What are the key takeaways from this The Rewatchables episode?

Key insights include: **Con Movie Structure:** The Sting pioneered the triple-con narrative framework with three simultaneous deceptions: the fake assassin waitress, Redford's false betrayal of Newman, and the FBI raid reveal. This layered approach established the template for modern con films like Ocean's Eleven and Focus, requiring audiences to remain surprised despite knowing deception is central.; **Star Power Evolution:** Redford used The Sting to establish first-call status in Hollywood, reportedly influencing director selection by passing the script to George Roy Hill, effectively removing original director David Ward. This marked a shift where actors controlled projects through strategic script circulation rather than studio assignments, a practice that continues with DiCaprio's current first-call position.; **Newman's Performance Method:** Paul Newman's poker scene demonstrates functional alcoholic acting technique, having consumed twelve beers daily for thirty years while maintaining fitness. His ability to play drunk while actually managing intoxication created authentic performances in gambling scenes, though this lifestyle contributed to early deaths among contemporaries like Robert Shaw who died at fifty.

How long is this episode of The Rewatchables?

This episode is 116 minutes long. SignalCast provides an AI-generated summary so you can get the key insights in about 3 minutes.

The Rewatchables

‘The Sting’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

September 30, 2025

116 min episode · 2 min read

Episode

116 min

Read time

2 min

Topics

Productivity, Health & Wellness, Relationships

AI-Generated Summary

Published Dec 25, 2025

Key Takeaways

✓Con Movie Structure: The Sting pioneered the triple-con narrative framework with three simultaneous deceptions: the fake assassin waitress, Redford's false betrayal of Newman, and the FBI raid reveal. This layered approach established the template for modern con films like Ocean's Eleven and Focus, requiring audiences to remain surprised despite knowing deception is central.
✓Star Power Evolution: Redford used The Sting to establish first-call status in Hollywood, reportedly influencing director selection by passing the script to George Roy Hill, effectively removing original director David Ward. This marked a shift where actors controlled projects through strategic script circulation rather than studio assignments, a practice that continues with DiCaprio's current first-call position.
✓Newman's Performance Method: Paul Newman's poker scene demonstrates functional alcoholic acting technique, having consumed twelve beers daily for thirty years while maintaining fitness. His ability to play drunk while actually managing intoxication created authentic performances in gambling scenes, though this lifestyle contributed to early deaths among contemporaries like Robert Shaw who died at fifty.
✓Academy Award Politics: The Sting won seven of ten Oscar nominations including Best Picture over The Exorcist and American Graffiti, representing makeup award dynamics where Jack Lemmon won Best Actor for Save the Tiger instead of Al Pacino for Serpico. This established the pattern of delayed recognition that affected Pacino until Scent of a Woman nineteen years later.
✓Production Design Philosophy: George Roy Hill deliberately eliminated extras and shot on soundstages to replicate 1930s gangster film aesthetics rather than authentic Depression-era Chicago. This created a manufactured, claustrophobic environment that Pauline Kael criticized but established the film's distinctive visual style, influencing how period pieces balance historical accuracy versus genre homage.

What It Covers

Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey analyze the 1973 film The Sting as part of Redford Month, examining its Best Picture win, the Newman-Redford partnership, con movie mechanics, and Hollywood star power dynamics in the 1970s.

Key Questions Answered

•Con Movie Structure: The Sting pioneered the triple-con narrative framework with three simultaneous deceptions: the fake assassin waitress, Redford's false betrayal of Newman, and the FBI raid reveal. This layered approach established the template for modern con films like Ocean's Eleven and Focus, requiring audiences to remain surprised despite knowing deception is central.
•Star Power Evolution: Redford used The Sting to establish first-call status in Hollywood, reportedly influencing director selection by passing the script to George Roy Hill, effectively removing original director David Ward. This marked a shift where actors controlled projects through strategic script circulation rather than studio assignments, a practice that continues with DiCaprio's current first-call position.
•Newman's Performance Method: Paul Newman's poker scene demonstrates functional alcoholic acting technique, having consumed twelve beers daily for thirty years while maintaining fitness. His ability to play drunk while actually managing intoxication created authentic performances in gambling scenes, though this lifestyle contributed to early deaths among contemporaries like Robert Shaw who died at fifty.
•Academy Award Politics: The Sting won seven of ten Oscar nominations including Best Picture over The Exorcist and American Graffiti, representing makeup award dynamics where Jack Lemmon won Best Actor for Save the Tiger instead of Al Pacino for Serpico. This established the pattern of delayed recognition that affected Pacino until Scent of a Woman nineteen years later.
•Production Design Philosophy: George Roy Hill deliberately eliminated extras and shot on soundstages to replicate 1930s gangster film aesthetics rather than authentic Depression-era Chicago. This created a manufactured, claustrophobic environment that Pauline Kael criticized but established the film's distinctive visual style, influencing how period pieces balance historical accuracy versus genre homage.

Notable Moment

Robert Shaw and George Roy Hill concluded filming with a week-long pub crawl through West Ireland that ended with Shaw in his underwear playing ping pong while screaming at opponents. This drinking culture among 1970s actors contrasted sharply with modern wellness-focused performances, reflecting an era when functional alcoholism was normalized on film sets.

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Episode Transcript

This episode is brought to you by United Airlines. Here's something worth watching, the award winning United Airlines app. On every trip, you can flip through time saving travel hacks, like a personalized airport map with door to gate directions, Binge watch real time flight updates, like a live calendar boarding, even if your home screen's locked, and watch it automatically move you from a middle seat to an eye or a window if one opens up on your flight. Get it before your next trip at united.com/app. This podcast is sponsored by PayPal. Let's talk holiday shopping. Make the most of your money with PayPal. They give you the flexibility to pay in four. No fees. No interest. So whether it's the must have toy or a tiered cheese board, PayPal helps you make the most of your money this holiday, subject to approval. Learn more at paypal.com slash payin for PayPal Inc, n m l s nine one zero four five seven. The Rewatchables brought to you by The Ringer Podcast Network. You can find the watch with CR Still there. Who wrote his first site. Can't believe you're the showrunner at task. You can tell us. Under the pseudonym Brad Inglesby. That's right. Congratulations. Thank you. Sean Fantais, big picture. Hi. What was physical media something council something? Yeah. We had a high council meeting, four guys. You're you're invited to the next one. Well, I just showed you, mate. Make it a big five. I have a big stack now. Yeah. Are you boosting now? Well So I keep it low. Are you looking to brag about V or creatine? So CR came to the most recent episode. Yeah. He's done one episode a year the last three years, and he walked away with, like, 40 Blu rays. Yeah. How did that happen? Because Tracy Letts has lots of doubles. So he brought all of his doubles and gave them to Chris. So if you wanna double your stack, think about it. Yeah. $20.26. Double my stack. Speaking of doubling stack, we're doing this thing today because it's Redford Month, and we actually extended the month. It starts on September. We're doing five Redford movies in the rewatchables. Some that we were they were always in the hopper to do anyway, but we had to start with this thing, an iconic movie that won best picture in 1973. We'll be back in a second. The sting, 1973, comes out in Christmas. I think my dad said he took me to the theater for this one. I was four. Not a lot of memories. Oh, there are no babysitters. There there are no rules in the seventies. So you like Chris? Like, I wanna go see this thing. Let's let's take little Billy and hope he doesn't, like, fall over and somebody see me. My kid is four, so I'm trying to imagine bringing her to see him okay to it. Howard Conn movie? Yeah. That would …

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