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:

This Dude Gives You The Eye...While This Dude Gives You The Hustle!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

GP

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

Director Paul Bogart was replaced by Gordon Douglas for two to three weeks after Bogart contracted hepatitis.

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Goofs

Susan Clark's character explains to Quincy that there is to be a vote whether Kansas will join the Union as a slave state like Missouri or a free state like Nebraska. Nebraska wasn't admitted to the Union until 1867, 6 years after Kansas.

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Connections

Version of Sidekicks (1974)

User Reviews

A New Type of Con Game

James Garner ever since he made his first big hit in the television series of Maverick refined the playing of a con man who's no better than he ought to be into a fine art. Quincy Drew is a further refining of the Bret Maverick character.

James Garner can be serious when he wants to be, but I've always gotten the feeling he enjoys being Maverick or Jim Rockford far better than playing it straight. He has to enjoy it more, he's so darn good at it.

Here he's got a racket going with Lou Gossett, Jr. During the days just before the Civil War in the 1850s he and Gossett work this con where Garner keeps buying and selling Gossett as a slave. Of course Gossett escapes and then they move on to the next town.

Trouble is with that kind of a con, your reputation is bound to catch up with you. Gossett, who was born in New Jersey and is a free black man, gets a view of slavery he didn't bargain for. Along the way he meets Brenda Sykes.

Garner also meets up with Susan Clark who's also a grifter. She aids him in his search for Gossett.

Gossett and Garner don't exactly redeem themselves in the end, but you know this is not a racket they will be trying any more.