"It's the Arts" is a sketch that appears in "Whither Canada?," the first episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus. It also appears in And Now for Something Completely Different.
Synopsis[]
Linkman David Mitzie (Michael Palin) introduces the programme and turns it over to interviewer Tom (John Cleese), who is with film producer Sir Edward Ross (Graham Chapman). The interviewer asks if he is allowed to call him "Edward," then babbles about this question. When he eventually gets to another question, he calls him "Ted," then proceeds to babble similarly.
The interviewer then calls Ross "Eddie Baby," which offends Ross. However, the interviewer denies that he did this, and proceeds to call him "sweetie," "sugar plum," "pussycat," "angel-drawers," then eventually "Frank," which catches Ross by surprise. Tom then continues with more silly names until Ross walks off-set, but comes back when Tom calls him Sir Edward.
Tom asks Ross about his latest film, but interrupts his answer with an annoyed "Oh, shut up!"
The linkman then announces that later, Picasso would be painting a picture whilst riding a bicycle.
Music[]
- "K.590 in F Prussian No 3" performed by the Waller Quartet, on the 1967 LP Mozart Quartets.
Trivia[]
- This sketch was written by Graham Chapman and John Cleese, originally for Marty Feldman's It's Marty but rejected. It was later performed live on BBC1's The Wednesday Show with Peter Sellers interviewing fictional film director Sir David Jacobs (leading to much the same results).