How Cleveland Got His Groove Back

**How Cleveland Got His Groove Back** is the seventh episode of season two of *The Cleveland Show*. It is the thirty-third episode, overall.

## Synopsis

After his confidence is shattered, Cleveland vows to find his mojo again, and decides that a family vacation to Africa will do the trick.

## Plot

When Lester builds a drag racer, Cleveland nominates himself to be the driver. Despite Lester's objections, Tim and Holt back Cleveland. Disgusted with Cleveland's bragging at The Broken Stool, Lester challenges Cleveland that he could strike him out, although it's later revealed that Lester is incapable of throwing a baseball. At the strikeout challenge, Kendra becomes angered at everyone teasing Lester and reminds him of how he used to throw rocks at skunks. Pretending that Kendra's catcher's mitt is a skunk, Lester strikes out Cleveland and supplants him as a hero in the eyes of the guys.

Depressed, Cleveland tries to find a new group of friends without luck. After his confidence is shattered, Cleveland spends several days in bed until Cleveland vows to find his mojo again, and decides that a family vacation to Africa will do the trick. While on a layover in Hawaii en route, Cleveland gets derailed by mai tais, the ocean and plenty of sunshine, and realizes a few days in paradise is actually what he needs. However, to keep him from being disappointed they tell Rallo that they are in Africa and go to elaborate means to pretend that are indeed in Africa. On their return to Stoolbend, they find that the neighborhood has been turned upside down in Cleveland's absence and he is welcomed back with open arms. But at Rallo's school presentation, they find he has documented their trip to "Africa" and quickly leave in embarrassment.

## Characters

### Major Roles

* Cleveland Brown
* Lester Krinklesac
* Tim the Bear
* Holt Richter
* Coach McFall
* Kendra Krinklesac
* Donna Tubbs-Brown
* Cleveland Junior
* Roberta Tubbs
* Rallo Tubbs

### Minor Roles

* Angus
* Gordy
* Gus
* Donny
* Mrs. Lowenstein
* Verkrüppelter Mann
* Chuck Hanson
* Quinton Jackson (Cameo)
* Michael Cera (Cameo)
* Arianna the Bear (Non-Speaking Cameo)
* Arch (Non-Speaking Cameo)
* Jack Johnson (Pictured)
* Holt's Mama (Mentioned)

## Quotes

**Tim**: Go greased lightning!

**Lester**: This is drag racing!
**Cleveland**: Then, I'll dress as a woman.

**Lester**: Dammit! A black guy can't drive a racecar! Driving a racecar requires-
**Tim**: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wri-write it down and I'll tell you if you can say it.
*[Lester writes it down and shows it to Tim]*
**Tim**: No, you can't say that.

**Lester**: I'll whiff you so bad, they'll feel the breeze in Cooper County.
**Tim**: That's very far away!
**Cleveland**: Or maybe I'll hit a homerun that lands in Cartwright County.
**Tim**: Wow, that's even farther!

**Lester**: First Kendra. Now this. Thanks a lot, beer.

**Gordy**: Well, here we go. Brown steps in and adjusts himself. Crotch arrangement, very important in baseball.
**Angus**: You can't say that enough, Gordy. Both players today, going with the *left* pant leg.

**Cleveland**: Somebody call the cops. This man's trying to murder all the worms.

**Cleveland**: Great throw. Does your husband also pitch?

**Kendra**: Move it, pudge! I'm taking over!

**Kendra**: Remember the winter we had to survive on skunks and we covered Ernie with skunk urine to attract skunks, which you killed by throwing rocks at the skunks and you killed those skunks without hitting Ernie because you knew if he was hurt, we'd lose our skunk bait?
**Lester**: Vaguely.

**Angus**: And down goes Brown! Down goes Brown! I don't believe what I just saw! Do you believe in miracles? President Reagan has been shot! Soylent green is people! Fahrvergnügen!

**Story Reader**: And there is no joy in Stoolbend. Mighty Cleveland has struck out.

**Cleveland**: *[sigh]* ... *[sigh]*, depressed ...
*[smacks magazine out of Donna's hands]*
**Donna**: ... Is something wrong, Cleveland?
**Cleveland**: No ... *[sigh]*, Yes.
**Donna**: What is it, Cleveland?
**Cleveland**: You know Lester and Tim and Holt?
**Donna**: Yes, I know them.
**Cleveland**: Ever since I struck out, they don't think I'm *[cries]* coo-hoo-hoo-hool!
**Donna**: Oh, poor baby. Well, you don't need them. Maybe it's time to find yourself some new friends.
**Cleveland**: Fine. I'll go out and get drunk. You make dinner and put the kids to bed and fold my laundry and then take the bus to the bar and drive me home.

