Bamboozled (2000) movie script - Ringling College of Art and Design

Bamboozled (2000) movie script 

by Spike Lee. 

BLACK SCREEN 

We HEAR the voice of MALCOLM X. 

MALCOLM X (V.O.) 

You've been hoodwinked. You've 

been had. You've been took. 

You've been led astray, run amok. 

You've been bamboozled. 

His followers ROAR. 

CUT TO TITLE: 

"BAMBOOZLED" 

CUT TO CRAWL: 

WHITE LETTERS ON BLACK 

WE HEAR the VOICE of PIERRE DELACROIX. 

DELACROIX (V.O.) 

Satire. 1a. A literary work in 

which human vice or folly is

idiculed or attacked scornfully. 

B. The branch of literature that 

composes such work. 2. Irony, 

derision or caustic wit used to 

attack or expose folly, vice or 

stupidity. 

INT. APARTMENT - MORNING 

WE are in the living quarters of PIERRE DELACROIX. The 

windows overlook the Brooklyn Promenade and the majestic 

lower Manhattan skyline. 


Bonjour, my name is Pierre Delacroix. 

I'm a television writer, also a 

showrunner, a creative person. 

We see a tall figure move in and around the space. 

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

I'm one of those people responsible 

for what you view on your idiot box. 

CLOSE ON

Monogrammed cuff sleeve - the initials P.D. 

2. 


The problem is not enough of you 

have been watching. 

CLOSE ON 

Monogrammed shirt pocket - the initials P.D. 


With the onslaught of the internet, 

video and interactive games, nine 

hundred channels to choose from and 

whatnot, our valued audience has 

dramatically eroded. 

CLOSE ON 

Razor cuts a path through a white foam on a black face. 


To put it in much more simple 

terms...

Delacroix YELLS. 


Like rats fleeing a sinking ship. 

CLOSE ON 

The handsome face of Pierre Delacroix. 


People tuning out by the millions. 

Delacroix turns to the CAMERA and addresses US. 

DELACROIX (CONT'D) 

Which is not good. 

EXT. TENEMENT - LOWER EAST SIDE - MORNING 

The tenement building is boarded up, condemned, bombed out, 

but a home, a shelter nonetheless. 

INT. TENEMENT - MORNING 

People to our surprise live in here. It is a commune. The 

homeless, people who have been left out, forgot about, 

written off, and don't matter. The fringes of society. 

CHEEBA, a skinny Puerto Rican male, tries to wake a 

slumbering body under a mass of old newspapers.

3. 

CHEEBA 

Yo, let's get to it. You don't 

dance, we don't eat. Simple as that. 

The mass begins to move. 

CHEEBA (CONT'D) 

That's right. We slow. We blow. 

We snooze. We lose. 

INT. CNS TOWER - MORNING 

MANRAY, a young African-American dread-lock male, and Cheeba 

are getting set up in front of the entrance to the 

CONTINENTAL NETWORK SYSTEM building. CNS is one of the 

fledgling, upstart new networks, trying to battle with ABC, 

NBC, CBS, FOX, WB, and UPN. 

ANGLE ON 

Entrance. Cheeba is putting the portable floor down on the 

sidewalk. Manray sits on the curb, taking the sneakers off 

and putting on his tap shoes; bottle caps are on the soles

of the shoes instead of real taps. 

CHEEBA 

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. 

I know everybody is in a hurry to 

work, ready to begin another day in 

this rat race. But don't sleep us. 

I'm Cheeba and I introduce to you 

the world renown MANRAY, the man 

with the educated feet. 

Manray takes a small bow. A few, not many, people have 

stopped to look. 


As we continue our world wind tour, 

we would like to give you a little 

somethin', somethin' before you go 

off to make that money. I give you 

Manray. 

CLOSE ON 

Manray, who starts to do his thing, and when he starts doing

his thing attention must be paid. 

ANGLE ON 

Crowd, as Manray gets busy, people gather to watch. 

ANGLE ON 

4. 

Delacroix, he is about to walk into the CNS building but 

stops to check out Manray. 

CLOSE ON 

Manray, he pounds out some intricate steps and freezes at 

the end of the move. 

ANGLE ON 

Crowd, who applaud as Cheeba unfolds a brown shopping bag 

and holds it out in front of them. 


Thank you very much but please 

don't go without giving us some 

cheddar, cheese, money. We prefer 

two's than fews.

People are digging into their pockets. 


I would like to add that both of us 

are homeless. Not that it means 

anything. 

A WOMAN is about to dump some change in the brown paper bag. 


I said homeless. Ladies and 

gentlemen. Senorita, do you know 

what that means? 

Cheeba looks at her and she quickly pulls out a 5-spot from 

her purse and drops it into the bag. 


Muchos gracias. 

Cheeba works his way over to Delacroix. 

DELACROIX 

Good morning, Cheeba. 

CHEEBA 

Good morning to you, Mr. Delapot.

DELACROIX 

De-la-croix. 

CHEEBA 

Y'know what I mean. Got a gig yet 

for Manray and I yet? 

5. 

DELACROIX 

Not yet. 

Delacroix hands Cheeba a ten dollar bill. 

CHEEBA 

Gracias. 

Delacroix moves towards the revolving doors of CNS. 

DELACROIX 

Manray, Sloan says you're too 

talented to be dancing on the street. 

MANRAY 

Well do something about it. 

INT. ELEVATOR - MORNING

Delacroix is the lone person of color in the elevator. 

INT. CNS - MORNING 

Delacroix gets off the elevator, takes out his ID, slips it 

through the scanner and enters the reception area of CNS. 

DELACROIX 

Good morning, Marie. 

MARIE 

It's not gonna be a good morning 

for you if you don't get into 

Dunwitty's staff meeting. 

DELACROIX 

What staff meeting? 

MARIE 

The staff meeting that started 30 

minutes ago. 

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - MORNING 

Delacroix walks, or better yet, slithers into the staff 

meeting that is already in progress. TWENTY WRITERS sit 

around an oval table, all are Caucasian except Delacroix,

again he's the lone person of color, the "fly in the 

buttermilk." 

DUNWITTY, Senior V.P. of the Entertainment Division of CNS 

looks at Delacroix and waits for him to sit down before he 

continues. 

6. 

DUNWITTY 

Monsieur Delacroix, this very 

important meeting commenced... 

Dunwitty looks at his Rolex Chronograph - Daytona Model. 

DUNWITTY (CONT'D) 

...exactly thirty-two minutes ago. 

DUNWITTY 

I'm sorry I'm late. 

DUNWITTY 

Do you know how much information 

can be dispensed in one minute alone? 

DELACROIX

I didn't find out about this very 

important staff meeting until... 

Delacroix looks at his Jaeger-LeCoultre. 


Four minutes ago. 

DUNWITTY 

So are you telling me everyone knew 

about this get-together except you? 

DELACROIX 

I wasn't told about this until 

Marie informed me as soon as I got 

off the elevator. 

All eyes are on Delacroix and he feels it. 

DUNWITTY 

People, you can attempt to pull a 

Rodman like our friend Delacroix, 

but I guarantee you'll be sent 

packing just like him. 

Dunwitty via remote turns off the lights and turns on an

overhead projector. 


These are the standings. Read 'em 

and weep. As you can plainly see 

the Continental Network System is 

languishing. 

CLOSE ON 

Ratings charts. 

7. 

DUNWITTY (O.S.) (CONT'D) 

Look at 'em people. We are BOOTY, 

CA CA. We are DOO-DOO. Doo-doo on 

a stick, if you will. 

CLOSE ON 

Dunwitty. 


I do not like to be the laughing 

stock of the broadcast industry. I

have pride and people, you better 

start getting some too. These 

numbers have to go up. 

Dunwitty turns on the lights. JOAN, one of the writers, 

raises her hand. 


Question? 

JOAN 

So what do you want us to do? 

DUNWITTY 

What I want everyone to do is write 

some material that is FUNNY. The 

junk you've been writing is about 

as funny as a dead baby. It's not 

funny, it's not new. It's not sexy. 

It, it, it... 

CLOSE ON 

Fish. 

FISH

Sucks. 

ANGLE ON 

Conference room. 

DUNWITTY 

SUCKS. Thank you, Fish. This 

meeting is over but I want everyone 

to seriously think about what I 

said and how you can deliver. 

People scurry out. 


Monsieur Delacroix, in my office now. 

8. 

INT. HALLWAY - MORNING 

The writers, beat down, come out of the conference room and 

move past SLOAN HOPKINS, a highly attractive African- 

American "sistuh." 

Delacroix sees Sloan and holds her arm as they walk. He 

talks under his breath.

SLOAN 

How was it? 

DELACROIX 

Why didn't you tell me about this 

staff meeting? 

SLOAN 

Nobody told me anything. 

DELACROIX 

What good are you if you don't tell 

me stuff like this? 

SLOAN 

It wasn't my fault. If I would 

have known, I would have known. 

INT. DUNWITTY'S OFFICE - MORNING 

Delacroix enters his corner office, which has huge action 

photos of ALI, JORDAN, GRIFFEY, TYSON, AARON and JABBAR on 

his walls, it is also decorated with African art throughout. 

ANGLE ON 

Office. Dunwitty looks at the floor-to-ceiling windows

overlooking mid-town Manhattan. 

DUNWITTY 

Do you know what C.P. Time is? 

DELACROIX 

C.P. Time is Colored People's Time. 

The stereotypical belief that 

Negroes are always late. That 

Negroes have no sense of time - 

time except when it comes to music 

or dance. 

They both laugh. 

DUNWITTY 

Let's sit down over there. 

9. 

Dunwitty and Delacroix sit on the sofa. 


I'm sorry about my blowup but I 

have to have a whipping boy every

meeting. 

DELACROIX 

I understand. But again, in all 

honesty I was not informed. 

DUNWITTY 

Forget it. I believe you're my 

most creative person I've got on 

staff. You're hip. You know 

what's happening. I got some corny 

white boys and girls writing for me. 

Delacroix doesn't join him in his laughter because he 

doesn't know how to take that comment or where Dunwitty is 

headed with it. 


I understand Black culture. I grew 

up around black people all my life. 

If the truth be told I probably 

know "niggers" better than you, 

Monsieur Delacroix. Please don't

get offended by my use of the 

quote-unquote N word. I got a 

black wife and three bi-racial 

children, so I feel I have a right 

to use that word. I don't give a 

damn what Spike says, Tarantino is 

right. Nigger is just a word. If 

Dirty Ole Bastard can use it every 

other word so can I. 

DELACROIX 

I would prefer you not use that 

word in my presence. 

DUNWITTY 

NIGGER. NIGGER. NIGGER. NIGGER. 

Delacroix pounces on top of Dunwitty like a cat on a mouse 

and gives him a quick BROOKLYN BEAT DOWN. 

DELACROIX 

Say it again. C'mon, say it again.

CLOSE ON 

Dunwitty. He's a bloody pulp. 

10. 

CLOSE ON 

Delacroix. 

He straightens his tie. 


Who's a nigger now? 

POW. This is a fantasy in Delacroix's mind. We go BACK TO 

REALITY. Everything's how we left it. 

DUNWITTY 

The material you've been creating 

is too white bread. White people 

with black faces. The Huxtable's, 

Cosby, revolutionary. But that's 

dead. We can't go down that road 

again. 

DELACROIX 

I don't agree. The Negro middle

class does exist, and it's rich 

material for a dramatic series or 

sitcom. 

DUNWITTY 

I'm telling you it's not. 

He goes to his desk, picks up Delacroix's scripts and starts 

throwing them one by one against the window. 


The middle class black family moves 

into a white suburban enclave. The 

middle class black family moves 

into a small Southern town that is 

run by the KKK. The middle class 

single black father raises his 

teenage daughter. The middle class 

single black father raises his 

teenage daughter. The middle class 

single black mother raises her

teenage son. And so on and so 

forth. It's too clean, too 

antiseptic... 

DELACROIX 

...to white? I still feel all of 

my scripts would make good shows. 

11. 

DUNWITTY 

Delacroix, wake up, brother man. 

The reason why they didn't get 

picked up was because nobody - and 

I mean NOBODY - niggers and crackers 

alike wants to see that junk. 

DELACROIX 

I've never been given a fair shot. 

DUNWITTY 

You got your head stuck up your ass 

with your Harvard education and 

your pretentious ways. Brother

man, I'm blacker than you. I'm 

keepin' it real and you're frontin', 

trying to be white. 

DELACROIX 

I'm an oreo, a sell out? Because I 

don't aspire to do HOMEBOYS FROM 

OUT OF SPACE, SECRET DIARY OF 

DESMOND PFEIFFER, A PJ's or some as 

you might put it, some "nigger" 

show? I'm a Tom? I'm whiter than 

white and you're blacker than black? 

Is that what you think? 

DUNWITTY 

That's exactly what I think. I 

want you to create something that 

people want to see. Let's be 

honest, the majority of the people 

in the country are deaf, dumb and

lind and I'm including 35 million 

African-Americans. You know and I 

know "niggers" set the trend, set 

the styles. This is a golden 

opportunity now. These idiots have 

to be led to the water. 

DELACROIX 

I'm not sure if I can deliver what 

you want. 

DUNWITTY 

You will or you'll be back at BET 

so quick you'll never know what hit 

you. I need a mid-season 

replacement and pronto. It will be 

on the fast track. 

12. 

DELACROIX 

What is it you want from me? Some 

plantation follies? Some sitcom

that takes place on a watermelon 

patch? Some show that follows four 

nigger generations of junkies and 

crackheads? You want me to go back 

to the ante bellum days? 

DUNWITTY 

Yes! Yes! Yes! I want a show 

that will make headlines, that will 

have millions and millions of 

households tuned in, glued to their 

televisions every week. I want 

advertisers dying to buy on this 

show. I'm gonna squeeze this show 

out of you if it kills you. 

EXT. TENEMENT - NIGHT 

WE SEE a street lamp, and coming out of it are some wires. 

WE FOLLOW the wires into a tenement building. 

The residents have tapped into a street light courtesy of

CON EDISON for power. 

INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT 

Cheeba stands in front of the makeshift kitchen, which 

includes a hot plate, and prepares a gourmet meal of a tasty 

Spanish dish. The clean apartment is furnished with stuff 

people have thrown out that they picked up on the street. 

MANRAY 

I'm starvin' like Marvin. 

CHEEBA 

My world famous, famous world Arroz 

con pollo will be ready very soon. 

MANRAY 

Hurry up, I wanna watch HBO. 

CHEEBA 

Did we get our bill yet? 

They both laugh. 

MANRAY 

I guess that will come with the 

rent, gas, and Con Ed bills, too.

13. 

CHEEBA 

Ahh, the luxuries of life. 

MANRAY 

Yo, check it. This is good and all 

that but one day soon I want to 

have much Benjamins so I can have a 

nice crib and pay all my bills. 

You hear me. 

CHEEBA 

Chill, I'm the brains behind this 

outfit. 

MANRAY 

And I'm the feet. 

CHEEBA 

Yo, you gotta show some patience. 

You want me to snap my fingers and 

presto chango - you're an overnight

sensation. Son, there is no such 

thing. 

MANRAY 

I'm tired of waiting. 

INT. DELACROIX'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 

He sits in front of a large flat-screen television, watching 

the Yankee game and eating his takeout Chinese food. On top 

of the monitor, he has attached a sign that reads "FEED THE 

IDIOT BOX." 

INT. SLOAN'S STUDIO APARTMENT - NIGHT 

She sits in front of her television, hand on remote, flipping 

channels and eating takeout Chinese food. 

INT. CHEEBA AND MANRAY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 

They both are devouring the chicken with rice, as they watch 

bootleg HBO. 


Delacroix sits at his desk, a ream of white bond paper in 

front of him, a box of number-two pencils and an electric 

pencil sharpener.


I was never good at performing 

under the gun. 

14. 

CLOSE 

Pencil after pencil gets inserted and sharpened to a knife 

like point. 


Well, this wasn't a gun, it was a 

bazooka and it was pressed dead 

blank right against my dome. 

CLOSE ON 

Delacroix, staring at the blank ream of paper. It is very 

intimidating. 

CLOSE ON 

Monitor. Bernie Williams is at the plate for the New York 

Yankees. 

CLOSE ON

Sign atop monitor. Again, it reads "FEED THE IDIOT BOX." 

INT. SLOAN'S STUDIO APARTMENT 

She too is blank. A screen saver bobs and weaves on her 

laptop. 

INT. DELACROIX'S APARTMENT 

Delacroix grabs a pencil and put it to paper. 

CLOSE ON 

Paper. He doodles. 

INT. TENEMENT BUILDING - NIGHT 

Manray screws out the bare light bulb which is the sole 

source of illumination and lays down onto his mattress on 

the floor. 


Sloan closes her laptop and jumps into her bed. 


Delacroix is already in the bed, the lights are out. 

CLOSE ON 

Delacroix, who's wide awake. 

15.


Manray and Cheeba are both sound asleep. 

CLOSE ON 

Cheeba, he has a sheet pulled over his head. 

