Bamboozled Page #11

It's dead in here. The room is nearly empty.

ON TABLE:

A couple gets loud, arguing over something.

ON JUNEBUG:

JUNEBUG:

'Cuse me. Please. Can you please

show me some respect. I'm up here

trying to make a living.

MAN:

Mind yo' business.

JUNEBUG:

Don't make me have to come over

there and whoop you upside ya head.

The sparse AUDIENCE laughs.

JUNEBUG (CONT'D)

Just messin' with ya. But please

if you and your lady need to

discuss something, take it outside.

Thank you.

He continues on with his show.

ON TABLE:

Delacroix walks over to the fighting couple.

71.

DELACROIX:

Brother man, that's my father up

there and I drove a long way to see

him perform. Please take this

fifty, go buy you and the young

lady some drinks in the club.

The guy looks him up and down.

MAN:

That's yo' Daddy?

Delacroix nods.

MAN (CONT'D)

Don't need yo money for drinks.

Besides, she's drunk already.

C'mon, let's go.

The guy grabs his friend by the wrist and drags her kicking

and screaming out the room.

CLOSE ON JUNEBUG

JUNEBUG:

Don't bring your woman out if you

can't keep her in deep check. If

my woman ever did something crazy

like that I'd put my size 12 dead

up in her ass.

This gets the biggest laugh of the night.

EXT. DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT

Delacroix knocks.

JUNEBUG (O.S.)

What do you want?

DELACROIX:

I want to speak with you.

JUNEBUG (O.S.)

Go away, unless you got my money.

DELACROIX:

It's me, Peerless.

INT. DRESSING ROOM

He enters into a closet, it's a makeshift dressing room. A

younger lady, much younger than Junebug - DOT - stands

behind him as she massages his neck.

72.

Junebug gets up from his chair, rushes to his son and they

embrace.

JUNEBUG:

Son. Good to seeya. Good to seeya.

DELACROIX:

It's been a long time.

JUNEBUG:

Pull up a chair. Oh, excuse me,

this is my lady DOT.

DELACROIX:

Pleased to meet you.

DOT:

Glad to meet you, too. You are all

your father talks about.

DELACROIX:

Is that so?

JUNEBUG:

Honey, pour me and my son a drink.

They both sit down as drinks are poured.

DOT:

I'll leave you two alone.

She kisses Junebug on the forehead before leaving.

JUNEBUG:

Good woman. I trained her right.

DELACROIX:

Daddy, she's younger than me.

JUNEBUG:

My game is still strong. No Viagra

for me, don't need no chemicals.

Just my tonic.

He holds up his drink and kills it in one gulp.

JUNEBUG (CONT'D)

Purely for medicinal purposes.

DELACROIX:

I thought you had promised Mommy

you stopped.

73.

JUNEBUG:

I did. I'm not an alcoholic. I

just like to drink.

DELACROIX:

How did you end up here?

JUNEBUG:

How did I end up at the third rate

chittlin' circuit greasy hole in

the wall in West Hell, Virginny?

Is that what you're asking ya Daddy?

Delacroix takes a sip of his drink.

DELACROIX:

That's what I'm askin'.

JUNEBUG:

Because I had too much pride. Too

much integrity. I wouldn't lick

nobody's butt. Some material I

refused to do.

DELACROIX:

Daddy, it can't be just because of

that. There had to be other factors.

Junebug pours himself another stiff one.

JUNEBUG:

That's the only reason, period.

They only want one certain kind of

black comic.

DELACROIX:

Another one of your conspiracies to

hold ya career back?

JUNEBUG:

All I know is what happened to me.

All that other mess I just file

into the "life's too short" category.

He downs another one. Junebug drinks like a fish.

JUNEBUG (CONT'D)

Enough about me, what's happening

with you?

DELACROIX:

The same old, same old. Trying to

get my stuff through.

74.

JUNEBUG:

Dem white boys giving you a hard

time?

DELACROIX:

Nuthin' I can't handle.

