From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Sting
The Sting
The Sting Created by screenwriter David S. Ward, the story was
inspired by real-life con games perpetrated by the broth-
ers Fred and Charley Gondorff and documented by David
Maurer in his book The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence
Man.
The title phrase refers to the moment when a con
artist finishes the "play" and takes the mark’s money.
(Today the expression is mostly used in the context of
law enforcement sting operations.) If a con game is suc-
cessful, the mark does not realize he has been "taken"
(cheated), at least not until the con men are long gone.
The film is divided into distinct sections with old-fash-
ioned title cards with lettering and illustrations rendered
in a style reminiscent of the Saturday Evening Post. The
film is noted for its musical score—particularly its main
melody, "The Entertainer", a ragtime composition by
Scott Joplin, which was lightly adapted for the movie
by Marvin Hamlisch (and became a top-ten chart single
Film poster by Richard Amsel for Hamlisch, when released as a single from the film’s
soundtrack). The film’s success encouraged a surge of
Directed by George Roy Hill
popularity and critical acclaim for Joplin’s work.[3]
Produced by Tony Bill The Sting was hugely successful at the 46th Academy
Michael Phillips Awards, being nominated for 10 Oscars and winning sev-
Julia Phillips en, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Origi-
Written by David S. Ward nal Screenplay.[4]
Starring Paul Newman
Robert Redford Plot
Robert Shaw
Johnny Hooker, a grifter from Depression-era Joliet, Illi-
Music by Marvin Hamlisch nois, cons $11,000 in cash from an unsuspecting victim,
Cinematography Robert Surtees with the aid of his partners Luther Coleman and Joe Erie.
Buoyed by the windfall, Luther announces his retirement
Editing by William Reynolds and advises Hooker to seek out an old friend, Henry Gon-
Distributed by Universal Pictures dorff, in Chicago, to teach him “the big con.” Unfortu-
nately, their victim was a numbers racket courier for vi-
Release date(s) December 25, 1973 (1973-12-25)
cious crime boss Doyle Lonnegan. Corrupt Joliet police
Running time 129 minutes Lieutenant William Snyder confronts Hooker, revealing
Lonnegan’s involvement and demanding part of Hooker’s
Country United States
cut. Having already spent his cut, Hooker pays Snyder
Language English in counterfeit bills. Lonnegan’s men murder Luther, and
Budget $5.5 million[1] Hooker flees for his life to Chicago.
Gondorff, a once-great con-man now hiding out from
The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September the FBI, is initially reluctant to take on the dangerous
1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional Lonnegan. However, Gondorff relents and decides to res-
grifters (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) to con a mob urrect an elaborate and supposedly obsolete scam known
boss (Robert Shaw).[2] The film was directed by George as "the wire", using a large number of con artists to cre-
Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford ate a phony off-track betting parlor.
in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Aboard the opulent 20th Century Limited, Gondorff,
posing as boorish Chicago bookie "Shaw", buys his way
into Lonnegan’s private high-stakes poker game and out-
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Sting
cheats Lonnegan, winning $15,000 from him and making • Robert Shaw as Doyle Lonnegan
Lonnegan furious. Hooker, posing as Shaw’s disgruntled • Charles Durning as Lt. William Snyder
employee "Kelly", is sent to collect the winnings and in- • Ray Walston as J.J. Singleton
stead convinces Lonnegan that he wants to take over • Eileen Brennan as Billie
Shaw’s operation. Kelly reveals that he has a partner • Harold Gould as Kid Twist, aka Les Harmon
named Les Harmon (actually fellow con man “Kid Twist”) • John Heffernan as Eddie Niles
in the Chicago Western Union office, who will allow them • Dana Elcar as FBI Agent Polk, aka "Hickey"
to win bets on horse races by past-posting. • James Sloyan as Mottola
Meanwhile, Snyder has tracked Hooker to Chicago, • Larry D. Mann as Mr. Clemens
but his pursuit is thwarted when he is summoned by un- • Sally Kirkland as Crystal ("Hooker’s hooker")
dercover FBI agents led by Agent Polk, who orders him • Jack Kehoe as Joe Erie
to assist in their scheme to arrest Gondorff using Hook- • Robert Earl Jones as Luther Coleman (credited as
er. Additionally, Lonnegan has grown frustrated with his Robertearl Jones)
men’s inability to find and kill Hooker. Unaware that • Dimitra Arliss as Loretta Salino
“Kelly” is Hooker, he demands that "Salino," his best as- • Joe Tornatore as Black-gloved gunman
sassin, kill Hooker. A mysterious figure with black leather • Charles Dierkop as Floyd, Lonnegan’s Bodyguard
gloves is soon seen following and observing Hooker. • Lee Paul as Lonnegan’s bodyguard
Kelly’s connection appears effective, as Harmon pro- • Leonard Barr as Leonard (burlesque comic)
vides Lonnegan with the winner of one horse race and • Jack Collins as Duke Boudreau
the trifecta of another race. Lonnegan agrees to finance
a $500,000 bet at Shaw’s parlor to break Shaw and gain
revenge. Shortly thereafter, Snyder captures Hooker and
Production
brings him before Agent Polk. Polk forces Hooker to be-
tray Gondorff by threatening to incarcerate Luther Cole-
man’s widow.