CLOSE ON 

Manray, who's sawing logs, snoring loudly. 

OFF-SCREEN, WE HEAR A RUCKUS, A BIG COMMOTION. VOICES 

yelling. Police sirens, cars and trucks. 

ANGLE ON 

Apartment. Cheeba and Manray run to the window and look out. 

THEIR POV 

The street is filled with police cars, vans and wagons. 

Helicopters hover overhead with their searchlights on the 

building. 

CHEEBA 

Oh snap! It's a raid! 

Cheeba and Manray jump into their cloths. 

EXT. TENEMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

Cops in riot gear storm into the tenement. A police chief 

barks over a speaker system. 

POLICE CHIEF 

Please evacuate this building. All 

of you are illegal residents of 

this condemned building. Please 

leave immediately, by order of the 

Mayor of New York City, Rudolph 

Giuliani. 


Stairwell. It's bedlam. The hundreds of SQUATTERS who have 

been living here all making a bad dash trying to flee the 

NYPD as they "bumrush the show." 

ANGLE ON 

Floor. Cheeba and Manray try to push against the crowd. 

16. 

CHEEBA 

Not this way. Out through the fire 

escape.

The COPS are running up the staircase. People try to escape 

with as many of their belongings that they can hold. 

MANRAY 

My tap shoes. 


DELACROIX 

EUREKA!! 

He jumps out of bed. 


SLOAN 

Oh my God!!! 

She too jumps out of bed. 

EXT. TENEMENT BUILDING 

It is a MADHOUSE, BEDLAM. It's PANDEMONIUM. The Squatters 

are being seized as soon as they come out of the tenement. 

Searchlights go back and forth, as the cops make their 

arrests and fill the "Paddy" wagons. 

ANGLE ON

Street. The Squatters are like ROACHES in a dark kitchen at 

night, scrambling as the lights turn on. Do you remember 

those old "RAID" commercials. "Let's scram, IT'S RAID!!!" 


The phone rings. 

CUT TO SPLIT SCREEN 

CU OF DELACROIX AND SLOAN 

Delacroix picks it up. They yell in unison. 

DELACROIX 

Manray! 

SLOAN 

Manray! 

17. 

DELACROIX 

How did you know? 

SLOAN 

It hit me like a ton of bricks. 

DELACROIX 

How can this be? You and me at the

same time, the exact same thought. 

It's scary. 

SLOAN 

The idea was out there in the 

universe. Now what? 


Cheeba and Manray run down the fire escape and just elude a 

group of cops. 

ANGLE ON 

Fence. They lay still as the Fuzz run past them. 

MANRAY 

We ran out without my shoes and the 

floor. I gotta get my stuff. What 

about our savings? 

CHEEBA 

Are you crazy? The joint is 

crawling with cops now. You wanna 

go to Rikers? Go to the hoosegow?

Manray looks at his friend, he knows he is right, at least 

this time. 

EXT. CNS BUILDING - EARLY MORNING 

Delacroix and Sloan sip hot coffee as they stand in front of 

their office building. 

DELACROIX 

Manray was under our nose the whole 

time. 

SLOAN 

Do you know how you will use him? 

DELACROIX 

Not yet, but this thing will never 

get made. 

18. 

SLOAN 

You lost me. 

DELACROIX 

Dunwitty wants a Coon show. And 

that's what I'm going to give him,

it's going to be so racist, so 

negative, he won't have the balls 

to put it on the air. Hence I'll 

prove my point. 

SLOAN 

What point is that? 

DELACROIX 

The point being that him, the 

networks don't want Black people on 

television unless they are buffoons. 

SLOAN 

Sounds risky to me. 

DELACROIX 

You getting cold feet? 

SLOAN 

I'm in till the end. 

DELACROIX 

Good. I'm going to need your

support. 

SLOAN 

Can't you just quit? Walk away? 

DELACROIX 

And lose out on my money? The only 

way I get paid is if I get fired. 

And that's what I intend to do. 

EXT. CNS BUILDING - NEW DAY 

It is pouring rain and Delacroix and Sloan huddle under an 

umbrella. 


Everything was going according to 

plan. I was working on the outline. 

Dunwitty was off my back for now. 

CLOSE ON 

Delacroix. 

19. 


But there was a catch. A big catch.

CLOSE ON 

Sloan. 


Manray and Cheeba were nowhere to 

be found. 

EXT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION - DAY 

Manray and Cheeba are soaking wet. They stand together in a 

doorway, trying to stay out of the elements. 

ANGLE ON 

Street. They run in the downpour. 


It was like they had disappeared 

off the face of the earth. 

CLOSE ON 

Cheeba. 


I had no contact numbers, no 

address, no beeper.

CLOSE ON 

Manray. 


No nuthin', no clues... 

EXT. CNS BUILDING - NEXT MORNING 

It is a sunny and pleasant morning. Again, Sloan and 

Delacroix hold vigil. 

SLOAN 

Maybe something happened to them. 

Maybe they're lying in an alley 

bleed to death. 

DELACROIX 

Manray better not be bleeding to 

death. I need him. After we're 

done he can do whatever he wants to 

do, until then, he's ours. 

20. 

SLOAN 

You're beginning to sound like

Dunwitty. 

EXT. TENEMENT BUILDING - MORNING 

Manray and Cheeba stand across the street from their former 

residence. All of the doors and windows have been boarded 

up and two cops stand watch. They both look defeated, dirty 

and hungry. 

INT. CNS LOBBY - NEXT DAY 

Sloan gets off the elevator and sees a skirmish. TWO 

SECURITY GUARDS are trying to escort Manray and Cheeba out 

of the building. 

CHEEBA 

His name is Delapoint. 

SECURITY GUARD #1 

WE have no one by that name. 

CHEEBA 

Delapot. Dela-something. 


De La Soul ain't here either.

Let's go. Out. Off the premises. 

Manray turns around and sees Sloan. 

MANRAY 

Sloan! She knows us. 

The security guard stops. 

SLOAN 

It's alright. They are associates 

of Mr. Delacroix. 


Sorry, Ms. Hopkins. They both 

walked in off the street without an 

appointment. 


Do you need an escort? 

SLOAN 

That won't be needed. 

21. 

INT. DELACROIX'S OFFICE - DAY 

He sits in front of his TV and watches a tape of the old

"Amos 'n' Andy" show. Sloan leads Manray and Cheeba in. 

DELACROIX 

Eureka! Where've you been? 

He hugs them both. 


Sloan and I have been looking all 

over for you. 

CHEEBA 

You'd take no offense if we called 

you DeLa for short? 

DELACROIX 

No offense. 

CHEEBA 

Manray needs a job. 

Delacroix smiles at Sloan. 

MANRAY 

We got evicted from our home. 

We've both been on the streets for

the last week. 

CHEEBA 

We was coming to see you. 

MANRAY 

If it's not too much trouble could 

you order us some food? 

CHEEBA 

We're starving. 

DELACROIX 

I apologize. What would you like 

to eat? Anything you want. 

TIME CUT 

INT. DELACROIX'S OFFICE - DAY 

A feast of McDonald's is taking place. Cheeba and Manray 

are stuffing Big Macs, Fish Deluxes and large french fries 

into their mouths. They were famished. 

22. 

DELACROIX 

I have this concept for a TV pilot.

There's no guarantee it will get 

made but regardless, you'll still 

make some money. 

CHEEBA 

How much? 

DELACROIX 

First things first. I have to know 

if Manray is up for this. 

MANRAY 

What do I have to do? 

DELACROIX 

Some tap dancing, some singing. 

MANRAY 

Where do I sign? 

CHEEBA 

What kind of show is this gonna be? 

DELACROIX 

Different.

MANRAY 

How different? 

DELACROIX 

Trust me. Of course I still have 

to pitch it to my boss, but we'll 

have an answer one way or the other. 

MANRAY 

DeLa, I'm aboard. As long as I get 

to hoof and get paid too!!! 

DELACROIX 

That's right. Money turns the wheel. 

CHEEBA 

What about in the mean time? Not 

the in between time? 

DELACROIX 

You'll both get an advance and you 

can stay with me. 

MANRAY 

Bet.

23. 

DELACROIX 

I would like to change your name. 

MANRAY 

To what? 

DELACROIX 

You're now Mantan. 

MANRAY 

Mantan? I don't even care as long 

as I'm dancing. Which reminds me, 

I need some new kicks. 

EXT. BROADWAY - DAY 

Manray holds two Capezio shopping bags of shoes as he walks 

next to Sloan. 

MANRAY 

I never had a really real pair 

before. 

SLOAN

You've never had any formal 

training, either? 

MANRAY 

Not a class, not a thing, just 

picked stuff up by myself. 

SLOAN 

I wish I had your natural talent. 

God only makes that visit once in a 

while. 

MANRAY 

You sing and dance? 

SLOAN 

A little. I just graduated from 

NYU film school. Cinema studies. 

MANRAY 

So what's up with you and DeLa? 

SLOAN 

What do you mean? 

MANRAY

Are you and him kicking it? 

Knocking boots. 

Y'knowwhatI'mtalkin'bout. 

24. 

SLOAN 

No, we're not knocking boots. I 

got this internship while I still 

was at NYU, DeLa was impressed with 

my get up and go and hired me to be 

his assistant. 

MANRAY 

I'm sure that was the only thing he 

was impressed with. You look 

beautiful like that. 

SLOAN 

If that was suppose to be a 

compliment, I thank you. 

MANRAY

You're welcome. You shouldn't give 

up on performing. 

SLOAN 

Why do you say that? You've never 

seen me. 

MANRAY 

I think that would probably make 

you the happiest. When I'm hoofing, 

I mean really doing my thing, 

hitting it, nothing compares to 

that feeling in the world. 

SLOAN 

I envy you. That's the way I want 

to feel about my work. 

EXT. HARLEM STREET - NIGHT 

Sloan walks from the subway to her block. 

ANGLE ON 

Street. A huge black Chevy Suburban follows her, all the 

windows are tinted jet black, you cannot see it all into it.

She notices the vehicle and starts to walk faster. 

ANGLE ON 

Corner. As Sloan tries to cross at the corner, the Suburban 

pulls up in front of her, blocking her path. 

ANGLE ON 

Suburban. A tall black man jumps out of the Chevy. This is 

BIG BLACK. 

25. 

BIG BLACK 

Li'l Sister. 

ANGLE ON 

Corner. 

SLOAN 

You idiot. You almost gave me a 

massive coronary. 

BIG BLACK 

I didn't mean to scare you like that. 

SLOAN

Well you did. 

BIG BLACK 

Give me some? 

SLOAN 

I'm not huggin' you in the middle 

of the street. You must be crazy, 

Julius. 

BIG BLACK 

Whoa, hold up li'l sis'. I done 

told you 'bout that. Julius ain't 

my name, you better recognize 

Hopkins was our slave name. My 

true name is... 

SLOAN 

I'm not callin you Big Black Africa. 

Mommy and Daddy named you Julius. 

BIG BLACK 

BIG BLACK is the first name and 

AFRICA is the last.

He hugs her, she becomes lost in his huge arms and laughs. 


Big Black is rummaging through his sister's refrigerator. 

BIG BLACK 

Damn, Sis, you don't keep no food 

up in here in dis' piece. 

SLOAN 

I order out mostly. So what do I 

owe this visit to? 

26. 

BIG BLACK 

My group we need some exposure. 

Was wondering if you could hook a 

brother up? 

SLOAN 

Hook you up? The Mau-Mau's? You 

must be smoking. Why in the world 

would I want to hook up a bunch of

ed, black and green flag-waving 

pseudo revolutionairies? 

BIG BLACK 

So now I see where you're coming 

from. Just because we ain't 

rapping about Gucci, Timberland, 

Rolex, Benz, Cristal, ho's and 

bitches, we're pseudo. 

SLOAN 

Who are you revolting against? 

BIG BLACK 

We're revolting against the powers 

that be, that been enslaving the 

minds and hearts of all people of 

color. And we won't stop rapping 

till we bring about the overthrow 

of the government of the U.S. of A. 

SLOAN 

Please.

BIG BLACK 

If you were really down you would 

get us together with that boss of 

yours. What's his name again? 

SLOAN 

Delacroix. 

BIG BLACK 

Yeah, him. 

SLOAN 

What makes you think he would write 

a show about the Mau-Mau's. 

BIG BLACK 

C'mon, why not? The Monkees had a 

show. Look at all that other junk 

that's on TV. We got underground 

cult following. 

27. 

SLOAN

You don't have the demographics. 

BIG BLACK 

So are you telling me that you 

wouldn't even introduce me to 

Delacroix or set up a meeting? I'm 

talking 'bout me, your only brother, 

ya own flesh and blood, hook a 

brother up, youknowwhatI'msayin'. 

SLOAN 

That'swhatI'msayin'. I'm not 

blowin' my young career, brother or 

no brother, for you or anybody else. 

BIG BLACK 

There is a name, a term for your 

kind, the likes of you. Back in 

slavery days, you would be 

classified as a house nigga. 

SLOAN 

If you think I'm a house nigga then

that's your prerogative. You got 

your ways to affect change, I have 

mine. And I would appreciate it 

very much if you took ya field 

nigga ass out of my house. 

BIG BLACK 

My own sister throwin' me out. I 

hope to seeya later when you get ya 

mind right. Don't bother letting 

me out. 

SLOAN 

That's mighty black of you. 

Big Black slams the door. 


One by one, the team enters the office and sits down on the 

sofa. 

DUNWITTY 

Delacroix, I'm glad you got your

mind right. 

DELACROIX 

It's right and tight. Good morning, 

let me introduce you to everybody. 

You know my assistant, Sloan. 

28. 

SLOAN 

Hello. 

DELACROIX 

This is Cheeba. 

CHEEBA 

Nice to meet you. 

DELACROIX 

And this is Manray. 

MANRAY 

How do you do? 

DUNWITTY 

Good. I like the names. Very 

theatrical.

DELACROIX 

We're all happy to be here and I'm 

going to paint a picture for you. 

DUNWITTY 

I'm wid it. 

DELACROIX 

I've done a lot of soul searching 

and once again you are right. In 

my previous work it's been all 

surface, superficial. I have never 

really dug deep. Not anymore. As 

Mark Twain fully understood satire 

is the way. Race has always been a 

hot button in this country's 

history and it needs to be pushed 

harder. If we are ever to live 

side by side in peace and harmony. 

It's about promoting racial healing.

DUNWITTY 

Go on. Good so far. 

DELACROIX 

I know you're familiar with minstrel 

shows. They came about at the turn 

of the 19th century. It was a 

variety show in which the talent 

was in blackface - singing, dancing, 

telling jokes, doing skits. 

Dunwitty, I ask you when was the 

last time there was a good variety 

show on the air. Carol Burnett? 

HeeHaw? 

29. 

DUNWITTY 

Word!!! 

DELACROIX 

So let's take this great form, this 

very American tradition of

entertainment into the 21st century, 

into the new millennium. 

DUNWITTY 

The name of the show? 

DELACROIX 

It is called: MANTAN - THE NEW 

MILLENNIUM MINSTREL SHOW. 

DUNWITTY 

I'm lovin' it. You know how I know? 

Because I'm getting a boner, my 

Johnson is hard, no disrespect my 

sister. 

Dunwitty starts walking around his office, pumping his first. 


I'm feelin' dis'! 

DELACROIX 

It will take a lot of courage and 

backbone on the part of the CNS to

get this on the air. In fact, I 

would understand fully if the 

subject matter is deemed too 

risque, too controversial. 

DUNWITTY 

Don't worry about that, that's my 

department. Now who do we cast? 

We need a star. Can Whoopi sing or 

dance? 

DELACROIX 

I don't know if Whoopi is the way 

to go. 

DUNWITTY 

Are these our two stars, sitting 

here in front of my nose? Which 

one is Mantan again? 

MANTAN 

That's me. 

30.

DELACROIX 

And Cheeba is Sleep 'n' Eat. 

CLOSE ON 

Cheeba. A look of surprise is on his face. Complete, utter 

surprise. 

DUNWITTY 

That's a great handle. 

DELACROIX 

Mantan and Sleep 'n Eat. Two real 

coons. I know we're way out there 

but it's satire. 

DUNWITTY 

I want you take it there. All the 

way to the edge and back. 

Sloan looks at Delacroix with concern. 

DELACROIX 

Every week we follow the trials and 

tribulations of two real coons -

Mantan and Sleep 'n Eat. The Dusky 

Duo. 

DUNWITTY 

What are there character traits? 

DELACROIX 

Ignorant, dullwitted, lazy, and 

unlucky. 

DUNWITTY 

Exactly! 

DELACROIX 

Mantan is an uneducated Negro who 

always by some stroke of 

unbelievable stupidity makes his 

best laid plans go haywire. 

DUNWITTY 

And Sleep 'n Eat is his comical 

sidekick? 

DELACROIX 

Yep, you guessed it.

DUNWITTY 

This could be bigger than "Amos and 

Andy." 

31. 

DELACROIX 

Protest finally forced "Amos and 

Andy" off the air. Could stop us 

from ever getting on. 

