The Shootist

“The Shootist” was John Wayne’s last movie.

In what would turn out to be his last film, John Wayne stars in “The Shootist” as a legendary old gunfighter, J. B. Brooks, who finds out that he has cancer. 

He decides to try to live his last days peacefully, so he rents a room at a boardinghouse from a woman named Bond Rogers (Lauren Bacall).  She is a widow who lives alone in the house with her son Gillom Rogers (Ron Howard).

Even though he wants to live his last days very quietly, J. B. Brooks can’t. 

Word quickly spreads through town and around the country that the famous gunfighter is nearby and dying of cancer.  This sets off a flurry of activity – some good, some bad. Some people want to make money off of his life, while others want to become famous for taking his life in a gunfight.

As Brooks' days near their end, the aging gunfighter becomes a hero to the young Gillom and a friend to the boy’s mother.

•  John Wayne died three years after “The Shootist” was released.  At the time the movie was made, Wayne did not have cancer.  He had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 1964 and after his treatment made the western film, “The Sons of Katie Elder.”  By the time “The Shootist” was made, John Wayne had been cancer free for over 10 years.  It was three years after the filming of this movie that Wayne contracted stomach cancer and passed away.

•  The horse that John Wayne uses in “The Shootist” was named “ole Dollor.”  Wayne purposely had this horse written into the movie, because he had used “ole Dollor” in a number of his westerns and loved the horse.

• The opening scenes of “The Shootist” contains footage from some of John Wayne’s other famous westerns.  Scenes were used from the movies Hondo, Rio Bravo and El Dorado in order to give a sense of history for his character J. B. Brooks.

• “The Shootist” by Glendon Swarthout that was published in 1975.  It was made into this western movie in 1976.

• “The Shootist” was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Set Direction (Robert F. Boyle and Arthur Parker)

• Ron Howard was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actor in a Supporting Role for his role as Gillom Rogers.