**Donny**: Hear ye. Hear ye. We have a new friend joining us tonight. So, let's all raise our glasses. *[lifts his glasses]* *[laughs]* I'm kidding. Drinking glasses. *[laughs]* I'd like to propose a toast. Wish I had some butter. *[laughs]* Not that kind of toast! To our fourth musketeer, Toledo Blue! *[laughs]* Wait! Wait! That's not right! *[pretends to read a card]* Oh, here it is. Cleveland Brown! *[laughs]*

**Donny**: But in all seriousness, hey Cleveland. I'm Donny and this here is Chuck Hanson and Verkrüppelter Mann. Welcome to Hell ... a Hell of a good time that is! *[laughs]*

**Cleveland**: So, what do you do for a living?
**Chuck**: I work as a cadaver dog. I'm good at identifying smell.
**Cleveland**: Uh, ...
**Chuck**: *[sniffs foot]* My feet never smell as good as the ones I have at home.
**Cleveland**: Oh ... So, you guys watching some football this weekend?
**Verkrüppelter**: I do not own a television. However, I do rent one every four years for the Winter Olympics.
**Cleveland**: Okay. What about summer?
**Verkrüppelter**: No. I hate everything about that season cuz I am allergic to cockleweed, ryegrass, and zinnia.
**Chuck**: At least you don't have a cornstarch allergy.
**Verkrüppelter**: Ja, true.
**Chuck**: *[to Cleveland]* You know, cornstarch can help you erase fingerprints. Comes in handy for me.
**Cleveland**: Are you joking?
**Donny**: No, Cleveland. He's dead serious. *[laughs]*

**Cleveland**: This has been the worst 40 minutes of my life.

**Roberta**: Will you sign my report card?
**Cleveland**: Well, let's see how you did. F. F minus. F. F. F min-C MINUS! In health class!? Roberta, health class is all about sex. You should know enough about it to get a better grade than that! No, I will not sign this!

**Cleveland**: Donna, are you sitting down?
**Donna**: Cleveland, I'm standing in front of you.
**Cleveland**: Good. You'll wanna be standing for this.
*[Donna sits down]*
**Cleveland**: Oh, are we done acting like a child?

**Cleveland**: Africa. Africa. Bring me some laugh-rica.

**Cleveland**: Junior, you're gunna learn about your heritage too. Did you know our ancestors came from Africa?
**Junior**: *[sarcastic]* No, I thought we were Chinese! What the hell's wrong with you dad? I'm 14.

**Cleveland**: There's so much in my life I was taking for granted. My wife, two great kids, ...
**Donna**: Three.
**Cleveland**: Yup.

**Rallo**: I love Africa. Thought there'd be more black people, though.

**Pilot**: We're not landing in Stoolbend Internation Airport. We apoligize ahead of time if you had a pet in the cargo bay. They're frozen. Here's a tip for next time: Don't bring your pet on vacation. They don't know the difference. The local time is 2:44.

**Lester**: Turns out years of inbreeding, in this case, did not make me a good racecar driver. I crashed and broke 95% if my skellyton bones.

