Burglar | Encyclopaedia Salesman Sketch | Monty Python's Flying Circus #montypython #flyingcircus

(Scene: A front door of a flat. A man walks up to the door and rings bell. He is dressed smartly, like a Salesman.)

Salesman (Eric Idle): Burglar! (longish pause while he waits, he rings again) Burglar! (woman appears at other side of door)

Woman (Terry Jones): Yes?

Salesman: Burglar, madam.

Woman: What do you want?

Salesman: I want to come in and steal a few things, madam.

Woman: Are you an encydopaedia salesman?

Salesman: No madam, I'm a burglar, I burgle people.

Woman: I think you're an encyclopaedia salesman.

Salesman: Oh I'm not, open the door, let me in please.

Woman: If I let you in you'll sell me encyclopaedias.

Salesman: I won't, madam. I just want to come in and ransack the flat. Honestly.

Woman: Promise. No encyclopaedias?

Salesman: None at all.

Woman: All right. (she opens door) You'd better come in then.

(Salesman enters it through door.)

Salesman: Mind you I don't know whether you've really considered the advantages of owning a really fine set of modern encyclopaedias, (he pockets valuable) You know, they can really do you wonders.

(Cut back to man at desk.)

Man (Michael Palin): That man was a successful encyclopaedia salesman. But not all encyclopaedia salesmen are successful. Here is an unsuccessful encyclopaedia salesman.

(Cut to very tall building; a body flies out of a high window and plummets. Cut back to man at desk.)

Man: Now here are two unsuccessful encyclopaedia salesmen.

(Cut to a different tall building; two bodies fly out of a high window. Cut back to man at desk.)

Man: I think there's a lesson there for all of us.

[nonbinaryshiner]

Unemployed Philosophers Mug
Monty Python's Official

[ShaiHulud]

"No mam, I'm a burglar. I burgle people."

Exactly what an encyclopedia salesman would say

[sirbum]

Encyclopaedia salesmen were a real thing back in the day and we got hit by one in the late 70s

[erik]

Nobody expected the encyclopedia salesmen.

[thomasmain]

That was never Eric Idle flying out of the window, the wind speed velocity of a flying encyclopedia salesman, is considerably higher than a comedian from the light entertainment department of the BBC.

[sasha_ytube]

the Wikipedia donation alert in the 70s

[lucasgroves]

As a former encyclopedia salesman, I can confirm that this is standard procedure.

[PMS]

Fabulously surreal. The golden age of comedy and humour.

[HamsterK]

Still have the full set of 1985 World Book Encyclopedias from when my parents let one in when I was a kid. 😆

[automotive]

Best thing my dad ever bought. Hours well spent. Google it wasn't... But opening it randomly and diving into a new fact, place or field was so much better than school or TV. I think the salesmen pitched it wrong everytime... They said you could look up anything on demand, like a search engine, but it was very bad as that... It was good to open up and get an episode of knowledge you didn't knew you'd enjoy to learn about.

[abigaillilac]

Honestly if this format gets more young people to watch classic Monty Python sketches, I'm all for it.

[coulie]

Always trust your gut, those encyclopaedia salesmen are a crafty bunch.

[laurentdrozin]

We had encyclopedias at home. I loved them. I learned to read in them. I spent hours going from entry to entry. They were cross referenced, so you could go down a rabbit hole and finish with 10 books on the desk a few hours later. Internet made that pass time easier, but is it not quite the same feel

[TheodoreAndor]

I sold my encyclopedias because the wife fokken knows everything.

[Issa.nicholas]

“If you’ve come to burgle me that’s acceptable but you want to sell me encyclopedias you’re bloody mad and fell off your rocker!”

[danielfilippov]

He owned an encyclopedia and it did him wonders-he learned how to fly.

[LouisEmery]

We had encyclopedias as a kid. I loved them. I read the whole thing. Well it was a junior one. I had to go to our library to read the bigger sets.

[jpl]

One of the things I like most about these clips is the comments. Always so Python-ish
Cheers everybody

[robjohnston]

The Producer who put the Pythons together recalled the FIRST pitch meeting with the BBC 'Head of Comedy'.
After 20 minutes, the 'H of C' asked, "How quickly can I have the first six? ..." (That's a FULL SEASON on Brit TV!!!) " ... I want to start on March ...XX" -- two months away.
I remember seeing the FIRST SEASON as a young teen in Australia, B&W, late 1960s.
We had never seen ANYTHING like it! No one over 35 and only 20% of people UNDER found it funny.
In fact, it had a huge, RECORD number of complaints about "obscenity", "disrespect of authority" etc etc!
But a tiny number of us kids realised that a REVOLUTION was underway. Just a few years since The Beatles, NOW The Pythons.
What a time to be young ... was very heaven!!!

[alfellati]

She’s rather get burgled than pitched an encyclopedia😂