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.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.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.
- Awards
- 2 nominations
- Jason
- (as Lou Gossett)
- Directors
- Paul Bogart
- Gordon Douglas(uncredited)
- Writers
- Peter Stone
- Richard Alan Simmons
- David Giler(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBased on Richard Alan Simmons' original story "Skin Game". The screenplay was written by Peter Stone, who did not receive on-screen credit, and requested that his name be taken off the credits because his screenplay was re-written by a second writer, thereby altering the theme, the plot and, most importantly, the characters.
However, at least one line remained that assuredly was by Peter Stone. At 1:24:50, when Jason summons the slaves to "attack" Quincy, he does so with this command: "ya-ha-ma-cundah". That expression is also found in Stone's libretto and screenplay for 1776 (1972) during the song, "Molasses to Rum".
- GoofsSusan 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.
- 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!
- ConnectionsReferenced in Saturday Night Live: Ed Asner/The Kinks (1984)
This movie is way smarter, way edgier in terms of humor and commentary than I expected, and the story did not at all unfold as I had thought it would - and it's rare that I'm surprised by a movie from the 70s. Yes, there are some what-were-they-thinking?!? moments in terms of how a circumstance is portrayed, and some painful stereotypes about indigenous, non-English languages - but, overall, this movie doesn't present slavery as anything but reprehensible, and it presents African Americans as intelligent and creative as anyone else - and it's fascinating to watch that realization come over one of the characters in particular. I found the portrayal of the two lead women in the film surprising and refreshing for the time the film was made as well (I won't spoil it by saying more).
It's intriguing that the film shows only the after effects of the whipping of an enslaved man - not the actual, horrendous act, at least not on a slave - I wondered if that was just too painful for a 1971 audience to endure. It's also intriguing that it shows a white slave- owning woman as a sexual predator - something we all know happened, but it rarely gets talked about, let alone referred to in a movie.
I won't say it's some sort of enlightened film, but watch it all the way through - you might be really surprised by the story and the portrayals. James Garner and Louis Gossett Jr. (credited as Lou Gossett) are terrific together - I believed the friendship and the mutual respect - and their naiveté about the world. I don't think any other actors could have pulled this off.
I still can't believe I liked the movie.
- jcravens42
- Dec 12, 2015
- How long is Skin Game?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Zwei Galgenvögel
- Filming locations
- Laramie Street, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA(demolished in May 2003 and replaced by Warner Village)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $736,518
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1