The Downtown Paso Robles Main Street Association is hosting a screening of director George Roy Hill’s (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Slaughterhouse-Five, The World According to Garp) classic 1973 crime comedy The Sting, from a script by David S. Ward (The Milagro Beanfield War, Major League, Sleepless in Seattle) about two grifters—Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) and Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford)—who team up to fleece ruthless mob boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). The all-star cast also includes Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Eileen Brennan, Harold Gould, Robert Earl Jones, and more.
Set in 1936 Chicago during the Great Depression, the story involved a complicated plot to get revenge for murder using an old scam called “the wire,” which requires extensive collaboration and coordination. Part of the fun is keeping up with it all. The Writers Guild of America considers it one of the best screenplays ever written. It also boasts an amazing soundtrack of Scott Joplin ragtime compositions, in particular “The Entertainer,” adapted for the film by Marvin Hamlisch.
THE STING
What’s it rated? PG
When? 1973
Where’s it showing? Park Cinemas on Sunday, Sept. 6 (doors at 6:30 p.m.; $21.50 presale at parkcinemas.com or $20 at the box office)
The film was a worldwide hit and won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Art Direction, Costume Design, Film Editing, and Score. It’s an absolute classic! (91 min.) ∆
This article appears in Sept 3-10, 2026.
