Paul Mooney provides answers about the mysteries of life as "Negrodamus." "Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Story" focuses on Prince, as he takes to the basketball court. Also featuring musical guest Cee-Lo.
WAR
100.8
Wins Above Replacement
“True Hollywood Stories: Prince” ranks #5 of 27 Chappelle's Show episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 99.0 — Elite. The episode packs 62 scored jokes at 3.5 per minute, averaging 7.5 on craft and 7.7 on impact, with Charlie Murphy landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Charlie Murphy · Prince (portrayed): 'You know what we're gonna call this? The shirts against the blouses.' — and when Charlie says it, a look comes on Prince's face: 'He looked angry'
Charlie Murphy: Charlie Murphy reveals: 'After it was all over, he took us in the house and served us pancakes' — followed by the pancakes reveal
Negrodamus · Audience Member: Negrodamus is asked why white people love Wayne Brady so much; he answers: 'White people love Wayne Brady because he makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X'
Prince (portrayed): Charlie announces the game ended with Prince declaring 'Game... blouses'
Prince (portrayed) · Charlie Murphy · Eddie Murphy: Prince listens to his own tracks, then says 'This bores me. Is anyone up for a game of basketball?' — followed by hysterical laughter
All Jokes — 62 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Dave Chappelle · Announcer: Dave Chappelle being introduced as 'the next black comedian to get his own show' to The Price is Right theme
Dave Chappelle: Chappelle observes corporate criminals like Enron and Tyco get no jail time and says 'I gotta get in on this being white thing'
Dave Chappelle: Chappelle proposes swapping the legal systems: put corporate criminals through the street legal system, and put crack dealers through the corporate legal system
Charles: Charles the white executive brushes off 'misleading stockholders and blowing employee pensions' as 'what a bunch of babies'
Charles Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Charles · Wife: Charles dismisses his dog mid-serious conversation with a flirty 'Snugglebunny!' growl while his wife screams playfully
Police: Police raid Charles's mansion — shouting 'shut that fucking dog up' followed immediately by a gunshot and screaming
Police Dark/Subversive Irony/Sarcasm Crack Dealer · Detective Stevens: Detective calls the crack dealer and gets screamed at 'nigga I said stop calling here, I'm bagging up the coke as fast as I can'
Detective Stevens: Detective Stevens nervously says 'frankly I don't know how to handle it' and expresses concern about embarrassing 'somebody like me' in front of family and community
Crack Dealer: Crack dealer negotiates his turn-in time around 'some trim coming at 12:00' and proposes turning himself in 'between 2:00 and 6:00'
Crack Dealer · Detective Stevens: The crack dealer ends the call with 'one love' and the bewildered detective responds 'uh, yeah... I love you too'
Detective · Charles: Interrogation room: Charles is asked what he's charged with and the detective snarls 'yeah like you don't know, you little bitch'
Charles · Detective: Charles asks the detective not to smoke; detective responds by aggressively putting the cigarette out on Charles's face: 'Why don't I do you a favor and put it out there for ya, huh? I want answers, punk!'
Charles · Detective · Legal Aid Lawyer: Charles demands a lawyer; detective says 'legal aid, you're on' and the overworked legal aid lawyer says 'sorry, you're like my 14th case this week'
Unknown Character · Charles (implied): Someone walks into the interrogation room and asks 'somebody take a piss in here?' and the answer is 'it was me! I peed...'
Unknown Prisoner: Sustained harmonica playing during what is clearly a bleak holding cell scene — visual gag of Charles sitting in squalid conditions
Crack Dealer: Crack dealer arrives at the DA's meeting and compliments the 'baller-ass spread' with cheeses he's never seen before, and apologizes for being late because of 'poonany'
Crack Dealer: The crack dealer compares himself to Nino Brown giving out turkeys on Thanksgiving as evidence of community good
Crack Dealer: After agreeing to testify and serve two months at Club Fed, the dealer asks 'when I get out, can I still traffic rocks to the community?'
Crack Dealer: Beat of silence after the 'absolutely not!' response, then: 'You're right, selling rocks would be wrong'
Crack Dealer: 'Heh heh heh... jail's the shit!'
Police Officer: The officer testifying in court suddenly says 'then his wife threw her titties in my hand. It was weird, your honor.'
Judge: Judge sentences crack dealer's wife's husband while calling him 'a filthy, big-lipped beast' — the racist invective applied by the judge to the white exec
Judge Dark/Subversive Irony/Sarcasm Judge: Judge sentences Charles to life and notes 'plenty of time to lift weights and convert to Islam'
Judge Dark/Subversive Irony/Sarcasm Judge: 'Now get out of my sight, you fuck.'
Judge Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Charles · Reporter: Reporter asks Charles about his crack dealing; Charles responds 'I plead the fifth' — then the escalating 'I plead the fizzith'
Charles: Full escalating 'I plead the fifth' musical breakdown — counting 'one, two, three, four... fifth!' and answering every question with 'fifth!'
Charles Escalation Running Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Legal Aid Lawyer · Charles: Lawyer tells Charles 'I got your sentence reduced to a month, buddy'
Tyrone Biggums: Tyrone Biggums fake commercial: 'Red Balls — cocaine in a can' energy drink parody, opening with 'sometimes the endless pursuit of crack leaves me tired and depleted'
Tyrone Biggums: 'Ahhh... mmm hummina hummina hummina hummina! My baby! I left my baby in the car!'
