I looked on the bottom of this cowboy and see that I carved it way back in '91. I used to turn out lots of this stuff but now haven't picked up a carving knife or chisel for about four years, maybe more. I guess I have gotten too old!
. . .
I have a lot of books on my shelves that need reading. They've been piling up; whenever I go to a used book sale I always end up with more of them. So on Wednesday I finally picked up The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout. This story came out in print in 1975, and only a year later as a movie. I remember liking the movie very much but had forgotten a lot of the story line.
The term "shootist" always seemed contrived to me. Why not call him a gunfighter like they do now. It is correctly used, however, because in the nineteenth century that was the terminology. John Wayne played the part of the shootist, an aging man with prostate cancer. He came into town to see a doctor played by Jimmy Stewart. He found a room in a boarding house, but the woman running it did not want him there. But money talked, and she finally accepted him.
The shootist had a bad reputation, and in the year of 1901 found himself to be the last of his breed. And when word got around that he was in town, several wannabee bad guys wanted the distinction of gunning him down. I picked that book up around noon and had read through it by 8:00 that evening. It read fast, easy, and very interesting.
It so happened last year at the Western Writers convention in Bismarck that the author's son was in attendance and made a presentation one evening about the making of the movie. I bought a DVD of the movie from him but haven't watched it yet. I'm all primed to watch it now!
I have a lot of books on my shelves that need reading. They've been piling up; whenever I go to a used book sale I always end up with more of them. So on Wednesday I finally picked up The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout. This story came out in print in 1975, and only a year later as a movie. I remember liking the movie very much but had forgotten a lot of the story line.
The term "shootist" always seemed contrived to me. Why not call him a gunfighter like they do now. It is correctly used, however, because in the nineteenth century that was the terminology. John Wayne played the part of the shootist, an aging man with prostate cancer. He came into town to see a doctor played by Jimmy Stewart. He found a room in a boarding house, but the woman running it did not want him there. But money talked, and she finally accepted him.
The shootist had a bad reputation, and in the year of 1901 found himself to be the last of his breed. And when word got around that he was in town, several wannabee bad guys wanted the distinction of gunning him down. I picked that book up around noon and had read through it by 8:00 that evening. It read fast, easy, and very interesting.
It so happened last year at the Western Writers convention in Bismarck that the author's son was in attendance and made a presentation one evening about the making of the movie. I bought a DVD of the movie from him but haven't watched it yet. I'm all primed to watch it now!
