His Last Screen Performance Streams Free: John Wayne’s Final Movie Is Officially Getting a Streaming Release
A final screen appearance
Rooster Cogburn & Lady, directed by Don Siegel, was released in 1976. It is described as the final film of Wayne’s run as a movie star, and it is now available on a free streaming platform.
Wayne died in 1979, three years after the film’s release. Its place at the end of his career gives the movie significance beyond its story, even though it received a mixed response from Tarantino.
Tarantino weighs its purpose
Tarantino discussed the film in his nonfiction book Cinema Speculation. He argued that it does not break new ground, while recognizing the unusual chance to see a celebrated actor in his final screen performance.
Tarantino wrote that the movie’s purpose was to serve as a tribute to Wayne’s career, a choice he viewed with suspicion. Still, he said Wayne finishing his career with Rooster Cogburn & Lady would be a shame.
Wayne and the Western legacy
Wayne’s career spanned several decades, and he remains a major figure in Western cinema. His strongest work with director John Ford presents a complication for Tarantino, who has said he dislikes Ford while also calling himself a devoted Wayne fan.
Among the films Tarantino has begrudgingly praised are The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Stagecoach and The Searchers. The new streaming availability offers audiences another way to revisit Wayne’s final movie.
Key points
- Rooster Cogburn & Lady arrived on a free streaming platform.
- Don Siegel directed the 1976 film, Wayne’s final movie-star feature.
- Wayne died in 1979, three years after the film’s release.
- Tarantino questioned the film’s sentimental purpose but regretted the idea of Wayne ending his career elsewhere.