Quincy Drew and Jason O’Rourke, a pair of friends and con men—the former white, the latter a Northern-born free Black man— travel from town to town in the pre–Civil War American West. In their scam, Quincy sells Jason into slavery, frees him, and the two move on to the next town of suckers . . . until a con gone wrong leads Jason into real danger.
James Garner
Quincy Drew
Louis Gossett Jr.
Jason O'Rourke
Susan Clark
Ginger
Brenda Sykes
Naomi
Ed Asner
Plunkett
Andrew Duggan
Howard Calloway
Henry Jones
Sam Cutler
Neva Patterson
Mrs. Claggart
Parley Baer
Mr. Claggart
George Tyne
Henry P.Bonner
Royal Dano
John Brown
J. Pat O'Malley
William
Joel Fluellen
Uncle Abram
Napoleon Whiting
Ned
Juanita Moore
Viney
Bob Steele
Bidder (uncredited)
Dort Clark
Pennypacker
Robert Foulk
Sheriff
Athena Lorde
Margaret
George D. Wallace
Auctioneer
James McCallion
Stanfil
Tracy Bogart
Lizabeth
Mary Rings
Emaline
Jason Wingreen
2nd Speaker
Bill Terrell
The Songhais
Richard Farnsworth
Man in Saloon fight (uncredited)
Claude Stroud
Fred (uncredited)
Director
Paul Bogart
Writer
Peter Stone
September 22, 2017
7
Skin Con!
Skin Game is predominantly directed by Paul Bogart and written by Richard Alan Simmons and Peter Stone. It stars James Garner, Louis Gossett Jr., Susan Clark, Brenda Sykes, Edward Asner and Andrew Duggan. Music is by David Shire and cinematography by Fred J. Koenekamp.
Slavery era America and two interracial con-men travel from town to town duping white folk into purchasing black Jason O'Rourke (Gossett Jr,). After Quincy Drew (Garner) strikes a deal, with money in hand, the pair meet up later to scarper and split the profits. A nice con, that is until ladies and savvy outsiders enter the fray...
A lovely Panavision/Technicolor production, Skin Game is a little remembered comedy Oater, not because it's poor, but more than likely because it has been shunted to one side due to what is now perceived as political incorrectness. Which is a shame, for although it doesn't fully exploit the premise it is working with, it's a very likable pic that's propped up by strong lead performances.
As the not so intrepid duo move from town to town, places with great names like Dirty Shame and Bitter End, a number of funny scenes keep things perky, be it bath time, Jason crying or the verbal jousting rumbling on, the comedy is subtle and easy to digest. The introduction of Clark lifts the pic higher, for she's a bigger rogue than Quincy and Jason, adding more cream to an already amusing pudding.
It's all very improbable as such, so we are not surprised when things inevitably go belly up, while the intention to probe the bile of the era in question doesn't make a telling mark. But the pros of the piece far outweigh the cons to give us a film worth tracking down. 7/10
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00