''Skin Game'' is a 1971 American independent

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

western directed by

Paul Bogart Paul Bogart (né Bogoff; November 13, 1919 – April 15, 2012) was an American television director and producer. Bogart directed episodes of the television series Way Out'' in 1961, '' Coronet Blue'' in 1967, '' Get Smart'', '' The Dumplings' ...

and Gordon Douglas, and starring James Garner and Lou Gossett. The supporting cast features Susan Clark, Edward Asner, Andrew Duggan, Parley Baer and Royal Dano.

Plot

Quincy Drew (Garner) and Jason O'Rourke (Gossett) travel from town to town in the south of the United States during the slavery era. A flashback in the movie shows both men first met when Quincy sold Jason a horse that turned out to have been stolen from the local sheriff. They meet again in jail after pulling various con jobs and develop a con together in which Quincy claims to be a down-on-his-luck slave owner who is selling his only slave, who is Jason. Quincy gets the bidding rolling, selling Jason, and the two later meet up to split the profit. Jason was born a free man in New Jersey and is very well educated. The con is complicated by Jason being sold to a slave trader who is very savvy and intent on taking him down south to make a profit.

Cast

* James Garner as Quincy Drew / Captain Nathaniel Mountjoy * Lou Gossett as Jason O'Rourke * Susan Clark as Ginger / Miss Abigail Blodgett *

Brenda Sykes Brenda Sykes (born June 25, 1949) is an American actress who made a number of films and appeared in television series in the 1970s. She was discovered on ''The Dating Game''. Life and career Sykes was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, the daughte ...

as Naomi, Slave * Edward Asner as Plunkett (runaway slave hunter) * Andrew Duggan as Howard Calloway, Plantation Owner * Henry Jones as Sam Cutler, Slave Buyer In Fair Shake * Neva Patterson as Mrs. Claggart * Parley Baer as Mr. Claggart * George Tyne as Henry P. Bonner, Man Who Bought Jason In Dirty Shame * Royal Dano as John Brown, Abolitionist * Pat O'Malley as William, Slave Buyer In Fair Shake * Joel Fluellen as Uncle Abram, Head Slave At Calloway Manor *

Napoleon Whiting Napoleon Whiting (September 21, 1910, Mississippi – October 22, 1984, Los Angeles, California), was an American character actor. He played many bit parts, often uncredited, as a menial worker such as the African American butler, a stereotypic ...

as Ned, Calloway Cook * Juanita Moore as Viney, Calloway Slave *

Robert Foulk Robert C. Foulk (May 5, 1908 – February 25, 1989) was an American television and film character actor who portrayed Sheriff H. Miller in the CBS series ''Lassie'' from 1958 to 1962. Early years Foulk attended the University of Pennsylvan ...

as Sheriff

Production

In January 1966 Harry Keller, a producer at Universal, announced he was developing the project based on a story by Richard Alan Simmons. In March 1968 Peter Stone signed to write the script. In October 1968 Universal announced the film for the following year. In April 1969 Universal put the film on its slate for the following year. Keller would produce with Peter Stone, who wrote the script. The film did not go ahead. By September 1970 Keller announced the film would be made by James Garner's Cherokee Productions, releasing through Warner Bros with Burt Kennedy to direct. By December Kennedy had dropped out and was replaced by Paul Bogart. In January 1971 Lou Gosset signed to co star. In March Bogart fell ill with hepatitis and Gordon Douglas took over directing for a period of filming. Stone later claimed Garner radically changed the last third of the film to give him more screentime. These changes annoyed Stone who used a pseudonym on the film. Garner called it "a funny movie if you don't mind jokes about slavery. Paul Bogart did a masterly job."

Sequel

A sequel was made three years later as a television film called '' Sidekicks'', with

Larry Hagman Larry Martin Hagman (September 21, 1931 – November 23, 2012) was an American film and television actor, director, and producer, best known for playing ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the 1978–1991 primetime television soap opera, ''Dal ...

playing Garner's role and Gossett reprising his part.

References

External links

* *
James Garner Interview on the ''Charlie Rose Show''

James Garner interview
at

Archive of American Television The Interviews: An Oral History of Television (formerly titled the Archive of American Television) is a project of the nonprofit Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, that records interviews with notable ...

- (c/o Google Video) - March 17, 1999 {{Gordon Douglas 1971 films Films directed by Gordon Douglas 1971 comedy films American independent films Films set in the 1850s Films directed by Paul Bogart Films scored by David Shire 1970s English-language films 1970s American films