In 1983 a sequel to The Sting was released, called simply The Sting II. It was written by original Sting scribe David S. Ward and starred Jackie Gleason, Mac Davis and Teri Garr. It was a box office disappointment.

Similarly to what Bonnie and Clyde had done for women in 1967, The Sting's 1930's-inspired fashions ignited a trend in men's clothes across the country with gangster suits briefly becoming all the rage.

The Sting features an irresistible musical score made up mostly of turn-of-the-century Ragtime tunes originally written by composer Scott Joplin including the highly popular "The Entertainer". The success of the film was responsible for turning the spotlight on Joplin's wonderful music more than 50 years after his death and re-igniting its popularity with the public.

The musical soundtrack to The Sting, produced by composer Marvin Hamlisch, was a big hit. Hamlisch's adaptation of Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" was released as a single and reached number 3 on the American Top 40 Chart - a remarkable feat for an old-fashioned instrumental piece.

Scott Joplin was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize in 1976 "for his contributions to American music." Many scholars agree that this was due in no small part to the increased public awareness of Joplin's music brought on by the popularity of The Sting.

The Sting had a theatrical re-release in 1977, which included a booking at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

by Andrea Passafiume