History Film / TheShootist

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

* ALiteralAssKicking: Books does this to a journalist eager to fabricate his life story.

* EndOfAnAge: both in the film as Carson City is entering the twentieth century with electric lights, automobiles, and ''[[OlderThanTheyThink dry cleaning]]'' signaling the end of the Wild West as we know it; and on a serious meta-level as being the last John Wayne Western EVER signaling an end to the clear morality of Right and Wrong that Wayne's Westerns created.

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 the ones that were [[{{Deconstruction}} messed with]] the traditional morality of the Westerns made in The Duke's heyday.

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 [[ManlyTears to take The Duke at last]].

* DyingMomentOfAwesome: How Books would prefer going instead of waiting for the cancer to finish him. [[spoiler:[[TearJerker He does]].]]

* ManlyTears: No, not in the film! I'm talking about all the John Wayne fans watching this film and bawling their eyes out! Noooo, Duke, don't die! [[BigNo Noooooooo]]...

* DawsonCasting: Ron Howard was 21 when he played the teenager Gillom.

* HeyItsThatGuy: given the buzz that this was going to be Wayne's final Western, a few cameos were in order. Creator/JimmyStewart and JohnCarradine, aging veterans of Westerns themselves as well as Wayne's buddies, were cast at Wayne's insistence. This would also end up being Stewart's last live-action role in a Western as well.
** And over here there's [[Series/{{MASH}} Col. Potter]] as a {{jerkass}} town marshal.
** And look! It's [[TheAndyGriffithShow Opie Taylor]] as the teenaged Gillom!
*** Opie? I'm pretty sure that was [[HappyDays Richie Cunningham!]]
** It's difficult to tell given the editing, but one of the mooks who comes through Books' window in the middle of the night is TheMostInterestingManInTheWorld.

* EndOfAnAge: both in the film as Carson City is entering the twentieth century with electric lights and automobiles signaling the end of the Wild West as we know it; and on a serious meta-level as being the last John Wayne Western EVER signaling an end to the clear morality of Right and Wrong that Wayne's Westerns created.

J.B. Books, a famous gunfighter of the Old West, has traveled to Carson City to see an old doctor friend (JimmyStewart) 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 (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 JohnWayne, uh J.B. Books...

* HeyItsThatGuy: given the buzz that this was going to be Wayne's final Western, a few cameos were in order. JimmyStewart and JohnCarradine, aging veterans of Westerns themselves as well as Wayne's buddies, were cast at Wayne's insistence. This would also end up being Stewart's last live-action role in a Western as well.

* SlidingScaleOfLawEnforcement: the town marshal is more interested in keeping his ass out of trouble more than anything else. He's openly antagonistic towards Books, but also realizes that Books can clean out some of the problems (such as the town's crooked gambler) that he's reluctant to do himself.

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 and fewer Westerns were being made and the ones that were [[{{Deconstruction}} messed with]] the traditional morality of the Westerns made in The Duke's heyday.

Note: The legend that Wayne [[RealLifeWritesThePlot was dying from cancer in real life]] at the time this was made is just that, legend; his cancer was in remission. 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 [[ManlyTears to take The Duke at last]].

Note: the legend that Wayne [[RealLifeWritesThePlot was dying from cancer in real life]] is just that, legend: his cancer was in remission. 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 [[ManlyTears to take The Duke at last]].

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

Note: the legend that Wayne [[RealLifeWritesThePlot was dying from cancer in real life]] is just that, legend: his cancer was in remission. The truth was ''TheShootist'' 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 [[ManlyTears to take The Duke at last]].

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

J.B. Books, a famous gunfighter of the Old West has traveled to Carson City to see an old doctor friend (JimmyStewart) 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 (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 JohnWayne, uh J.B. Books...

'''''The Shootist''''' is a 1976 {{Western}} starring JohnWayne as the title character.

-->'''Books:''' Damn!

* DyingMomentOfAwesome: How Books would prefer going instead of waiting for the cancer to finish him. [[TearJerker He does]].

-->'''Brooks:''' Damn!

-->'''Brooks:''' The hell I do.

** BadassCreed: "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same of them!"

** And of course over here there's [[Series/{{MASH}} Col. Potter]] as a {{jerkass}} town marshal.
** It's [[TheAndyGriffithShow Opie]] as the teenaged Gillom!

J.B. Books, a famous gunfighter of the Old West has traveled to Carson City to see an old doctor friend (JimmyStewart) 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 (LaurenBacall) and under a false name rents out a room. The widow's son Gillom (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 JohnWayne, uh J.B. Books...