Tyrone Biggums: Tyrone uses bionic man sound effects to run and save the baby — visual gag of a crackhead doing superhero feats
Tyrone Biggums: 'FYI, people still do steal radios, hon. How do you think I got this suit?'
Tyrone Biggums · Bus Driver/Dispatcher: 'That Red Balls got me!' — Tyrone is vibrating and losing control, then the mayday call: 'we have a crackhead lifting up the bus, must be Red Balls'
Tyrone Biggums: Tyrone in jail asks the guard 'might I have a Red Balls, please?' with complete decorum
Tyrone Biggums: Tyrone drinks the Red Balls in jail and immediately escapes using bionic powers: 'Shazam! Ahhhhh!'
Tyrone Biggums: Tagline: 'Red Balls... cocaine in a can, baby!'
Tyrone Biggums: Final shot of the Red Balls commercial: Tyrone looks at the camera and says 'I can get some money for this'
Dave Chappelle: Chappelle introduces Paul Mooney's character as 'America's leading black psychic, Negrodamus'
Negrodamus: Negrodamus predicts Arsenio Hall will get another show called 'Good Morning Black America' — shown at noon throughout the country
Negrodamus: Negrodamus predicts Arnold Schwarzenegger will divorce his wife and marry Shirley Temple Black, making her 'Mrs. Shirley Temple Black-negger'
Negrodamus · Audience Member: Negrodamus is asked why white people love Wayne Brady so much; he answers: 'White people love Wayne Brady because he makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X'
Charlie Murphy: Charlie Murphy's intro observation: 'the guy who looked the most like a bitch was getting all the women' during the androgynous era of the mid-80s
Charlie Murphy · Prince (depicted): Charlie Murphy describes Prince's outfit as 'a Zorro-type outfit' with ruffles, big perm, and a mustache 'just drawn on his face'
Charlie Murphy: Mickey Free — Prince's crew member — described as someone people thought was 'a fine bitch' until 'they was talkin' about Mickey Free, okay? Mickey Free is not a girl.'
Prince (portrayed by Chappelle) · Eddie Murphy (portrayed): Prince sketch: Prince says 'Hello, Eddie Murphy. I'm a big fan of your comedies. Ooh, that's hot, Prince. Would you like to come to my house and listen to some music? Ooh, that's cool. Fruity, get the car.'
Prince (portrayed) · Charlie Murphy · Eddie Murphy: Prince listens to his own tracks, then says 'This bores me. Is anyone up for a game of basketball?' — followed by hysterical laughter
Prince (portrayed): Prince's full basketball challenge: 'How about you and your friends versus me and The Revolution'
Charlie Murphy · Prince (portrayed) · The Revolution: Prince provides sneakers and shorts for the Murphy crew but when they come out, Prince and The Revolution are 'still got on the same shit they was wearin' at the club'
Charlie Murphy · Prince (portrayed): 'You know what we're gonna call this? The shirts against the blouses.' — and when Charlie says it, a look comes on Prince's face: 'He looked angry'
Charlie Murphy: Charlie's internal monologue after seeing Prince's angry look: 'What are you angry about? You know where you got that shirt from and it damn sure wasn't the men's department.'
Prince (portrayed) · Charlie Murphy: Charlie describes Prince calling plays: 'Let's run the play, computer blue. Garland picky.'
Charlie Murphy · The Revolution: The Revolution sets 'fruity picks' — getting close to defenders with 'hands out like this' — and Charlie says 'you don't really wanna be bent over in front of a cat like that, you know what I'm sayin'?'
Charlie Murphy: Charlie Murphy's self-deprecating realization during the basketball game: 'I kinda learned something that day, don't never judge a book by its cover. This cat could ball, man.'
Charlie Murphy · Prince (portrayed): Charlie asks Prince for a towel; Prince responds: 'Why don't you purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka'
Prince (portrayed) · Charlie Murphy: 'Good hustle!' *slap* — Charlie tells Prince 'Yo man, I'm not on your team'
Prince (portrayed): Charlie announces the game ended with Prince declaring 'Game... blouses'
Charlie Murphy: Charlie Murphy reveals: 'After it was all over, he took us in the house and served us pancakes' — followed by the pancakes reveal
Charlie Murphy: Charlie Murphy pre-defends the story's credibility: 'You think I'm making it up? You think I'm trying to enhance the story because I'm involved? Or trying to give myself an excuse for losing because I'm telling you a story about Prince?'
Prince (portrayed): Prince in the sketch serves pancakes and says 'I wish I could say the same for you and your crew of flunkies. Do you guys want some grapes?'
Prince (character): Dave Chappelle as Prince serving pancakes: 'Well, I gotta admit it was a good game. I wish I could say the same for you and your crew of flunkies. Do you guys want some grapes?' — delivering defeat commentary while offering breakfast fruit.
Charlie Murphy: Charlie Murphy's sign-off: 'There are some great storytellers that we live in today, man. Bitches. Who the fuck can make up that shit?'
Dave Chappelle: Chappelle's final sign-off: 'I'm rich, biatch!'
Tyrone Biggums: Post-credits Tyrone Biggums tag: 'Next rock! Woman, gimme some of that Red Balls. Bitch, I can't sit still, take this! I be right back Tyrita, I gotta run some errands!' and runs away with bionic sound effects
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