History Film / TheShootist

* CoolGuns: John Book uses a Smith and Wesson Model 3.

* ABirthdayNotABreak: Arranged by Books himself, who invites three people to try and kill him at the saloon on his 58th birthday.

%%* BigBad: Mike Sweeney, Jack Pulford, and Jim Cobb.

Creator/ScatmanCrothers plays Moses, who runs the stable.

* TwilightOfTheOldWest: The movie takes place in 1901.

%%* WidowWoman: Bond Rogers.

''The Shootist'' is a 1976 {{Western}} film directed by Don Siegel and starring Creator/JohnWayne in the title role.

* DressingToDie: Books have his best suit dry-cleaned and wears it [[spoiler: on his birthday when he goes to the saloon where his enemies are waiting for him.]]

* ShoutOut:
** Mrs. Rogers' first name is a reference to veteran western actor Ward Bond.
** The name of Creator/ScatmanCrothers's character, Moses Brown, is an allusion to the [=McCandles=] Ranch cook played by Bill Walker in ''Film/BigJake''.

* RealityEnsues: Mike Sweeney is able to shoot and wound Books, albeit not seriously. He then tries to charge, using a wooden table as a shield. Books fires round after round into the table. Finally, Sweeney drops the table.... [[spoiler:and he is riddled with bullets; the table barely even slowed them down. He gives an impotent AndThisIsFor as mentioned above, then drops dead.]]

The film was made at a time when two things were coming to an end: The traditional film Western and John Wayne's career. Of course, they could have been considered the same thing; Wayne's age was catching up to him, fewer Westerns were being made, and [[SpaghettiWestern the ones that were]] [[{{Deconstruction}} messed with]] the traditional morality of the Westerns made in The Duke's heyday, and which he virtually embodied.

Note: The legend that Wayne [[RealLifeWritesThePlot was dying from cancer in real life]] while this was being made is just that, legend; his cancer was in remission at the time. The truth was ''The Shootist'' was his planned farewell to Westerns: he had hopes of starring in more films such as detective roles he started taking earlier in the decade. It was just that he suffered other illnesses that prevented him from making more movies, and it wasn't until three years later that the cancer came back and made The Duke ride off into the sunset for the final time.

''The Shootist'' is a 1976 {{Western}} directed by Don Siegel and starring Creator/JohnWayne as the title character.

J.B. Books, a famous gunfighter of TheWildWest, has traveled to Carson City to see an old doctor friend ([[Creator/JimmyStewart James Stewart]]) about some health troubles. Said doctor tells him straight: it's cancer, and Books has only weeks to live. Told to rest in town, he makes his way to a boarding house run by widow Bond Rogers (Creator/LaurenBacall) and rents out a room there under a false name. The widow's son Gillom (Creator/RonHoward) quickly finds out Books's real identity and word quickly spreads that the gunfighter is in town. Soon enough, Books's old enemies come looking to settle scores and a local gambler sets out to make a name for himself as the Man Who Shot John Wayne-- er, J.B. Books...

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amsel_the_shootist76_poster_8986.jpg]]

J.B. Books, a famous gunfighter of the Old West, has traveled to Carson City to see an old doctor friend ([[Creator/JimmyStewart James Stewart]]) about some health troubles. Said doctor tells him straight it's cancer and that Books has only weeks to live. Told to rest in town, Books makes his way to a widow's house (Creator/LaurenBacall) and under a false name rents out a room. The widow's son Gillom (Creator/RonHoward) quickly finds out Books's real identity and word quickly spreads that the gunfighter is in town. Soon enough, Books's old enemies come looking to settle scores and a local gambler is intrigued with the idea of making a name for himself as the Man Who Shot John Wayne, uh J.B. Books...

The film was made at a time when two things were coming to an end: The traditional film Western and John Wayne's career. Of course, they could have been considered the same thing - Wayne's age was catching up to him, fewer Westerns were being made, and [[SpaghettiWestern the ones that were]] [[{{Deconstruction}} messed with]] the traditional morality of the Westerns made in The Duke's heyday, and which he virtually embodied.

The film was made at a time when two things were coming to an end: The traditional film Western and John Wayne's career. Wayne's age was catching up to him, fewer Westerns were being made, and [[SpaghettiWestern the ones that were]] [[{{Deconstruction}} messed with]] the traditional morality of the Westerns made in The Duke's heyday.

** The name of Scatman Crothers's character, Moses Brown, is an allusion to the [=McCandles=] Ranch cook played by Bill Walker in ''Film/BigJake''.

* BadassGrandpa: Even while approaching sixty, in chronic pain from the cancer that's killing him, and outnumbered three to one, Books wins because he's still ''just that good.''

Note: The legend that Wayne [[RealLifeWritesThePlot was dying from cancer in real life]] while this was being made is just that, legend; his cancer was in remission at the time. The truth was ''The Shootist'' was his planned farewell to Westerns: he had hopes of starring in more films such as detective roles he started taking earlier in the decade. It was just that he suffered other illnesses that prevented him from making more movies, and it wasn't until three years later that the cancer came back to take The Duke at last.