The night prior to the sting, Hooker sleeps with
Loretta, a waitress at a local restaurant. As Hooker leaves
the building the next morning, he sees Loretta walking
toward him. The black-gloved man appears behind Hook-
er and shoots Loretta dead, later revealing her to be
"Loretta Salino", Lonnegan’s hired killer. The black-
gloved man had been hired by Gondorff to protect Hook-
er.
Armed with Harmon’s tip to "place it on Lucky Dan",
Lonnegan makes a $500,000 bet at Shaw’s parlor on Lucky Filming on location in Pasadena, California. Stand-ins are used
Dan to win. As the race begins, Harmon arrives and ex- to set up the shot.
presses shock at Lonnegan’s bet, explaining that his tip
meant that Lucky Dan would finish second. A panicked • In 1974 The Big Con author David Maurer filed a ten
Lonnegan rushes the teller window and demands his million dollar lawsuit claiming at least part of the
money back. Just then, Agent Polk, Lieutenant Snyder, film’s story had been taken from his book. The
and a dozen FBI officers storm the parlor. Polk confronts matter was resolved out of court in 1976.
Gondorff, then tells Hooker he is free to go. Gondorff, re- • The movie was filmed on the backlot of Universal
acting to the betrayal, shoots Hooker in the back; Polk Studios, with scenes also being shot at the Santa
then shoots Gondorff and orders Snyder to get Lonnegan Monica Pier and in Pasadena.[5]
away from the crime scene. With Lonnegan and Snyder • Doyle Lonnegan’s limp in the film, used to great
safely away, Hooker and Gondorff rise amid cheers and effect by actor Robert Shaw, was in fact completely
laughter. Agent Polk is actually Hickey, a con man, run- authentic as Shaw had slipped on a wet handball
ning a con atop Gondorff’s con to divert Snyder and pro- court at the Beverly Hills Hotel just a week before
vide a solid "blow off" to Gondorff’s con. Hooker and Gon- filming began and had split all the ligaments in his
dorff depart as the other con men strip the room of its knee. He had to wear a leg brace during production
contents. which was kept hidden under the wide 1930s style
trousers he wore. This incident was revealed by Julia
Philips in her 1991 autobiography You’ll Never Eat
Cast Lunch in This Town Again. She said that Shaw saved
• Paul Newman as Henry "Shaw" Gondorff The Sting since no other actor would accept the part,
• Robert Redford as Johnny "Kelly" Hooker that Paul Newman hand delivered the script to Shaw
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Sting
in London in order to ensure his participation, and • Academy Award for Sound - (Ronald Pierce & Robert
that he had to be paid an extremely high salary. R. Bertrand)
Philips’ book also asserts that he was not nominated • Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion
for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award because Picture - (David S. Ward)
he demanded that his name follow those of Newman • WGA Award for Best Drama Written Directly for the
and Redford before the film’s opening title. Screen - (David S. Ward)
• Rob Cohen, later a director of 1990s action films like • AFI’s 100 Years...100 Movies
The Fast and the Furious, years later told of how he • AFI’s 100 Years...100 Laughs
found the script in the slush pile when he was • AFI’s 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains:
working as a reader for Mike Medavoy, a future • Doyle Lonnegan - Villain (Robert Shaw)
studio head then an agent. He wrote in his coverage • AFI’s 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary
that it was "the great American screenplay and ... Edition)
will make an award-winning, major-cast, major-
director film." Medavoy said that he would try to sell
it on that recommendation and promised to fire
Music
Cohen if he couldn’t. Universal bought it that The soundtrack album, which was executive produced
afternoon, and Cohen still has the coverage framed by Gil Rodin, contained the following selections, most
on the wall of his office.[6] of which are Scott Joplin ragtime pieces. Ragtime had
just experienced a revival due to several recordings by
Joshua Rifkin on Nonesuch Records starting with Scott Jo-
Reception plin: Piano Rags in 1970. There are some variances from
The film received rave reviews and was a box office the actual film soundtrack, as noted. Joplin’s ragtime mu-
smash in 1973-74, taking in more than US$160 million. In sic was no longer popular during the 1930s, although its
2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United use in The Sting evokes a definitive 1930s gangster movie,
States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress The Public Enemy, which also featured Joplin’s music. The
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically signifi- two Jazz Age style tunes written by Hamlisch are chrono-
cant". logically much closer to the film’s time period than are
the Joplin rags:
Awards 1. "Solace" (Joplin) - orchestral version
2. "The Entertainer" (Joplin) - orchestral version
Wins 3. "The Easy Winners" (Joplin)
The film won seven Academy Awards and received three 4. "Hooker’s Hooker" (Hamlisch)
other nominations.[7] Julia Phillips became the first fe- 5. "Luther" - same basic tune as "Solace", re-arranged
male producer to win Best Picture at the 46th Academy by Hamlisch as a dirge
Awards.[8] 6. "Pine Apple Rag" / "Gladiolus Rag" medley (Joplin)
• Academy Award for Best Picture 7. "The Entertainer" (Joplin) - piano version