DUNWITTY 

Let'em try. I will kill to make 

this happen. 

Delacroix looks at Sloan. 

DELACROIX 

Negroes would be in an uproar. 

DUNWITTY 

So what. We would just give the 

NAACP a donation that would be the 

end of that. No such thing as bad

publicity. So what. Earlier you 

said singing and dancing. 

DELACROIX 

Mantan right here is a gifted 

hoofer. He has educated feet. 

DUNWITTY 

Who are the other characters? 

DELACROIX 

Do we have characters? How about 

Honeycutt, Snowflake, Rastus, 

Nigger, Jim, Sambo, Jungle Bunny, 

and how could we forget Aunt Jemima. 

Dunwitty is dying with laughter. He's the only one. 

DUNWITTY 

We gonna hit 'em wid da BOMB DICKEY 

on dis' one. What's the setting? 

DELACROIX 

In the projects. Like Eddie 

Murphy's "The PJ's."

DUNWITTY 

Ya first bad move. Projects been 

done. That's one of the problems 

now, everything, movies, TV, are 

set in the urban jungle, da hood. 

That's so tired. Mantan's 

Millennium Minstrel Show should be 

set on a plantation. In Alabama. 

(MORE) 

32. 


And every week these Alabama porch 

monkeys will make us cry, make us 

laugh, make us look at our own 

humanity. Make us feel good to be 

alive. 

DELACROIX 

I don't know about that plantation

angle. 

DUNWITTY 

What are you talkin' 'bout? It's 

the move. Stay wid me now. We're 

movin' fast. What does everybody 

else think about this? 

SLOAN 

We'd get a lot of mail. 

She laughs, it's a fake one at that. 

SLOAN (CONT'D) 

Mr. Dunwitty, there wouldn't be 

another show like it. 

CHEEBA 

I've always wanted to be on 

television. 

DUNWITTY 

I like you. Sleep 'n Eat. That's 

funny. Mantan, how do you feel 

about performing in black face?

MANTAN 

As long as the hoofing is real, 

that I can do my thing, I can 

blacken up. Let me hit it, beats 

and rhythms, express myself. 

DUNWITTY 

Show me a little somethin' somethin'. 

Mantan starts to put on his new tap shoes. 


Delacroix, you dug deep, deeper 

than deep. 

Mantan is ready. 

33. 

MANTAN 

I'm gonna give you just a taste. 

My tap shoes are brand new. I 

haven't trained 'em yet. 

He starts to work out.

MANTAN (CONT'D) 

Rhythms, rhythms, rhythms. Beats, 

beats, beats. No Fred Astaire 

here, baby. Just rawness. 

Dunwitty clears his desk of everything, just knocks stuff 

flying onto the floor. And Mantan taking the cue, jumps up 

on his desk and really starts hitting it. 

CLOSE ON 

Delacroix, as he watches his creation, it's not a happy face. 

CLOSE ON 

Mantan, he's bringing it home. With the final move, he 

leaps off the desk into the middle of the office, and FREEZES. 

ANGLE ON 

The office. 

DUNWITTY 

That'swhatI'mtalkin''bout. 

That'swhatI'mtalkin''bout! He's 

off the hiz-hook! 

DELACROIX

We think so. 

DUNWITTY 

Sleep 'n Eat, what do you do? 

CHEEBA 

I play the straight man. I do some 

singing and dancing also. I also 

manage Mantan. 

DUNWITTY 

Oh you do so? 

CHEEBA 

I'm the man behind the man behind 

the man. 

DUNWITTY 

You da man. 

34. 

CHEEBA 

No, you da man. 

DUNWITTY

I'm gonna run upstairs with this. 

If CNS doesn't want to do this, 

somebody else will have da balls to 

pull the trigger. I want to thank 

each and every one of you. This is 

great, Delacroix. I'll get back to 

you later today. 

EXT. STREET - DAY 

Cheeba and Mantan are walking in midtown Manhattan. They 

both have a pep in their step, money in their pockets, and a 

roof over their heads. 

CHEEBA 

Life is beginning to look up. It's 

all good in da neighborhood. 

MANTAN 

You might be right. 

CHEEBA 

Why are you smiling so? 

His smile is a mile wide.

MANTAN 

I'm not smiling. 

CHEEBA 

Naw, not you. It can't be. That 

hottie Sloan Hopkins. 

MANTAN 

It's that bad, huh? It's all over 

my face. 

CHEEBA 

No shame in ya game. She got ya 

nostrils, ya chnoz is wide open. 

Sloan's what we certified ladies' 

men call low hanging fruit. 

MANTAN 

Certified ladies' man, huh? 

CHEEBA 

She's also moorish. 

35.

MANTAN 

What's that? 

CHEEBA 

Moorish. Ya get a little taste of 

dat booty, ya wanna get some MORE. 

MANTAN 

Seconds and thirds, too. 

CHEEBA 

Sloan is all 'dat. I try her. I'm 

a tri-sexual. 

MANTAN 

You'd try anything. I got first 

dibs. You get ya own stuff. 

CHEEBA 

Naw, just jokin'. That's you. 

That's you. 


Delacroix sits with Manray and Cheeba in the living room. 

DELACROIX

I want you to start using the name 

Mantan and not Manray if you don't 

mind. 

MANRAY 

Why? 

DELACROIX 

You have to start getting into your 

character. 

CHEEBA 

At the risk of sounding ignorant... 

Cheeba turns quickly towards Manray. 


...don't say a word but who is this 

cat Mantan you keep talkin' 'bout? 

Delacroix hits the remote button. The TV and VCR are powered. 

CLOSE ON 

Television. We see MANTAN MORELAND in some obscure movie. 

36.

DELACROIX (O.S.) 

This is Mantan Moreland. 

CLOSER ON 

Television. Mantan reacts to seeing a ghost. 

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

He was a clown, a buffoon but he 

was funny. 

ANGLE ON 

Living room. 

CHEEBA 

That ain't funny. 

MANRAY 

DeLa, I don't know 'bout this. 

DELACROIX 

Gentlemen, the show, our show will 

be satirical. You know what that 

is, don't you? Trust me on this one. 

CHEEBA 

We might need some mo' money behind

this. 

DELACROIX 

That can be done. 

MANRAY 

Mantan? 

DELACROIX 

Mantan!! 

INT. RECORDING STUDIO - NIGHT 

THE MAU-MAU's in full effect, bob their heads to the funky 

track that blasts from the studio monitors. 

ANGLE ON 

Studio. They pass around joints that look like they've been 

on steroids and 64 ounce JUGULARS of DA BOMB MALT LIQUOR - 

liquid crack, the preferred alcoholic beverage of GHETTO 

NEGROES. All the members of the MAU-MAU's are AFRICAN 

AMERICAN except one. There is one Caucasian member. He 

goes by the name 1/16th BLACK, the engineer tech-whiz kid 

computer geek.

37. 

1/16TH BLACK 

Yo, Big Black, we needs a name for 

this joint. 

BIG BLACK 

How 'bout... 

Big Black takes a long, long drag on a joint, then he 

quickly empties a 64 oz. in one swing without missing a 

beat, without missing a head nod. 

BIG BLACK (CONT'D) 

Black Iz Black? 

The whole group goes crazy with the title of the song. 

DOUBLE BLACK 

That's da bomb. 

MO BLACK 

That's gonna give me some 

inspiration. 

JO BLACK 

Gonna make me get my flow on.

BIG BLACK 

We should call dis da BLACK album. 

Everyone starts high-fiving each other. 

SMOOTH BLACK 

Yo, check it out. We have never 

conformed to none of the white 

man's rules and regulations and 

later for that ole slave owner 

Webster. Therefore I respectfully 

submit BIG BLACK that we from now 

on, hence forth and whatnot spell 

BLACK: B-L-A-K, not B-L-A-C-K. 

HARD BLACK 

I feel dat. 

1/16TH BLACK 

B-L-A-K. BLAK. The darkest of all 

colors, the opposite of white. A 

member of an African people. But

check it out, here's where the grey 

people try to get slick with their 

trickery. Listen to the full 

connotations. GLOOMY. DEPRESSING. 

EVIL. WICKED. ANGRY. SULLEN. 

(MORE) 

38. 

1/16TH BLACK (CONT'D) 

BLAK OUT. BLAK LISTED. BLAK BALL. 

Need I say more. 

BIG BLACK 

B-L-A-K it is. 

INT. HOUSE - NIGHT 

A middle-aged African-American woman is working in the 

kitchen. Delacroix sits at the kitchen table talking with 

her. This is his MOM, ORCHID DOTHAN. 

Orchid puts a plate of food in front of her son. 

ORCHID 

You must think I'm some kind of fool.

DELACROIX 

It looks delicious. 

ORCHID 

You hear me talkin' to you. The 

only time you come up here when 

something is wrong. 

DELACROIX 

C'mon, Mommy, don't start with that 

I'm an ungrateful son stuff. 

ORCHID 

I said no such thing. All I said 

is that something must be wrong. 

She sits down with him. 

ORCHID (CONT'D) 

How's the food? 

DELACROIX 

Can't beat it with a hammer. Well, 

since you asked, it looks like I

may have a new show, a pilot being 

shot. 

ORCHID 

That's wonderful. Isn't that what 

you always wanted, a show of your 

own? 

He talks between mouthfuls. 

39. 

DELACROIX 

It was. It is. But this is a 

different kind of show. 

ORCHID 

If at first it's not what you want, 

just work that much harder, Peerless. 

DELACROIX 

Mommy, please don't call me that. 

ORCHID 

Son, Peerless is your name. Now 

you might be one of these Hollywood

types, change your name and all 

that but Peerless Dothan is on your 

birth certificate. 

DELACROIX 

I know what's on my birth 

certificate. You heard from Daddy? 

ORCHID 

I guess he's still on the road. 

What kind of show is this? Are 

they some Negroes in it without 

being buffoons? 

DELACROIX 

To answer your question, there are 

a lot of Negroes in it and what is 

your definition of buffoons? 

ORCHID 

Peerless, I didn't raise a buffoon. 

We have enough of those on

television already. 

DELACROIX 

Please let me know when you hear 

from Daddy, get a number or 

something. 

ORCHID 

I will. And good luck with your 

show. I hope it's a huge success. 

You've worked very hard. You 

deserve it. 

Delacroix gets up from his seat and hugs his mother. 

40. 

INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT 

A celebration is going on as Delacroix, Sloan, Cheeba and 

Mantan sit at a table. 

ANGLE ON 

Table. Cheeba and Mantan are giddy. Sloan looks at 

Delacroix who is visibly not happy. 

SLOAN

You okay? 

DELACROIX 

I feel like somebody hit me upside 

da head with a sledgehammer. 

CHEEBA 

DeLa - what's the matter with you. 

MANTAN 

You ain't happy about the green 

light? 

SLOAN 

People show their happiness in a 

lot of different ways. 

MANTAN 

Well, homeboy, looks like he's at a 

funeral. 

DELACROIX 

I'm happy for all of us. It's just 

we have a great responsibility now.

The pressure is on. 

MANTAN 

Pressure? DeLa, you don't know 

what the hell real pressure is. 

SHEEETT!!! This is lightstuff. 

Now when you scramblin' out on the 

street in da January winter and the 

hawk is talkin' to you with NO 

money and NO prospects of money 

anytime soon, now that there is 

some pressure. 

DELACROIX 

I didn't mean it to sound like that. 

41. 

MANTAN 

That's the way it came out. Let me 

ask you one question. Have you 

ever been in want, in need your 

entire privileged life?

DELACROIX 

Now I'm privileged?! Why? Because 

I didn't grow up on food stamps and 

welfare? Because I didn't call 

home a cardboard box? No, I never 

ever went to bed hungry and I'm 

proud of it, too. Whoever told you 

that living in poverty earns you 

somekind of badge of honor flat out 

lied to you. 

MANTAN 

The point I'm trying to make is 

that this is a blessing. It's 

going to be fun doing this show and 

we should all look at it that way. 

Delacroix gets up from the table and leaves. 

CHEEBA 

What's wrong with him?

MANTAN 

Must be the pressure. 

Cheeba and Mantan laugh, give each other some dap. A highly 

attractive PUERTO RICAN female walks over to their table. 

This is JESSICA GRILLO. 

JESSICA 

Sorry I'm late. 

Cheeba and Mantan are in awe. 

SLOAN 

Hey, girl. This is my best friend, 

Jessica Grillo. I invited her down 

to celebrate with us. 

CHEEBA 

I'm Cheeba. 

MANTAN 

I'm Mantan. 

They both rise. 

42. 

CHEEBA

Please, have a seat. 

MANTAN 

Sloan never told us she had friends 

like you. 

CHEEBA 

In fact, we never knew she had any 

friends period. 

SLOAN 

Later for you. 

JESSICA 

She has a lot of friends 

CHEEBA 

Male? 

JESSICA 

Yes. 

MANTAN 

A lot? 

SLOAN

Enough. 

Sloan and Jessica laugh at the expense of these guys. 

JESSICA 

I propose a toast. 

She grabs an empty glass and pours herself some champagne. 

JESSICA (CONT'D) 

To the success of your show. Good 

luck. 

Everyone raises their glasses. CLINK! 

SLOAN 

Excuse me. 

Sloan gets up from the table and takes after Delacroix. 

ANGLE ON 

Steps. Sloan catches up with Delacroix at the rest room area. 


Wait here. 

43. 

She goes to the ladies' cubicle. 

CLOSE ON

Delacroix. He leans against the wall. 

ANGLE ON 

Bathroom door. Sloan comes out, grabs him inside. 

INT. LADIES' ROOM - NIGHT 

Sloan locks the door. 

SLOAN 

What is your problem? 

DELACROIX 

My problem is MANTAN THE NEW 

MILLENIUM MINSTREL SHOW. 

SLOAN 

Why did you even come up with that 

shit if you didn't want it made? 

DELACROIX 

It was the principle. Dunwitty had 

to be enlightened. I was making a 

point. I take pride in my work. 

Plus, I already told you I wasn't

gonna walk away from my money. 

SLOAN 

Fuck da money. Why do through all 

this effort? Why? Are you looking 

for love from Dunwitty? For 

respect? Dunwitty and his likes 

don't give a goddamn about you. So 

now what are you gonna do? 

Someone begins to pound on the bathroom door. 

WOMAN'S VOICE (O.S.) 

Will you please let me in? I have 

to use the toilet. 

SLOAN 

You're gonna have to hold it in 

because we're not finished yet... 

She returns her attention to Delacroix. 


...QUIT then. 

44.

DELACROIX 

Even if money wasn't an issue, 

Dunwitty will still go ahead 

without me and that could be more 

dangerous. 

SLOAN 

What's the chances of MANTAN being 

picked up? 

DELACROIX 

I wouldn't bet against it. My 

Negroidal ass is stuck between the 

proverbial rock and a hard place. 

SLOAN 

Like I said, all this for some 

twisted, distorted sense of 

principal. Dunwitty, he just 

tolerates your Negroidal ass, he 

doesn't respect it.

The banging starts again. 

MANAGER'S VOICE (O.S.) 

Please open this bathroom door 

immediately. You are being very 

inconsiderate. 

Sloan unlocks the door and they exit. 

ANGLE ON 

Ladies' bathroom. Sloan and Delacroix file past the strange 

looks of the manager and FIVE WOMEN waiting to use the 

bathroom as they rush in. 


DELACROIX 

I strongly feel that a Negro should 

direct this. This kind of satire 

is a high wire act in a gale storm. 

One misstep and we're doing "Amos 

and Andy." Only a Negro will have 

the sensitivity and cultural 

awareness to navigate this dangerous

terrain. 

DUNWITTY 

To hire someone solely on their 

ethnicity, gender or religion is 

not right. It's un-American. I 

will hire someone who is most 

qualified for this particular job. 

45. 

DELACROIX 

I was hoping to perhaps direct some 

episodes myself, if not the pilot 

soon after. 

DUNWITTY 

I want a hot, young white director. 

Maybe the kid, that pheenom who 

just did that hot new sexy Madonna 

video. 

DELACROIX

You're telling me some white boy is 

gonna direct this pilot? 

DUNWITTY 

I just want you to meet him. Keep 

an open mind. 

DELACROIX 

Besides, what does he know about 

Negroes? 

DUNWITTY 

Probably nuthin', but that's why 

it's such a sexy way to go. 

Sometimes an outsider has a fresh 

new outlook, a different unique 

perspective. A black director, 

y'know what he's gonna do given the 

subject matter? With this kid, the 

possibilities are endless. 

DELACROIX 

What are his qualifications besides

eing a white male and directing a 

hot new sexy freaky Madonna video? 

DUNWITTY 

If Spielburg can direct "The Color 

Purple" and "Amistad", our whiz kid 

can direct the Mantan pilot. 

DELACROIX 

That's exactly my point. Has he 

even directed actors before in 

anything? 

DUNWITTY 

No!!! Just meet the guy. That's 

all I'm asking. Look, I'll even 

let you choose your own musical 

director. You can have that. 

46. 

DELACROIX 

In the immortal words of Derrick

Coleman, WHOOOPDEEDAMNDOO!!! 

