Most Westerns introduce a hero riding into town with unfinished business. The Shootist begins with a legendary gunfighter arriving at the end of his road.
John Wayne stars as John Bernard “J.B.” Books, an aging gunman who travels to Carson City, Nevada, in 1901. Books has survived shootouts, enemies and a lifetime built around his reputation with a gun. His latest adversary, however, cannot be defeated in the street. A trusted physician informs him that he is dying of cancer and has only a short time left to live.
Books takes a room at a boardinghouse operated by the widowed Bond Rogers, played by Lauren Bacall. Her teenage son, Gillom, is fascinated by the famous gunfighter and the mythology surrounding him. Bond sees something different. She recognizes the violence, danger and disruption that Books’ name brings into her home.
Directed by Don Siegel, The Shootist was adapted from Glendon Swarthout’s 1975 novel. The film was released in August 1976 and featured an extraordinary supporting cast that included Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart, Richard Boone, John Carradine, Scatman Crothers and Harry Morgan. Production began in Carson City in January 1976.
Wayne’s performance is powerful because it draws upon decades of screen history without simply repeating the past. He had spent much of his career playing men who established order through determination, courage and, when necessary, violence. J.B. Books possesses those familiar qualities, but age and illness have changed their meaning. He is no longer trying to build a future. He is attempting to determine how he will face the end.
The setting reinforces that sense of transition. The film takes place shortly after the death of Queen Victoria, as automobiles and telephones begin appearing alongside horses and traditional frontier institutions. Books belongs to an era that is disappearing around him. The West is becoming modern, and the celebrated gunfighter has become as much a historical curiosity as a living man.
That tension is especially visible in Books’ relationship with Gillom. The young man is attracted to the excitement of the gunfighter’s reputation. He sees fame, independence and power. Books understands the reality behind the stories. His life has left behind enemies, violence and people eager to profit from his death. The older man’s final lesson may be teaching Gillom that carrying a gun does not automatically make someone courageous.
Lauren Bacall gives Bond Rogers a combination of strength and compassion. She does not immediately romanticize Books or excuse the life he has led. Her concern is protecting her son and maintaining control of her home. As she learns more about Books’ condition, her attitude changes, but the film never turns their relationship into a conventional romance. Their connection rests on mutual understanding between two people who have experienced loss.
James Stewart appears as Dr. Hostetler, the physician who delivers Books’ diagnosis. Stewart’s presence gives the scene additional weight. Two of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars sit together in a quiet room, discussing pain, mortality and the limited choices remaining to a dying man.
The Shootist became John Wayne’s final motion picture before his death in 1979. That fact gives the film an unavoidable emotional significance, particularly because Wayne had faced serious health problems himself. Yet the movie is more than a farewell to one actor. It is also a reflection on the traditional Western hero and the stories Hollywood had told about him.
Books cannot rewrite his history, but he can decide how he will meet his final days. In doing so, The Shootist transforms the familiar image of the fearless gunfighter into something more vulnerable and human. It is a Western about dignity, consequence and the difficult realization that even legends must eventually leave the stage.
Director: Don Siegel
Starring: John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard and James Stewart
Released: 1976
Rating: PG
