The Sting II
Encyclopedia
The Sting II is an 1983
film sequel to The Sting
. Directed by Jeremy Kagan
and written by David S. Ward
(also author of the original movie), it stars Jackie Gleason
, Mac Davis
, Teri Garr
, Karl Malden
and Oliver Reed
. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Musical Score, which was composed by Lalo Schifrin.
In their featured review, The New York Times stated that "The Sting II is better than might have been anticipated." The review went on to say that "Teri Garr lights up the film as a kind of small-time Mata Hari, and Karl Malden amusingly plays a swell named Macalinski."
Gondorff's young protege Jake Hooker attempts to pull a scam on wealthy "Countess Veronique," who instead pulls one on him and turns out to be a grifter herself named Veronica.
Coming up with a boxing con, Gondorff's goal is to sting both Lonnegan, the notorious banker and gangster who wants revenge from a previous con, and Gus Macalinski, a wealthy local racketeer. One or both of them is behind Kid Colors' death.
Hooker pretends to be a boxer who is about to throw a big fight. Macalinski is not only hoodwinked into losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, he is talked into changing his original wager by Lonnegan. While one gangster takes care of the other, Gondorff and Hooker head for the train station with a bag full of money, tickets out of town and a final twist from Veronica.
A Jennings Lang
Production. Written by David S. Ward
. Music by Lalo Schifrin
. Special Visual Effects by Albert Whitlock
. Director of Photography Bill Butler, A.S.C. Produced by Jennings Lang. Directed by Jeremy Paul Kagan.
Place your bets!
It is not entirely clear whether the "Kid Colors" character who meets his end early in the sequel is intended to correspond specifically to the "Kid Twist" character from The Sting, though Hooker does mention that Kid Colors was in on their previous con of Lonnegan. That con, which was the primary plot of The Sting, is mentioned several times by the characters in The Sting II.
Director Jeremy Kagan said, "The Sting II is inspired by and is an expansion of the first Sting, rather than a continuation. The principal characters of Fargo Gondorff and Jake Hooker are based on two very famous real-life con men, and are totally different from the two characters in the original."
Lalo Schifrin.
1983 in film
-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
film sequel to The Sting
The Sting
The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss . The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.Created by...
. Directed by Jeremy Kagan
Jeremy Kagan
Jeremy Paul Kagan is an American film and television director, screenwriter and television producer.-Early life:Born in Mount Vernon, New York, Kagan received his B.A...
and written by David S. Ward
David S. Ward
David Schad Ward is an American film director and screen writer.-Life and career:Ward was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of Miriam and Robert McCollum Ward. Ward has degrees from Pomona College , as well as both USC and the UCLA Film School...
(also author of the original movie), it stars Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
, Mac Davis
Mac Davis
Mac Davis is a country music singer, songwriter, and actor originally from Lubbock, Texas who has enjoyed much crossover success...
, Teri Garr
Teri Garr
-Early life:Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1947. Her father, Eddie Garr , was a vaudeville performer, comedian and actor whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the Broadway drama Tobacco Road...
, Karl Malden
Karl Malden
Karl Malden was an American actor. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, he performed in such classic films as A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, On the Waterfront and One-Eyed Jacks...
and Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Musical Score, which was composed by Lalo Schifrin.
In their featured review, The New York Times stated that "The Sting II is better than might have been anticipated." The review went on to say that "Teri Garr lights up the film as a kind of small-time Mata Hari, and Karl Malden amusingly plays a swell named Macalinski."
Plot summary
The Great Depression is over. King of the con men Fargo Gondorff is released from prison and reassembles his cronies for another con, out to avenge the murder of his lifelong pal Kid Colors.Gondorff's young protege Jake Hooker attempts to pull a scam on wealthy "Countess Veronique," who instead pulls one on him and turns out to be a grifter herself named Veronica.
Coming up with a boxing con, Gondorff's goal is to sting both Lonnegan, the notorious banker and gangster who wants revenge from a previous con, and Gus Macalinski, a wealthy local racketeer. One or both of them is behind Kid Colors' death.
