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Murder Mystery Dinner

Saturday Night LiveSNL
SKETCH-O-VISION
A VERY GOOD USE OF YOUR TIME.

The setup

At a mansion murder-mystery dinner for his partner's birthday, Matt balks at the crude, vaguely described persona he is handed: Simply Dudley.

Community rating

5.0 / 10

The premise

Here’s the bit.

Jim Parsons plays Matt, who joins his partner (Cecily Strong) and two friends (Beck Bennett and Sasheer Zamata) at Hillhurst Mansion's murder mystery dinner for her birthday. The others happily take on a reporter, a retired army captain and a socialite, but Matt's envelope makes him Simply Dudley, a lecherous oddball with no further explanation, and he keeps asking how anyone is meant to play that. Taran Killam's butler host pushes the game along with action cards that make Matt drop his pants, crack a tasteless joke after Kate McKinnon's maid is found dead, and wield a feather tickler. When his attempt drifts toward the corpse, the actors scold him, he trades characters with the captain, and the captain's next card turns out to be just as crude, so Matt quits.

The funny people

Meet the cast. 6

Say it with us

Highly quotable.

He's a harmless, oversexed nutball.

Well, lucky for me, I date dead girls.

Simply Dudley goes to town.

ScriptEnglish · 71 turns

Automatically generated script; wording may contain errors. Speaker labels are inferred.

  1. 00:01

    Pretend Reporter

    This is so much fun, you guys. I've always wanted to do one of these murder mystery dinners. Thank you again, sweetheart.

  2. 00:09

    Simply Dudley

    Oh, of course. Happy birthday, baby. I would have loved a heads up on their website about the $18 parking charge, though.

  3. 00:15

    Pretend Reporter

    Stop it.

  4. 00:16

    I hope I don't get killed.

  5. 00:19

    Pretend Socialite

    The actor's getting killed. We had to solve the murder.

  6. 00:23

    Butler

    Good evening and welcome to Hillhurst Mansion's murder mystery experience and dinner. I am your butler car, Michael. Dinner will be sure... Excuse me, dinner will be served shortly. And I assure you, it will be to die for.

  7. 00:42

    Oh, I didn't hear that.

  8. 00:44

    Butler

    Inside the envelopes you've received are your character kits. Slice into your envelopes to discover who you are.

  9. 00:51

    Pretend Reporter

    Oh, my... This is fun. Oh, you guys. Okay. I'm Daphne Rose, a reporter in search of her next big story.

  10. 00:59

    Pretend Captain

    Captain Thomas Fisk, retired army officer with friends in very high places.

  11. 01:05

    Hi there, Thomas.

  12. 01:07

    Pretend Captain

    That's Captain Fisk to you.

  13. 01:08

    Pretend Socialite

    Oh, wow. Lydia Guthrie, millionaire socialite with a mysterious past. Watch out, you guys.

  14. 01:16

    Simply Dudley

    Um... My character is Simply Dudley. He's a harmless, oversexed nutball.

  15. 01:26

    Pretend Reporter

    That's fun, babe.

  16. 01:27

    Simply Dudley

    What is that? What is a harmless oversexed nutball?

  17. 01:32

    Pretend Reporter

    Can you just try to have fun tonight?

  18. 01:33

    Simply Dudley

    I want to, I just don't know what that is. Sir, what is a harmless oversexed nutball?

  19. 01:40

    Butler

    The description is merely a guideline. You bring the character to life.

  20. 01:44

    Simply Dudley

    Okay, but this is just a little vague. Can't I be a movie star or a corrupt politician? I paid $365 for this thing.

  21. 01:55

    Butler

    Ah, the clock tells me it's time to refer to your first yellow action card to find out what your character does next.

  22. 02:03

    Oh, I disconnect the phone.

  23. 02:05

    Pretend Reporter

    Oh. Okay, oh, you guys, I see a bloody fingerprint on this book.

  24. 02:12

    Simply Dudley

    No, no, I'd rather not do this.

  25. 02:14

    Butler

    Sir, each action bleeds into the next. You can't skip a card.

