The Sting Page #4

MOTTOLA:

I just made the world's easiest

five grand.

He takes the bundle out from inside his pants in order to

gaze upon his new-found fortune. He unties the handkerchief.

It's full of toilet paper. Mottola looks like he's just

been shot.

CUT TO:

EXT. ALLEY - DAY - THE STRANGER AND BLACK MAN

hightailing it down the street, two newly solvent con

artists on the lam. It's hard to run they're laughing so

hard. The stranger chucks his suitcase in a trash can and

pulls the real handkerchief out of his pants.

BLACK MAN:

Jesus, what a bundle. Did you know

he was that loaded?

STRANGER:

Hell no, I just cut into him. I

woulda settled for pawning one of

them shoes.

As they split off, music begins, and we go into a

TITLES SEQUENCE:

Done to a driving Chicago blues, the sequence is designed to

establish somewhat the milieu of the stranger, known to

friends and enemies alike as Hooker. We see the following:

EXT. PAWNSHOP - LOOKING INSIDE - DAY

Hooker is getting a radio and well-worn suit out of hook.

It's like seeing old friends again. All pantomime.

INT. HOOKER'S ROOM - DAY

A shabby little place he rents above a cigar store. We pick

him up in a jerry-built outdoor shower, which he's rigged up

on the fire escape. The rinse water drips down through the

landing into the grimy alley below.

HOOKER:

(singing)

'With plenty of money and you-oo-

oo,

Oh baby, what I wouldn't do-oo-

oo...'

ON THE STREET AGAIN

jauntily carrying a magnum of champagne and some flowers,

obviously on his way to see someone special.

IN A BURLESQUE HOUSE

Hooker stands in the wings holding the flowers and champagne,

watching his date for the evening, a 6'3" stripper named

Crystal, do her routine.

Crystal finishes up and comes off the stage.

CRYSTAL:

(tired)

Hi, Hooker, you gettin' married or

somethin'?

HOOKER:

Come into a little dough. You

wanna get outa here tonight?

CRYSTAL:

Can't. I got a 10 o'clock show. I

need the five bucks.

HOOKER:

I'll spend fifty on ya.

Crystal looks at him a second and starts to giggle. We're

pretty sure she's gonna get outa here tonight.

COMING INTO A POOR MAN'S GAMBLING JOINT

Little more than a reconverted brick basement, the place

contains three shoddy, homemade roulette tables. Hooker,

accompanied now by Crystal, nods a greeting to the doorman

and proceeds to a table where there are already several

other people laying their bets for the next spin. Hooker

knows the wheel man, an old-timer named Jimmy.

JIMMY:

(glad to see him)

Hooker!

HOOKER:

How ya doin', Jimmy.

JIMMY:

(collecting bets and

paying off the winners)

Ain't seen you in months, boy.

Thought maybe you took a fall.

HOOKER:

Naw, just a little hard times,

that's all. It's all over now.

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