Sidekicks

Spunky remake of Skin Game which had come out just two years previously. Larry Hagman, during his journeyman decade between the hits I Dream of Jeannie and Dallas, and a very young Louis Gossett Jr. work well together and both show off their often underutilized gift for comedy.

They star as a pair of itinerant not terribly successful con-men who when we meet them are escaping from a posse only to soon find themselves in an even bigger mess. How they try to extricate themselves from it and come out a bit ahead spurs the rest of the film. While all this is going on they are surrounded by a terrific cast of characters actors, Jack Elam is a particular standout, and the frisky, on the rise, full of gumption Blythe Danner.

TV movies from the 70's, of which this was one, were a variable lot with some good enough for theatrical release and some utter junk this is neither but it is a most enjoyable diversion with a quality cast and a breezy story. Catch it if you can.