The Sting (1973)

Director:

George Roy Hill

Writer (WGA):

David S. Ward (written by)

Release Date:

10 January 1974 (Argentina)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Recapture "the STING Experience". REMEMBER HOW GOOD THE FEEL WAS THE FIRST TIME (re-release)

Plot:

In 1930s Chicago, a young con man seeking revenge for his murdered partner teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a criminal banker.

Plot Keywords:

Con | Con Man | 1930s | Murder | Counterfeit

Awards:

Won 7 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. June 5

12:00 AM

TCM

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Henry Gondorff
Robert Redford	...	Johnny Hooker
Robert Shaw	...	Doyle Lonnegan
Charles Durning	...	Lt. Wm. Snyder
Ray Walston	...	J.J. Singleton
Eileen Brennan	...	Billie
Harold Gould	...	Kid Twist
John Heffernan	...	Eddie Niles
Dana Elcar	...	F.B.I. Agent Polk
Jack Kehoe	...	Erie Kid
Dimitra Arliss	...	Loretta
Robert Earl Jones	...	Luther Coleman (as Robertearl Jones)
James Sloyan	...	Mottola (as James J. Sloyan)
Charles Dierkop	...	Floyd - Bodyguard
Lee Paul	...	Bodyguard
Sally Kirkland	...	Crystal
Avon Long	...	Benny Garfield
Arch Johnson	...	Combs
Ed Bakey	...	Granger
Brad Sullivan	...	Cole
John Quade	...	Riley
Larry D. Mann	...	Train Conductor
Leonard Barr	...	Burlesque House Comedian
Paulene Myers	...	Alva Coleman
Joe Tornatore	...	Black Gloved Gunman
Jack Collins	...	Duke Boudreau
Tom Spratley	...	Curly Jackson
Kenneth O'Brien	...	Greer
Ken Sansom	...	Western Union Executive
Ta-Tanisha	...	Louise Coleman
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Roulette Dealer (as William Benedict)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patricia Bratcher	...	Manicurist (uncredited)
Robert Brubaker	...	Bill Clayton from Pittsburgh (uncredited)
Susan French	...	Landlady (uncredited)
Bruce Kimball	...	Lacey the Bouncer (uncredited)
Alexander Lockwood	...	Landlord (uncredited)
Chuck Morrell	...	FBI Agent Chuck (uncredited)
Byron Morrow	...	Mr. Jameson from Chicago (uncredited)
Pearl Shear	...	Lady in Phone Booth (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Bank Officer (uncredited)
Guy Way	...	Gambling Den Boss (uncredited)

Directed by
George Roy Hill

Writing credits (WGA)
David S. Ward		(written by)

Produced by
Tony Bill	....	producer
Robert Crawford Jr.	....	associate producer (as Robert L. Crawford)
Julia Phillips	....	producer
Michael Phillips	....	producer (as Michael)
David Brown	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Richard D. Zanuck	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Robert Surtees		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William Reynolds		(film editor)

Casting by
William Batliner		(uncredited)
Robert J. LaSanka		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Henry Bumstead

Set Decoration by
James W. Payne		(as James Payne)

Costume Design by
Edith Head		(costumes by)

Makeup Department
Jim Gillespie	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
Gary Liddiard	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Connie Nichols	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Mark Reedall	....	key makeup artist (uncredited)
Rick Sharp	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Ernest B. Wehmeyer	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Dismukes	....	second assistant director
Ray Gosnell Jr.	....	first assistant director (as Ray Gosnell)
Sergio Emmanuele Anastasio	....	trainee assistant director (uncredited)
John Slosser	....	dga trainee (uncredited)

Art Department
Henry Larrecq	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Buzz Newhouse	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)
William A. Petrotta	....	props (uncredited)
Thomas L. Roysden	....	leadman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Robert R. Bertrand	....	sound (as Robert Bertrand)
Ronald Pierce	....	sound
Michael Colomby	....	sound re-recording mixer: restoration remix (uncredited)
Dennis C. Salcedo	....	transfer room operator (uncredited)
Edwin J. Somers Jr.	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Bob Warner	....	special effects manager (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunts (uncredited)
Scott Gourlay	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Moio	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dean Smith	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Barth	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Joe Cucci	....	company grip (uncredited)
Howard Evans	....	lamp operator (uncredited)
Ben O. Graham	....	lamp operator (uncredited)
Tom Kessenich	....	second key grip (uncredited)
Don Lambert	....	key grip (uncredited)
Everett Lehman	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Fred Maupin	....	lamp operator (uncredited)
Chuck Raffington	....	lamp operator (uncredited)
Ted Schwimer	....	lamp operator (uncredited)
Charles W. Short	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Frank Shugrue	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Edward Thompson	....	dolly grip (uncredited)
Timothy E. Wade	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bernie Pollack	....	costumes: men's (uncredited)
Peter V. Saldutti	....	costumes: men's (uncredited)
Andrea E. Weaver	....	costumer: women (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Frederic L. Knudtson	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Marvin Hamlisch	....	music adapted by
Scott Joplin	....	composer: piano rags by
Billy Byers	....	music arranger (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Jack Lloyd	....	transportation captain (uncredited)

