“What was I supposed to do? Call him for cheating better than me in front of the others?”

The Bosque Film Society cordially invites all members as well as those interested in becoming members to attend its monthly members-only FILM APPRECIATION NIGHT AT THE MOVIES featuring 1973 buddy con man caper film “THE STING” starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 25 at The Cliftex Theatre in Clifton with an introductory presentation by Bosque Film Society founding board vice president Angela Smith.

Directed by George Roy Hill, who had previously directed Newman and Redford in the Western “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969), and written by screenwriter David S. Ward, “THE STING” was inspired by real-life cons perpetrated by brothers Fred and Charley Gondorff and documented by David Maurer in his 1940 book “The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man.”

Johnny Hooker (Redford), a small time grifter, unknowingly steals from Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw), a big-time crime boss, when he pulls a standard street con. Lonnegan demands satisfaction for the insult. After his partner, Luther, is killed, Hooker flees, and seeks the help of Henry Gondorff (Newman), one of Luther’s contacts, who is a master of the long con.

Hooker wants to use Gondorff’s expertise to take Lonnegan for an enormous sum of money to even the score, since he admits he “doesn’t know enough about killing to kill him.” They devise a complicated scheme and amass a talented group of other con artists who want their share of the reparations.

The stakes are high in this game, and our heroes must not only deal with Lonnegan’s murderous tendencies, but also other side players who want a piece of the action. To win, Hooker and Gondorff will need all their skills…and a fair amount of confidence.

Released on Christmas of 1973, “THE STING” was a massive critical and commercial success and hugely successful at the 46th Academy Awards, nominated for 10 Oscars and winning seven, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Original Screenplay. Redford was also nominated for Best Actor, while the film rekindled Newman’s career after a series of big-screen flops.

Regarded as having one of the best screenplays ever written, “THE STING” was selected in 2005 for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Specifically serving its membership, the 2024 Film Appreciation Night At The Movies Series will include upcoming presentations of The African Queen (1951) July 16 introduced by Kaye Callaway, Driving Miss Daisy (1989) Aug. 27 introduced by Bryan Davis, Seven Samurai (1954) Sept. 24 introduced by E. Brett Voss, 2nd Annual Halloween Party featuring Young Frankenstein (1974) Oct. 29 introduced by Miriam Wallace, Legends of the Fall (1994) Nov. 26 introduced by William Godby, and the 5th Annual Christmas Party featuring Die Hard (1994) Dec. 17 introduced by J Matt Wallace.

Since this will be a private showing, BYOB will be allowed, and the theatre concession stand will be open for purchases. Although the event will be closed to the public, those wishing to become Bosque Film Society members Tuesday night will be admitted.

If you haven’t renewed your membership for 2024 yet, join the Bosque Film Society’s non-profit efforts to support The Cliftex Theatre – the longest continuously operating movie house in Texas, showing films on the silver screen since 1916 – by visiting our membership page at: https://bosquefilm.com/membership/. Annual membership fees are $30 per individual, $50 per couple and $70 per family.