Ep. 45 - THE STING at 50: Reel to Real Cons and Scams
Paul Newman as Henry Gondorff in THE STING (1973) Photo: Universal Pictures
“Everybody is greedy. Everyone. It’s just a matter of what you’re greedy for."
Geno Munari, veteran casino operator and author, The Dunes Hotel and Casino: The Mob, the Connections, the Stories
December 25, 2023 is the 50th anniversary of THE STING’s theatrical release. Winner of 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, and Best Director for George Roy Hill, THE STING features Paul Newman and Robert Redford as two con men who team up to avenge the murder of a mutual friend by pulling off the ultimate big con to swindle a ruthless crime boss.
In episode 45, we talk about THE STING and real-life cons, big and small, with veteran casino operator GENO MUNARI. Geno brings behind-the-scenes connections to the film and stories from his work in the gambling and hospitality business, including 8 years at The Dunes Hotel and Country Club in Las Vegas.
We also talk about...
Origins and types of confidence games
Cheating in a poker game as seen in THE STING
Con games and scams from Geno’s casino experiences in Vegas
...and more
Guest: GENO MUNARI
Geno Munari is an author, producer and veteran casino operator. He’s been involved in all facets of the gambling and hospitality business, including 8 years at The Dunes Hotel and Country Club in Las Vegas. His published books include The Dunes Hotel and Casino: The Mob, the Connections, the Stories; and Scams, Swindlers & Cheats: What Every Gambler & Casino Operator Should Know, where he reveals the secrets of the gambling underworld.
In addition, Geno Munari has written for television and film and contributed to the gaming production as seen in the films INDECENT PROPOSAL (featuring Robert Redford, Demi Moore, and Woody Harrelson) and RAINMAN (featuring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman). Geno is a member of the Writers Guild of America and is based in Las Vegas.
Connect with Geno Munari: Website
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The Dunes Hotel and Casino: The Mob, the Connections, the Stories by Geno Munari is available in our affiliate bookstore on bookshop[dot]org.
"The intent behind this book is to record classic Las Vegas history that would be lost forever if not memorialized."
The Dunes operation was a spectrum of information that is intricate and mysterious at times, protected by a shroud of secrecy and intrigue that is virtually impossible to decipher. It featured different operators and Mob characters who, at various times in the history of the hotel, were involved in various ventures, including gambling, bookmaking, real estate investment, and many other business arrangements.
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THE STING
THE STING original trailer (YouTube link)
THE STING is directed by George Roy Hill with screenplay by David S. Ward. Costumes were created by the legendary Edith Head who won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design for THE STING.
THE STING is set in 1936. The Great Depression is still in full swing. Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) is a young and reckless hustler who partners with Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones) and Joe Erie (Jack Kehoe) in Joliet, Illinois. Together they con $11,000 in cash from an unsuspecting victim. Encouraged by the windfall, Luther decides to retire and tells Hooker to seek out his old friend, Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman), in Chicago to learn “the big con.” However, corrupt Joliet police lieutenant William Snyder (Charles Durning) confronts Hooker, revealing that their mark was a courier for a vicious crime boss named Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw).
After the murders of the courier and Luther by Lonnegan’s hit men, Hooker flees to Chicago. Hooker finds Gondorff, now hiding from the FBI, running a carousel, actually a front for a brothel run by Billie (Eileen Brennan). Hooker asks Gondorff for his help to take down Lonnegan. Aware of Lonnegan’s deadly vindictive reputation, Gondorff is reluctant, but out of sadness for their friend Luther, recruits a team of experienced con men.
Together they resurrect an elaborate, obsolete scam known as “the wire,” using a large crew to create a phony off-track betting parlor to con Lonnegan out of half a million dollars. Both Snyder and Lonnegan’s men track Hooker to Chicago: Gondorff warns Hooker that if either of them find him, the con will have to fold.
THE STING is available for rental on most streaming platforms, or from your public library. Do a search.
Listen to THE STING movie soundtrack on Spotify. Marvin Hamlisch, composer of the music for the film included the ragtime music of turn- of-the-century African American composer Scott Joplin. Though not the music of the 1930s, THE STING was a comeback for Scott Joplin’s popularity with contemporary music lovers. Marvin Hamlisch earned an Academy Award for the soundtrack.