22 unknown facts about the 7-time Oscar-winning film “The Sting” (12 photos)

There are some films that you still want to watch again after many years to suit your mood. These films still do not lose their charm, their exquisite subtlety, their energy and, as recreated by the directors, the atmosphere. Here is one of such masterpieces.





Why did the leading actor see it only 30 years later?

1. Robert Redford, who played the role of Johnny Hooker, saw the film for the first time in 2004, agreeing to his grandson’s proposal to decorate Christmas with a good movie. Redford is like that - he is known for his cool attitude towards his roles.



2. The fees of Paul Newman (Henry Gondorff) and Robert Redford amounted to a cosmic $500 thousand at that time. These were the top rates in Hollywood in the early 70s. Only Marlon Brando earned more than them for “Last Tango in Paris” (1972) - $3 million. But this amount included not only the fee, but also interest on the profits.

3. You've probably already seen the cafe somewhere where Johnny meets Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Well, yes, this is the same Lou’s Café from Back to the Future (1985), in which Marty McFly makes his first call to Doc and meets his father.





4. Before filming the film, Robert Shaw injured his leg. That's why Lonnegan is limping.

5. Lieutenant Snyder didn't mean to pour his drink on Billy's (Eileen Brennan) hand. Charles Durning, who played this role, simply missed (he should have poured it on the floor), Brennan played along perfectly and it was this take that was included in the final edit.



6. The film received one of the Oscars for its music. Look out for Scott Joplin's famous ragtime tune, The Entertainer, during the opening credits. It was written in 1902 and by the time the film takes place (the 1930s) this musical style had already gone out of fashion. Anachronism? Yes. But in the early 70s, thanks to “The Scam,” ragtime came back into fashion.

7. What do they drink in "Scam"? The same as everyone else in the USA at that time - Schlitz beer, the most popular brand of intoxicating drink.



8. Paul Newman and director George Roy Hill were great troll pranksters. During the filming of the film, the gentlemen practiced spending time together after work in Hill's office. One day, Hill once again invited Newman and asked him to bring invigorating drinks of the actor’s choice. The evening went well, but the next day Hill received a bill from Newman for $8. The director responded by writing a long letter about the meaning of friendship and the inappropriateness of such pettiness. A few days later, Newman broke into Hill's office and sawed off half of his desk with a chainsaw, leaving a note: “This is not a matter of friendship, but a matter of $8. I could blow up your office, so don’t freak out.” Later, the Universal film studio gave Newman a bill for $800 per table. The actor never paid him.

9. A few months before The Sting, Robert Redford broke his thumb while skiing. Pay attention to his right hand: you can see that the actor specifically avoids moving this finger: how he holds money, cards, mugs, forks...







10. Robert Redford complained that in his role there was no acting at all, but only running around. At the end of filming, Hill gave him a figurine of the cartoon character Road Runner, made of grapes and with the inscription “If you can’t be good be fast.” Troll Jokers!

11. The film's script is based on the book "The Big Con" by David Maurer. The film rights cost Universal $300,000.



12. The details of horse racing in Gondorff's bookmaker's office exactly correspond to what was happening in the 30s. Even the names of the horses and riders.

13. Two executive producers are missing from the film's credits: Richard Zanuck and David Brown. Meanwhile, they later became producers (now officially) of Steven Spielberg's Jaws and recommended Robert Shaw for the role of Quint.

14. In the fake photo of Kid Twist in the Western Union office, you can guess the popular AmericanAmerican actress Kathleen Freeman (right). But who's on the left?



15. I think I already wrote that Newman is a big troll joker? Once during filming, he stole the keys to Redford’s Porsche, drove it to a secluded place and then very sincerely empathized with the actor.

16. Gondorff's skilled card hands in the shot actually belong to John Scarn, the film's technical consultant and better known as a card magician.

17. Adjusted for inflation, the $500,000 that Lonnegan was being swindled for in the imaginary 1936 was already $1.6 million in 1973, and now is about $10 million. The rates are definitely outpacing inflation.



18. Billy’s dubious establishment is located on a pier in the Californian city of Santa Monica. Gondorff looks after the real carousel: it was built in 1916, and in 1987 it was recognized as a historical heritage site.

19. The Sting was first released on Blu-ray in 2012. It was also released in Ultra-HD in 2021.

20. Notice the small number of extras in the frame, while many scenes were filmed without them at all. George Roy Hill deliberately added this feature to the filming to make the film more closely match the style of the 30s.



21. Ten years later, in 1983, the sequel “Scam 2” was released. It had a title and screenwriter in common with the original. Who watched it - respond in the comments!

22. The film's budget is $5.5 million, box office receipts are $151 million. Plus seven Oscars and three more nominations for this award.