SHIRTS/SKINS

US, 1973, 75 minutes, Colour.
Rene Auberjonois, Bill Bixby, Leonard Frey, Doug Mc Clure, Mc Lean Stevenson, Robert Walden, Audrey Christie, Loretta Switt.
Directed by William A.Graham.

Shirts/Skins is a brief telemovie from the early '70s. It looks at six professional men, in their situations of work, their skills, their relaxing with each other playing basketball - and then the bickering that goes on in the court as they cheat, do violence to one another, abuse each other verbally. They decide that something must be done, and so decide to hide two basketballs in plain sight which have to be recovered by each team. However, everything gets out of hand as men will be boys. They trash each others' rooms, steal things, abduct a wife, send a mother on a 10-day cruise. The film shows the childishness of the behaviour - and its growing wilfulness. And yet, the men get their adrenalin pumping as they participate in the quest.

The film makes observations about American men, their macho sense, the buddy system, antagonisms - and the childishness of their behaviour.

1. Interesting and entertaining telemovie? A portrait of American men? Buddies, clashes, petulance? Men being boys?

2. The city setting, their various workplaces and homes? Affluence? Art galleries, churches? Musical score?

3. The title and the focus on the two teams for basketball? The two teams for the clash and the fight?

4. The introduction to each of the characters, each in his workplace, personality style? Professional men? Their going to play basketball? The initial game, their manoeuvres and tactics, violence, physical, verbal? The clash in the shower room? Making the plan in the locker room?

5. The hiding of the basketballs?