The Shootist (1976), Director: Don Siegel, Rated PG

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

Film ClipStarring: John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart, Richard Boone, Hugh O'Brien, Bill McKinney, Harry Morgan, John Carradine, Sheree North

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"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 from them." - John Bernard Books

Why watch this? This was Wayne's final film - a fitting, if prophetic, tribute to the great Western actor.

Plot Summary: An aging, renowned gunfighter, J.B. Books, is diagnosed with terminal cancer and seeks a quiet end to his days in Carson City, Nevada. His reputation, however, brings him unwanted attention from those seeking to exploit his name or settle old scores. As he confronts his mortality, Books forms a poignant bond with the boarding house owner and her son while navigating his final days with dignity and a desire to face his end on his own terms.

  Dad's Preview: Life imitates art as The Duke portrays an aged gunman who finds out that he is dying from cancer with only a short time to live. When the opportunistic town council finds out, they arrange a group of notorious gunfighters to square off against the legend. Three years after this film's release, Wayne would also die from cancer. He passed away the same day as my grandfather, Charley Straley. Same Day. Same Year. That day I lost the two greatest Cowboy heroes in my life.  


M.J. Franovich; William Self; Paramount Pictures

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