Skin Game **** (1971, James Garner, Louis Gossett Jr, Susan Clark, Brenda Sykes, Edward Asner, Andrew Duggan, Henry Jones) – Classic Movie Review 5977

James Garner stars as a con man called Quincy Drew who keeps selling his African American sidekick Jason O’Rourke (Louis Gossett Jr [Lou Gossett]) as a slave and then rescuing him. Jason keeps escaping and the duo then share the profits in director Paul Bogart’s funny, unusual 1971 comedy Western, with serious points to make about the race issue.

Alas, their fleecing in Missouri and Kansas in 1857 has to stop when they meet up with an evil slave hunter named Plunkett (Edward Asner).

Garner’s smooth and polished laid-back sense of style and humour serves him well, Gossett makes an excellent partner for him, and there is a good role for Susan Clark too as a con woman called Ginger.

It is remade as Sidekicks.

Also in the cast are Brenda Sykes, Andrew Duggan, Henry Jones, Neva Patterson, Parley Baer, George Tyne, Royal Dano, Pat O’Malley, Joel Fluellen, Napoleon Whiting, Juanita Moore, Dort Clark, Robert Foulk, Athena Lord, George Wallace, James Mccallion, Tracy Bogart, Mary Rings, Don Haggerty and Burt Mustin.

It is written by Peter Stone from a story by Richard Alan Simmons, shot in Technicolor by Fred J Koenekamp, produced by Meta Rosenberg and Harry Keller, scored by David Shire and designed by Herman A Blumenthal.

Garner and Bogart had previously teamed for Marlowe.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5977

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