John Wayne in Carson City

John Wayne's final ride: the opening sequence of "The Shootist" was filmed on a terrain six miles southwest of Carson City.

John Wayne makes his entrance in his final film, The Shootist. The script called for "the small distant figure of Books, dwarfed by the snowcapped mountains behind him". However, since he was fighting a number of ailments all at once, not the least being his problems with height due to working with just one lung, the opening was reduced to one long shot. They settled for the terrain six miles southwest of Carson City

Where the opening scene of "The Shootist" was filmed: on Jacks Valley Ranch, at the base of the snow-capped Sierras.

The sequence was shot on Jacks Valley Ranch, at the base of the snow-capped Sierras. Along Jack Valley Road, you can enjoy the fully free view of the position when...

It was planned to film the introduction of J.B. Books higher up in the Sierras. Due to bad health of John Wayne, the settled for a place at Jack Valley Road, outside Carson City..

...Books  turns his horse towards his destination.

Still standing at 1900 S. Carson Street: the Krebs-Peterson house, that was turned into Lauren Bacall's guesthouse in John Wayne's final film, "The Shootist"..

The Krebs-Peterson house at 1900 S. Carson Street was the great period house chosen for Lauren Bacall's guesthouse. Visitors learn about the historic houses in that Carson City disctrict on a "Talking Houses"-self guided tour. 

Even though it appears that all of the scenes in Lauren Bacall's guesthouse in "The Shootist" were shot at the Krebs-Peterson house in Carson City, the filmmakers blended scenes seamlessly with exterior and interior shots on a set built in Burbank.

Director Don Siegel used the exterior of the building (as well as the barn for the dialogue scene between Wayne and Ron Howard). However, the filmmakers created not only the whole interior on the Burbank lot but part of the outside porch so well that it is hard to say when the movie cuts effortlessly from the real location to the studio set. 

John Wayne takes Lauren Bacall on a buggy ride to Washoe Lake State Park in "The Shootist".

Wayne's buggy ride with Lauren Bacall takes place in Washoe Lake State Park, a few miles from Carson City. 

The exact location of the buggy ride in "The Shootist" is Washoe Lake, six miles from Carson City. You'll even find Washoe Lake on the burning map of "Bonanza".

The exact place on Washoe Lake is Willow Beach which is unchanged since the times of The Shootist. During the location shooting in Nevada, Wayne occupied a suite at the Ormsby House in Carson City. 

The shooting lesson in "The Shootist" wasn't shot in Carson City, although it blends seamlessly in the Carson City location. It was filmed in the small town of Genoa.
The shooting lesson in "The Shootist" wasn't shot in Carson City, although it blends seamlessly in the Carson City location. It was filmed in the small town of Genoa.

The sequence in which the gunfighter teaches Ron Howard how to handle a gun was filmed in the small town of Genoa, ten miles from Carson City.