  26. 02:18

    Simply Dudley

    Okay, but this is simply Dudley drops his pants, and he says oopsie ladies must have been the wind

  27. 02:25

    Pretend Captain

    that's exactly what an over sex nutball would do

  28. 02:29

    Simply Dudley

    what do you want to trade people then you seem to understand simply Dudley's deal but can I be the army man

  29. 02:35

    Pretend Reporter

    hey Matt why does my birthday always have to be about you

  30. 02:38

    Simply Dudley

    okay you know what fine here I am participating there oopsie ladies must have to bend the wind.

  31. 02:44

    Oh, great. Simply Dudley.

  32. 02:46

    Pretend Reporter

    Good job, honey.

  33. 02:47

    Maid

    The silverware won't be polished this evening. I've been murdered.

  34. 02:57

    Butler

    The murderer has struck. Quick, consult your purple action cards for what your character does next.

  35. 03:03

    This is fun.

  36. 03:04

    Simply Dudley

    OK, no, again, my action card frustrates me.

  37. 03:07

    Pretend Reporter

    Honey, just do it. My thing says I can't go until the Simply Dudley character goes.

  38. 03:11

    Simply Dudley

    Honey, my card says Simply Dudley breaks the tension like only he can. Yeah, what? What, am I supposed to write this thing now?

  39. 03:20

    Pretend Socialite

    Matt, it's easy. What would a harmless, over-sexed nutball say after the maid is murdered?

  40. 03:26

    Simply Dudley

    Well, lucky for me, I date dead girls.

  41. 03:30

    Pretend Reporter

    Oh, Matt, no!

  42. 03:30

    Pretend Captain

    Come on, man, this was a blast, all right?

  43. 03:32

    Simply Dudley

    Wait, is that not what an over-sexed nutball would say?

  44. 03:37

    Pretend Captain

    Harmless, over-sexed nutball, okay? Not offensive, he's a nutball, man.

  45. 03:41

    Simply Dudley

    I am aware of that.

  46. 03:43

    Butler

    Ah, now please refer to your red clue card to find a piece of evidence that pertains to your character.

  47. 03:52

    Pretend Captain

    Ooh, the captain's trusty revolver.

  48. 03:56

    I've got a lethal length of rope, a suspiciously sharp letter opener.

  49. 04:02

    Simply Dudley

    What? Simply Dudley's fabulous fanny tickler. Who the hell is this guy?

  50. 04:13

    Butler

    Quickly, on the back of the evidence tag is an action to move the story forward. You first, sir.

  51. 04:20

    Simply Dudley

    Simply Dudley goes to town. What the hell does that mean?

  52. 04:28

    Pretend Captain

    Hurry, man, go to town.

  53. 04:29

    Simply Dudley

    How do I go to town?

  54. 04:31

    Butler

    Perhaps the evidence may be of use.

  55. 04:34

    Man, go.

  56. 04:35

    Simply Dudley

    Do I tickle someone?

  57. 04:37

    Pretend Reporter

    Just do something.

  58. 04:38

    Simply Dudley

    Who do I tickle? The maid?

  59. 04:44

    Whoa, whoa, whoa.

  60. 04:45

    Butler

    Hey, hey, hey, hey. Bro, rule number one, do not touch the actors.

  61. 04:50

    Simply Dudley

    Okay, what do you people want me to do?

  62. 04:52

    Pretend Reporter

    Not tickle a dead woman's ass!

  63. 04:54

    Pretend Captain

    You're an over-sexed nutball, not a horny doofus!

  64. 04:58

    Simply Dudley

    Alright, can I please trade characters?

  65. 05:01

    Pretend Captain

    Fine, fine, let's trade. You wanna be the captain? Take the captain.

  66. 05:03

    Simply Dudley

    Thank you.

  67. 05:04

    Butler

    Wonderful. Now please, refer to your next action card.

  68. 05:10

    Simply Dudley

    The captain goes to town on the maid.

  69. 05:13

    Oh, that's gross!

  70. 05:15

    Simply Dudley

    You know what? That is it. I am out.

  71. 05:17

    Time to play the game.

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One more couldn’t hurt.

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