The Shootist (1976)

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    Quote from alamo221

    Howdy Hawk-I don't think it came thru-



    Hi Alamo,
    Yep, scroll down. Talks about the new thing I found after 36 years. About Duke being ill and not sure he could finish the film.....and,then the Widipedia bit, then the sketch that shows it. HAGO, KEITH

    God, she reminds me of me! DUKE

    Quote from ethanedwards

    Just to clarify a point that has again been mentioned.
    This taken from IMDb and is in our profile of the movie,

    In the trivia section

    Hope this answers the query



    I didn't know that-the character has the same name in the book, which was written before the film.

    Quote from Hawkswill

    Hi Alamo,
    Yep, scroll down. Talks about the new thing I found after 36 years. About Duke being ill and not sure he could finish the film.....and,then the Widipedia bit, then the sketch that shows it. HAGO, KEITH



    In my case, I had to scroll BACK to see what you were talking about-LOL! Nice sketch!

    Quote from alamo221

    I thought Boone's character should have gone out with a lot more fight. Considering his feelings toward Books, they should have given him a better death scene in my opinion. Maybe due to Duke being sick, they decided not to do anything more physical between the two (Duke stopped production for a bit due to being ill, and originally, Duke's double Jim Burk was going to do the entire shootout. Their was doubt Duke would be able to finish the film, but as we know, he did).



    I agree, that would have been great. Still Sweeney was hit at least twice through the table by Books and possibly three times. I'm currently screening a horror film with my son so I can't check.


    Little help here, friends?

    We're burning moonlight.

    That was always a bit off for me. As I remember, Duke fires 2 shots at Sweeney as he approaches, but there's 3 separate holes in the table top.

    It's a great sketch, Keith. I must admit that I had never noticed the eagle thing.


    One thing about Duke being ill, just in case there's any confusion: He had (since his lung was removed in '64) increasing difficulty breathing upon exertion, and simply walking while in higher elevations (i.e. where The Shootist was filmed), and in early '78 (he was in the hospital during the Oscars), he had his heart surgery in Boston, where they inserted a pig valve.


    I know most, if not all of us KNOW this already, but over on another site (IMDb), and other places, people STILL insist he had cancer when he made this film, and it simply WAS NOT the case.


    He also wasn't at death's door, as some imply, but he wasn't "in the pink" either.


    Dick Cavett wrote a great piece about meeting JW for the first time while he and Becall were filming interiors at the studio backlot. I recommend it as a great read, but he makes the erroneous assumption (after JW's death) that he was battling the cancer (while filming this movie) that would eventually end his life but he wasn't.


    As for Richard Boone's performance...I was quite happy with how he did. He rarely appeared in public (or made many films) in those years (he died in '81), as many years of alcohol abuse, not to mention a heavy smoking habit, caused RB's rugged good looks to deteriorate into a very haggard appearance, resembling nothing of what (just a short 10 years before) was a "maturing" matinee idol's graceful aging.


    Side note...RB was supposed to play Doyle Lonnigan in "The Sting," the part that went to Robert Shaw, but was unable to do so due to his rapidly increasing inability to work sober. He supposedly did fine during The Shootist.

    Quote from peridot

    i agree, that would have been great. Still sweeney was hit at least twice through the table by books and possibly three times. I'm currently screening a horror film with my son so i can't check.


    Little help here, friends?


    three times! Kp

    God, she reminds me of me! DUKE

    May be true there Russ. But Duke was not really good behind the camera....sad thing to say, but true and documented in many ways. He WAS very good at suggestions, additions,etc. But as for actual direction......well, he was our Duke, so perhaps I shouldn't say more. However, he realized it....I am sure....why he just didn't take over. In later years he most definitely had more control, but he still was NOT the boss....the director was...good thing too. Duke Needed a director. Pappy had been his mainstay. Without him, he just was not capable of running the gamut. Jees, late here....did that make ANY sense.....does to me, but then, I am an old woman, LOL! He had great ideas.....just needed a director to carry them out. Duke, no matter what, was never a director......wanted to be....but realized it was not in the cards....so he kept acting.
    I, personally am glad he did. I love his last films. And The SHOOTIST is like a memorial to me. What if he directed it and hired someone to play JB Books? Think I should stop there. HAGO, KEITH

    God, she reminds me of me! DUKE

    [quote='alamo221','http://dukewayne.com/bb/index.php?thread/&postID=119108#post119108']But they only show Duke firing 2 shots-weird...[/QUOTE


    Hi Alamo,


    JB took his holstered gun out and had both ready to fire. As someone else mentioned, the second shot came too close to the first to be from the same gun. So, those were the first two. He hesitated a bit, then fired the third shot from the gun that had been holstered. Hope that helps. Keith

    God, she reminds me of me! DUKE

    that's what I always thought happened, but the way it's shown in the film, the scene seems to have a "cut" at that moment, so it looked as tho one shot was edited out for some reason, since you really only hear 2 shots ring out. In any case, RB should have had a better death scene.

