Historical Impersonations is a sketch that appears in "Intermission," the thirteenth episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Synopsis[]
A Gumby (Michael Palin) says he would like to meet someone of superior intelligence. Another Gumby (Terry Jones) says he would like to hear the sound of two bricks being bashed together. The first Gumby says he wants to see John the Baptist's impersonation of Graham Hill.
Wally Wiggin (Palin) presents 'Historical Impersonations'. Impersonations include:
- Cardinal Richelieu (Palin) impersonating Petula Clark
- Julius Caesar (Eric Idle) impersonating Eddie Waring
- Florence Nightingale (Graham Chapman) impersonating Brian London
- Ivan the Terrible (John Cleese) impersonating a sales assistant in Freeman, Hardy and Willis
- W.G Grace impersonating a music box
- Napoleon (Jones) as the R-101 disaster
- The first Gumby says he would like to see John the Baptist's impersonation of Graham Hill again and it cuts to a severed head seemingly driving an F1 car (a serving platter)
- Marcel Marceau (Chapman) impersonating a man walking against the wind, and miming a man being stuck on the head by a 16-ton weight before actually being hit.