DUNWITTY 

Derrick Coleman, he possessed all 

the talent in the world, coulda, 

shoulda, been a great ballplayer 

but alas D.C. didn't want it bad 

enough. Delacroix, do you want it? 

Bad enough to kill for it? Do you 

want it that much. 

Delacroix stares at Dunwitty. 

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - NEXT DAY 

Delacroix, followed by Sloan, enters the room full of writers. 

CLOSE ON 

Delacroix 

He surveys the room. 

P.O.V. - DELACROIX 

All of the writers are Caucasian - male and female. Every 

single last one. 

ANGLE ON

Conference room. Delacroix and Sloan sit down at the head 

of the long oval table. 

DELACROIX 

Good morning, for those of you who 

don't know me, I'm Pierre Delacroix. 

I'm running things and this here is 

my assistant Sloan Hopkins. 

SLOAN 

Hello. 

DELACROIX 

I've never worked with any of you 

and you've never worked with me so 

we'll be starting from scratch. 

I'm a fair person, a straight 

shooter and I don't hold my tongue. 

Everybody up in here should know I 

had nothing to do with you being 

hired.

(MORE) 

47. 


I would have preferred at least one 

other Negro writer. Any questions? 

Comments? 

MONA raises her hand. 


Yes, your name? 

MONA 

He, I'm Mona. 

DELACROIX 

Hi, Mona. 

MONA 

I perfectly understand where you're 

coming from. As a minority I can 

relate to your struggle also. But 

I think you should give us all a 

chance. We want this pilot to be

successful just as much as you. 

Please don't be so quick to judge 

us based only on our whiteness. 

DELACROIX 

Oh, is that what I'm doing? 

BETH jumps in. 

BETH 

I think because of our background 

we can bring a unique perspective 

to Mantan. 

SETH pipes in also. 

SETH 

A fresh pair of eyes. A new look, 

insight, new angle that hasn't been 

seen before. 

DELACROIX 

I've heard this somewhere before. 

David raises his hand.

48. 

DAVID 

My name is David. I do think it 

would be better to have some 

African-American writers but for 

whatever reason they are not here. 

I don't know if they couldn't find 

any people with experience, they 

wouldn't work for the pay or 

refused to work for the show. I 

don't know and nobody in this room 

probably knows either. I'm looking 

at this as a unique opportunity. 

We all should. I'm a damn good 

writer and I'm ready to go to work. 

Everyone in the room applauds. Sloan looks at Delacroix. 

FREEZE FRAME 


This thing was rigged, the deck was

stacked, the fix was in. Could Don 

King be near? Good thing Sloan had 

my back. She's my rock. This was 

going to be a whole lot of work. 

UN-FREEZE FRAME 


David, I appreciate your comments. 

Anybody got an ideas? Everybody 

just talk out loud. 

MONA 

I've always liked the format of 

Rowan and Martin's "LAUGH-IN." 

ANNA 

That could be cool. 

KIRK 

What about something like "The 

Jeffersons?" I grew up in Idaho so 

that's how I got my understanding

of black people. Through Sherman 

Helmsley, LOUISSEE!!!. 

DAVID 

"Good Times" was better. Kid Dy-no 

mite!!! 

49. 

AARON 

You pole are going to far back for 

me. I think we have to go after a 

hipper feel. Like the stuff Eddie 

Murphy used to do on "Saturday 

Night Live." 

PETER 

Or Martin. You go girl. 

JEFF 

What about the black exploitation 

films? No one has ever tried 

making that work on TV. 

DAVID

And for reason. Have you ever seen 

"Scream Blacula, Scream?" 

MONA 

I think, and Delacroix will agree 

with me, the politics of this show 

have to be right. We should always 

be laughing with our characters, 

not at them. 

CLOSE ON 

Delacroix, as the writers continue to ramble on, he lets 

them jerk off. 


The mission was accomplished. All 

of these people left the room 

thinking they would have real input. 

I was writing this pilot alone, 

myself, me. 

EXT. STREET - DAY

A long line reaches down the block and around the corner. 

It's a "cattle call," open auditions for "Mantan." 


Now came the fun part, finding the 

talented performers to cast in the 

show. 

WE DOLLY past the hundreds and hundreds of unemployed 

African American actors, many of them dressed in various 

costumes. 

50. 


Everybody and their mother was 

trying to get in, trying to be seen. 

Trying to get their piece of the 

rock. 

INT. REHEARSAL SPACE - DAY 

Delacroix sits in the first row with Sloan, RUTH, an African 

American casting director. LEVI, the musical director, also 

black, is on the stage at the piano.

AUDITION MONTAGE 

WE SEE singers, magicians, dancers, acrobats, comedians, 

rappers. Some good, most are terrible. Many come out on 

stage dressed like mammies, Stepin' Fetchit, slaves, pimps, 

ho's, hustlers, and basketball players. It is a cavalcade 

of all the stereotypical roles one has seen. 

ANGLE ON 

Space. LULU, a spoken word artist, goes her rendition of 

"WAY DOWN ON THE SWANEE RIVER." 


This was amazing. Who had told 

these Negroes that this was what we 

were looking for? The same old 

image, it damn for sure wasn't me. 

CLOSE ON 

Lulu. 


Were people this desperate to get

work? 

CLOSE ON 

Delacroix. He interrupts Lulu. 


Thanks, Ms. Lulu. 

LULU 

But I had several more poems. 

DELACROIX 

That's good. We've seen enough. 

We'll get back to you. 

Lulu scurries off stage. 

51. 

RUTH (O.S.) 

Next. 

The Mau-Mau's run onto the stage, yelling and screaming. 

They are all fired up, in fact several fire their 9mm's into 

the ceiling. 

ANGLE - TWO SHOT 

Delacroix and Sloan.

SLOAN 

This is the group I was telling you 

about. 

DELACROIX 

Which one is your brother? 

SLOAN 

The big one. 

CLOSE ON 

Ruth. 

RUTH 

Let's get started here. 

ANGLE ON 

STAGE 

Big Black preens around on the stage. 

BIG BLACK 

The Mau-Mau's are up in dis place. 

That's right, the Mau-Mau's. 

DELACROIX (O.S.)

What's your name? 

BIG BLACK 

My righteous name is BIG BLACK. 


And what are the Mau-Mau's going to 

do for us today? 

BIG BLACK 

We gonna drop some knowledge, 

wisdom and understanding. The Mau- 

Mau's, we be scientists. We drop 

science. 

52. 

CLOSE ON 

Sloan, who's trying to disappear. If she sits any lower 

she'll be under her seat. 

ON DELACROIX 

DELACROIX 

We're ready when you are. 

ON STAGE

BIG BLACK 

Microphone check. One. Two. One. 

Two. One. Two. Hold up. I gots 

to give my peeps some props. 

Brothers introduce yourself. 

DOUBLE BLACK 

Yo, I'm Double Black. 

BLACK BLACK 

Check it, Black Black. 

SMOOTH BLACK 

I'm Smooth Black, the lover in dis' 

piece. 

HARD BLACK 

Hard Black. 

MO BLACK 

He's Jo Black. 

JO BLACK 

And he's Mo Black.

1/16TH BLACK 

I'm last but not least, you can 

call me 1/16th Black. 

ON DELACROIX 

DELACROIX 

Good. We're really blacked-oops, 

backed up, so shall we begin? 

ON STAGE 

BIG BLACK 

Microphone check. One. Two. One. 

Two. Yo, the name of this joint is 

BLAK IZ BLAK. Hit it. 

53. 

The booming track starts and the Mau-Mau's do their thing, 

bouncing all over the stage. The lyrics about everything 

that is BLAK!!! 

ON DELACROIX 

A look of disbelief is on his face. 

DELACROIX (V.O.)

Needless to say, the Mau-Mau's did 

not fit into our plans. 

ON SLOAN 

She's in shock, horrified. 


As I told Sloan, there's a black 

sheep in every family. 

BACKSTAGE - LATER THAT DAY 

Delacroix is screaming at the top of his lungs. 


Finland. This is a travesty. A 

debacle. A mockery. 

INT. LOBBY 

Dunwitty approaches Delacroix in the lobby of the rehearsal 

space. He is with JUKKA, a young, very young blonde kid. 

DUNWITTY 

Delacroix. This is the director I 

was telling you about. Jukka Laks.

JUKKA 

So nice to meet you. 

DELACROIX 

Nice to meet you. If you don't 

mind me asking you - how old are you? 

JUKKA 

I just turned twenty. 

DUNWITTY 

I'm gonna leave you two creative 

geniuses alone. 

DELACROIX 

Dunwitty, don't leave. 

54. 

Dunwitty is out. 


Where are you from? 

JUKKA 

Helsinki, which is the capital of 

Finland.

DELACROIX 

Finland. 

JUKKA 

You know, Finlandia vodka? Yes? 

DELACROIX 

Yes, I know. Jukka, have you ever 

seen a Negro person before? Even 

had a real conversation with a real 

Negro before? 

JUKKA 

What's a Negro. 

INT. BACKSTAGE 

Delacroix continues to rant and rave. Sloan is unsuccessful 

in attempting to make him be quiet. 

DELACROIX 

A fiasco. A disaster. A boondoggle. 

An abomination. 

INT. LOBBY

DELACROIX 

Did you just ask me what's a Negro? 

I'M A NEGRO!!! 

JUKKA 

Ahhh!!! I never heard of that term 

before. I thought you were BLACK 

of African-American. No? 

DELACROIX 

Well before there was BLACK or 

AFRICAN AMERICAN, there were 

NEGROES. I'M A NEGRO. 

JUKKA 

Thank you for correcting my 

ignorance. I'm looking forward to 

working side by side with you. I 

feel we make a good team. 

55. 

DELACROIX 

How did you get this gig?

JUKKA 

My visual style is very erotic, 

sexy, how do you say - hot? 

DELACROIX 

This is a TV show, not a music video. 

JUKKA 

Then will you teach me what I need 

to know. Maybe we learn from each 

other, if that's possible, no? 

INT. BACKSTAGE - MOMENTS LATER 

DELACROIX 

This is a travesty. A debacle. 

SLOAN 

You've said that already. 

DELACROIX 

I'm gonna slit my wrists. Cut my 

throat. For the love of Joseph. 

INT. DELACROIX'S OFFICE - NEW DAY

He's sitting behind his desk, reading new "pink" revisions 

of the "MANTAN" pilot. He screams. 

DELACROIX 

For the love of Joseph and Mary. 

Delacroix bolts out from his office. 

INT. DUNWITTY'S OFFICE - DAY 

Delacroix charges in as Dunwitty and Jukka go over the same 

"pink" revisions. 

DELACROIX 

I will not be held responsible for 

these revisions. These changes are 

not the way I want to go. This is 

an outrage. This is a sham. A 

violation! 

DUNWITTY 

Calm down, please. 

JUKKA 

In Finland, when we get upset... 

56.

DELACROIX 

I don't give a good goddamn about 

Finland, Norway, Sweden or wherever 

ya blond ass came from. 

DUNWITTY 

We just punched it up a bit. Made 

it funnier. 

DELACROIX 

Funnier to who and at who's expense? 

Dunwitty, when Negroes start to run 

amok, the boycotts, when the 

demostrations commence, I'm giving 

them your home address. Let's see 

how you like it when they picket 

your lawn in Greenwich, Connecticut. 

DUNWITTY 

I seriously doubt that will ever 

happen. Didn't I tell you I know

your people better than you do. 

But if by some miracle you're 

correct, I'm gonna invite them 

inside my house and we'll have a 

sit down, discuss it like civil 

human beings. 

INT. STUDIO - NIGHT 

Much activity is going on. People are moving to and fro. 

WE FOLLOW Delacroix and Sloan. 

EXT. MANTAN'S DRESSING ROOM - CONTINUOUS 

Delacroix knocks and they enter. 

INT. MANTAN'S DRESSING ROOM 

Mantan sits in front of his mirror. 

DELACROIX 

Just want to say good luck. 

SLOAN 

Break a leg. 

She gives Mantan a kiss on his cheek. 

DELACROIX

Wait a minute. Hold up. 

They all laugh. 

57. 


Can I kiss you too? 

MANTAN 

Naw. I'll take the zero. 

DELACROIX 

You feel good, not nervous? 

MANTAN 

I feel fine. 

DELACROIX 

Not nervous? Relaxed? 

MANTAN 

Sloan, will you take your boss out 

of here so I can get ready. 

EXT. SLEEP 'N EAT'S DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT 

Sloan and Delacroix enter the dressing room.

INT. SLEEP 'N EAT'S DRESSING ROOM 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

How's the audience? 

DELACROIX 

Fired up. 

SLOAN 

How you feelin'? 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

Good. I'm not sure about this 

material. 

DELACROIX 

The material is fine. 

Sloan cuts a look at this liar. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

You really think so? 

DELACROIX 

We're trying to do something new 

here, some groundbreaking stuff. 

SLEEP 'N EAT

It's the bone breaking stuff I'm 

worried about. 

58. 

SLOAN 

Everything's gonna be alright. You 

and Mantan will be huge stars after 

tonight. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

You really think so? 

DELACROIX 

Your life will never be the same. 

SLOAN 

Let's leave the man in peace so he 

can get ready. 

INT. BACKSTAGE 

SLOAN 

We both lied to him. 

DELACROIX

What do you want me to say? 

SLOAN 

Just don't lie to me. 

INT. STAGE - NIGHT 

HONEYCUTT, a rotund, elder black man who is one of cast 

members, is warming the audience up. 

ON AUDIENCE 

It's very young and diverse. They are laughing at the comic 

stylings of Honeycutt. 

INT. CONTROL BOOTH - NIGHT 

Delacroix and Sloan take their seats. 

DELACROIX 

Good luck, Jukka. Do a good show. 

JUKKA 

Thank you very much. I always try 

my best. 


Mantan is slowly getting dressed. He puts on an old, 

tattered tails (tuxedo).

59. 


Sleep 'N Eat is also getting dressed. He wears a worn 

Pullman Porter uniform with red hat to match. 

INT. CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT 

Dunwitty with his black wife in hand, VERNA moves toward 

Delacroix and Sloan. 

DUNWITTY 

I want you to meet my lovely wife 

Verna. Honey, this is Pierre 

Delacroix and Sloan Hopkins. 

VERNA 

Nice to meet you. 

DELACROIX 

Same here. 

SLOAN 

The pleasure is mine. 

VERNA

My husband has been raving about 

the awesome work you've done. How 

did you ever think of something 

like this? It's absolutely 

brilliant. Pure genius. 

DELACROIX 

I guess it was divine inspiration. 

VERNA 

Hope to see you both after the 

taping. Congrats in advance. 

ON CONTROL BOOTH 

Verna and Dunwitty go to the front of the control booth. 

TWO SHOT 

Delacroix and Sloan. 

SLOAN 

Divine inspiration? 

She laughs. 

DELACROIX 

I was trying to be nice.

60. 

SLOAN 

I want to apologize about my 

brother and the Mau-Mau's. I 

should not have imposed them on you. 

DELACROIX 

C'mon. You were only doing what 

family is supposed to be doing for 

family. You gave your brother a 

shot. That's all anybody can ask 

for, an opportunity, a chance, a 

shot. He got his. 


Mantan is in front of his dressing room mirror. 

ON MIRROR 

Mantan looks, stares at his reflection. 


Sleep 'N Eat is staring at himself also.


CLOSE ON MANTAN 

SLOAN (V.O.) 

We should blacken up like they did 

it back in the day. Keep the 

ritual the same. 

Mantan puts some corks in a dish. 

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

Pour some alcohol on the corks, 

then light it. 


Sleep 'N Eat strikes a match to his corks in a dish. 

CLOSE ON SLEEP 'N EAT 

He watches the cork burn. 

SLOAN (V.O.) 

Let them burnt to a crisp, and when 

burnt out, mash them to a powder. 

61. 

INT. MANTAN'S DRESSING ROOM

Mantan is mashing the corks. 

SLOAN (V.O.) 

Add water, mix to a thick paste. 


Sleep 'N Eat is mixing it all together. 

SLOAN (V.O.) 

And voila! You have your blackface. 


The audience, which has become restless, starts a rhythmic 

clap. 

SLOAN (V.O.) 

Please put cocoa butter on your 

face and hands... 


ON MANTAN'S HANDS 

SLOAN (V.O.) 

To protect your skin. 

He applies cocoa butter to his hands.


ON SLEEP 'N EAT'S FACE 

He rubs cocoa butter all over his face. 


CLOSE ON HANDS 

Audience hands are clapping faster. 

ON FEET 

They're stomping. 


ON MIRROR 

Mantan blacks up his face. 

62. 

WE HEAR THE POUNDING OF THE FEET STOMPING AND THE HANDS 

CLAPPING. 


ON MIRROR 

Sleep 'N Eat blacks up also. 

SLOAN (V.O.) 

The final detail...


ON LIPS 

SLOAN (V.O.) 

...are the lips. 

Mantan is applying lipstick. 


ON LIPS 

Sleep 'N Eat is puckering his lips as he too puts on the 

lipstick. 