Hooker pretends to be a boxer who is about to throw a big fight. Macalinski is not only hoodwinked into losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, he is talked into changing his original wager by Lonnegan. While one gangster takes care of the other, Gondorff and Hooker head for the train station with a bag full of money, tickets out of town and a final twist from Veronica.
Cast and crew
- Jackie GleasonJackie GleasonJackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
as Fargo Gondorff - Mac DavisMac DavisMac Davis is a country music singer, songwriter, and actor originally from Lubbock, Texas who has enjoyed much crossover success...
as Jake Hooker - Teri GarrTeri Garr-Early life:Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1947. Her father, Eddie Garr , was a vaudeville performer, comedian and actor whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the Broadway drama Tobacco Road...
as Veronica - Oliver ReedOliver ReedOliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
as Doyle Lonnegan - Karl MaldenKarl MaldenKarl Malden was an American actor. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, he performed in such classic films as A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, On the Waterfront and One-Eyed Jacks...
as Gus Macalinski - José PérezJosé PérezJosé Pérez is a former Venezuelan boxer. At the 1988 Summer Olympics he lost in the second round of the men's lightweight division to Mongalia's eventual bronze medalist Nergüin Enkhbat.-References:*...
as Carlos - Ron RifkinRon RifkinRon Rifkin is an American actor. He is best-known for his roles as Arvin Sloane on the spy drama Alias and as Saul Holden on the American family drama Brothers & Sisters.-Personal life:...
as Eddie - Larry HankinLarry HankinLarry Hankin is an American actor, performer, director and producer.Hankin studied acting at Syracuse University. He is known for his roles in TV shows Friends and Seinfeld; as well as for his major role in the movie Escape from Alcatraz with Clint Eastwood...
as Handicap - John HancockJohn Hancock (actor)John Hancock was an American film and television actor.Born in Hazen, Arkansas, Hancock is possibly best remembered for his role as "Scotty" in the ABC miniseries Roots: The Next Generations...
as Doc - Tim RossovichTim RossovichTimothy John "Tim" Rossovich is a retired American football linebacker and is currently an actor. He is the brother of actor Rick Rossovich....
as Typhoon Taylor - Val AveryVal AveryVal Avery was an American character actor who appeared in hundreds of movies and television shows since the 1950s. In a career that spanned 50 years, Avery appeared in over 100 films and had appearances in over 300 television series.-Early life:Avery was born in Philadelphia...
as O'Malley - Adam HollanderAdam HollanderAdam Hollander was an American film and television actor.-Biography:Hollander was born in Los Angeles, California. He had been best known for portraying Keith in the horror classic Halloween. Hollander's last film was The Sting II playing the delivery boy...
as Delivery Boy - Dave Cadiente as Chico Torres
- Michael AlldredgeMichael AlldredgeMichael Alldredge was an American film and television actor. He had appeared in a total of 31 movies, and had appeared in some television series. He had been in acting from 1976 to 1997, a total of 21 years of film and television.-External links:...
as Big Ohio - Bert RemsenBert RemsenHerbert Birchell "Bert" Remsen was an American actor.-Life and career:Remsen was born in Glen Cove, New York, on Long Island, the son of Helen and Winfred Herbert Remsen. He played character roles in numerous films directed by Robert Altman, including: Brewster McCloud , McCabe & Mrs...
as Kid Colors - Francis X. McCarthy as Lonnegan's Thug (credited as Frank McCarthy)
A Jennings Lang
Jennings Lang
Jennings Lang was an American film producer, as well as a screenwriter and actor.- Biography :...
Production. Written by David S. Ward
David S. Ward
David Schad Ward is an American film director and screen writer.-Life and career:Ward was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of Miriam and Robert McCollum Ward. Ward has degrees from Pomona College , as well as both USC and the UCLA Film School...
. Music by Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations...
