Big Jake (1971)

The McCandles ranch is run over by a gang of cutthroats led by the evil John Fain. They kidnap little Jacob McCandles and hold him for a million dollar ransom. There is only one man who is ... See full summary »

Director:

George Sherman

Writers:

Harry Julian Fink, Rita M. Fink

Stars:

John Wayne, Richard Boone, Patrick Wayne

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	Jacob McCandles
Richard Boone	...	John Fain
Patrick Wayne	...	James McCandles
Christopher Mitchum	...	Michael McCandles
Bruce Cabot	...	Sam Sharpnose
Bobby Vinton	...	Jeff McCandles
Glenn Corbett	...	O'Brien
John Doucette	...	Buck Duggan
Maureen O'Hara	...	Martha McCandles
Jim Davis	...	Head of Lynching Party
John Agar	...	Bert Ryan
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Pop Dawson
Gregg Palmer	...	John Goodfellow
Roy Jenson	...	Gunman at Bathhouse in Escondero
Virginia Capers	...	Delilah

Storyline

The McCandles ranch is run over by a gang of cutthroats led by the evil John Fain. They kidnap little Jacob McCandles and hold him for a million dollar ransom. There is only one man who is brave enough and smart enough to bring him back and that man is Big Jake.

---

Plot Keywords:

ranch | ransom | shower | repeating rifle | horse | 

---

Taglines:

They wanted gold. They gave them lead instead!

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Western

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for western violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

26 May 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Million Dollar Kidnapping

Filming Locations:

Durango, Mexico

Box Office

Gross:

$7,500,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Center Films, Batjac Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (photographs in opening credits) Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tenth out of ten John Wayne films co-starring Bruce Cabot.

---

Goofs

When Jake is getting ready to leave after the boy, he grabs the rope to his pack Mule and wraps it around his saddle horn. When the camera angle changes he grabs the rope again and wraps it around his saddle horn. Apparently the same shot shown from two different angles.

---

Quotes

Jacob 'Big Jake' McCandles: Hank, where are your spurs?
Hank: You can't use 'em on these new velocopedes.

---

Connections

Featured in Escape from New Jersey (2010)

User Reviews

"That'll Be the Day"

Though Big Jake doesn't go down with the greatest of John Wayne's films I put it in the class of The Comancheros which I also found entertaining. This film is the right mixture of chemistry and action. No doubt helped by the fact that John Wayne was surrounded with family literally.

John Wayne is the estranged patriarch of a family who owns a big cattle spread just as he did in McLintock. A gang of kidnappers came on the place while most everyone was on roundup and killed several people and kidnapped Wayne's grandson. Grandmother Maureen O'Hara sends for her estranged husband to deal with the kidnappers as he sees fit. Being this is a John Wayne movie, you already know how that is.

Son Michael Wayne is the producer and sons Patrick and Ethan play Wayne's son and grandson. This is a bit of a change for Patrick Wayne. From back in the days of The Searchers, Pat Wayne always played callow youths in his father's and in other films. Here he's a grown man and quite bitter at his father. The conflict between them crackles on the screen. Christopher Mitchum, the son of another Hollywood icon, plays another Wayne offspring as does Bobby Vinton.

The action flows pretty good here and the tension does not let up for a moment. There are some good comic moments, but they are well integrated into the plot of the story.

Of the Duke's films post his Oscar from True Grit, Big Jake is one of his best and a personal favorite of mine.