Bamboozled Page #10

64.

The AUDIENCE is aghast. Mantan has picked up the pace.

He's tapping fast and furious.

MANTAN:

Cousins, I want all of you to go to

your windows. Go to your windows

and yell. Yell, I'm tired of the

drugs, the crack babies born out of

wedlock to crackhead aids infested

parents. I'm tired of the inflated

welfare rolls while good wholesome

Americans bring less and less of

their paycheck home every two weeks.

I'm tired, you're tired, we're all

tired of these so-called bible-

thumping God fearing, whore mongling

Professional athletes. Aren't you

tired of these basketball-dunking,

football-running, hop-hip rapping

ebonic-speaking sex offenders who

got ten kids from ten different

Ho's? I know I am and so is Sleep

'N Eat.

SLEEP 'N EAT

You tellin' the truth.

MANTAN:

Go to your windows and yell out,

scream with all the life you can

muster up inside your assaulted,

bruised and battered bodies. I'M

SICK AND TIRED OF N*GGERS AND I'M

NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!

Mantan stops dancing and collapses.

ON AUDIENCE:

They're stunned. They can't believe what they've heard,

what they've seen. What they've been witness to.

ON YOUNG WHITE COUPLE

They look at the black people in the audience.

ON YOUNG HIP-HOP BLACK MALE

He starts to clap slowly.

ON AUDIENCE:

Slowly more black people begin to applaud. Slowly it sweeps

up into the black people.

65.

The WHITE AUDIENCE, of course, has been waiting to see how

their black brothers and sisters would react. Now feeling

comfortable and safe, they too being to join the applause.

ON AUDIENCE:

The applause changes into laughter. It is not nervous

laughter we hear, but straight out RIOTOUS LAUGHTER.

ON BLACK AND WHITE FACES

The laughter is contagious.

ON STAGE:

Mantan starts to move, he's coming back from the dead. He

slowly gets up from his prostate position as he HEARS:

A WAYBACK ALABAMA JIG played by the house band, THE PORCH

MONKEYS, led by musical director Levi. Mantan is joined on

stage by the other hoofers in the show: JUNGLE BUNNY,

SNOWFLAKE, SAMBO, AUNT JEMIMA, RASTUS, N*GGER JIM, plus

SLEEP 'N EAT. Each take turn as it evolves into an elaborate

DANCE NUMBER. The hoofers and the band are also in black

face.

ON AUDIENCE:

They are rolling down the aisles.

INT. CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT

ON DELACROIX:

Delacroix looks like he has seen a ghost.

CLOSER:

He buries his face in his hands.

INT. DELACROIX'S APARTMENT - NEXT NIGHT

Delacroix is in the same position as the scene before. Face

buried in his hands.

ON PHONE:

It rings and he picks it up.

DELACROIX:

Hello?

66.

EXT. STREETS - NIGHT

Dunwitty drives his Mercedes Benz CL 600 Coupe.

DUNWITTY:

Yo, DeLa, I just got the news from

the CNS brass. They saw some clips

from the pilot and they're rushing

it onto the air. Yo, we're a

midseason replacement, ordered 12

shows. We're on in 3 weeks. Didya

hear what I just said, Yo?

ON DUNWITTY:

DUNWITTY (CONT'D)

They didn't even view a rough cut,

just some scenes we quickly cut

together.

ON DELACROIX:

DELACROIX:

This has to be a big mistake.

DUNWITTY (O.S.)

The big mistake was my not believing

in your genius earlier. From the

gitgo, from jump street.

DELACROIX:

Hold on a sec, I got a call.

HE CLICKS OVER.

DELACROIX (CONT'D)

Hello, Mommy, let me get rid of

this other call.

INT. BENZ - CONTINUOUS

DELACROIX (O.S.)

I gots to go, it's my Moms.

DUNWITTY:

I want to meet her one day, please

tell her the great news. I'm OUT

like Vanilla Ice.

