims to be a "stupid concept".

The sketch is then interrupted when Palin and Jones are arrested by Inspector

Inspector

Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...

 Fox (Chapman) for violating the "Strange Sketch Act", before the entire show is arrested by Inspector Thompson's Gazelle

Thomson's Gazelle

The Thomson's gazelle is one of the best-known gazelles. It is named after explorer Joseph Thomson and, as a result, is sometimes referred to as a "tommie"...

 (Idle) for violating the "Getting-Out-of-Sketches-Without-Using-a-Proper-Punch-Line Act", viz. "simply ending every bleeding sketch by just having a policeman come in"; this had been a running joke throughout the whole episode. He then realises that he is himself an accessory to the violation, and is arrested by another policeman (Cleese), who in turn is immediately arrested by yet another policeman for the same reason, before the sketch finally ends.
In Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl

Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl

Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl is a 1982 concert film in which the Monty Python team perform many of their greatest sketches at the Hollywood Bowl. The show also included filmed inserts which were mostly taken from two Monty Python specials, Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus, which had been...

, the sketch features the discussion with the receptionist (played here by Carol Cleveland

Carol Cleveland

Carol Cleveland is a British actress/comedienne, most notable for her appearances as the only significant female performer on Monty Python's Flying Circus.-Early life:...

), the abuse from Chapman, and most of the argument between Cleese and Palin. It is then ended abruptly by the entrance of Terry Gilliam

Terry Gilliam

Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...

, on wires, singing 'I've Got Two Legs

I've Got Two Legs

"I've Got Two Legs" is a song by the British comedy troupe Monty Python. It most prominently appears in the concert film Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, the concert LP Monty Python Live at Drury Lane and the album Monty Python Sings....

'.

External links

• Video of the sketch (from the official Monty Python YouTube channel)
• The script