Skin Game (1971)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Paul Bogart

Writers:

Richard Alan Simmons (story)
Peter Stone (writer)

Release Date:

14 April 1972 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Western

Plot:

Quincy Drew and his black friend Jason O'Rourke have pulled off every dodge known for conning a well-heeled sucker...

Plot Keywords:

Missouri | Slave | Kansas | Runaway Slave | John Brown

Cast

James Garner	...	Quincy Drew / Capt. Nathaniel Mountjoy, Army Medical Corps.
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Jason O'Rourke (as Lou Gossett)
Susan Clark	...	Ginger / Miss Abigail Blodgett
Brenda Sykes	...	Naomi (slave)
Edward Asner	...	Plunkett (runaway slave hunter)
Andrew Duggan	...	Howard Calloway (plantation owner)
Henry Jones	...	Sam Cutler (slave buyer in Fair Shake)
Neva Patterson	...	Mrs. Claggart
Parley Baer	...	Mr. Claggart
George Tyne	...	Henry P.Bonner (man who bought Jason in Dirty Shame)
Royal Dano	...	John Brown (abolitionist)
J. Pat O'Malley	...	William - slave buyer in Fair Shake
Joel Fluellen	...	Uncle Abram (head slave at Calloway Manor)
Napoleon Whiting	...	Ned (Calloway cook)
Juanita Moore	...	Viney (Calloway slave)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG

Company:

Cherokee Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Ed Asner/The Kinks (#10.6)" (1984)

Serious subject, funny movie, equal partners

This is a very funny movie, dealing with a very serious subject, but it's premise is not as far-fetched as you might think. After all we have heard about man exploiting his fellow man, can we doubt that there were con men who found a way to make money off slave owners, buyers and sellers? Look at what happened after Hurricane Katrina? Anyway, my point is that this should not detract from enjoying this movie because the premise is certainly as plausible as most other westerns. One thing that stood out to me in this film was the relationship between the characters played by James Garner and Lou Gossett. Even though the setting is the 1850's, their relationship is clearly one of equals. While Gossett complains about his role as the commodity being sold in their con game, it is clear that these two are equal partners in deciding how and where they will ply their trade. They share the rewards of their loot equally and when one is endangered, the other risks his life and freedom to rescue his friend. When one discovers new responsibilities that requires a complete change in his life, the other unhesitatingly - well, with only short hesitation - joins in. Gossett and Garner are such a good pairing that I wonder why they didn't do more films together. (Although Gossett did appear on "The Rockford Files" as a guest star.)