INT. ORCHID'S HOUSE - NIGHT

She is on the phone with her son.

67.

ORCHID:

Peerless, your father called.

INT. DELACROIX'S APARTMENT

DELACROIX:

I'll be right over.

INT. STREET - NIGHT

It's a warm summer night.

MANTAN:

So what's up with you?

SLOAN:

What do you want to know?

MANTAN:

The good stuff.

SLOAN:

I'm an asthmatic. Been one all my

life. Can't go anywhere without an

inhaler.

MANTAN:

What else?

SLOAN:

Are you trying to rap to me?

INT. ORCHID'S HOUSE

Delacroix sits at the kitchen table.

ORCHID:

He wants you to come and see him.

DELACROIX:

He said that?

ORCHID:

Yes he did.

DELACROIX:

Where is he?

ORCHID:

He's performing at some place

outside of Richmond, Virginia.

DELACROIX:

I can't go all the way down south.

68.

ORCHID:

Richmond is not all the way down

south.

DELACROIX:

I don't even know why you're still

concerned over him. Daddy's not

with you.

ORCHID:

Regardless, he still is your father.

DELACROIX:

It's gonna be hard for me to get

away with the show taking off.

ORCHID:

Even more reason to see him. He'll

be overjoyed with your success.

DELACROIX:

C'mon, Mommy. Daddy hasn't been

impressed with anything I've ever

done. From winning my fifth grade

Spelling Bee to the present.

ORCHID:

Peerless, last time, go see your

father.

EXT. PARK - NIGHT

Mantan and Sloan are sitting on a park bench, nothing is

being said. He sits up and starts to do a dance for her.

To her.

ON BENCH:

Mantan is doing that "Mating" tap dance.

SLOAN:

Are you trying to seduce me?

He puts his index finger over his mouth - "Quiet."

SLOAN (CONT'D)

You think that's gonna work, huh?

He quickly jumps up on the bench, does some intricate steps

then pulls Sloan up from her sitting position.

ON MANTAN AND SLOAN

They kiss.

69.

EXT. I-95 SOUTH - MORNING

Delacroix is driving "down south."

INT. CAR - CONTINUOUS

Delacroix adjusts the mirror so he can see himself. HE

SPEAKS TO US through the MIRROR

DELACROIX:

I figured this was a good time to

get away. Just jump in my ride and

go. I always did my best thinking

when I was driving alone. I needed

to think out clearly what I was

going to do with this MANTAN - THE

NEW MILLENNIUM MINSTREL SHOW.

EXT. I-95 SOUTH

Delacroix is driving on his way to "Ole Virginny."

EXT. MAMA'S SUGAR SHAK - NIGHT

Delacroix pulls up in the parking lot of a rinky-kink,

funky, greasy BAR/CLUB/BAR-B-Q joint.

CLOSE ON NEON SIGN

"MAMA'S SUGAR SHAK" - most the letters do not light up,

underneath it, "2-NITE - JUNEBUG."

INT. MAMA'S SUGAR SHAK

It's loud as hell as Delacroix enters this smoky, dark

establishment.

P.O.V. DELACROIX

This must be a big night in here because the PATRONS are

dressed to the nines. What's in style down here is a lot

different from what's happening en Nueva York. Many of the

men are dressed like PIMPS from 70's BLAXPLOITATION FILM,

the ladies like HOOTCHIE MAMAS from "Luke" video.

ON SUGAR SHAK:

Delacroix works himself through the crowded BAR/DISCO into

another small room.

ON COMEDY ROOM:

He walks into a small space where his father JUNEBUG is on

the stage.

70.

ON JUNEBUG:

He is a good-looking man, the only speckle of gray in his

hair betrays his age. As he walks around the small stage

doing his comedy stylings, he keeps a drink in one hand and

sips it often.

ON COMEDY ROOM:

Delacroix sits in the back so his father can't see him.

ON DELACROIX:

He looks around.

P.O.V. DELACROIX

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