Other crew
Charlsie Bryant	....	script supervisor
Jaroslav Gebr	....	title artwork
John Scarne	....	technical consultant
David S. Ward	....	by: (additional writing credits unaccepted by WGA )
Billy Joe Andrus	....	craft service (uncredited)
Robert Crawford Jr.	....	assistant to: George Roy Hill (uncredited)
John Longenecker	....	intern: AFI (uncredited)
Donald Paonessa	....	intern: AFI (uncredited)
Eileen Peterson	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
John Scarne	....	card dealer double: Paul Newman's hands close-ups (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Zanuck/Brown Productions (as A Richard D. Zanuck David Brown Presentation) (A Bill Phillips Production) (A George Roy Hill Film)
• Universal Pictures (as A Universal Picture)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical) (from Universal) (An MCA Company)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1973) (France) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1977) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1978) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• MCA Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Cinéma International Corporation (CIC) (1974) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Nordisk Film (2000) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Prem'er Video Fil'm (Russia) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (HD DVD)

Other Companies

• Cinematique  cosmetics by
• Kaleidoscope Films  title & graphic design (as Kaleidoscope Films, Ltd)
• Marion Dougherty Associates  casting by
• Murray Weissman and Associates  marketing and promotion (uncredited)
• Universal Title  title and optical effects

Also Known As:

"Sting" - Japan (English title)

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) (2000) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | South Korea:15 | Brazil:Livre | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Japan:G (2009) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1974) | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | USA:PG (PCA #23757) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Zanuck/Brown Productions

Trivia:

The rigged Black 22 at the roulette wheel, where Hooker loses the bet at the beginning of the movie, is the same spot that Rick Blaine uses for both Captain Renault and the Bulgarian couple to set them up to win.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The deck of cards Henry uses when showing Johnny his shuffling ability were the 1970s-style Bicycle brand cards that would not have been available in the 1930s.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Henry Gondorff:You not gonna stick around for your share?
Johnny Hooker:Nah. I'd only blow it.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "NCIS: Los Angeles: The Bank Job (#1.15)" (2010)

Soundtrack:

Pine Apple Rag

Everything's Jake In Second Trip To Well

The fix is in, the odds are set, and the boys are ready to play for the big time, both on the screen and behind the camera in this breezy, endlessly entertaining movie classic.

Robert Redford is small-time hustler Johnny Hooker, happy to play the marks in Joliet until the murder of his mentor pushes him to go up against the nastiest mug in Chicago, Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw.) Hooker'd rather ice Lonnegan outright, but will settle for a big con with the help of a slightly wobbly but game scammer named Henry Gondorff, played as only Paul Newman can.

Newman and Redford, along with director George Roy Hill, had a lot riding on this pony, given it was a follow-up to their earlier "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid." To measure up, they had to produce nothing short of another classic. And so they did. "The Sting" won the Best Picture Oscar in 1973, and remains the sentimental favorite among many in choosing between the two films.

Comparing "The Sting" to "Butch Cassidy" is kind of overdone sport, and tempers, as Lonnegan would say, run hot. But you can see why "The Sting" worked as well as it did by looking at how the director and the stars played it differently within the same basic framework as "Butch Cassidy." Newman and Redford are again outlaws and underdogs. Period detail abounds here as it did with "Butch Cassidy," and there's another memorable score amid the proceedings, Scott Joplin rags modernized by Marvin Hamlisch. The score even produced another hit, "The Entertainer," to compare with "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head."

What's different about "The Sting," and what makes it such a classic in its own right, is the way the stars service the plot. In "Butch Cassidy," Newman and Redford's comradeship was the story. Here, the chemistry between the two actors is minimized in favor of spinning a yarn with enough red herrings to feed the Swedish navy. The tale here is better than "Butch Cassidy," which is a more elegiac film with grander cinematography and funnier set pieces. "The Sting" is an edge-of-your-seat caper flick from beginning to end.

You can't really call "The Sting" a comedy. Though there are many laughs, especially when Newman hooks Shaw during a poker game, Hill won't let the audience relax enough for that. What this is is a con game, played on the audience, designed not to cheat but entertain by means of clever hoodwinking and constant misdirection plays.

You'll get no spoilers from me. This is one worth sitting through with no expectations. Five gets you ten you'll enjoy Newman and Redford, and a terrific supporting cast (one advantage over "Butch Cassidy") that includes Charles Durning, Eileen Brennan, Dana Elcar, Harold Gould, and Mr. Hand himself, Ray Walston. There's another familiar face from "Butch Cassidy," Charles Dierkop, Flat Nose Curry in "Butch Cassidy" and Lonnegan's right hand here. The best performance may be Robert Shaw's; he exudes menace aplenty but some humanity, too, when he takes Hooker under his wing after learning he came from the same hard streets of Five Points Lonnegan sprang from.

Terrific period detail, too. The dialogue is great and feels real in its Runyonesque way, while the cons are elaborate and logically played out. Watching this a second time is especially fun because once you know how the plot goes down, you find yourself catching clues you missed the first time, and enjoying the film even more for them.

Why didn't Newman and Redford team up again? Certainly there was another good movie for them to partner up in, but as Gondorff would have put it, only chumps don't quit when they're ahead.