**Mrs. Lowenstein**: Welcome parents, second wives, and central American nannies.

**Rallo**: Welcome to my report. My journey to Africa.
**Cleveland**: When did Rallo go to Africa? *[remembers]* Oooooooooooooh!
**Rallo**: *[while showing a slide of a typical Hawaii coastal area]* Africa, a tropical paradise with white sandy beaches and PGA-rated golf courses. Africa's main exports are pineapples *[shows a slide of a pineapple growing facility]*, Macadamia nuts *[flips to a slide of several packs branded "Mama Loa" before flipping to the next slide]* and Jack Johnson *[shown on the beach holding a guitar and gently smiling]*. Each morning when you wake up they leave a copy of Africa's number one newspaper "Oosa Today" *[he mispronounces USA Today, an issue of which is seen lying on a silver tray next to a croissant, a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice]*. After several of what I call "Grown-Up-Drinks", it is customary for the elders to sleep half-naked till three o'clock and let you swim in the ocean alone. *[concluding with a slide of Cleveland and Donna passed out on their hotel bed at the beach, with wide-open doors and Rallo at the seaside in the distance]*
*[Camera shows to Cleveland and Donna who notice they've been busted by the audience, and smile awkwardly before the camera goes back to Rallo]*
**Rallo**: So in conclusion, I would like to say thank you. For as they say in Africa, "Mahalo, for coming to the Monakea Four Seasons".
*[Camera back to Cleveland and Donna, still awkwardly smiling]*
**Cleveland**: *[speaking through his forced smile]* Yay, what a cool dad, took his kid to Hawaii. Bye Bye!

## Trivia

* Cleveland got his driver's license when he was 29.
* Lester got the wheels to the car off of his mother's house, implying that his currently unseen and unnamed mother lives in a trailer.
* Cleveland sleeps with "Juicy" sweatpants.
* Arianna reads a book titled "Eating Your Honey".
* Holt sleeps with headgear.
* The deleted cutaway gag of Cleveland urinating in a movie theater was originally used in the Unaired Pilot. However, in the pilot, Cleveland said he was watching a Jimmy Fallon movie, while in this episode, he says it's a Joseph Gordon Levitt Movie.

### Cultural References

* This episode's title is a reference to the film *How Stella Got Her Groove Back*.
* When the car starts, Tim exclaims "Go, greased lightning!" which references to the lyrics of the song, "*Greased Lightning*" from the movie, *Grease*.
* Cleveland pitches an idea for a movie, which he describes as a "*I Am Legend* meets *Made in Manhattan*", starring *Leon Robinson*.
* Rallo compares Lester to the chair of *Larry King*.
* When Cleveland strikes out, Angus exclaims a number of pop-culture referencing non-sequiturs:
	+ "President Reagan has been shot!" is a reference to the 1981 assassination attempt on *Ronald Reagan*, wherein John Hinckley, Jr. mortally wounded Ronald Reagan in an attempt to kill him.
	+ "Soylent Green is people!" is a reference to the 1873 sci-fi movie, *Soylent Green*.
	+ "Fahrvergnügen" is the German word for "Driving Pleasure", a word that was popularized in America by an advertising campaign for the *Volkswagen*, which heavily features the use of this word. [1]
* The storyteller reads "And there is no joy in Stoolbend. Mighty Cleveland has struck out." This is a reference to the story, "*Casey at the Bat*", and it's finishing line, "And there is no joy in Mudsville. Mighty Casey has struck out."
* Lester teaches The Guys about *MAD TV* sketches.
* Cleveland steals the stool for the *Mrs. Pac-Man* machine and later turns into *Pac-Man*.
* Donny addresses Cleveland Brown as Toledo Blue. This is a reference to the baseball team, *The Toledo Blue Stockings* as well as a reference to how Cleveland Brown's name is a reference to the football team, *The Cleveland Browns*.
* Donny's friend, Chuck Hanson is heavily implied to be a serial killer. His name is a reference to the serial killer, *Charles Manson*.
* Donny's friend, Verkrüppelter Mann is a German guy, in a halo brace, implying he has some kind of physical handicap. His name is German and literally translates to "Crippled Man" in English.
* Donny, Chuck, and Verkrüppelter sing the *Dean Martin* song, "*That's Amore*".
* During the Hawaiian vacation montage the song "*Africa*" by *Toto* is playing in the background.
* Cleveland watches the fictional sequel to the movie *Roots*, starring *Quinton Jackson* and *Michael Cera*.
* Rallo gets a picture with *Jack Johnson*.

### Deleted Scenes

* Cleveland going to a Joseph Gordon Levitt movie.
* Paul Giamatti getting a physical.
* Kendra promising Lester to suck her toes.
* The storyteller yanks his eyes out and falls down the stairs.
* Cleveland telling Roberta about his urine jars.
* Cleveland reminding Roberta about the urine jars and then realizing she's gone.
* Rallo playing with the urine jars.
* Cleveland initially feels hesitant to bring Donna and the kids to Africa.
* Cleveland mentions the urine jars once again.
* Cleveland reminds Donna about the strikeout with Lester.