Cast and Crew: Don Siegel (Director); Elmer Bernstein (Score); James Stewart, Richard Boone, Bill McKinney, Harry Morgan, John Carradine, Scatman Crothers
What It’s About: Aging gunfighter and living legend J.B. Brooks (John Wayne) is dying of cancer. As he makes his final arrangements in town and says his goodbyes, he makes new friends-and enemies. In the time he has left, can he impart the right lessons to the teenage son (Ron Howard) of Bond Rogers (Lauren Bacall), the owner of the boarding house he’s staying at?
Why Watch it Today?: Star John Wayne died today in 1979. The Shootist was Wayne’s last film, relatively modest in budget and scope, but a fitting send off for a man who became a legend for his roles in Westerns, a meditation on what Brooks’ (and of course in turn Wayne’s) life has been and what his legacy will be.
The League of Dead Films 