• Academy Award for Directing - (George Roy Hill) 8. "The Glove" (Hamlisch) - a Jazz Age style number;
• Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay - only a short segment was used in the film
(David S. Ward) 9. "Little Girl" (Madeline Hyde, Francis Henry) - not in
• Academy Award for Best Art Direction - (Henry the final cut of the film
Bumstead and James W. Payne) 10. "Pine Apple Rag" (Joplin)
• Academy Award for Best Costume Design - (Edith 11. "Merry-Go-Round Music" medley (traditional) -
Head) "Listen to the Mocking Bird" was the only portion of
• Academy Award for Film Editing - (William H. this track that was actually used in the film, along
Reynolds) with the second segment of "King Cotton", a Sousa
• Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring Original march, which was not on the album
Song Score and/or Adaptation - (Marvin Hamlisch) 12. "Solace" (Joplin) - piano version
• Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding 13. "The Entertainer" / "The Ragtime Dance" medley
Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures - (Joplin)
(George Roy Hill) The album sequence differs from the film sequence, a
standard practice with vinyl LPs, often for aesthetic rea-
Nominations sons. Some additional content differences:
• Academy Award for Best Actor - (Robert Redford) • Selected snippets of Joplin’s works, some appearing
• Academy Award for Best Cinematography - (Robert on the album and some not, provided linking music
Surtees) over the title cards that were used to introduce
major scenes. (The final card, "The Sting",
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Sting
Year Chart Position
1974 Billboard 200 1
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart
Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album Succeeded by
Chicago VII by Chicago May 4 - June 7, 1974 Sundown by Gordon Lightfoot
Preceded by Australian Kent Music Report number-one al- Succeeded by
Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield bum Caribou by Elton John
June 17 - July 28, 1974
August 5–11, 1974
introducing the film’s dramatic conclusion, had no [4] history1900s.about.com
music at all.) [5] Santa Monica Pier kicks off 100th birthday bash
• Some of the tunes in the film are different takes than Martha Groves. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles,
those on the album. Calif.: Sep 9, 2008. pg. B.2
• A Joplin tune used in the film but not appearing in [6] Lussier, Germaine (November 21, 2008).
the soundtrack album was "Cascades". The middle "Screenings: ’The Sting’ as part of Paul Newman
(fast) portion of it was played when Hooker was Retrospective". Times-Herald Record (News
running away from Snyder along the ’L’ train Corporation). http://www.recordonline.com/
platform. apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081121/ENTERTAIN/
• The credits end with "The Rag-time Dance" (Joplin) 811210331. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
medley which features a ’stop-time’ motif similar to [7] "The 46th Academy Awards (1974) Nominees and
a later work "Stop-Time Rag" (Joplin). Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/
awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/46th-
Chart positions winners.html. Retrieved 2011-10-02.
[8] "NY Times: The Sting". NY Times.
Sequel http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/46920/The-
Sting/awards. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
A less-successful sequel with different players, The Sting
II, appeared in 1983. In the same year a prequel was also
planned, exploring the earlier career of Henry Gondorff.
External links
Famous confidence man Soapy Smith was scripted to be • The Sting at the Internet Movie Database
Gondorff’s mentor. When the sequel failed, the prequel • The Sting at AllRovi
was scrapped. • The Sting at Rotten Tomatoes
Home media
A deluxe DVD, The Sting: Special Edition (part of the
Universal Legacy Series) was released in September 2005,
including a "making of" featurette and interviews with
the cast and crew.
References
[1] The Sting boxoffice/Business
[2] Variety film review; December 12, 1973, page 16.
[3] Gunther Schuller, president of the New England
Conservatory of Music, led a student ensemble in a
performance of period orchestrations of Joplin’s
music. Inspired by Schuller’s recording, the
producer of "The Sting" had Marvin Hamlisch
score Joplin’s music for the film, thereby bringing
Joplin to a mass, popular public, classical.net
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Sting&oldid=463881685"
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Sting
Categories:
• 1973 films
• American films
• English-language films
• Films set in Chicago, Illinois
• Films shot in Chicago, Illinois
• Films about organized crime in the United States
• American criminal comedy films
• Buddy films
• Heist films
• Gambling films
• Best Picture Academy Award winners
• Films whose art director won the Best Art Direction Academy Award
• Films whose director won the Best Director Academy Award
• Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing Academy Award
• Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award
• Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners
• United States National Film Registry films
• Films directed by George Roy Hill
• Rail transport films
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