'' The Sting '' was hugely successful at the 46th Academy Awards , being nominated for ten Oscars and winning seven , including Best Picture , Best Director and Best Original Screenplay . In 2005 , '' The Sting '' was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as being " culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant . " The film takes place in 1936 , at the height of the Great Depression . Johnny Hooker , a grifter in Joliet , Illinois , cons $ 11,000 in cash in a pigeon drop from an unsuspecting victim with the aid of his partners Luther Coleman and Joe Erie . Buoyed by the windfall , Luther announces his retirement and advises Hooker to seek out an old friend , Henry Gondorff , in Chicago to teach him " the big con " . Unfortunately , their victim was a numbers racket courier for vicious crime boss Doyle Lonnegan . Corrupt Joliet police Lieutenant William Snyder confronts Hooker , revealing Lonnegan 's involvement and demanding part of Hooker 's cut . Having already spent his share , Hooker pays Snyder in counterfeit bills . Lonnegan 's men murder both the courier and Luther , and Hooker flees for his life to Chicago
46th Academy Awards
46th Academy Awards
The Sting