. Special Visual Effects by Albert Whitlock
Albert Whitlock
Albert J. Whitlock was a British-born motion picture matte artist best known for his work with Disney and Universal Studios.-Life and career:...
. Director of Photography Bill Butler, A.S.C. Produced by Jennings Lang. Directed by Jeremy Paul Kagan.
Taglines
The con is on...Place your bets!
- Above taglines taken from original Irish VHS release cover.
Continuity
The Sting II is not a direct sequel to The Sting in that the former applies a number of retroactive continuity changes to the characters and events depicted in the latter, particularly with regard to the three primary returning characters. Henry Gondorff from the original film is now named Fargo Gondorff. Johnny Hooker is now named Jake Hooker and has an extensive background in boxing, of which there was no suggestion in the first film. Doyle Lonnegan from The Sting is referred to only as "Lonnegan" in The Sting II; his first name is never mentioned. However, he is now from Philadelphia, whereas he was from New York in the first film. His basic persona is changed also, as he is depicted in the sequel as enjoying the art of running his own con game as part of an elaborate and slowly unwinding plot for vengeance upon Gondorff and Hooker. By contrast, the Lonnegan depicted in the original would have been much more likely to exact his revenge upon the pair by simply and immediately having them killed.It is not entirely clear whether the "Kid Colors" character who meets his end early in the sequel is intended to correspond specifically to the "Kid Twist" character from The Sting, though Hooker does mention that Kid Colors was in on their previous con of Lonnegan. That con, which was the primary plot of The Sting, is mentioned several times by the characters in The Sting II.
Director Jeremy Kagan said, "The Sting II is inspired by and is an expansion of the first Sting, rather than a continuation. The principal characters of Fargo Gondorff and Jake Hooker are based on two very famous real-life con men, and are totally different from the two characters in the original."
Production
The Sting II was partially filmed at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The Giant Dipper roller coaster is renamed Cyclone for the movie.Awards
The film was nominated for an Oscar in 1984 for Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score byLalo Schifrin.
Trivia
- This movie's working title was 'The Next Sting'.
- This sequel to 'The Sting' was the second and final movie in the series.
- This sequel was made about a decade after The Sting (1973).
- This movie' story takes place in 1939, six years after the first movie.
- Paul Newman and Robert Redford who played Henry Gondorff and Johnny Hooker The Sting (1973) do not reprise their roles in this sequel. To fill their shoes, Jackie Gleason and Mac Davis played Fargo Gondorff and Jake Hooker. They are however, despite having similar names and the same surnames, not the same characters from the original movie.
- Oliver Reed plays the role off Lonnegan. Robert Shaw played the part of Doyle Lonnegan in The Sting (1973). Whether or not Shaw would have reprised his role is academic as he died in 1978. We never hear the first name of the character in this sequel.
- This movie was actually written by David S. Ward who wrote The Sting (1973).
- Playing Gus Macalinski, Karl Malden was about seventy years of age when he appeared in this movie.
- This movie was one of two sequels that Jackie Gleason starred in and were released during 1983 which were both plagued by not featuring original cast members. Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983) did not star Burt Reynolds and Sally Field whilst The Sting II (1983) did not star Robert Redford and Paul Newman.
- The meaning and relevance of a "Sting" is that it can be defined as a confidence trickConfidence trickA confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
, a scam, confidence game or a con. The use of the word sting to mean this is a metaphor based on the hurt or pain of a bee sting doubling for that of being a victim of a swindle. - The Sting (1973) used of old-fashioned title cards interspersing various sections of the movie but their use was dispensed of for this sequel.
- A further 'Sting' movie was planned around the time of the production and release of this sequel. This film was intended to be prequel to The Sting (1973) and cover the early life of Henry Gondorff who was played by Paul Newman in the original. The prequel was to show him being mentored The Hustler (1961)-style by famed con man Soapy Smith. However, the film was not made.
- One reason that Jackie Gleason was cast in this movie when Paul Newman wasn't going to appear is that Gleason had played Minnesota Fats opposite Newman's Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler (1961), one of the most famous other classic con movies in film history.