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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 20 general entries.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Shootist, The
Yes. Books decides to face down three men who want to kill him, knowing that this will likely end his life. No doubt he'd contemplated the doctor's words, "I would not die a death like the one I just described...not if I had your courage". Although he's wounded in the gunfight, he kills all three. It is the bartender, who shoots him in the back with a shotgun, who ends his life.
No. In the opening narration we learn that he is not. In fact, at one time he was a lawman. It was his fame for being a superior gunfighter that led to so many men always being after him. He had a credo that went, "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". This no doubt led to his killing of thirty men.
| What is the name of the widow who owns the boarding house? | The Shootist
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Mrs. Rogers. We later learn her first name is Bond. On being informed of this by her, J.B. Books replies, "That's a cracker jack of a name for a woman!"
| What name does J.B. Books give to the widow who owns the boarding house? | The Shootist
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William Hickok. When she presses him for his name, he tells her he is William Hickok, a U.S. Marshall in Abilene, Kansas. It appears that she had never heard of Wild Bill before. She later learns his true identity from her son Gillom. She is outraged and calls the City Marshall (wonderfully portrayed by Harry Morgan) to have him removed, but Books refuses to leave. After he informs her that he's dying, she reluctantly agrees to let him stay, offering all the help she can give him.
Boarding House. Books finds lodging at a widow's boarding house that is recommended to him by the doctor. It is a quite modern home. It has a telephone, electric lights and indoor plumbing.
| The doctor informs J.B. Books that he's dying from the cancer. How much time does he give Books? | The Shootist
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He doesn't know. When Books asks the doctor (superbly portrayed by the late Jimmy Stewart) how long he has, he tells him that it could be, "Two months...six weeks...less, there's no way to tell". He later tells Books (upon Books insisting) that the end will be very painful.
| The town doctor examines J.B. Books, and informs him he has what ailment? | The Shootist
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Cancer. J.B. Books comes to Carson City specifically to see this doctor. He had saved Books' life a few years back, so he trusted him to confirm or deny what another doctor had told him back in Colorado.
Carson City. As J.B. Books rides into town, we soon see a horse drawn streetcar with the sign "Carson City Traction" on the side. Carson City is a town that appears to be on the forefront of progress, at least as far as the Old West is concerned. They have the streetcar (soon to be electrified), water works, telephones, electric lights and a street-paving program.
| When J.B. Books gets to town, what is the first thing he does? | The Shootist
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Buys a newspaper. J.B. Books buys a local newspaper. As he's reading it, while still astride his horse, a milk delivery wagon pulls up. A very belligerent man tells him to move out of the way, insulting Books and, in a roundabout way, threatening to shoot him. Books is not intimidated, but moves out of the way. He then dares the man to try and draw on him. The man laughs and drives on.
| At the beginning of the movie, we see a lone rider in the distance. Who is this lone rider? | The Shootist
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J. B. Books. The lone rider is J.B. Books (John Wayne), a notorious aging gunfighter, also known as a shootist. As he rides along, he encounters a man on foot who points a shotgun at him demanding his wallet. Books then reaches inside his coat and says, "Yes sir! A little somthin' extra!" as he pulls out a small gun, that he keeps inside his wallet, and shoots the would-be robber in the stomach! Classic Duke!
| Famous cowboy actor Richard Boone portrays a character named Mike Sweeney, who is after Books for killing his brother years before. He is one of the men killed in the climactic shootout at the end of the movie. What is Sweeney's unusual method of transportation? | John Wayne's "The Shootist"
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A car. In the movie, you see him driving one of the earliest models of cars ever made. At no point in the movie is he seen riding a horse. This is just one more allusion to the changing times and changing technology at the turn of the 20th century, and the impact it had on everyone.
