Ron Obvious (Monty Python)
Ron Obvious is a Monty Python character[1] played by Terry Jones. In the sketch, the extremely stupid Ron Obvious, encouraged by his unscrupulous manager Luigi Vercotti (Michael Palin), undertakes several impossible tasks for publicity:[2]
Jumping the English Channel.[3][4] In the opening scene, Ron Obvious from Neaps End is shown running along the seashore in a track and field uniform. The announcer (John Cleese) says that Obvious hopes to become the first man to jump the Channel. A group of Frenchmen are shown standing under a sign that reads "Fin de Cross Channel Jump" as traditional accordion music plays in the background. When asked how he plans to jump 26 miles (Obvious said that his longest jump so far is "almost 12 feet, unofficially"), he says "You see if you're five miles out over the English Channel, with nothing but sea underneath you, there is a very great impetus to stay in the air." Obvious has his passport checked, and carrying a 50 lb. bag full of bricks (provided by the Chippenham Brick Company, who are sponsoring the event), he sprints toward the sea and jumps, splashing into the water only a few feet from shore.
Eating Chichester Cathedral.[5] Obvious is shown brushing his teeth, putting on a bib and flexing his jaws before biting into the corner of an old stone building and screaming loudly.
Tunnelling to Java.[6] Vercotti shows a map illustrating the route Obvious will use while digging his way to Java. When the announcer asks him where Obvious is, after a couple of evasive answers Vercotti yells, "Ron, how far have you got?" Obvious sticks his head out of a very shallow hole and replies, "Oh, about two foot six." and inquires if there is a spade he can use.
Splitting a railway carriage with his nose. Vercotti and the announcer walk along a railroad track discussing Obvious' next endeavour, and allegations that Vercotti is exploiting him. The sound of an approaching train is heard, followed by a loud scream.
Running to Mercury.[7] Vercotti explains that once Obvious gets out of Earth's atmosphere, he should be able to run straight to Mercury. Obvious, wrapped in head-to-toe bandages from his previous exploits, is shown jumping off a wooden ramp with a crutch under his left arm. The frame freezes in mid-jump, and another loud scream is heard.
Most time being Underground (Deceased). The next scene shows Ron Obvious' tombstone with the legend "Very Talented". Vercotti says that he hopes to break the world record for remaining underground.
Trivia
- When trying to show the route, Vercotti points to several places on the map, none of them near Java; as a result, one could infer that Vercotti is blind, which could explain the sunglasses he is always seen wearing.
References
- ^ Robert Ross, Monty Python Encyclopedia (TV Books, 1999), 134.
- ^ Robert Ross (1999), Monty Python encyclopedia, p. 134, ISBN 9781575000367
- ^ Gary L. Hardcastle and George A. Reisch, Monty Python and philosophy: nudge nudge, think think! (Open Court Publishing, 2006), 144.
- ^ Graham Chapman, The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus: All the Words (Pantheon Books, 1989), 127.
- ^ Graham Chapman, The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus: All the Words (Pantheon Books, 1989), 128.
- ^ Gary L. Hardcastle and George A. Reisch, Monty Python and philosophy: nudge nudge, think think! (Open Court Publishing, 2006), 144.
- ^ Gary L. Hardcastle and George A. Reisch, Monty Python and philosophy: nudge nudge, think think! (Open Court Publishing, 2006), 144.
External links
- "The First Man to Jump the Channel" at PythoNET