SLOAN (V.O.) 

The redder the lipstick the better. 

I suggest firetruck red. 

ON MIRROR 

For the first time WE SEE SLEEP 'N EAT in FULL BLACK FACE. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

Show... 


ON MIRROR

Mantan in FULL BLACK FACE. 

MANTAN 

...TIME!!! 


The audience is in an uproar when the lights go down. They 

applaud and they quiet as the CURTAIN GOES UP on a bucolic 

setting. It is a combination of WATERMELON PATCH and COTTON 

FIELD. 

63. 

ON STAGE 

First Sleep 'N Eat then Mantan shuffles onto the stage. 

MANTAN 

This is my best friend Sleep 'N Eat. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

And this is my very best friend 

Mantan. 

BOTH 

We're two real COONS! 

The audience lets out nervous laughter. They don't know

what to think. 

MANTAN 

We both left the hustle and bustle 

of Uptown, Harlem... 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

...the big apple, New York, New York. 

MANTAN 

To come back to our roots. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

Our Alabamy Home. Now we're 

getting countrified. We is Bama's. 

MANTAN 

No mo' "city slickers." Ahh, can't 

you smell the sweet aroma of the 

ripe watermelons and high cotton? 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

Tell 'em what you mean Mistuh Mantan. 

MANTAN

Well, thank you Mistuh Sleep 'N Eat. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

Give or cousins some of dem educated 

feets. 

Mantan begins to do a slow, steady step. 

SLEEP 'N EAT (CONT'D) 

Cousins, first, second, third and 

distant, let's have Mantan take us 

all the way back to a much more 

simpler time. A time wen men were 

men, women were women, and Neggras 

knew their place. 

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 NIGGERS 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, NIGGER 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 


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. 


Hello, Mommy, let me get rid of 

this other call. 

INT. BENZ - CONTINUOUS 


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 

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. 


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. 


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 


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 


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. 


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. 


Sleep 'N Eat also begins to black up. 


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 


Let's go Niggers. Then clap five

times like this. 

Honeycutt claps the cadence. 

78. 


C'mon. It's easy. It's the same 

thing y'all do out at the Yankee 

game, no different 'cept we changing 

one word. Everybody go it? 

ON AUDIENCE 

AUDIENCE 

YEAH! 

CLOSER ON HONEYCUTT 

HONEYCUTT 

Alright. Here we go. Let's go 

NIGGERS! LET'S GO NIGGERS! 

CLOSE ON AUDIENCE 

AUDIENCE 

Let's go NIGGERS.


ON MIRROR 

Mantan is finishing the black. 

AUDIENCE (O.S.) 

Let's go niggers! 


Sleep 'N Eat is finishing his Black. 


Let's go niggers! 

INT. STAGE - CONTINUOUS 

HONEYCUTT 

Louder. They can't hear you. 

CLOSE ON YOUNG BLACK WOMAN 

YOUNG BLACK WOMAN 

LET'S GO NIGGERS! 

CLOSE ON YOUNG WHITE MALE 

YOUNG WHITE MALE 

LET'S GO NIGGERS!

79. 


Mantan is applying his FIRETRUCK RED lipstick. 




Sleep 'N Eat's also applying lipstick. 



INT. STAGE - CONTINUOUS 

Their CHANT is deafening. The audience's hyped. 

HONEYCUTT 

You sound so good to me. Ladies 

and gentlemen, boys and girls, 

without further adieu, let's 

welcome youknowwhoI'mtalkin'about, 

your two favorite coons, Da Dusky 

Duo, our stars Mantan and Sleep 'N

Eat. 

The audience goes crazy as the curtain goes up and the house 

band kicks in with the Mantan theme. 

ON STAGE 

The setting is a chicken coop, live roosters and chickens 

move freely about Mantan and Sleep 'N Eat. They start right 

into their routine at a furious pace. 

MANTAN 

Y'know my lady Lucindy? 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

The one with da big... 

MANTAN 

Not her, the one with the little... 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

Oh her. 

MANTAN 

Tomorrow is her birthday and I want 

to get her something really nice,

like a... 

80. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

No, not that. How 'bout... 

MANTAN 

She hates dem. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

Too bad. How 'bout a dress? 

MANTAN 

Sleep 'N Eat, one of dem slinky, 

sexy, little foxy... 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

Mantan, way too short, too tight. 

Get her one of dose... 

MANTAN 

...to big. The in-between one, not 

too tight, not too lose. 

SLEEP 'N EAT

That'll work. I just bought one 

for myself. 

Mantan cocks his limp wrist. The audience ROARS. 

SLEEP 'N EAT (CONT'D) 

Not for me, my woolly headed cotton 

pickin' friend for... 

MANTAN 

I thought you got rid of... 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

...that was Vicki, her best friend. 

Dat dress will cast ya round... 

MANTAN 

...dat's too much money. I can't 

'ford it. I needs me a dress that 

cost no mo' than... 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

...aconite get it dat cheap. 

MANTAN

I'll buy her a less expensive 

dress, so I can have some money 

left over to take her out to dinner. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

We should go out on a double date. 

81. 

MANTAN 

I heard ya lady is wild. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

No. That's her second cousin. 

Who's married to Li'l Bit. 

MANTAN 

Oh, because on our first date, she 

let me... 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

...no, she didn't... 

MANTAN 

...yes she did.

SLEEP 'N EAT 

...I heard different, thought that 

was... 

MANTAN 

...not that time... 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

So when are you comin' to pick us up? 

MANTAN 

Around... 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

...too early... 

MANTAN 

...then what about... 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

...too late, maybe around... 

MANTAN 

...perfect... 

SLEEP 'N EAT

That's what I like about you and me. 

We git along... 

MANTAN 

...like macaroni and cheese... 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

...like grits and butter... 

MANTAN 

...like fried and chicken... 

82. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

...like sleep and eat. 

OFF-SCREEN we HEAR the VOICE of MASSA CHARLIE, he's the 

overseer of this plantation. 

MASSA CHARLIE (O.S.) 

Who goes in there? 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

We'd better hide. 

MANTAN

It's dat mean, evil overseer Massa 

Charlie. 

They hide behind some boxes. 

MASSA CHARLIE 

I say who goes in there? 

BOTH 

There's nobody in here 'cept us 

chickens. 

Massa Charlie enters the chicken coops with a SHOTGUN 

blazing. Sleep 'N Eat and Mantan do a jig as they try to 

escape the buckshot. 

ON AUDIENCE 

They're rolling down the aisles in hysterics. 

INT. CONTROL BOOTH 

Everyone in the booth is laughing uncontrollably. Except 

Delacroix. Even Sloan is dying. 

DELACROIX 

Who's side are you on?

SLOAN 

I'm sorry, I can't help it. It's 

too funny. 

Delacroix starts to crack a smile. He is definitely trying 

to hold it in. 


He sits in front of the television, which is off. 

83. 


It was the Day of Reckoning. After 

a massive advertising and publicity 

campaign... 

CLOSER 

Delacroix stares at the blank screen. 


...the public would finally get a 

chance to view Mantan. I was 

feelin' a little bit like Dr.

Frankenstein. 


Sloan, Jessica, Mantan and Cheeba are gathered around the 

television in the small studio apartment, jabbering away. 


What would their reaction be? I 

hadn't the foggiest. 

SLOAN 

Everybody shut up. 

ON TV SCREEN 

We see the OPENING of MANTAN - THE NEW MILLENNIUM MINSTREL 

SHOW. It is in CLAYMATION. Mantan and Sleep 'N Eat are 

doing a "jig." Their noses and lips are done in a grotesque 

characterization, BIG WIDE BEGROIDAL NOSES and JUICY RED 

SAUCER SOUP COOLING LIPS. 

HONEYCUTT (V.O.) 

Calling all my cousins, you're 

about to take a trip down to Hang

'Em High Plantation, home of your 

two favorite coons, Mantan and 

Sleep 'N Eat. 

ON SLOAN, JESSICA, MANTAN, AND CHEEBA 

Mantan isn't happy. 

MANTAN 

Why they gotta make my nose so big? 

CHEEBA 

Look at my lips. 

JESSICA 

I think it looks cute. 

84. 

ON SLOAN 

She can't believe her eyes. 


Mantan - The New Millennium Minstrel 

Show is proudly sponsored by... 

ON TV SCREEN

DA BOMB PRODUCT SHOT AND LOGO 

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

...Da Bomb. We'll take you there. 

And... 

CLOSER ON TV SCREEN 

TIMMI HILLNIGGER PRODUCT SHOT AND LOGO 

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

...Timmi Hillnigger. Keep it 

really real. 

ON HONEYCUTT 


We will be right back with the 

start of our show, but first, a 

word from our proud sponsors. 

CUT TO COMMERCIAL #1 

EXT. STREET CORNER - ANY GHETTO, U.S.A. - DAY 

The TRACK is BOOMING. The fire hydrant is open on this 

sizzling day and practically butt naked "Playaz" and "Hoes"

dance in the water. Each one is guzzling from 64 ounce 

JUGULARS of DA BOMB which are in the shape of a bomb. 

ON HONEYCUTT AND CROWD 

He's in the spot, he's the spokesperson. 

HONEYCUTT 

DA BOMB. Yo. It's 125% pure 

pleasure MALT LIQUOR. 

HOOCHIE #1 

It's Da Bomb, Baby. 

PLAYA #1 

It's Da Bomb, Baby. 

85. 

ON CROWD 

Nothing but butts and breasts gyrating. 


Clinical testing has found that 

Viagra doesn't work on black 

"johnson's." That's why our

scientists developed Da Bomb for 

you. It makes you feel like a MAN 

and it makes dem bitches feel like 

Natural Women - I mean Ho's. 

PLAYA #2 

It makes my nature rise. 

HOOCHIE #2 

I want to get funked up. 

HONEYCUTT 

DA BOMB - 125% pure pleasure malt 

liquor. 

Honeycutt takes a big swallow from his 64 oz. Jugular. Two 

statuesque ladies sandwich him, grinding up on Honeycutt. 

He takes the jugular from his lips. As he speaks, flames 

come out of his mouth. 


Oooooo-weeee!! Da Bomb makes me 

wanna get my freak on.

TWO MO' HOOCHIES 

Honeycutt, let's get our swerve on@ 

CUT TO COMMERCIAL #2 

EXT. STREET CORNER - ANY GHETTO, U.S.A. - DAY 

A middled-aged Caucasian male, TIMMI HILLNIGGER, is 

surrounded by a mob deep of hard-looking PLAYAZ. 

TIMMY HILLNIGGER 

Yo, my name be Timmi Hillnigger. I 

was born and raised up in Strong 

Island so you know I know about my 

peeps, my niggaz in the git-toe. I 

design and own TIMMI HILLNIGGER 

125% Authentic Git-Toe active wear. 

DAWG #1 steps forward. 

DAWG #1 

Hillnigger keeps it real. 

86. 

DAWG #2 steps forward also.

DAWG #2 

Timmi's gots all da latest gear. 

TIMMY HILLNIGGER 

If you want to keep it really real, 

never get out of the git-toe, stay 

broke and continue to add to my 

multibillion dollar corporation, 

keep buyin' all my gear. The Timmi 

Hillnigger collection. We keep it 

so real we give you the bullet holes. 

Hoe #1 laying in a white thong on top of a white Rolls-Royce. 

HOE #1 

All my niggaz wear Hillnigger or 

they don't wear a damn thing at all. 

It's Git-toe Fabulous. 

EXT. THE WHITE HOUSE - NIGHT 

The lights are on in the White House. 

DELACROIX (V.O.)

I was sunk, dead. My goose was 

cooked. The cat was in the bag and 

the bag was in the river. 

INT. THE WHITE HOUSE 

President Clinton is seen behind a TV set laughing his head 

off. 

INT. THE WHITE HOUSE - PRESS CONFERENCE - DAY 

The President of the U.S. stands behind a podium and takes 

questions from the press. 

REPORTER 

Did you watch MANTAN - THE NEW 

MILLENNIUM MINSTREL SHOW last night? 

PRESIDENT CLINTON 

Yes I did and I can honestly say I 

feel it promotes racial healing. 


Dunwitty, Delacroix and Sloan are joined by a young Caucasian 

woman, MYRNA GOLDFARB.

87. 

DUNWITTY 

I know all of you have seen the 

overnight ratings. Through the 

roof. But in this game you gotta 

be one, two, three steps ahead. I 

introduce you to Myrna Goldfarb. 

She's the best media consultant in 

the biz. 

MYRNA 

First, I would like to say I love 

the show. It's very courageous. 

My parents marched in Selma, 

Alabama with Dr. King. 

DELACROIX 

Why are you here? 

MYRNA 

Good question, straight to the

point. I like your style. Because 

of the content of the show we can 

expect some spirited reactions. 

DUNWITTY 

Myrna is here to help us plan our 

strategy. 

MYRNA 

The best defense is offense. 

DELACROIX 

I thought it was the other way 

around. 

MYRNA 

You get my point. I've mapped out 

some strategies to help bolster our 

position. 

SLOAN 

Which is? 

MYRNA

That this is fun. Nice wholesome 

fun. 

DUNWITTY 

Goldfarb, run it down for them. 

88. 

MYRNA 

The Mantan Manifesto. Catchy ain't 

it? Number One. We gainfully 

employ African Americans, in front 

of and behind the cameras. Two. 

Let the audience decide. Three. 

Who put these critics in charge? 

These so-called cultural police? 

Four. Who determines what is black? 

Five. Mantan is a satire. Six. 

If they can't take a joke, "F" 'em. 

DUNWITTY 

We all stick to this, it's smooth

sailing. 

SLOAN 

It sounds kinda simplistic to me. 

MYRNA 

I've done my research. 

DELACROIX 

These are black folks we're talkin' 

about, not some lab mice in a cage. 

MYRNA 

Monsieur Delacroix, I got my PhD in 

African-American studies from Yale, 

so I do feel I'm qualified. 

DUNWITTY 

Let Myrna finish. 

MYRNA 

Thank you. And always smile. 

DELACROIX 

Yeah, show dem pearly whites.

She ignores him. 

MYRNA 

Wear Kente cloth, invoke the name 

of Dr. Martin Luther King, use the 

word "community" often when talking 

about Mantan. And finally our 

biggest plus is you, Pierre 

Delacroix. 

DELACROIX 

Me? 

89. 

DUNWITTY 

Yes you! 

MYRNA 

This show was created, conceived by 

you, a non-threatening African- 

American male. Voila. End of 

argument. It can't be racist

ecause you're black. 

DELACROIX 

I'm not black. I'm a NEGRO!!! 

INT. CNS HALLWAY - POST MEETING 

Sloan and Delacroix are walking in the hallway. They keep 

getting interrupted by people who congratulate Delacroix on 

the success of the show. 

SLOAN 

So you have your small victory, now 

what? 

DELACROIX 

A small victory isn't that small 

when you've been use to losing. 

INT. DELACROIX'S OFFICE - MORNING 

Sloan hands Delacroix a wrapped gift. 

DELACROIX 

What is this? 

SLOAN

A gift. 

DELACROIX 

For what? 

SLOAN 

No matter what you think, you did 

come up with something unique. 

Open it. 

Delacroix opens his gift. It is one of those old cast iron 

Black Collectibles. This one is called "THE JOLLY NIGGER 

BANK," a head of a Negro, big lips, big nose, wide eyes. 


Put a coin in the hand. 

He puts a quarter in the hand. 

90. 


Watch this. 

She pushes the lever and the mouth opens, the quarter flies 

in and his eyes go to the top of his head.


Read it on the back. 

Delacroix reads. 

DELACROIX 

The Jolly Nigger Bank. 

SLOAN 

This is authentic, not a repro, 

circa turn of the century. 

DELACROIX 

Thanks. 

SLOAN 

I thought it was appropiate. 

DELACROIX 

Is that good or bad? 

SLOAN 

It's all good. You got a hit show, 

you're gonna need a bank. Plus, I 

love these old black collectibles.

DELACROIX 

How so? 

SLOAN 

To me, it shows part of our history 

in this country, a time when we 

were considered inferior, sub-human. 

CLOSE ON JOLLY NIGGER BANK 

Delacroix puts another quarter in the hand and flips the 

lever. The quarter flies into his mouth as his eyes roll to 

the top of his head. 

INT. WLIB - DAY 

Delacroix is a guest on the GARY BYRD show. WLIB is the 

number one black talk radio station in the nation. 

91. 

GARY BYRD 

Our guest today is Pierre Delacroix. 

He is the creator of the highly 

controversial TV show MANTAN.

Let's get right into it. You have 

been called by some in the community 

a traitor, a sellout, an Uncle Tom. 

Why does your show generate such 

feelings? 

DELACROIX 

Because race has always been a 

sensitive issue in this country. 

Gary, I have no problem with people 

disagreeing with the show, it's 

when folks start trying to mess 

with my inherent right as an 

artist, that's when I get mad. No 

one, in any way, shape or form 

should be censored. 

GARY BYRD 

No matter how sexist or racist the 

material may be?

