A dying gunfighter spends his last days looking for a way to die with a minimum of pain and a maximum of dignity.
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Title: The Shootist (1976)
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| John Wayne | ... | ||
| Lauren Bacall | ... | ||
| Ron Howard | ... | ||
| James Stewart | ... | ||
| Richard Boone | ... | ||
| Hugh O'Brian | ... | ||
| Bill McKinney | ... |
Cobb
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| Harry Morgan | ... |
Marshall Thibido
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| John Carradine | ... |
Beckum
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| Sheree North | ... |
Serepta
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| Rick Lenz | ... |
Dobkins
(as Richard Lenz)
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| Scatman Crothers | ... |
Moses
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| Gregg Palmer | ... |
Burly Man
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Alfred Dennis | ... |
Barber
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Dick Winslow | ... |
Streetcar Driver
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
John Books an aging gunfighter goes to see a doctor he knows for a second opinion after another doctor told him he has a cancer which is terminal. The doctor confirms what the other said. He says Books has a month maybe two left. He takes a room in the boarding house and the son of the woman who runs it recognizes him and tells his mother who he is. She doesn't like his kind but when he tells her of his condition, she empathizes. Her son wants him to teach him how to use a gun. Books tries to tell him that killing is not something he wants to live with. Books, not wanting to go through the agony of dying from cancer, tries to find a quicker way to go. Written by rcs0411@yahoo.com
Taglines:
He's got to face a gunfight once more to live up to his legend once more - TO WIN JUST ONE MORE TIME.Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
20 August 1976 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Le dernier des géants See more »Box Office
Gross:
$5,987,000 (USA)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
John Bernard Books: Why don't you just say it flat out?
Dr. E.W. Hostetler: All right. You have a cancer - advanced. Is that what that fella up in Creed told you?
John Bernard Books: Yeah.
Dr. E.W. Hostetler: And you didn't believe him.
John Bernard Books: No.
Dr. E.W. Hostetler: Do you believe me?
John Bernard Books: Can't you cut it out, Doc?
Dr. E.W. Hostetler: I'd have to gut you like a fish.
John Bernard Books: Well, what *can* you do?
[...]
See more »
Music by Arthur Sullivan
Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert
Performed by John Wayne & Lauren Bacall
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Many of the actors were felt to be too old for their characters, especially Ron Howard. See more »Goofs
In the final shoot-out the mirror behind the bar is real at the beginning and up to the first shot when it shatters. Thereafter it is replaced by something which is obviously not mirror glass and which punctures rather than shatters. See more »Quotes
Dr. E.W. Hostetler: Books, every few days I have to tell a man or a woman something I don't want to. I've been practicing medicine for 29 years, and I still don't know how to do it well.John Bernard Books: Why don't you just say it flat out?
Dr. E.W. Hostetler: All right. You have a cancer - advanced. Is that what that fella up in Creed told you?
John Bernard Books: Yeah.
Dr. E.W. Hostetler: And you didn't believe him.
John Bernard Books: No.
Dr. E.W. Hostetler: Do you believe me?
John Bernard Books: Can't you cut it out, Doc?
Dr. E.W. Hostetler: I'd have to gut you like a fish.
John Bernard Books: Well, what *can* you do?
[...]
See more »
Soundtracks
Willow, Tit WillowMusic by Arthur Sullivan
Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert
Performed by John Wayne & Lauren Bacall
See more »
The legendary John Wayne gives a fantastic understated performance as J.B. Books an aging gunfighter suffering from stomach cancer and looking to live out the final days of his life in peace. Of course, the entire existence of the gunfighter is predicated on the inevitability that once you reach top there is always going to be someone looking to knock you off your pedestal. Here that means J.B.'s retirement won't be so peaceful. Besides this plot point, there is the mature twilight romance between J.B. and Bond (Lauren Bacall) and his mentor relationship with Gillom (Ron Howard). James Stewart (who co-starred with Wayne in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) puts in a cameo as J.B.'s physician. Recommended.