The Sting Page #16

Twist says nothing for a minute, then:

TWIST:

All right. Be at the booth at 1:00.

I'll give you all three places this

time, Lonnegan. That better be

proof enough.

Hooker and Lonnegan smile at each other like life-long

friends. They get up to leave, and we frame the shot with a

coffee cup large in the foreground. As they go out the

door, a black-gloved hand with four fingers enters the frame

and puts a nickel down next to the cup.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

THE SHUT-OUT

FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

INT. A DOWNTOWN DINETTE - MORNING

Snyder finishes a donut and a cup of coffee, puts down a

dime for the lot and exits. We follow him down the street:

EXT. STREET

To a corner newsstand, where he stops to buy a morning paper.

As he peruses it, he's approached by two large, clean-cut

men in white skimmers.

MAN:

Are you Lieutenant William Snyder?

SNYDER:

I don't know, what's up?

MAN:

F.B.I... The Captain'd like a few

words with ya. Ya got a couple

minutes?

SNYDER:

(completely floored)

Yeh, sure.

The two men show him to a waiting car.

CUT TO:

INT. AN ABANDONED WAREHOUSE - DAY

Snyder stands in the middle of a dusty old machine room,

surrounded by four or five Federal Agents. Visible around

the room are several folding cots and portable lockers. The

agents have obviously been quartered here temporarily. They

all wear white skimmers, save for one, a portly man, Captain

Polk, who paces the room smoking. There is something long-

suffering about him, as if he wondered how he ever got in a

service that thought white skimmers were classy.

SNYDER:

What is this? I got work to do.

POLK:

Sit down and shut up, will ya. Try

not to live up to all my

expectations.

(not in the mood to

screw around)

We were told you know a hustle

artist named Johnny Hooker.

Snyder doesn't answer.

POLK:

Do ya know him or don't ya?

SNYDER:

Yeh, but I don't know where he is.

POLK:

Well we do. He's chummin' around

with a Big C named Henry Gondorff.

Ring any bells?

SNYDER:

Sure. Every bunco man in the

country knows Gondorff.

POLK:

There's word he's gonna run a con

on the North Side here. We got a

year-old Florida warrant on him,

but it's a thin beef, and he can

beat it in court unless we catch

him cold. All we want you to do is

pick up Hooker for us.

SNYDER:

Why don't you pick him up yourself?

POLK:

Cause the stoolies are used to

street d*cks jumpin' him. If word

gets around that Feds are in on it

too, Gondorff'll fold up the whole

thing.

SNYDER:

Wouldn't that be too bad. You'd

hafta move outa this nice office ya

got.

POLK:

(enraged)

Don't crack wise to me, flatfoot.

I spent a lotta time in dumps like

this, eatin' Gondorff's dust while

the bunco squad gets rich tippin'

him off. But it's not gonna happen

this time. We're not even gonna

let the police know we're here. If

you keep your mouth shut and do a

job, there'll be a promotion in it

for ya. And you better take it,

cause I can make ya work for us

without it.

SNYDER:

What the hell good is Hooker to ya?

POLK:

He's gonna set up Gondorff for us.

SNYDER:

He'll never do it.

POLK:

(self-satisfied)

I think he will.

CUT TO:

INT. DRUGSTORE - DAY

Lonnegan sits by the phone, watching the clock and sipping a

cup of coffee.

CUT TO:

INT. THE STORE - DAY

Specifically, the small room from which Singleton does his

race broadcasts. Singleton, himself, is hunched over the

ticker machine, reading the print-out. Billie sits at the

microphone table with a pencil and pad, ready to write.

SINGLETON:

Visitation is still up by two at

the three-quarters. Single Action

second, Fasanella third.

BILLIE:

What's the line on Visitation?

SINGLETON:

(checking further up

on the print-out sheet)

7 to 2. That ain't bad.

BILLIE:

He'll probably fall down.

Gondorff appears at the doorway.

GONDORFF:

How ya doin'?

SINGLETON:

(eyes still glued to

the ticker)

Nothin' yet. I got a good one on

the lead at Hialeah, but he's fadin'.

BILLIE:

Best we had was Cat's Eye in the

second at Del Mar, and he was only

5-2. Not many longshots comin' in

today.

SINGLETON:

(excited)

Billie. You ready?

Billie prepares to write on her pad.

BILLIE:

Yeh, go ahead.

SINGLETON:

At the finish, it's Single Action

by two, Fasanella second, Visitation

third.

(reading up the sheet again)

Line on Single Action... 3 to 2.

Hell with it, that's no good.

Billie crumples up the piece of paper she's been writing on

and chucks it in a wastecan.

GONDORFF:

We don't need big odds on this one,

J.J. Take anything you get at 3-1

or better.

Gondorff leaves the room, as Singleton turns back to his

vigil at the ticker.

SINGLETON:

(a little weary)

Okay, the Fairfield Stakes at Santa

Anita. Mile and a quarter for 3

year olds and up.

CUT TO:

THE FLOOR AREA OF THE STORE

Everyone is in his place as before. Today, however, Curly

Jackson is playing the part of the aging sport.

Well scrubbed and clean shaven, he cuts a dashing figure in

his blue blazer and white pants. We go to Gondorff in the

cashier's cage. He's talking to Niles, who's busy handing

out fake bankrolls to members of the boost.

GONDORFF:

He's gonna hit ya with 20 grand,

Eddie. How much cash we got?

NILES:

Not enough to cover a bet that big.

GONDORFF:

Get a couple extra guys in the

line, then. We'll give him the

shut-out.

Niles nods.

CUT TO:

INT. DRUGSTORE - DAY

Lonnegan is still waiting. He takes the 20 grand out of his

coat pocket and thumbs through it, just to make sure it's

all there.

CUT TO:

INT. THE STORE - DAY

Singleton and Billie at the ticker again. Billie looks a

little sleepy. Singleton is obviously involved with the

progress of a race.

SINGLETON:

Okay, Billie, here we go.

Billie snaps to and prepares to write as Singleton reads.

SINGLETON:

At the wire it's Wrecking Crew the

winner by five, Grand Theft second,

Wingless third.

(reading up)

Wrecking Crew was...4 to 1.

(ripping the sheet

out of the ticker)

That's our boy.

Billie and Singleton hustle out of the room.

EXT. ALLEY

We follow Billie through the store and across the alley to

the building from which Twist keeps his lookout.

CUT BACK TO:

INT. THE STORE

Gondorff, holding the ticker sheet Singleton has given him,

emerges from the office and starts giving instructions to

the boost.

GONDORFF:

All right, Furey, your horse is

Wingless. Paltrow, the Big Alabama

and Phillips'll take Grand Theft.

Rodgers and Eirie have Wrecking

Crew. Jackson -- His Dandy,

Cowan -- Change of Heart, Fiskin

and Chappie -- Made to Order.

(pointing to the

Eirie Kid)

Eirie, he gets a bang outa seein'

you lose, so we oughta use that on

'em. If you play the birds of a

feather routine we worked on, it

should steam him up pretty good.

You think you can handle that?

EIRIE KID:

(a little nervous)

Yeh, sure.

GONDORFF:

O.K., you guys in line take your

time, and I wanta see lotsa joy on

Wrecking Crew.

CUT TO:

INT. TWIST'S ROOM - DAY

Billie enters and gives Twist the piece of paper she wrote

the race results on. He picks up the phone and starts to

dial.

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