DELACROIX 

Yes. And I say yes because who is 

to judge? Who is to stand before 

us and say this is righteous and 

this is not? Who? Who can play God? 

GARY BYRD 

But the line has to be drawn. 

DELACROIX 

Don't you people get it? We're in 

the 21st Century. Slavery was over 

four hundred years ago. All that 

stuff people talked in the old 

days, it's over. Folks always 

crying, white man this, white man 

that. Let's all grow up. 

GARY BYRD 

Are you trying to excuse our 

Holocaust?

DELACROIX 

Can I finish? Thank you. I had a 

great Aunt, we called her Sister. 

She went to her grave not believing 

man had walked on the Moon. 

(MORE) 

92. 


When I was a little kid, I would 

argue with her, "it's on TV." She 

would answer "I don't care what's 

on that idiot box. No MAN is on 

the MOON." Well, there are a lot 

of your Negroes just like my Aunt 

Sister. Face up to it. The world 

has changed and if you don't adapt, 

change with it, you will be left 

behind. This show is a parody.

Are you telling me that nobody can 

use some humor, have some laughs in 

their lives? Is that what you're 

telling me? 

EXT. TIMES SQUARE - NIGHT 

Mantan and Cheeba gaze skyward at a behemoth billboard for 

their show. Some people recognize them and start asking for 

autographs and a crowd forms. 

ON MANTAN AND CHEEBA 

They're enjoying the adulation. 

ANOTHER CORNER 

Big Black and the Mau-Mau's also look up at the 2 REAL COONS 

billboard. Their faces say they are not happy. 

CLOSE ON 2 REAL COONS BILLBOARD 

CUT TO: 

CLOSE ON AMERICAN FLAG 

It blows majestically in the wind. 

DELACROIX (V.O.)

When American people want something, 

they want it now, they want it big. 

NEWSREEL FOOTAGE 

Kids swinging in their hula hoops. 


They wanted the hula hoop... 


Kids playing with their yo-yo's. 

93. 


They wanted their yo-yo's. 


A young girl petting her Pet Rock. 


Who could ever forget those lovable 

pet rocks. 

CUT TO: 

INT. TOYS "R" US

Parents are fighting over Beanie Babies. It's a RUCKUS. 


Beanie Babies... 

EXT. TIMES SQUARE - NIGHT 

Mantan and Sleep 'N Eat are doing a tap dance on the GIANT 

DIAMONDVISION SCREEN. 


Now the latest, hottest, newest 

sensation across the nation was... 

CLOSE ON MANTAN AND SLEEP 'N EAT 


BLACKFACE!!! 

BLACKFACE MONTAGE 

We SEE AMERICANS - young, old, black and white in BLACKFACE. 

MANTAN and SLEEP 'N EAT are #1 and #2 in the best-selling 

Halloween masks. They fly out of the stores. We SEE Mantan 

and Sleep 'N Eat THE DUSKY DUO Action Dolls, backpacks, 

lunch boxes, T-shirts, jackets, board games, watches, and

CD-Rom video games. Football players, wrestlers in black 

face also. 


It was the rage. 

INT. RECORDING STUDIO 

Big Black stands behind 1/16th Black who sits in front of a 

laptop computer. 

94. 

1/16TH BLACK 

Big Black, I can't log on the 

Mantan Website now, it's overloaded. 


The Mantan - The New Millennium 

Minstrel Show at www.nigger.com was 

getting 500,000 hits a day. 

BIG BLACK 

Keep trying. 

1/16TH BLACK

I'm on it. 

INT. CAR DEALER - DAY 

A Mercedes-Benz salesman is showing Mantan all the newest, 

latest models. 

INT. JUSTINE'S RESTAURANT - NIGHT 

Mantan and Cheeba sit at a big table with Puff Daddy, Andre 

Harrell, Russell Simmons and other assorted RAPPERS. 

Everyone is drinking that DOM P. Buxom Hotties sit in 

between the BIG WILLIES. 

EXT. CNS BUILDING - DAY 

A group of protesters led by the REVEREND JESSE JACKSON and 

AL SHARPTON carry signs and banners objecting to Mantan. 

They're calling upon the FCC to pull the show off the air 

and for the boycotting of the show's two sponsors: TIMMI 

HILLNIGGER and DA BOMB MALT LIQUOR. 

ON PROTESTERS 

The press is watching. 

INT. DELACROIX'S OFFICE - DAY

Delacroix has now decorated his entire office with Black 

Collectibles Art. WE SEE black jockey lawn pieces, banks, 

mammies, signs for products, etc. 

ON WINDOW 

Delacroix and Mantan are looking out the office window down 

on the protesters. 

MANTAN 

Why is Jess and Reverend Al down 

there? 

95. 

DELACROIX 

So they can be on TV. 

MANTAN 

You sound like the media. 

DELACROIX 

This is nothing. It will blow over 

by tomorrow. 

MANTAN

Same thing Giuliani said. 

DELACROIX 

Tomorrow it will be all about 

cruelty to animals or some sex 

scandal. Besides, there is no such 

thing as bad publicity. 

He hands Mantan a wrapped gift. 


Rest your mind. It's a little 

somethin' something. 

Mantan opens it. He pulls out an old pair of tap shoes. 


Those were the last pair of tap 

shoes worn by Bill "Bojangles" 

Robinson. In fact, he died with 

them on. 

Mantan starts to laugh. 

DELACROIX (CONT'D)

No joke. Serious. 

MANTAN 

Hope the same thing doesn't happen 

to me. That's some big shoes to 

fill. 

DELACROIX 

In time. 


The Mau-Mau's are in meeting. They all drink 64 ounce 

jugulars of Da Bomb, are all attired from head to toe in 

TIMMI HILLNIGGER Active Ghetto Wear and brandish their 9's. 

BIG BLACK 

That Tom, That Negro... 

96. 

DOUBLE BLACK 

...that handkerchief head... 

BLACK BLACK 

...dancing monkey...

1/16TH BLACK 

...Benedict Arnold... 

BIG BLACK 

...that simpleton is holding back 

the race. They got rid of us and 

keep those two buffoons, Mantan and 

Sleep 'N Eat, y'knowwhatI'msayin'? 

HARD BLACK 

Yo, Big Black, Sleep 'N Eat ain't 

even a nigger, y'knowwhatI'msayin'? 

SMOOTH BLACK 

He's Mexican, y'knowwhatI'msayin'? 

MO BLACK 

He's Dominican, y'knowwhatI'msayin'? 

JO BLACK 

He's Peter Rican, 

y'knowwhatI'msayin'? 

BIG BLACK

Same thing, y'knowwhatI'msayin', 

y'knowwhatI'msayin'! 

1/16TH BLACK 

We know. We know. Yo, check it, 

my black brothers, we can't let 

this slide. Not this injustice. 

Nah, no way. Dem' two real coons 

iz ill. 

BIG BLACK 

1/16, tru' 'dat. True 'dat. 

DOUBLE BLACK 

Let me gat him. 

BIG BLACK 

Nah, too easy, this has to be 

symbolic, has to be on the world 

stage. 

INT. MANTAN'S APARTMENT - CENTRAL PARK WEST - DAY 

Mantan is showing Sloan his new residence.

97. 

SLOAN 

This is a nice place. It must have 

cost a pretty penny. 

MANTAN 

Sloan, I got it like 'dat. 

SLOAN 

Oh you do, huh? 

MANTAN 

Just a little something' somethin'. 

SLOAN 

I hope you save a little somethin' 

somethin'. 

MANTAN 

Gots no intention of ending up broke. 

SLOAN 

Y'know, at the beginnin' of the 

century, African-American had to

perform in blackface. You ever 

heard of Bert Williams? He was a 

great artist. 

MANTAN 

No, before my time. 

SLOAN 

You don't read, do you? 

MANTAN 

Never read a book in my whole life. 

SLOAN 

Maybe you need to start. 

MANTAN 

Maybe I need to do a lot of things. 

SLOAN 

Bert Williams and the rest, they 

had to black up. They had no 

choice. They were considered 

3/5ths of a human being. Did you

know that's written in the 

Constitution of the United States? 

98. 

MANTAN 

Why all of a sudden are you flippin' 

on me? This blackface thing was 

part of the deal from the git-go. 

Don't even try to play it like you 

ain't a part of all this. You down 

with Delacroix. 

SLOAN 

I just don't want you and Cheeba to 

get hurt. 

MANTAN 

We can look out for ourselves. 

INT. SLEEP 'N EAT'S DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT 

Sleep 'N Eat is applying his black face. 

INT. MANTAN'S DRESSING ROOM

Mantan also puts on his mask. 

INT. STAGE 

CLOSE ON HONEYCUTT 

HONEYCUTT 

Let's have a warm nigger applause 

for our two favorite coons, Mantan 

and Sleep 'N Eat. TWO REAL COONS! 

ON AUDIENCE 

The entire audience is in BLACK FACE. They applaud, yell, 

cheer wildly. This is becoming a religious cult. 

ON STAGE 

The curtain rises on Mantan and Sleep 'N Eat. They are in a 

cotton field. 

MANTAN 

I fell out of my bed last night. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

You slept too near where you got in? 

MANTAN

I slept too near where I fell out. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

You expect the unexpected in 

circumstances of that peculiarity. 

99. 

MANTAN 

Sleep 'N Eat, what's the matter 

with you? Using all dose ten 

dollar words? 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

Mantan, it is possible that my 

hyphenated sentences are entirely 

too complex for all the intellect 

contained in that diminutive coconut? 

MANTAN 

Hold on, you allegorical hypothesis. 

Don't cross words with me. 

SLEEP 'N EAT

Ain't Jemima on the pancake box? 

MANTAN 

Dat's yo Uncle Ben. That reminds 

me, I've seen a lot of troubles 

lately. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

How be dat? 

MANTAN 

I don't know who I am. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

Well, I'll be an Alabama porch 

monkey's uncle. 

MANTAN 

Years ago I married a widow who had 

a grown-up daughter. My daddy 

visited us often, fell in love with 

my stepdaughter and married her. 

Thusly he became my son-in-law and

my stepdaughter became my mother 

because she was my father's wife. 

Soon after dis my wife gave birth 

to a son, which of course was my 

father's brother in-law and my 

uncle, for he was the brother of my 

step-mother. My father's wife also 

became the mother of a son. He was 

of course my brother and also my 

grandchild for he was the son of my 

daughter. Accordingly, my wife was 

my grandmother because she was my 

mother's mother. 

(MORE) 

100. 


Sleep 'N Eat, I was my wife's 

husband and grandchild at one and

the same time. And lo' and behold, 

as the husband of a person's 

grandmother is his grandfather, I 

Mantan, became my own grandfather. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

Mantan, dat sho' is a whopper. 

They both start to do the jig. 

INT. CONTROL BOOTH 

Delacroix is dying laughing. 

DUNWITTY 

You couldn't hold out any longer, 

huh? 

ON SLOAN 

She looks at Delacroix, her face tells us she's not amused 

at all. 

ON TV SCREEN 

The Dusky Duo is joined on the cotton patch by Snowflake, 

Rastus, Sambo, Nigga Jim, Jungle Bunny, Aunt Jemima, And the

Porch Monkeys Band. 

MANTAN 

I feel a song a comin' on. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

A song a comin' I feel. 

The Porch Monkeys kick in and Mantan sings. 

MANTAN 

I fell right dead in love/wid da 

sweetest little dove/little LuLu 

Snow from Tennessee/she made a 

slave of me/an' from her I'se never 

free/I'd do anything she'd ask me 

to... 

Sleep 'N Eat takes over. 

101. 

SLEEP 'N EAT 

De money I did save/to dat yeller 

gal I gave/for to keep till we was

wed/she told me dat nobody'd get 

away dat cash/I'll take good care 

of date, she said. 

Everybody joins in for the chorus. 

PIKCANINNINIES 

She's de cutest gal in all dis 

world I know/If you met her you 

would say it so/Oh, Lulu, Lulu, 

ev'ry day I pines for you/no other 

gal will do/All I've got is yours 

for life, my little, my little 

yaller Lou/A week ago dat Lou wid 

anudder nigger flew/took ma money 

too, all I had/She broke ma heart 

in two/when I heard dat she had 

flew/Do you wonder dat I feel so 

bad?/She told me not to cry 'case 

she didn't say good bye/but she'd

take care of dat red/and nobody 

would get de cash away from 

her/She'd keep her word to me she 

said. 


The Mau-Mau clan surrounds the television monitor, howling 

in disgust. 

BIG BLACK 

He gots to be did. 

1/16TH BLACK 

Did he gots to be. 

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY 

Delacroix is leading the meeting of the staff writers on 

Mantan. 


To my astonishment, not only did 

the people in TV land love us, but 

also the critics.

_ 

102. 

CLOSE ON DELACROIX 


Mantan was being hailed as 

groundbreaking, barrier breaking, 

also earth shaking. I looked 

forward to my awards. Just 

vindication for all my hard work, 

all my talent that had been 

previously overlooked. 

INT. THEATER - NIGHT 

Delacroix sits in tux amongst many stars. 

ALEC BALDWIN 

The winner for Best New Sitcom is... 

The envelope please... 

A starlet hands him the envelope. 

ALEC BALDWIN (CONT'D)

The winner is... Pierre Delacroix 

for Mantan - The New Millennium 

Minstrel Show! 

Delacroix jumps out og his chair and starts sobbing. Two 

ushers have to help him to the stage. He is overcome with 

emotion. The audience is on their feet with a standing 

ovation. He hugs Alec Baldwin. 

DELACROIX 

Alec Baldwin, this is the very 

first time we've ever met, you 

don't know this, I'm your biggest 

fan and I want you to have my Emmy. 

It's for you, out of the deep 

bowels of my heart - I don't 

deserve this. You take it. 

Alec Baldwin is shocked. He grabs Delacroix in a bear hug 

and they both cry like babies. 

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

If I did that I'd be assured to 

work forever. Delacroix the 

grateful Negro. 

INT. HOTEL BALLROOM - NIGHT 

Delacroix sits at a table in his lucky tux. 

WOODY HARRELSON 

The winner for Best Sit-Com is... 

103. 

Woody opens the envelope. 

WOODY HARRELSON (CONT'D) 

...Pierre Delacroix for Mantan. 

Come on up and get your Golden Globe. 

Delacroix jumps out of his seat and sprints. He gets down 

on the stage and starts to breakdance, even spinning on his 

head. 


That routine would go over like 

gangbusters. I would be a dancing

fool, Hollywood's new favorite 

Negro, move over Danny, Morgan, 

Samuel L., move over Whoopi. 

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY 

Delacroix is finishing up the meeting. 

DELACROIX 

I had it all planned. To the T. 

INT. DANCE STUDIO - DAY 

Mantan is running rigorous rehearsal of The Pikaninnies. 

Over and over, repetition after repetition, Snowflake, 

Rastus, Sambo, Nigger Jim, Jungle Bunny and Aunt Jemima try 

to do an intricate dance step. 

MANTAN 

I'm tired of you pickaninnies 

messing up my choreography. It 

goes like this. 

Mantan does the step with ease. 

MANTAN (CONT'D)

Try it again. 

The dancers do it once more. 


Better. 

Cheeba walks in. Mantan checks him out. 


Let's take a ten minute break. 

They quickly file past Cheeba without saying a word. The 

rehearsal space is just the two. 

104. 

CHEEBA 

I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid. 

MANTAN 

What are you talkin' about? 

CHEEBA 

Jim Jones, y'know. I'm not drinking 

the Kool-Aid. 

MANTAN

Meaning? 

CHEEBA 

I'm out. 

MANTAN 

Good. I've got a broken back from 

carrying you all these years anyway. 

CHEEBA 

So that's what you been doing? 

MANTAN 

Damn skippy. 

CHEEBA 

You're in this up till ya neck. 

MANTAN 

Don't shoot me, I'm just the piano 

players. 

CHEEBA 

You can walk away. We both can. 

MANTAN

Yeah, that's easy for you to do. 

You never had any talent. 

CHEEBA 

I'm so tired of you running that. 

I always worked hard for you. You 

think I'm a leech, a kling-on, I 

quit. 

Cheeba walks out. 

MANTAN 

I'm the star of Mantan, so you do 

that. Quit, walk away. And don't 

come crawling back, either. 

105. 

INT. LIMOUSINE - NIGHT 

Mantan and Sloan ride in back. He's still thinking about 

Cheeba. 

SLOAN 

Why don't you call him?

MANTAN 

For what? He left. Not me. 

EXT. APOLLO THEATRE - NIGHT 

The limo drives past the World Famous Apollo Theatre in 

Harlem, a big crowd is in front. 

TIGHT ON THEATRE 

It READS: MANTAN THE MARVELOUS 

INT. DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT 

It's an unruly, fired up crowd that can be heard all the way 

back here. 

SLOAN 

You're sure this is a good idea. 

MANTAN 

My people love me. 

He kisses her, she doesn't resist. 

SLOAN 

I love you. 

After a long, deep kiss she gently pulls back.


I'll be down front. You better 

start putting your face on. 

MANTAN 

Y'know what? 

