The Sting Scene 14 Summary

  • This scene opens with a new title card that reads, "The Wire."
  • Johnny goes to eat in a diner and makes chitchat with the cashier. She says she wants to get out of Chicago as soon as possible. Johnny gives her a really nice big tip and walks out.
  • Meanwhile, Kid Twist and a guy named J.J. dress up as painters and walk into a Western Union office. They tell the woman there that they have a work order to paint one of the offices in the building.
  • Johnny-as-Kelly gets into Lonnegan's car and tells him to head for the Western Union office, which Twist and J.J. are clearing out with their painting scam.
  • As soon as the supervisor leaves, Twist takes off his painting suit to reveal a really nice dress suit underneath. He even puts up a fake picture of him and his family to make the office look like his.
  • Johnny-as-Kelly and Twist talk with Lonnegan in a bar, with Twist posing as the Western union telegraph partner who's in on Johnny-as-Kelly's scheme. Lonnegan says he wants to see the scheme work again before he's willing to go in on the big score.
  • He even says that if it works again he'll finance the entire operation and put up his own four hundred grand.
  • After some smooth-talking from Twist, Lonnegan finally agrees to go with the original plan. But he wants to be the one who cashes in on it.