The Shootist (1976)

: Sweet Potato

Directed by: Don Siegel
Starring: John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart

John Wayne’s last film depicts a gunfighter fighting a losing battle with cancer. John Bernard Books, Wayne’s character, just wants to die in peace, but his reputation as a “shootist” makes him a target for the wannabe gunfighters in the town of Carson City, Nevada, where he has chosen to spend his final days. This film took a risk in presenting a western with few action scenes, but made up for it in character development and story. The supporting cast includes Lauren Bacall, a widow who gives Books a room to stay, Ron Howard, a young man with a case of idol worship and James Stewart, the doctor that confirms Books’ cancer diagnoses. Wayne is so believable as a man facing his demons, a man who knows he is dying and wants desperately to go out with dignity, that I have to believe the Duke poured some of his own soul into this character and allowed it to simmer as the plot follows him through his final moments of life. This film confirms that John Wayne was a formidable presence and that Hollywood lost a truly great icon when, just a few years later, he also lost his battle with cancer and died at the age of 72.

-PotatoPatti