SLOAN 

What? 

MANTAN 

You look beautiful like that. 

INT. APOLLO THEATRE - NIGHT 

Sloan takes a seat down front. 

106. 

INT. DRESSING ROOM 

Mantan, face already done, puts on the firetruck red lipstick. 

INT. APOLLO THEATRE 

Sloan is looking around this boisterous crowd when she sees 

ON THE MAU-MAU'S 

In one of the side boxes.

ON BIG BLACK 

He waves to his sister. 

ON SLOAN 

She knows her brother and his clan are up to no good as the 

house lights go black. 

ANGLE ON STAGE 

Honeycutt walks out on stage. The audience goes crazy. 

HONEYCUTT 

Thank you so very much. Show me 

some love. 

He laughs. 


Thank you. My name is Honeycutt 

and I want to welcome you to a very 

special evening. It's always great 

coming back to the World Famous 

Apollo Theatre. 

The audience applauds.


As everybody knows if you can make 

it here on this stage in front of 

the most discriminating audience in 

the world you can make it anywhere. 

Ladies and gentlemen, let's show 

some real Uptown love for Mantan 

The Marvelous! 

The curtain goes up and Mantan the Marvelous stands there, 

arms raised. He starts to do his thing. 

107. 

ON MAU-MAU BOX 

Led by Big Black, they start shouting insults at Mantan. 

ON STAGE 

Mantan is a pro, he doesn't stop. In fact, this makes him 

dance harder and harder. 

ON SLOAN 

She leaves her seat and goes to stop her brother.

ON STAGE 

Mantan is moving and grooving. The unrest in the audience 

has picked up. 

ON AUDIENCE 

They start to "boo." The tide has turned. Encouraged, the 

Mau-Mau's pick it up another notch. 

ON MANTAN 

He's human after all, and he does hear the boos. Don't let 

those athletes in the papers fool you. You hear the boos 

and nobody, nobody except Dennis Rodman likes to be booed. 

Mantan is getting rattled. 

ON MAU-MAU'S BOX 

Sloan rushes into the box and they are quiet. They don't 

have to say or shout a thing. The rough Apollo crowd is 

doing it all themselves. 

TWO SHOT ON SLOAN AND BIG BLACK 

The sister and big brother look at each other. There is no 

love between them.

SLOAN 

This doesn't change a thing. I 

will still love him. 

Big Black can't believe what he has just heard. 

ON STAGE 

Now projectiles are raining down upon Mantan. This has 

turned into a RUCKUS, a BROUHAHA, a DONNYBROOK. Honeycutt 

races onto the stage to pull off the still tap dancing 

Mantan as the Harlem natives BUMRUSH the stage. THE WORM 

HAS TURNED. 

108. 

ON MAU-MAU'S BOX 

Mantan, led by Honeycutt, runs for his life. 

ON MOB 

They chase him. 

ON BACKSTAGE DOOR 

Mantan is hauling ass. 

EXT. BACKSTAGE

The door crashes open, Mantan rockets out into an open car 

door. 

ON CAR DOOR 

The door slams. 

EXT. STREET - NIGHT 

The car spins away. 

INT. CAR - NIGHT 

Delacroix is behind the wheel. This is the most shaken 

we've seen Mantan to date. 

DELACROIX 

Pull ya self together. 

Mantan is distraught. 


What are you? A man or a mouse? 

Are you a punk? Punking out on me? 

MANTAN 

No. 

DELACROIX

You getting scared because some 

people don't like what you are doing? 

MANTAN 

Yo, DeLa, they tried to lynch my 

black ass up in dat piece. 

109. 

DELACROIX 

You've made it from the guttermost 

to the uppermost. Don't you know 

you should never let them see you 

sweat. Y'knowwhatI'msayin'? 

MANTAN 

Yeah. 

DELACROIX 

And now is definitely not the time 

to bitch up. 

EXT. HARLEM STREET - NIGHT 

Delacroix speeds away.

INT. BET STUDIO - NIGHT 

Mantan is on the BET show with host TAVIS SMILEY. 

TAVIS SMILEY 

Our guest tonight is the 

extraordinary, talented performer, 

Mantan. Thanks for coming in. 

MANTAN 

Tavis, thank you for having me. 

TAVIS SMILEY 

Before we begin, I want to thank 

you for coming on my show for your 

first television interview. You 

could have chosen Mike Wallace, 

Barbara Walters, Jane Pauley, 

whatnot but you're here. 

MANTAN 

I'm more comfortable around my 

people.

TAVIS SMILEY 

Let's jump right into it. Your 

show has sparked a world of 

controversy, provoked a tone of 

dialogue. How do you see all of 

this? 

MANTAN 

Yo, Tavis, check it out. This is 

the two-one, the 21st century and 

it's all about the money. Like my 

man Mase says, "it's all about the 

Benjamins." 

110. 

TAVIS SMILEY 

Money and nothing else? 

MANTAN 

Money makes the world go round. It 

ain't no joke being poor. I know

whatI'mtalkin''bout. 

Y'knowwhatI'msayin'? I've lived on 

the street. I've been homeless. 

I've learned how to play the game, 

work the game, be in the game. 

TAVIS SMILEY 

Is it inevitable that the game 

plays you? 

MANTAN 

No if you go with the flow, Tavis. 

That's what a lot of Negroes don't 

understand. Protesting isn't gonna 

do a damn thing. If people don't 

like our satire in our number one 

hit show then don't watch it. Or 

better yet write your own show. Do 

it better. 

TAVIS SMILEY

Don't you feel that is a simplistic 

retort? 

MANTAN 

I don't know what a retort is, but 

it's simple. Mantan - The New 

Millennium Minstrel Show is 

UNIVERSAL. It's not just for 

Negroes in Compton or 125th in 

Harlem. This is America. Our 

ancestors helped build this country, 

we got a right, just like everybody 

else. I'm not gonna box myself in. 

This show makes people think, and 

they're laughing at the same time. 

TAVIS SMILEY 

I admit, that's a very hard thing 

to do. Quickly let's go to the 

phones before we pay the bills and

hear from our proud sponsors, DA 

BOMB. 125% PURE PLEASURE MALT 

LIQUOR. IT MAKES YOU WANNA GET YA 

FREAK ON AND TIMMI HILLNIGGER. 

125% AUTHENTIC GIT-TOE GEAR WHEN 

YOU WANT TO BE GIT-TOED FABULOUS. 

(MORE) 

111. 

TAVIS SMILEY (CONT'D) 

Our first caller is Big Black from 

Brooklyn. Go 'head. 

ON MANTAN 

BIG BLACK (O.S.) 

Microphone check, one, two. One, 

two. Yo Tavis, I be lovin' yo show 

but Mantan you is foul. Why you 

perpetrating? You a sellout. 

MANTAN

That's our opinion. 


You're a traitor to the race. A 

tool for the Caucasoids. 

MANTAN 

Why? Because I'm successful? 

Because I don't use "Causcasoids" 

as an excuse for not fulfilling my 

dreams? 


I ain't hearing all dat noise. You 

getting played and you don't even 

know it. 

TAVIS SMILEY 

And Big Black from Brooklyn, what 

do you do? 


What do I do?

TAVIS SMILEY 

What do you do? 


I'm a revolutionary. 

MANTAN 

That's a job? 


That's a full time job, especially 

when sellouts like you are running 

around, acting insane. 

TAVIS SMILEY 

That's enough. 

112. 


And another thing, you better stay 

away from my sister or you better... 

CLICK!!! 

TAVIS SMILEY

Ladies and gentlemen, there is no 

need to go there. We can all agree 

to disagree without making threats. 

INT. DELACROIX'S OFFICE - NIGHT 

Sloan turns off the TV. 

DELACROIX 

Why'd you do that? 

SLOAN 

I don't want to hear it. 

DELACROIX 

How long have you and Hambone been 

hangin' out? 

SLOAN 

You're the one that put us together. 

We're friends. 

DELACROIX 

That crazy brother of yours doesn't 

think so.

SLOAN 

He's just playing big brother. 

DELACROIX 

Oh, is he? You getting jiggy with 

Mantan? 

SLOAN 

Please don't go there. 

DELACROIX 

Dunwitty and I feel you've been 

getting too close to him, getting 

his mind all messed up. 

SLOAN 

I can't lie to him. If he asks me 

something, I tell him what I think. 

DELACROIX 

Do you have to be so damn forthright? 

113. 

SLOAN

DeLa, you should try it sometime. 

Come into the light. 

DELACROIX 

Light? 

SLOAN 

That which has been hidden in 

darkness is now in the light. This 

bucket of blood. 

DELACROIX 

You can talk all that mumbo jumbo 

if you want to but your hands are 

much bloody. I know where I made 

my big mistake. I have a general 

rule, never get involved 

romantically with somebody crazier 

than you. 

CUT TO FLASHBACK 

INT. MIDTOWN HOTEL ROOM - DAY

Delacroix and Sloan are taking off their clothes. 

DELACROIX 

This is crazy. 

SLOAN 

That's why it will be so much fun. 

They kiss, fall half undressed upon the motel bed. 

CUT BACK TO: 

INT. DELACROIX'S OFFICE - NIGHT 

SLOAN 

That was a mistake, but I don't 

regret it. 

DELACROIX 

The first and only time. A big 

mistake. I'm gonna have to ask you 

not to see Mantan anymore. 

SLOAN 

Work related or otherwise? 

114.

DELACROIX 

Otherwise. I trust you know the 

difference. You're an intelligent 

woman, finished at NYU. 

SLOAN 

DeLa, kiss my big black ass. 

DELACROIX 

And that's how you got me in the 

first place. 

Sloan pulls a 3/4 inch cassette out of her bag and hands it 

to him. 

SLOAN 

I want you to please view this. It 

may save your Life. 

INT. MANTAN'S APARTMENT - DAY 

Mantan and Delacroix are in the middle of a heated discussion. 

DELACROIX 

You shouldn't even be mad at me

over Sloan. 

MANTAN 

What you did is dead wrong. 

DELACROIX 

Oh, is it? Buddy boy, in this 

business if people don't produce, 

they get fired. 

MANTAN 

Sloan is the hardest working person 

I've ever met. 

DELACROIX 

Let me ask you a question, if I may. 

How do you think she got the job in 

the first place? I don't mean to 

burst your bubble, Mantan the 

Marvelous, but Sloan is an 

opportunity. 

MANTAN

I don't believe it. 

DELACROIX 

Do I have to spell it out for you? 

In fact, go ask Sloan yourself. 

115. 

INT. SLOAN'S STUDIO APARTMENT - DAY 

Mantan is grilling Sloan. 

MANTAN 

How did you get this gig? 

SLOAN 

Worked my black ass off, first as 

an intern, then worked my way up to 

this position. 

MANTAN 

You leave something out? 

SLOAN 

After my internship expired, Dela 

was impressed and offered me a

position as his assistant. 

MANTAN 

And? 

SLOAN 

And what? 

MANTAN 

Stop playing me Sloan. 

SLOAN 

Just ask me what you want to know. 

MANTAN 

Oh, you gonna make me say it. 

SLOAN 

Say what, Manray? 

MANTAN 

Did you ever sleep with DeLa? 

SLOAN 

We did it one time, only once. It 

had nothing to do with the job, it

was stupid. Everything I've got 

I've earned. 

MANTAN 

Aw, c'mon. 

SLOAN 

That's ancient history. That has 

nothing to do with you and I. 

116. 

MANTAN 

So you say. Sloan, you wuz gonna 

use me up just like you used Dela? 

Work it to the top. I never 

imagined people in this biz could 

flip on you like "IHOP." I'm damn 

happy DeLa fired ya ass. 

SLOAN 

Forget about me, are you a puppet 

for DeLa?

MANTAN 

Don't try to change to the subject. 

SLOAN 

Why don't you answer? 

MANTAN 

I know I won't be your puppet. 

SLOAN 

You can go now. 

MANTAN 

I wuz leaving anyway, for good. 


As usual, the clan is smoking and drinking DA BOMB, a thick 

marijuana haze hangs over the studio. 

1/16TH BLACK 

Yo, I got da bomb plan. We gonna 

hook homeslice Mantan up nicely. 

He holds up a floppy disk. 

INT. DELACROIX'S OFFICE - NIGHT

Delacroix sits behind the desk. He's bought even more Black 

Collectibles, he's surrounded by them. 

ON DELACROIX 

He dials the phone. 

DELACROIX 

Hello, Mommy, how are you? 

117. 

ORCHID (O.S.) 

I'm doing okay. Been reading about 

your show, it's all over everywhere. 

I watched it's all over everywhere. 

I watched it once. I thought you 

said there would be no buffoonery. 

DELACROIX 

You going to attack me too. The 

show is a hit. Aren't you happy 

for me? 

INT. ORCHID'S HOUSE

ORCHID 

Of course I'm happy for you. 

You've worked very hard for your 

success. 


Yes I have, very hard. Has Daddy 

called? 

ORCHID 

No. 

ON DELACROIX 

DELACROIX 

Not at all? 

ORCHID (O.S.) 

You know how your Daddy is. 

DELACROIX 

If and when he calls, please don't 

forget to ask him if he's seen 

Mantan.

ORCHID (O.S.) 

I won't forget. When are you 

coming up here to see your mother? 

DELACROIX 

Soon. 

Delacroix hangs up the phone. He takes out some change from 

his pocket and puts a quarter in the hand of his Jolly 

Nigger Bank. 

TIGHT ON JNB 

Delacroix flips the lever and the quarter flies into the 

MOUTH as the EYES roll to the top of its HEAD. 

118. 

Delacroix does this several times. CLOSEUPS of the BLACK 

COLLECTIBLES in the office. 

CLOSER ON JNB 

Delacroix is staring at the JNB when its MOUTH OPENS, a 

quarter flies in and its EYES roll to the top of its HEAD. 

ON DELACROIX

He is incredulous. 


When I thought or imagined that my 

favorite Jolly Nigger Bank, an 

inanimate object, a piece of cold, 

cast iron, was moving by itself... 

Delacroix slowly, carefully approaches the bank and picks it 

off the table. 


...I knew I was getting paranoid. 

Did I really see what I saw or was 

I buggin'? 

ON JNB 

It's stopped moving. 


Honeycutt is warming up the crazed "Black Face"-wearing 

audience. He points to a YOUNG WHITE MALE, BOBBY 

HONEYCUTT

Is you a nigga? 

BOBBY 

Hell yeah, I'm a nigga. 

The AUDIENCE CHEERS WILDLY. Honeycutt points to an old 

WHITE LADY, LOUISE, a senior citizen. 

HONEYCUTT 

Ma'am, is you a nigga? 

LOUISE 

Yesiree Bob, you darn tootin' I'm a 

nigger. 

The AUDIENCE loses it as Honeycutt hugs Louise as if she's a 

grandmother. 

119. 

INT. MANTAN'S DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT 

Mantan looks up at his makeup laid out before him on the 

counter. 

TIGHT ON MANTAN 

He stares at himself in the dressing room mirror. Mantan

can't stand to BLACK UP anymore. 


Honeycutt stands next to a young black couple TRE and STACY. 

HONEYCUTT 

Are you a nigger? 

TRE 

Yo! 

HONEYCUTT 

Are you a nigga? 

STACY 

Honeycutt, I'm a really real 

niggress. 

Stacy gets a standing ovation. 

HONEYCUTT 

You. You. Him. Her. We're all 

God's niggas. Even the lost souls 

who don't know it are niggas cuz 

niggas is a beautiful thing.

INT. BACKSTAGE - NIGHT 

As Mantan walks down the hallway WE NOTICE he is not dressed 

in his costume and he has no BLACK FACE on. 

EXT. SLEEP 'N EAT'S DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT 

A Worker is painting over Sleep 'N Eat's name on the door 

and replacing it with HONEYCUTT 

MANTAN 

They don't waste any time, do they? 


The phone rings next to Delacroix and he answers. 

120. 

DELACROIX 

Delacroix. What?! I'll be right 

down. 

Dunwitty looks at him. 

INT. BACKSTAGE - NIGHT 

Delacroix is met by BUNNING, the STAGE MANAGER. 

BUNNING

You better talk to him. He won't 

listen to me. 

Delacroix walks over to Mantan who stands in a corner. 

DELACROIX 

Mantan, we got a show to tape. 

MANTAN 

My name is Manray, goddamnit. 

DELACROIX 

Kook and the Gang, it's Manray. 

Let's do the taping. You go back 

to your dressing room, get dressed 

and blacken up. 

MANRAY 

I'm not playin' myself no mo'. 

DELACROIX 

How you sound? 

MANRAY 

I won't do it anymore.

DELACROIX 

Manray, I'm very sorry about ya boy 

Cheeba and Sloan. Believe me, it 

gave me no joy pulling ya coattail 

about her, just lookin' out for a 

brother. I feel you, all this 

stuff happenin' at once but you 

can't let if affect your work. You 

gotta be professional. 

MANRAY 

I'm always gonna be that. But I 

ain't doing no more buck dancing. 

DELACROIX 

No costume. No blackface. 

121. 

MANRAY 

No. No. 

