Mr Praline
Mr Eric Praline is a fictional character from the television show Monty Python's Flying Circus, played by comedian John Cleese.
Appearances
The
Praline's defining moment came in two episodes later, when he attempted to return his recently purchased dead parrot to the pet shop from which he had bought it, not half an hour ago at that very boutique.[4] This segment has been called the comedy team's single best-known sketch,[5] and it led to Praline's appearance in the team's first theatrical release, And Now for Something Completely Different (1971) which included a remake of the sketch.[6]
In a second series episode Praline had more pet trouble, this time trying to buy a fish licence for his pet halibut, Eric.[7] In this sketch, he mentions that he also has a cat and a dog named Eric among others and has acquired a (fraudulent) licence for the cat. This final sketch led to Praline singing the song "Eric the Half-a-Bee" on the Monty Python's Previous Record album.[8]
Cleese eventually got so fed up with "doing the one with the parrot", that he vowed never again to perform the sketch; conversely, the Eric the Half-a-Bee segment is one of Cleese's personal favourites.[8] It includes the revelation that Praline's first name is also Eric.
In episode 18, "Live from the Grill-o-mat", Praline appears with his flatmate Brooky (Eric Idle) as the host of a new chat show. However, the show in the sketch is cancelled and they later appear in "The Seven Brides For Seven Brothers Sketch".[9]
A
Character
Robert Ross' Monty Python Encyclopedia notes that Mr Praline has become a beloved figure within the Python canon.
Edward Slowik writes that in the "Fish Licence" sketch, Praline provides an example of Jean-Paul Sartre's existentialist concept of "bad faith". In this concept, a denial of individual freedom can result when a person fails to accept that past choices and behaviour determine one's character. By declaring "I am not a loony!" when his actions have shown he is clearly insane, Praline exhibits Sartrean "bad faith".[7]
References
- ^ Johnson 1999, p.51.
- ^ a b Johnson 1999, p. 90
- ISBN 978-1-59257-599-2. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
Praline +monty python.
- ISBN 0-7864-1504-5.
- ^ Johnson 1999, p. 96.
- ^ Johnson 1999, p. 220.
- ^ ISBN 0-8126-9593-3.
- ^ a b Johnson 1999, p. 141.
- ^ Johnson 1999, p. 129.
- ISBN 0-297-84436-9.
- ^ ISBN 1-57500-036-9.
- ISBN 1-4051-0287-X.
- ISBN 0-7867-1858-7.
Bibliography
- Johnson, Kim "Howard" (1999). The First 28
0Years of Monty Python. New York: Thomas Dunne Books.ISBN 0-312-16933-7.