Daily Dialogue — November 14, 2017

Henry: Well, kid, you beat him.
Johnny: You’re right, Henry. It’s not enough.

Then he laughs.

Johnny: But it’s close.

— The Sting (1973), written by David S. Ward

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Celebration.

Trivia: Paul Newman’s role, Henry Gondorff, was written for an overweight, past one’s prime slob, and was a minor character. He was only in about half of David S. Ward’s original screenplay, and was intended to be an older, paunchier fellow-a sort of gruff mentor to Johnny Hooker. The producers originally envisioned Peter Boyle to play the role, but Paul Newman loved the screenplay and was eager to play Gondorff. Ultimately, Ward slimmed down the character and beefed up the role to fit Newman.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Amidst the general celebration by all the guys who pulled off this con, this exchange between Henry (Paul Newman) and Johnny (Robert Redford) is a nice capstone.