Title: It's the Arts (or: The BBC Entry to the Zinc Stoat of Budapest)
Original Airdate: 23/11/1969
Guest starring: Ian Davidson, Constance Carling, Sheila Sands
It's: A profile on the German composer Johann Gambolputty-de-von-Ausfern-schplenden-schlitter-crass-cren-bon-fried-digger-dangle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelter-wasser-kurstlich-himble-eisen-bahnwagen-guten-abend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwürstel-gespurten-mitz-weimache-luber-hundsfut-gumberaber-schönendanker-kalbsfleisch-mittleraucher-von-Hautkopft of Ulm, a bunch of criminals planning to buy a watch ("Non-Illegal Robbery"), a policeman chastising a Whizzo Chocolate representative for using real frogs in its chocolates ("Crunchy Frog"), a look into the life of a city stockbroker ("The Dull Life of a City Stockbroker"), a Native American commenting on the theatre, a plea from a policeman to the audience to befriend other policemen ("Policemen Make Wonderful Friends"), "A Scotsman on a Horse", and a bunch of movie writers trying to suck up to a temperamental movie producer pitching a film ("Twentieth Century Vole").
Tropes:
- Apathetic Citizens: Exaggerated in the The Dull Life of a Stockbroker
skit, in which said stockbroker walks by a native African spearing his neighbour, a completely nude corner store attendant (uncensored, that is), Frankenstein's Monster killing multiple people from behind, WW2, a driverless cab, a backstabbed murder victim, a dangling suicide victim and an orgy on his working desk (latter three were in the same room). - Appeal to Nature: The owner of the Whizzo Chocolate Company takes pride in his company's policy of using only natural ingredients in their chocolate, like raw, boned, baby frogs, lamb's bladder and lark's vomit. Suggesting that "Crunchy Frog" is just an almond whirl which contains a mock frog is a Berserk Button for him. Which becomes Blatant Lies when he comments that lark's vomit is in the ingredients list, right after monosodium glutamate.
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: "Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Panties...I'm sorry...Schumann, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Bach."
- Brick Joke: After the Whizzo Chocolate Company sketch, the Indian at a play (Eric Idle) has a chocolate and is pleased that it's Crunchy Frog.
- The Caper: Satirized when a bunch of criminals make an elaborate plan to go into a jewelry store and...buy a watch.
- Captain Obvious: "If there were fewer robbers, there wouldn't be so many of them, numerically speaking."
- Continuity Nod: The Native American at the theatre eats a Crunchy Frog chocolate.
- Credits Gag: Irving C. Saltzberg inserts himself into various credits, and everyone else has the middle initial C. and their last name all end with -berg, for example, Eric C. Idleberg.
- Either/Or Title: "It's the Arts (or: The BBC Entry to the Zinc Stoat of Budapest)".
- Fanservice Extra: Sheila Sands as the topless clerk at the store.
- Funny Background Event: In the Crunchy Frog sketch, whilst Inspector Praline goes through the contents of the Whizzo Quality Assortment and Mr Milton tries to explain their use of such strange ingredients, poor Constable Parrot spends the whole sketch looking nauseated and rushing out of the room to throw up. Neither Praline nor Milton seem to notice this, at least until Praline apologizes for Parrot's upcoming throw to the next sketch, explaining that "he's not at all well."
- I Ate WHAT?!: Superintendent Parrot ate the Crunchy Frog thinking it was an almond whirl, and has a horrified reaction when he finds out what he's really eaten.
- Made from Real Girl Scouts: The entire premise of the Crunchy Frog sketch.
- Mundane Made Awesome: The end of "Dull Life of a City Stockbroker" is a superhero comic... that features panels about someone blowing themselves up from a sneeze because the superhero didn't have a pocket tissue.
- Not Distracted by the Sexy: During "The Dull Life of a City Stockbroker"... the stockbroker doesn't flinch at the sight of a topless woman selling him a newspaper.
- Overly Long Name: Johann Gambolputty-de-von-Ausfern-schplenden-schlitter-crass-cren-bon-fried-digger-dangle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelter-wasser-kurstlich-himble-eisen-bahnwagen-guten-abend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwürstel-gespurten-mitz-weimache-luber-hundsfut-gumberaber-schönendanker-kalbsfleisch-mittleraucher-von-Hautkopft of Ulm. In his profile, his full name is spoken no less than five times.
- Perfectly Cromulent Word: "Splunge"
- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A gang of four desperate criminals form an elaborate plot to go into the British Jewellery Centre and... buy a watch. Lampshaded by one of them, who objects to the plan on the grounds that "We don't seem to be doing anything illegal."Boss: Oh you dumb cluck! We spent weeks organising this job. Reg rented a room across the road and filmed the people going in and out every day. Vic spent three weeks looking at watch catalogues until he knew the price of each one backwards, and now I'm not going to risk the whole raid just for the sake of breaking the law.
- Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: One sketch, shot on film with no dialog, shows a Scotsman (John Cleese) racing on a horse toward a wedding, clearly with the intent to stop the joining in holy matrimony. He is able to reach the chapel just in time, and then carries off the groom.
- Spoonerism: When Saltzberg asks John Cleese's writer character if he is being indecisive, Cleese replies "Yo! Nes! Perhaps!"
- Stock Footage: The "Scotsman on a Horse" sketch starts with footage previously used for Episode 2. Presumably, the full version of this film was originally made for the second episode, but it was cut down for time.
- Stupid Crooks: The "Non-Illegal Robbery" sketch is about a group of criminals who aren't even plotting anything that's criminal. Upon learning that their parking meter may have run out, they panic, planning to leave the country, get plastic surgery, and so forth. They are forced to abandon the plan when one of them points out that blowing up the building would be illegal.
- Suddenly Voiced: The knight with a chicken has a brief line when they say the composer's name one last time.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: The "Dull Life of a City Stockbroker" sketch, in which a stockbroker goes to work and doesn't react at all to the fact that a nude girl sells him his morning newspaper, that a Frankenstein monster kills everyone else on his bus or that his office seems to be the scene of orgy, murder and suicide — and then he sits down at his desk and starts furtively reading a comic book called Thrills and Adventure...which in itself is full of mundane situations, just drawn in an actiony superhero comic style.
- Yes-Man: The head of Twentieth Century Vole hates them. And people who disagree with him. And anyone who tries to take a middle ground. It turns out he's just nuts.
- You No Take Candle: Eric Idle appears in what should be racist Brownface as a Native American, except it's played for absurdity as the Native American in question is attending a play in London.
