New Rochelle Plays Hollywood: "The Shootist" (1976)

John Wayne's final film features one of his most heartfelt performances. He plays an aging gunfighter seeking a peaceful, dignified end to his life, but his reputation makes this impossible. The story explores his tender relationships with a widow landlady and her son.

The film serves as a farewell not just to Wayne's character, but to Wayne himself and the Old West he often portrayed. An elegiac and moving film which shows the  passage of time for his life but also for the West as he knew it exemplified by Wayne riding a trolley instead of his horse to the final scene. Nominated for one Academy Award.

Starring John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, James Stewart, Ron Howard; directed by Don Siegel (100 minutes).

New Rochelle Plays Hollywood is a film series presented by the New Rochelle Public Library. Prior to the screening, film aficionado Les Srager will introduce the history of the film and its creative personnel with a discussion period following the screening. The Fall 2024 series features "Excellent But Little Known Films."