Manray leads the way to the stage.

BUNNING 

I should notify Dunwitty. 

DELACROIX 

And I should put my foot dead up in 

yo' ass. 

BUNNING 

I won't be held responsible. 


Honeycutt stands in front of the drawn curtain. 

HONEYCUTT 

We apologize for the holdup but 

without further delay, ladies and 

gentlemen, boys and girls, let's 

give it up for Mantan. 

A THUNDEROUS ROAR FROM THE STUDIO AUDIENCE. 


C'mon, don't be niggardly, give it 

up. Show Mantan some love.

The CURTAIN RISES and MANRAY stands before them in his 

regular street clothes and NO BLACK FACE. 

ON AUDIENCE 

The THUNDEROUS ROAR is CUT OFF LIKE the LIGHTS, LIKE CON 

EDISON PULLS THE PLUG WHEN YOU DON'T PAY THE BILL. 


Dunwitty is HYSTERICAL. 

DUNWITTY 

Stop the tape. Stop the tape. 

Delacroix. Get me Delacroix. 


Manray speaks to the silence. 

_ 

122. 

MANRAY 

Cousins, I want all of you to go to 

your windows. Go to your windows 

and yell, scream with all the life

you can muster up inside your 

assaulted, bruised amd battered 

bodies. 

ON MANRAY 

MANRAY 

I'm sick and tired of being a 

nigger and I'm not gonna take it 

anymore. 

ON VARIOUS AUDIENCE MEMBERS 

Black and white. Male and female. Young and old. All in 

black face. 

ON MANRAY 

He collapses onto the stage and the AUDIENCE sits on their 

hands. Manray gets up and begins to dance. 

ON STAGE 

Dunwitty runs to Bunning. 

DUNWITTY 

Drop the curtain. Drop the curtain.

Bunning drops the curtain. Security rushes onto the stage 

and grabs Manray. 


Escort him out the building now! 

MANRAY 

I wasn't finished doing my dance. 

DUNWITTY 

But you are finished. Done. 

Nigga's like you are a dime a dozen. 

I'm gonna slide Honeycutt right 

into ya spot. We won't miss a step. 

Get him outta here. 

The security guards move Manray as Dunitty glares at 

Delacroix. Honeycutt is all smiles, he's being bumped to 

the top. 


DeLa, I'll deal with you next. 

123.

EXT. BACKSTAGE 

The security guards toss Manray out the stage door. Manray 

looks down the alley and it's empty except for a parked SUV. 

He picks himself up and does a joyous dance. This is 

Manray's dance of Freedom. 

ON STREET 

The Big Black Chevy Suburban creeps down the alley to a 

dancing Manray and comes to rest right in front of him. 

Manray tries to shield his eyes from the hi-beam headlights. 

MANRAY 

Whaddup? 

No one comes out. 

MANRAY (CONT'D) 

Whaddup? 

The doors open and the Mau-Mau's file out. 

BIG BLACK 

You truly are a dancing fool. 

1/16TH BLACK

Yo Black, you looking for trouble. 

MANRAY 

Don't start none, won't be none. 

The Mau-Mau's are dying laughing. Manray tries to walk 

through them. They block him. Manray attempts to climb 

over the suburban. He's quickly nabbed, give a good ole 

Brooklyn Beatdown, then thrown into the rear of the vehicle. 

EXT. EMPTY BROOKLYN STREET - NIGHT 

The Mau-Mau Mobile rolls up to an abandoned factory. 

ON CHEVY SUBURBAN 

The Mau-Mau's quickly carry Manray out from the back of the 

vehicle into the factory. 

INT. FACTORY - NIGHT 

Manray sits, feet and hands tied, in the middle of a 

cavernous space. A digital video camera stands on a tripod 

in front of him. 

BIG BLACK 

You is one dead nigger.

124. 

MANRAY 

What did I do? 

BIG BLACK 

What did you do? 

The Mau-Mau's laugh. 


Brothers, he asks what did he do? 

DOUBLE BLACK 

If you don't know there is nuthin' 

we can do for you. 

BIG BLACK 

Nigga, you will be executed. 

ON MANRAY 

His face says he can't believe this is happening. 

MANRAY 

For singing and dancing? 

1/16TH BLACK

You will be done in front of the 

world. 

MO BLACK 

The whole world will be watching. 

1/16TH BLACK 

Via the internet. 


The Mau-Mau's had come up with a 

brilliant, sadistic plan to 

broadcast Mantan's execution LIVE 

over the internet. 

1/16TH BLACK 

We have pirated broadcasting 

facilities. No way we can be found 

out. We're in cyberspace. 

JO BLACK 

Nobody will find you till it's too 

late.

MONTAGE 

Various newsrooms, computer screens, people running, 

shouting, yelling over phones. 

125. 


The Mau-Mau's sent anonymous e-mail 

proclamations to the websites of 

CNN, ABC, MSNBC and CBS. It was an 

invite to witness the Dance of 

Death, 9 PM, prime time, tomorrow 

night on a site to be designated at 

a later date. 

INT. FBI HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT 

Delacroix and Cheeba are being interrogated in two adjoining 

spaces. WE ARE seeing them through the two-way mirrors. 


It's no joke getting grilled by the 

FBI for five houts.

Delacroix SCREAMS. 


I don't know anything. 

FBI AGENT 

We know you're involved in this 

abduction. 

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT 

CHEEBA 

You know more than me. Why would I 

do something like that to my best 

friend? Why? 

FBI AGENT #2 

You tell us. 

EXT. FBI HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT 

It's a mob scene as the media frenzy heightens. Delacroix 

and Cheeba try to fight their way through the print and 

broadcast journalists trying to question them as they leave 

FBI headquarters.


Somehow, someway, somebody had 

tipped the sharks off. It was a 

feeding frenzy. 

Delacroix and Cheeba start pushing people out of the way as 

they get in to their waiting car. 

126. 

INT. X-FORCE WAR ROOM - NIGHT 

There is a flurry of activity - people man phones, computers 

all HI-TECH. 


The X-Force was brought onto the 

case. When something involves the 

internet, these are the people IBM, 

XEROX, the CIA, FBI, even the US 

Government go to. 

ON CLOCK 

It reads "T-minus 19 HOURS 22 MINUTES."


It was a race against time. The 

Dance of Death. 

INT. CNS STUDIO - NIGHT 

Dunwitty is taping a spot. 

DUNWITTY 

Hello, my name is Thomas Dunwitty. 

I'm the Senior V.P. of the 

entertainment division here at CNS. 

I come to you with a heavy heart. 

INT. SLOAN'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS 

She's watching Dunwitty on TV. 

DUNWITTY 

This abduction is a cowardly, vile, 

sinful and dastardly act and I 

promise these creeps will be 

prosecuted to the fullest extent of 

the law. This is an attack on your

American way of life... 


He's watching the same. 

DUNWITTY 

We here at CNS are offering a 

$100,000 cash award to any 

information that leads to the safe 

return home of our dear friend, 

Mantan. 

127. 

INT. CNS STUDIO 

ON DUNWITTY 

DUNWITTY 

Help us and in addition you will 

get a guest-starring speaking role 

on the next Mantan - The New 

Millennium Minstrel Show, plus an 

added bonus: a lifetime of Da Bomb

125% Malt Liquor. Let's you get ya 

"freak on", as well as a full 

wardrobe of Timmi Hillnigger Active 

Git Toe Wear. Mantan, may God 

bless you... 

INT. X-FORCE HEADQUARTERS - DAY 

Delacroix and Sloan hurry to stay with BARNETT, he's the 

commander of the X-Force. 

BARNETT 

Let's go, time's wasting. 

INT. X-FORCE WAR ROOM 

They follow Barnett into the war room. 

BARNETT 

They sent the notice out on an 

anonymous remailer. 

SLOAN 

A what? 

BARNETT

It's used to mask the origin of an 

email, also the computer from which 

it's sent. 

DELACROIX 

There oughta be a law... 

BARNETT 

Not yet, anyway, it's legal. We 

will find the source where it's 

being broadcasted and hosted. 

We'll get the people that 

bushwhacked Mantan. 

SLOAN 

Before Manray is dead? 

128. 

BARNETT 

I can't answer that. 

ON CLOCK 

It reads "6 HOURS 16 MINUTES."

MONTAGE 

Police squads, SWAT Teams are busting into the wrong homes, 

apartments, projects, hi-tech computer labs looking for the 

Mau-Mau's. 


SWAT teams all up and down the East 

Coast busted in on known dissidents 

looking for Manray. All the tips 

called in, info gathered through 

surveillance proved for naught. 

INT. X-FORCE WAR ROOM 

BARNETT 

The both of you should go home. We 

will keep you abreast. 

SLOAN 

This is looking like a needle in a 

haystack. It's hopeless. 

Delacroix holds Sloan as he leads her out. She is having

difficulty breathing with her asthma. 

DELACROIX 

Thank you for your help. 

BARNETT 

The X-Force always gets their man. 


He sits in front of his GIANT SCREEN, on the desk in front 

of him is the 3/4 inch cassette Sloan gave him. He picks it 

up and turns it on. 


It was ten o'clock and the Dance of 

Death was about to commence. 

129. 

ON MONITOR 


Since a lot of people still didn't 

have computers, the networks sought 

a court order to carry it live,

taking the feed off the internet. 

It was granted. A life snuff 

broadcast right into your living 

room. 

ON DELACROIX 


I had to give it to the Mau-Mau', 

they definitely had a sense of 

irony. They chose www.nigger.com 

as the website to pirate. 

INT. FACTORY - NIGHT 

The Mau-Mau's ironically wear WHITE MASKS, they stand behind 

the tied-up Mantan. A device alters their voices. 

BIG BLACK 

We are LIVE on the cyberspace. 

Whereas Mantan is a TOM... 

BLACK BLACK 

Whereas Mantan is a disgrace...

SMOOTH BLACK 

Whereas Mantan is a head-scratching, 

foot-shuffling Negro... 

1/16TH BLACK 

Whereas, whereas, where's the ass? 

The Mau-Mau's laugh. 

BIG BLACK 

Whereas Mantan the dancing fool, 

you are condemned to death. 

JO BLACK 

The Dance of Death. 

1/16th Black unties Manray. 

MONTAGE 

WE SEE DELACROIX, SLOAN, CHEEBA WITH LOURDESE, DUNWITTY, 

JUNEBUG AND DOT, ORCHID, THE X-FORCE WATCHING THIS 

SPECTACLE 

ON COMPUTERS OR TV SCREENS. 

130. 

ON COMPUTER SCREEN

We see a CARTOON, Yosemite Sam is shooting at the feet of 

Bugs Bunny with his six-shooter in each hand. Bugs Bunny is 

doing a fast dance, dodging bullets. 

ON MONITOR 

The Mau-Mau's shoot at the feet of Manray. 

BIG BLACK 

Dance nigger. 

Manray taps. 

SMOOTH BLACK 

You got anything to say for yourself? 

MANRAY 

If you're gonna kill me, kill me. 

SMOOTH BLACK 

Don't worry. 

INT. SLOAN'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS 

She is having an asthma attack, it was brought on by the 

proceedings. Sloan uses her inhaler. 

INT. FACTORY - NIGHT

Each Mau-Mau has a 9mm and is firing it at the feet of 

Manray. They scream "Faster!" and "Dance!" Manray is 

hoofing. He's never tapped this fast, at this breakneck 

pace, ever. But it's evident his dance is one of defiance. 

He's not dancing to stay alive. 

INT. DELACROIX'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 

He screams at the monitor. 

DELACROIX 

Don't dance. Don't do it. 

INT. FACTORY 

The Mau-Mau's have noticed Manray's strong will, his pride 

and they don't like it. They shoot even more at his feet. 

BIG BLACK 

You ain't Blak. 

DOUBLE BLACK 

Blak you ain't. 

131. 

SMOOTH BLACK

You a Oreo. Not Blak. Not BLAK. 

The Mau-Mau's start to chant, "Blak, blak, blak." 

INT. SLOAN'S APARTMENT 

She hears this and quickly picks up the phone to call the 

authorities. 

INT. FACTORY 

MANRAY 

There is nothing you can do to me. 

I'm wearing the taps of Bill 

"Bojangles" Robinson. 

Manray is shot in one foot. Then the other. 

BIG BLACK 

Let's seeya dance now, Mr. Bojangles. 

Manray somehow manages to right himself and starts to dance 

again. The Mau-Mau's can't believe it. 

ON MANRAY 

He dances like his life depends on it. Despite the fact his 

feet are a bloody mess.


You ain' BLAK. 

He shoots Manray in the chest, the Mau-Mau's follow him and 

he does a spastic last jig as the 9mm bullets riddle his 

twitching body. 

ON TV SCREEN 

It goes black. 

MONTAGE 

Helicopters fly through the night sky. Cop cars and trucks, 

SWAT team vehicles are on the move. SIRENS BLARE. 

INT. DELACROIX'S OFFICE 

Delacroix's head is on his desk. He has been crying. On 

cue the Black Collectibles start to move. The Jolly Nigger 

Bank, Aunt Jemima's, Mammies, etc., they are animated for 

REAL. 

132. 

ON DELACROIX 

His head pops up as he sees the objects. He too is in

BLACKFACE. In a rage, he starts to throw them against the 

wall. 

DELACROIX 

Leave me alone. Get away from me. 

You spearchucker. You black sambo. 

You nigger pickaninny. Fat Mammie. 

Delacroix has finally lost it. He looks at the shambles 

he's made of his office. 

EXT. FACTORY - CONTINUOUS 

The Mau-Mau's come out of the factory high as a kite. Each 

has a big fat joint or a 64 oz. of DA BOMB. They're also 

doing a free-style rap about their execution. 

ON CHEVY SUBURBAN 

They get in when the squak of police walkie-talkie's clicks. 

BIG BLACK 

It's the man! 

What follows is a horrifying display of firepower. All the 

Mau-Mau's bodies are doing the Bonnie and Clyde Sonny

Corleone Dance of Death as bullets tear into them and the 

Suburban. Not one of them is able to get a shot off. The 

shooting stops. The twitching stops. All's quiet. 1/16th 

Black comes out with his hands up. 

1/16TH BLACK 

Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I've 

been held hostage. They made me 

part of them against my own free 

will. Don't shoot! 

The cops quickly pounce on 1/16th Black. 

1/16TH BLACK (CONT'D) 

I'm WHITE. I'm WHITE! Look at me, 

I'm white! 

INT. DELACROIX'S OFFICE 

Delacroix is on the floor when the doorknob turns. It's 

Sloan and she has a gun in one hand and her inhaler in the 

other. She's wheezing like mad. 

SLOAN

Get up and put that tape in. 

133. 

She points the gun at his head. 


Do what I say. 

Delacroix takes the cassette tape off his desk and puts it 

in the 3/4 inch desk. 


Don't make me have to use this. 

DELACROIX 

I didn't think this was in your 

studies at NYU. 

Delacroix hits the PLAY button. 

ON SCREEN 

IMAGES. HISTORY. VISUALS. Sloan has put together a tape 

of the worst, most racist, stereotypical images from cinema 

and TV over the last 100 years. With these images there's 

also a laugh-track.

SLOAN 

Watch this. This is what you 

contributed to. Because of you, 

Manray is dead. Mu brother's dead. 

It's all because of you. 

Delacroix can't watch the monitor. 

DELACROIX 

I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone 

would get hurt. I'm sorry, please 

give me that gun before you hurt 

yourself. Give me the gun. 

He reaches for it. BOOM! Sloan screams. 

SLOAN 

I told you but you wouldn't listen. 

You never listened to me. 

DELACROIX 

Give me the gun. 

She reluctantly hands it to him.


Go, get out of here. Go home. 

Sloan runs out. Delacroix slumps to the floor, WIPES HER 

FINGERPRINTS off the revolver. 

134. 

ON DELACROIX 

He looks at the monitor, the tape still playing. 


As I bled to death, as my very 

precious life oozed out of me all I 

could think of was that I never 

made my father proud. My mother 

didn't count. 

ON SCREEN 

We see STEP 'N FETCHIT, MANTAN MORELAND and WILLIE BEST. 


Everything I did, no matter how 

great or small, was always

extraordinary to her. With Daddy 

it was a different ball game. He 

never saw me. Pierre Delacroix. 

ON DELACROIX 

A pool of blood has formed around his dying body. 


Now it was time to buy the farm, 

for me to meet my maker. Goodbye 

cousins, and please tune in next 

week for the Best of Mantan - The 

New Millennium Minstrel Show. 

ON SCREEN 

We see MANTAN in BLACKFACE doing his BUCKDANCE 

CLOSE ON DELACROIX 

He looks at Mantan. 


For the love of Joseph and Mary, 

what have I done? My God, what

have I done?! 

Delacroix slumps over dead. 

CUT TO: 

135. 

ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE OF MALCOLM X 

MALCOLM X 

You've been had. You've been took. 

You've been led astray. Run amok. 

You've been bamboozled. 

FADE TO BLACK. 

THE END. 

END CREDITS.

Bamboozled (2000) movie script - Ringling College of Art and Design

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