# The Sting (1973), 50 years later; movies that’ve held up well **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [March 19, 2023, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359 "2023-03-19T14:47:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/21 "2023-03-19T21:43:46Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Director George Roy Hill said he would have no trouble using a Dixie-land jazz band in a Roman coliseum film, if it fit – I’d pay good money to see it. How about “[We Will Rock You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hi8IWqic0U)” in a tale about jousting? Completely ridiculous, but it captures the proper spirit of the event. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/22 "2023-03-19T22:25:30Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > How about “[We Will Rock You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hi8IWqic0U)” in a tale about jousting? Or the same song repurposed for [sheep shearing?](https://youtu.be/JOnhoKE7Kgg) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/23 "2023-03-19T22:47:47Z")
No argument here; it’s like they turned down a rheostat slightly after the cliff jump. I still love _MASH_ and believe it holds up but I’ll be damned if I can tell you why. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/24 "2023-03-19T23:09:38Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Sticking with Paul Newman, _The Verdict_ is still an amazing movie. From 1982, so over 40 years. I saw this recently too. Hadn’t seen it in years. Yes, quite good. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/25 "2023-03-19T23:13:58Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > The Scott Joplin music was an interesting choice because it was anachronistic. Ragtime was popular more toward the turn of the century, not the 1930s when The Sting takes place. Yet it fits really well, and spurred a revival of ragtime in the 70s. One of my cousins was a concert pianist at the time and I remember him playing The Entertainer in his shows because of this film. I remember that ragtime revival in the 70s. I just bought the album, a 25 anniversary edition of the soundtrack. Looking forward to listening to this. [![](https://i.imgur.com/ly4w5pv.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/ly4w5pv.png) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/26 "2023-03-19T23:15:30Z")
The Verdict was exceptionally good. Great script, great acting all around. A little hammy but it was made for that. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/27 "2023-03-19T23:19:38Z")
The original _Taking of Pelham 1 2 3_ is a laugh out loud nail biter – not easy to pull off, I believe it holds up very well despite 1970s trappings. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/28 "2023-03-19T23:33:12Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > The original _Taking of Pelham 1 2 3_ is a laugh out loud nail biter – not easy to pull off, I believe it holds up very well That’s one of my favorite movies. Remaking it was a travesty. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/29 "2023-03-19T23:40:21Z")
When you needed a bad guy in the '70s, you could do a lot worse than Robert Shaw. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/30 "2023-03-20T00:05:24Z")
This! He was so damn _nice_ in ToP123, wasn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/31 "2023-03-20T00:11:09Z")
I hate to sound like a hipster, but I was into ragtime before it was cool, having bought [this record](https://www.nonesuch.com/journal/joshua-rifkin-scott-joplin-piano-rags-recording-grammy-hall-fame-2020-01-17) in 1971. 🙂 One of my all time favorite films…seen it more times than I can count. I love the world-building; how there’s this entire underground economy supporting con men and grifters, and offices full of mobster’s staff. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/32 "2023-03-20T00:16:36Z")
A man ahead of his time. You were too cool for school! ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/33 "2023-03-20T00:17:17Z")
When Hooker blows his money on one spin of the (crooked) roulette wheel, the ball lands on 22. This is the same number that Rick tells the Bulgarian kid to bet on in **Casablanca**. So if you’re ever in a casino and have doubts about the roulette game, bet on 22. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/34 "2023-03-20T00:20:54Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > So if you’re ever in a casino and have doubts about the roulette game, bet on 22. 😉 But all the crooked casinos know 22 is a sentimental favorite so they might be rigged to skip it. That’s the catch. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/35 "2023-03-20T00:21:26Z")
and the password to get into the Casino is of course “Swordfish” ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/36 "2023-03-20T00:21:47Z")
Coincidentally, i just watched this a couple of months ago. It was great. Yes, it held up well. And it was kind of my first time. I saw it when it came out, but i was a kid, and a lot of it went over my head. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/37 "2023-03-20T00:27:13Z")
You mean like _ **Place** _ it on Lucky Dan? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/38 "2023-03-20T00:38:58Z")
“After what happened to Luther, I don’t think I can get more than two, three hundred guys.” ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/39 "2023-03-20T00:42:35Z")
Yeah, the whole plan falls apart if Lonagan had just asked for clarification on that point. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2023, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359/40 "2023-03-20T00:49:19Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > When you needed a bad guy in the '70s, you could do a lot worse than Robert Shaw. [Not just in the '70s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Man_for_All_Seasons_(1966_film)). Quite possibly my all-time favorite movie, and one which qualifies for this thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sting-1973-50-years-later-movies-that-ve-held-up-well/981359.md?page=3)