Recap / Monty Pythons Flying Circus S 3 E 11

Title: Dennis Moore

Original Airdate: 4/1/1973

First off it's a boxing match between Jack Bodell vs. Sir Kenneth Clark for the title of professor of fine arts at Oxford.

And now, it's: chatty highwayman Dennis Moore stealing lupins for the poor, horoscopes read by two housewives who are then robbed by their doctor, an episode of The Great Debate discussing whether there should be a fourth television channel or not, Dennis Moore robbing a fancy party of its lupins for the poor, Dennis Moore getting chewed out by the poor for only bringing lupins, Dennis Moore stealing swag from the same dinner party as before and giving it to the poor, a loony expo, Dennis Moore realizing giving everything from the rich to the poor made the poor rich and the rich poor, an episode of the show Prejudice, and Dennis Moore trying to make sure everyone in a stagecoach has an equal amount of wealth.

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Tropes:

• Artistic License – Economics: Dennis Moore tries to alleviate poverty by stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, but his first attempt involves stealing lupins (a type of flower); after he is told lupins are worthless and to steal valuable things, he does such a good job that he bankrupts the aristocrats, and makes a peasant family wealthy. And then the poor family complain when he can only bring them what's left of what originally belonged to the rich (mostly silverware).
  Dennis Moore: "Blimey, this redistribution of wealth is trickier than I thought."
• Distracting Disambiguation: In the first Dennis Moore sketch:
  Dennis: Stand and deliver! Drop that gun! [Moore shoots him] Let that be a warning to you all. You move at your peril, for I have two pistols here. I know one of them isn't loaded any more, but the other one is, so that's one of you dead for sure... or just about for sure anyway. It certainly wouldn't be worth your while risking it because I'm a very good shot. I practice every day... well, not absolutely every day, but most days in the week... I expect I must practice, oh, at least four or five times a week at least... at least four or five, only some weekends... like last weekend, there really wasn't the time, so that moved the average down a bit... but I should say it's definitely a solid four days' practice a week... at least. I mean... I reckon I could hit that tree over there... the one just behind that hillock... not the big hillock, the little hillock on the left. You see the three trees, the third from the left and back a bit — that one — I reckon I could hit that four times out of five... on a good day. Say with this wind... say, say, seven times out of ten.
  Man: What, that tree there?
  Dennis: Which one?
  Man: The big beech with the sort of bare branch coming out of the top left.
  Dennis: No, no, no, not that one.
• The Gunslinger: Dennis Moore is a very good shot with his flintlock pistols, he practices shooting everyday^note Well, not absolutely everyday, just most days in the week, like four or five times a week at least.. Why, he is so good, he could hit that third tree from the left of that little hillock over there maybe four times out of five ^note On a good day at least. With this kind of wind, it'd probably be about 7 times out of 10..
• The Highway Man: Dennis Moore is the, ehm, botanical version of this. He gets it right later on, though.
• Just Like Robin Hood: Parodied by Dennis Moore, who first makes the mistake of stealing only lupins from the rich to give to the poor, and then steals so much else from the rich that the rich become poor and the poor become the new rich. He ends up trying some complicated redistribution of wealth among those he holds up and himself.
• Not Actually the Ultimate Question: Dennis Moore.
  Lady: What do you want? Why are you here?
  Moore: Why are any of us here? I mean, when you get down to it, it's all so meaningless, isn't it? I mean what do any of us want...
  Earl of Buckingham: No, no, what do you want now?
  Moore: Oh I see, oh just the usual things, a little place of my own, the right girl...
  Baron Grantley: No, no, no! What do you want from us?
  Moore: Oh sorry. Your gold, your silver, your jewellery.
• What the Hell, Hero?: The last verse of Dennis Moore's song calls him out on stealing from the poor and giving to the rich. It causes him to start re-evaluating his strategy.
  Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore, riding through the land.
  Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore, without a merry band.
  He steals from the poor and he gives to the rich.
  Stupid bitch!
  Dennis: What was that?
  Singers: We sang: "He steals from the poor and he gives to the rich."
  Dennis: Wait a tic...blimey, this redistribution of wealth is trickier than I thought.