The Shootist (1976)

A dying gunfighter spends his last days looking for a way to die with a minimum of pain and a maximum of dignity.

Director:

Don Siegel

Writers:

Glendon Swarthout (novel), Miles Hood Swarthout (screenplay)

Stars:

John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	J.B. Books
Lauren Bacall	...	Bond Rogers
Ron Howard	...	Gillom Rogers
James Stewart	...	Dr. Hostetler
Richard Boone	...	Sweeney
Hugh O'Brian	...	Pulford
Bill McKinney	...	Cobb
Harry Morgan	...	Marshall Thibido
John Carradine	...	Beckum
Sheree North	...	Serepta
Rick Lenz	...	Dobkins (as Richard Lenz)
Scatman Crothers	...	Moses
Gregg Palmer	...	Burly Man
Alfred Dennis	...	Barber
Dick Winslow	...	Streetcar Driver

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

reference to arizona | bisbee arizona | tucson arizona | highwayman | creede colorado | 

---

Taglines:

He's got to face a gunfight once more to live up to his legend once more - TO WIN JUST ONE MORE TIME.

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance | Western

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 August 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Shootist

Filming Locations:

Carson City, Nevada, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$5,987,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Dino De Laurentiis Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lauren Bacall, James Stewart, Richard Boone and John Carradine were all cast at John Wayne's request.

---

Goofs

During the attempted robbery of Books he shoots a shotgun laying on the ground. The shotgun flies in the opposite direction of what it should when being shot at from where Books was.

---

Quotes

John Bernard Books: [to Gillam] Would you tell Mrs. Rogers that a tuckered out old man would like a room?

---

Connections

Features Red River (1948)

---

Soundtracks

Willow, Tit Willow
Music by Arthur Sullivan
Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert
Performed by John Wayne & Lauren Bacall

User Reviews

It's what we call a fall spring

The Shootist is a great swan song to the film career of John Wayne and a great movie on its own merit. The parallels between Wayne's life at the time the film was made and the character(J.B.Brooks) he plays in the movie only add a poignant sadness. This sadness is part of the film, it never lets up. The first jolt of sadness comes when we see Wayne visiting with the town doctor, played by Jimmy Stewart. Wayne is diagnosed with an incurable cancer. This news seems to trouble Stewarts character as much as it does with Waynes. As both characters try to come to grips with this diagnosis, I was left wondering: am I watching the work of two gifted actors play acting in a movie or am I watching two old friends bringing their reality into the movie?. Whatever the case, the scene is very moving.

Also in the cast is Lauren Bacall as the recently widowed inn keeper. She helps keep Wayne's character fulfilled and feisty during his last days. Ironicly, this job was something she was familiar with, as she did this in real life with her late husband Humphrey Bogart.

There are many good performances by the rest of the cast. But it is the circumstances under which they were filmed for Wayne, that make his a truly unbelievable performance. There are two of his scenes that stand out for me: 1) Listening to John Wayne and Scatman Crothers haggle over the selling price of Wayne's horse. Yeah, it might not sound like much here in print, but that's just a testimony of how well these two actors pull that scene off. Just great. 2) Seeing John Wayne enter the saloon with a purpose for the last time. Truly one of the most bone chilling cinematic moments of all time.

If you love John Wayne then I'm certain that you love this film already. If you can take or leave John Wayne, you might at least like this film. But if you don't care for Wayne or for that matter, if you don't like westerns, you'll probably still like this film. At least I hope so. 9/10.

Clark Richards