Skin Game (1971)

In 1857, con man Quincy Drew and his black friend Jason O'Rourke swindle slave owners into buying Jason, who's a free man, and later share the profits when Jason escapes captivity.

Directors:

Paul Bogart, Gordon Douglas (co-director) (uncredited)

Writers:

Peter Stone (screenplay) (as Pierre Marton), Richard Alan Simmons (story)

Stars:

James Garner, Louis Gossett Jr., Susan Clark

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Garner	...	Quincy
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Jason (as Lou Gossett)
Susan Clark	...	Ginger
Brenda Sykes	...	Naomi
Edward Asner	...	Plunkett
Andrew Duggan	...	Calloway
Henry Jones	...	Sam
Neva Patterson	...	Mrs. Claggart
Parley Baer	...	Mr. Claggart
George Tyne	...	Bonner
Royal Dano	...	John Brown
J. Pat O'Malley	...	William
Joel Fluellen	...	Abram
Napoleon Whiting	...	Ned
Juanita Moore	...	Viney

Storyline

Quincy Drew and his black friend Jason O'Rourke have pulled off every dodge known for conning a well-heeled sucker, but it wasn't until they hit on the old skin game that they started to clean up. The game is simple. Jason, though born a free man in New Jersey, poses as Quincy's slave as the pair ride through Missouri and Kansas in 1857. Quincy picks a likely mark in each town, sells Jason to him for top money and rides out of town. Then Quincy and Jason get back together on the road to another town, because if Jason can't just run off after dark, Quincy finds a way to spring him loose.

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Plot Keywords:

slave | missouri | kansas | escape | traitor | 

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Taglines:

To market, to market, to sell your best friend, then split up the money and do it again.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 1972 (Japan)

Also Known As:

El rey de los picaros

Filming Locations:

Laramie Street, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cherokee Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A 90-minute television movie titled Sidekicks (1974), directed by Burt Kennedy and based on this movie, was broadcast in March of 1974. Unlike this movie, the television movie was set after the Civil War. Louis Gossett Jr. reprised his role from the original film, but the James Garner character was now played by Larry Hagman. The television movie was intended as a pilot for a series that ultimately was not made.

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Goofs

(at around 37 mins) As Quincy is walking past Jason, who's up on a platform, there are power lines above their heads.

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Quotes

Jason: Oh! Don't tell me that besides providing a breathtaking panorama of Ohio, that this fine old establishment also provides break-
[Jason turns, sees Ginger and immediately switches dialects]
Jason: Lo-o-ord-e Mas' Quincy, eh, hauled these vittles all the way down here...
Quincy: Jason, you can forget it, she knows.
Jason: What, Mas' Quincy?
Quincy: Who we are.
Jason: [Forced laughter] Ah! Ha ha ha ha ha, wonderful!

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Connections

Spoofed in The Frighteners (1996)

User Reviews

Garner's great in this type role.

And Lou Gossett with hair - Wow! But this comedy has a heavy load to carry, dealing with slavery & it's human cost. It's not much of a comedy when Jason actually gets sold into slavery and Gossett conveys the desperation very well. It does have it's light moments and Susan Clark helps lighten the load. I rated it an 8.