Original Broadcast Date: Sept. 15, 1970
Attempted Synopsis: a politician gives his viewpoint while wearing a striking female ensemble; a woman goes through a lot of red tape to get her gas stove hooked up; a dirty man reads double-entendres into every want-ad he comes across; The Ministry of Silly Walks considers a grant request; an expose of vicious gangsters The Piranha Brothers.
Review: The second "Flying Circus" series starts off with a bang. John Cleese throws his every body part akilter as a member of The Ministry of Silly Walks. (He later despised being asked to perform this bit so much that when the request came during an appearance on Phil Donahue's talk show, Cleese walked off-stage, returned, and claimed he'd done the bit out of camera range.) And there are the hilarious variations wrung on the gangland-expose theme (Michael Palin as a seedy nightclub owner is a gem).
Priceless Gags: Two prize-winners here. (1) Graham Chapman as the cross-dressing politician: "I'd like to answer that question two ways--firstly in my normal voice, and then in a kind of silly high-pitched whine." (2) John Cleese as Dinsdale Piranha's female "acquaintance": "He was a gentleman, Dinsdale--and what's more, he knew how to treat a female impersonator."
Our rating: 
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