To compare Monty Python - a show that came out of the 1950s-60s Oxbridge University scene - to a Hollywood show created by a Cuban immigrant and a beautiful showgirl and actress is ridiculous.
Both are wonderful and bear no relation to each other. Of course, I must admit that Ms. Ball did steal many routines from Red Skelton, but she did manage to pay homage to that particular master of the art of comedy.
I respectfully disagree. It is an appropriate comparison because it exposes the great inequities of the two.
There is comedy, and mindless comedy.
The brilliance of a John Cleese sketch satirizing certain professions or cultural norms contrasts greatly with the idiotic slap stick of throwing cakes down a conveyor belt. The first is hilarious because the viewer can witness truths - satire has no power if there is no truth. Slap stick and cheap laughs with no thought process.
And, I will die happy if I never have to watch a clip of Lucille Ball screaming her "WAAAAA!" catch phrase.