Howdy Buckaroo

Ever had done of those days when it seemed you couldn't win no matter what you tried?

Characters

• a mechanical quick-draw cowboy dressed in full cowboy attire
• Three employees

Props
Two gun holsters and six-shooter play guns with blanks.

The Skit
The only person with lines is the mechanical quick-draw cowboy. His lines should be spoken in a mechanical manner:

"Howdy Buckaroo. So you think you can beat me, eh? Put on the holster at my feet and on the count of three, draw! Are you ready? One... Two. . .Three!"

The skit begins with the two warehouse employees rolling in a mechanical slot-machine "cowboy" for storage. The extra gun-and-¬holster set is placed beneath the foot of the mechanical "cowboy:"

One of the two then gets the inspiration to try his luck. He reads the instructions printed on the chest of the mechanical man and then places a coin in the coin slot. The robot winds up and gives the memorized spiel.

The employee is unable to pick up the extra gun and holster set because it's trapped under the boot of the mechanical cowboy. He panics and turns to run as the robot counts to three and shoots him.

The other employee then decides to show him how it is done, lifts the robot's leg and puts on the gun before inserting a coin. He even practices his quick-draw skills several times. Feeling quite secure with himself, he inserts another coin. The message is repeated but this time the gun sticks in the holster and he is also shot.

For the final attempt, the last employee gets the gun, stands to the side of the mechanical cowboy and holds his gun to the robot's head. When he inserts the coin, the robot repeats the message except that this time the mechanical cowboy winds down in the middle of "two" as if his battery went dead. The employee bangs on the robot a couple of times to get him moving again, but no response. Disgusted, he takes off the gun, sets it down at the robot's feet and turns to walk off.

The robot then suddenly comes back to life with the rest of the pre-recorded message, says "three;" and shoots the final employee.

Source: Not sure where this skit originated from. I remember it from camp as a youth more than 20 years ago!