    Also, I don't feel The Tennesseean meant any disrespect in his comments, I had heard pretty much the same things about RB over the years as he mentioned. We're all friends, and sometimes things don't quite
    come out too delicately when we're talking about our favorite actors and such. We're all fans tho, but we know these actors are human too. We all have frailties, and various reasons for them, so please try not to take our comments too seriously. We all have tremendous respect for Richard Boone and what he's gone thru, as well as all the other actors mentioned on the board. So many of our favorite stars had a lot of drama in their lives, like many of us, and sometimes mentioning these things makes them all the more human. As a side note, I loved Robert Shaw in The Sting, but I would have loved to see what RB could have done in the role.

    Hi Alamo, I had checked this before, but just did again, for YOU, LOL. You can most definitely hear two shots first....the second almost right on top of the other. Then there is a slight pause and then the third. Listen again, you will hear the second one. And, once again, I agree.....RB should have had more. You DID see Peridot's remark about his adlib remark that it was for Albert didn't you? Managed to increase the part his own self, HAH!
    HAGO, KEITH


    Quote from alamo221

    that's what I always thought happened, but the way it's shown in the film, the scene seems to have a "cut" at that moment, so it looked as tho one shot was edited out for some reason, since you really only hear 2 shots ring out. In any case, RB should have had a better death scene.

    Also, I don't feel The Tennesseean meant any disrespect in his comments, I had heard pretty much the same things about RB over the years as he mentioned. We're all friends, and sometimes things don't quite
    come out too delicately when we're talking about our favorite actors and such. We're all fans tho, but we know these actors are human too. We all have frailties, and various reasons for them, so please try not to take our comments too seriously. We all have tremendous respect for Richard Boone and what he's gone thru, as well as all the other actors mentioned on the board. So many of our favorite stars had a lot of drama in their lives, like many of us, and sometimes mentioning these things makes them all the more human. As a side note, I loved Robert Shaw in The Sting, but I would have loved to see what RB could have done in the role.

    God, she reminds me of me! DUKE

    Quote from Hawkswill

    Hi Alamo, I had checked this before, but just did again, for YOU, LOL. You can most definitely hear two shots first....the second almost right on top of the other.HAGO, KEITH



    Thats what I meant when I said it almost seemed cut or edited-the overlapped shot along with the scene of the gunsmoke around Duke and a bit of shaky-cam. Just an awkward scene.

    The Shootist. What can I say. I think he acted better in this movie than any other he was in. The more I see it, the more I love it. I am so glad he was able to finish it as sick as he was. Really wish he could have lasted until he and Ronnie Howard made the new movie Duke was so excited about. He told Ron only "you and me could play it", or something of the sort. Sure would like to know what it was about. KEITH

    God, she reminds me of me! DUKE

    CONTAINS SPOILERS.
    Well, I am so glad to know that something I said a while back has gotten one of our younger members to watch THE SHOOTIST and to appreciate it for the masterpiece that it is. Thank you for letting me know that you did. As you know, I watch it probably about once a week and pretty much know the whole dialogue. Duke is just SO GREAT...so much better than anything I ever saw him in. He is outside of his normal character, yet still manages to stay within it. I am SO glad he was able to finish it as there had been a suggestion that Chuck Roberson do the shootout scenes. I believe the scenes at the very end with JB and Gillum were the epitome of the movie. No words.......as would have been Pappy's way........just action, moves, and looks. JB did NOT want Gillum to follow in the gun fighter's way. When Gillum looked at the gun, then JB's worried face, then threw the gun away, JB SMILED his last crooked smile for Gillum. And, the last scene looking at the covered body showed the symbol of patriotism that Duke felt he stood for..........the GOLDEN EAGLE......right in the very middle background on scene of JB's covered body, (another thing Duke learned from Pappy). I have said this before....how did we miss Duke's message to us all these years? When your hero is lying face down covered by a coat.......where do you eyes stay? You underestimated your fans' love for you Duke. That is why you and Ward are sitting up there saying "MOST of them STILL haven't realized it!"


    Well, young fellah, glad you finally took the plunge. Hope you watch it many times more.........boy it is ever worth it! You see and learn something new every time. The Shootist.....now my favorite Duke Movie. KEITH
    My External Hard Drive is down, or I would send the real screen cap, but this is the drawing I did for it. Now, for those of you who don't believe what Duke was trying to say with MAYBE his last movie.....just put on the Shootist, go to that part and STOP IT. You will see what I have drawn.....I just left out all the parts that weren't important. Keith


    God, she reminds me of me! DUKE