JUNEBUG:

The truth is never let them seeya

sweat. You do that, that's half

the battle.

DELACROIX:

Where do you go from here?

JUNEBUG:

Three nights Charleston, South

Carolina.

DELACROIX:

I didn't mean that, in life.

JUNEBUG:

In life? I'ma keep on living,

having a good drink, got me a good

young woman, make a couple of

dollars and make people laugh.

Haven't I always tol' you all

nigga's are entertainers? The

question is what are you gonna do,

Peerless?

INT. HOTEL HALLWAY - NIGHT

Delacroix and Dot are on either side of Junebug as they hold

him up.

ON DOOR:

Delacroix struggles to put the key in the door.

INT. HOTEL ROOM

The door is kicked open as the trio comes in. Junebug is

drunk as a skunk.

JUNEBUG:

I'm not an alcoholic. I just like

to drink.

DOT:

We know that baby.

75.

DELACROIX:

Let's get him over to the bed.

JUNEBUG:

Baby, you treat me so good.

Peerless, you're a good son, I love

you. You never gave me no trouble.

They lay him down on the bed.

DELACROIX:

I love you too, Daddy.

JUNEBUG:

Always keep 'em laughing.

Dot takes off his shoes. He's out like a light. Gone.

DELACROIX:

How long has my father been like

this?

DOT:

Not that often. He was excited to

see you.

DELACROIX:

So he drank himself into a stuper?

DOT:

The drinking is for the pain. It

doesn't kill it, just dulls it.

DELACROIX:

So what's up with you?

DOT:

I was a hostess at this club, your

Daddy was performing and I had

never laughed so hard in my life.

He asked me to come with him. I

quit my job and we've been together

ever since.

Delacroix pulls out his billfold and gives Dot five crisp

new model hundred dollar bills.

DELACROIX:

Don't tell him it's from me or he

won't take it.

DOT:

Your father is proud of you.

76.

DELACROIX:

He never showed it.

DOT:

He did the best way he knew how,

Junebug is stubborn just like you.

Delacroix kisses his sleeping father of the forehead.

DOT (CONT'D)

I'll take care of him.

EXT. I-95 NORTH - NIGHT

Delacroix is driving back home - up North.

INT. CAR - CONTINUOUS

DELACROIX (V.O.)

My Daddy. I'm not mad at him. Not

at all. Junebug was the reason I

got into this business in the first

place.

CLOSER:

DELACROIX (V.O.) (CONT'D)

And I thank him for that. However,

it did me no good seeing him in

that state. Daddy was a broken man.

He had been a strong man, with

conviction, integrity, principles

and look where it had gotten him.

I had to ask myself did I want to

end up where he was?

OVERHEAD REAR VIEW MIRROR

Delacroix adjusts the mirror so he can see himself, and

SPEAK TO US.

DELACROIX (CONT'D)

That was the last time I ever saw

my father.

EXT. I-95 NORTH

Delacroix's car flies past us.

INT. MANTAN'S DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT

ON MIRROR:

Mantan starts to black up.

77.

INT. SLEEP 'N EAT'S DRESSING ROOM

Sleep 'N Eat also begins to black up.

INT. STAGE - NIGHT

Honeycutt stands in front of the festive young, mixed

audience.

HONEYCUTT:

Everybody say Ho!

AUDIENCE:

Ho!

HONEYCUTT:

That'swhatI'mtalkin'bout!

That'swhatI'mtalkin'bout! I want

to be the first to welcome you to

the second taping of Mantan - The

New Millennium Minstrel Show.

Audience applauds.

HONEYCUTT (CONT'D)

My name is Honeycutt and I want to

try something different. Can you

do this for me?

ON AUDIENCE:

AUDIENCE:

Yeah!

BACK ON HONEYCUTT

HONEYCUTT:

I'm gonna start a chant and I want

y'all to follow me. Let's make our

own 2 real coons know you're ready

to start the show.

CLOSER:

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