A funny thing happened...

This is a short tale, true, of a incident that happened to me. Not that unusual, but told in a humorous style (hopefully)...

[Forgive me for this message, it's probably not funny. It's done Monty Python style. I am Michael Palin... {hmmm have you had these delusions long?}]

Michael Palin - As I was walking to the university the other day, a funny thing happened to me, I was...
John Cleese - Sorry to interrupt, John Cleese here, head of humour, it's just I read through your script and basically it's not funny.
MP - Pardon?
JC - Well you see, the story's all very well, it just doesn't make people laugh.
MP - I assure you it does.
JC - Sorry, we tried it out on a man in the street...
[cut to a street, with a guy (Eric Idle) with his trousers rolled up, a handkerchief on his head wearing a ludicrously bad tank top, speaking in a strange, dunce-like dialect he says...]
Man in the Street - I'm a man in the street.
[back to JC and MP]
JC - and he only laughed once that was when we asked if it was funny.
MP - Can't I say, as I was walking to University the other day, a mildly amusing thing happened to me?
JC - I'm not sure, Man on the Street?
[Back to MotS]
MotS - [In unnecessary loud, stupid voice] NO!
[back to MP and JC]
JC - It appears not.
MP - How 'bout, barely humorous?
JC - Man?
[back to MotS]
MotS - [less loud] No!
[back to JC and MP]
JC - Still no, [inhaling through his teeth] sorry 'bout all this, he normally is alright, we used him to test the Benny Hill scripts.
MP - Did he laugh?
JC - Good God, no!
MP - Wait, I've got it... A very slightly amusing, but only if you were there, thing happened to me...?
JC - Man?
[B t MotS]
MotS - [normal voice] No
[B t JC and MP]
JC - Still no.
MP - How, 'bout a slightly amusing thing that managed to raise a slight titter of laughter from the man on the street only when we told him it was meant to be funny?
[B t MotS]
MotS - [now changed to wearing a pinstripe suit and carrying a briefcase - looks completely normal, save the handkerchief on his head] Now that's just plain ridiculous.

Sorry bout all that but the funny thing was...

I was crossing the road and was almost run over (well a second or so away from it - nothing really) and I just remembered Gullivers Travels where in Laputa the flying science place they employ people to hit the scientist - who spend all their time thinking - before they fall off the edge, or trip up, or whatever, just because they are thinking so hard they don't pay attention. And, here is the slightly amusing thing that managed to raise a slight titter of laughter from the man on the street only when he was told it was meant to be funny...

As I was thinking how stupid those people were, I was almost run over again.

Told you it wasn't really funny... But I laughed

Page last updated on 12th November 1998

Maintained by Julian Fletcher (julian@innocent.com)