| After deciding that he will not die a death from cancer, Books goes about orchestrating his own demise. He contacts a couple of old enemies and quietly sets up a gunfight. Where does this gunfight take place? | John Wayne's "The Shootist"
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In the saloon. Books leaves the boarding house and walks to town fully aware it is his last day on the earth. On the way, he hops on a new-fangled street car for the first time. He enters the saloon and kills three men, who were all independently planning on killing him. Finally, he is shot and killed by the bartender. The climax of the movie is when Gillom Rogers shoots the bartender. Gillom has an epiphany after killing this man, and he then throws the gun away, realizing that Books was right and he does not want to be a gunslinger.
| Out of the blue, Books' long lost love Serepta shows up. She begs him to marry her before he dies. Why does she want to get married so quickly? | John Wayne's "The Shootist"
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She wants to write a book about him as his widow.. Serepta begs Books to marry her. She admits she wants to write a book, "The Life and Time of J.B. Books by his Widow Serepta Books". She says she can make a lot of money this way. When Books refuses, she turns on him and storms out of the boarding house. At this time Books realizes that she is just another worm that crawled out of the woodwork to attempt to make money off of his death.
| Books decides that he wants to engage in a pleasant diversion just one more time before he dies. He asks the boarding house proprietress to accompany him on this final outing. What does he invite the widow to go do with him? | John Wayne's "The Shootist"
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Have a picnic in the country. Bond Rogers is very straitlaced and would have never gone drinking or dancing with Books. But she does agree to go for a ride in the country, and agrees to pack a picnic. A carriage is rented and they go for a peaceful ride that seems to bring serenity to both characters, who are struggling with the inner demons that plague us all.
| Books goes to town to have his suit cleaned. While in town, Books meets the local undertaker who offers him his services in the future. Who was the famous horror actor who portrayed the black-clad mortician, Hezekiah Beckum? | John Wayne's "The Shootist"
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John Carradine. The undertaker is played by long-faced actor John Carradine. In response to his offer, Books tells him that he knows the mortician will lay out his body and charge people to come and look at him. While this may seem morbid, this was a popular practice at the time. Many of the old west gunfighters are only seen in photographs taken while they lay in their coffins. At the end of the dialogue, Beckum agrees to pay Books for the honor of being the one to bury him and make money from his dead body.
| Ron Howard plays the role of Gillom Rogers. He becomes the recipient of Books' most prized possession. What is the gift the old gunfighter gives the young man before he dies? | John Wayne's "The Shootist"
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His horse. Books becomes a father figure to Gillom, whose own father recently passed away. Gillom engages in idol worship, while Books tries to help him become a good man and realize that being a gunslinger is a thing of the past. J.B. Books gives Gillom Rogers his horse named Dollar. Although the horse was not given a name in the book, John Wayne insisted on having the horse as a character in the movie. The name Dollar was the real name of this gelding that John Wayne rode in many of his other movies, including "True Grit". While he was alive he never allowed anyone to ride this horse but himself.
| Books is directed by the doctor to go to the local boarding house to rent a room. It is at this point in the movie that Lauren Bacall enters the movie as the proprietress. What is the name of this lively female character? | John Wayne's "The Shootist"
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Bond Rogers. Shortly after Books moves in, all the other tenants move out. Bond Rogers is very upset as this is how she makes her living for herself and her son Gillom. Books offers to pay extra and tells her that he cannot leave as he is dying. Much of the movie centers on the contentious relationship between these two characters. Lauren Bacall had co-starred with John Wayne once previously in the 1955 movie "Blood Alley", and they were good friends.
Doctor's office. Books comes to town for a second opinion on his medical condition. The local town doctor is an old friend of his named Doc Hostetler. The physician confirms the diagnosis given to Books by other doctors, and also advises him that his death will be soon and very painful. He also provides him with his first bottle of laudanum, a potent combination of alcohol and morphine that was used as a painkiller at the turn of the century. This role was played by Jimmy Stewart, who John Wayne had previously worked with in the great western "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance".
| In "The Shootist", John Wayne plays an aging gunfighter dying of cancer. What is the name of the character he plays? | John Wayne's "The Shootist"
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J.B. Books. Known as J.B. Books, the lead character's full name is John Bernard Books. Glendon Swarthout, the author of the book on which the movie was based, claimed that he based this character on the very real outlaw John Wesley Hardin.
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