I can't figure the ages of the characters.

I never gave the age issue a second thought, but it had crossed my mind. But, it's a film, they are usually make-believe, right? Don't read to much into, yes? I am much more bothered by the made-for-television feel and look of this picture than anything else.

exactly, I remarked to my roommate right away, that no way is Bacall in her early 40s or younger. Not that she couldnt've have been 55 with a 40 year old husband and 16 year old son, but it just didnt happen that then...

And Jimmy Stewart says he's only been a doctor for an incredibly short amount of time for someone his age, it takes you out of the film.

People play parts WAY off from their actual ages. Mostly they do a great job unless it's just too obvious. Make-up, cinematography (careful with the close-ups),costuming and lighting all help the make-believe process.

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Never bothered about because at the beginning Doc hoestler has been practicing medicine way too short a period. He should have had another ten years of practice at least. Makes sense (hell it the modern world the frontier has been closed for 20 years) to have the characters of Books and the doctor late 50's early 60's the Doctor practicing for 35 years 25 + 35 practice 60 years old. So around 60 for both characters. Bacall's character should be 37 opie should be 15 to 18 Bacall giving birth at age 18 19 or 20.

I disagree with people being old and worn out back then so looking older. Books would be born 1840 and by then if you lived to adolescent and made it through the war you probably lived to be old. Medicine was advancing.

I think the didn't want the love interest to be the realistic 37 they wanted someone who was close to wayne's age.

The Wild Bunch has a similar theme of the closing of frontier as well as Once upon a time in the West. These are all movies about men who outlived their places in society.

Good point on this topic. I loved this film/movie and think of it as my favorite John Wayne western. I gave this a resounding 10, but for all my praise, the age on the tombstone and as you say, Bond's husband dying a year ago at age 41, was a weak point.

They should have made everyone 10 yrs older and all would have been right and believable for the story. Not sure who made this this call in the script, but it was a distraction.

I'm writing a story off and on about a guy who is born in the latter half of the 19th century and lives through much of the 20th century, so I've been reading up on this kind of thing.

The mean life expectancy for a person bourn in the 1880's is 42. I presume that is taking into account a higher rate of death from childhood illness, accidents, and so on, so that many people who live to see 40 years are likely to see 20 or 20 more. Still, the sun is a killer if you aren't careful to limit how much you get, and that's hard to do before the invention of electric light.

Also, antibiotics will not exist until the late 1930's and won't be commonly available until the 1950's. Inoculations or immunizations will not be available for most illnesses until the 1950's. It occurred to me today that snake bites were not often lethal in the "old days" due to the snake venom, but because the poisonous snake bite would almost certainly be accompanied by infection. The infection could not be stopped except by amputation above the furthest extent of the infection. - We were talking about "True Grit" and Mattie Hays having her arm amputated. - We just fail to realize or easily forget how easy (good?) life has become for us.

And movie makers are notoriously sloppy about character ages.