Big Jake (1971)

Director:

George Sherman
(more)

Writers:

Harry Julian Fink (written by) and
Rita M. Fink (written by)

Release Date:

26 May 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Western

Tagline:

Big John = Big Jake = Big Western

Plot:

The McCandles ranch is run over by a gang of cutthroats led by the evil John Fain. They kidnap little...

Plot Keywords:

Ranch | Ransom | Shower | Repeating Rifle | Horse

Cast

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
Bill Walker	...	Moses Brown (as William Walker)
John McLiam	...	Army Officer
Bernard Fox	...	Scottish Shepherd
Don Epperson	...	Saloon Bully in Escondero
Jim Burk	...	Trooper
Dean Smith	...	James William 'Kid' Duffy
Ethan Wayne	...	Little Jake McCandles
Hank Worden	...	Hank
Tom Hennesy	...	Mr. Sweet
Chuck Roberson	...	Texas Ranger
Robert Warner	...	Will Fain
Jeff Wingfield	...	Billy Devries
Jerry Gatlin	...	Stubby
Everett Creach	...	Walt Devries
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael E. Burgess	...	Little Boy (uncredited)
George Fenneman	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
'Chico' Hernandez	...	Boy on Town (uncredited)
Jerry Summers	...	Escondero Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)

Directed by
George Sherman
John Wayne		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Harry Julian Fink		(written by) and
Rita M. Fink		(written by) (as R.M. Fink)

Produced by
Michael Wayne	....	producer (as Michael A. Wayne)
John Wayne	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography by
William H. Clothier		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Harry W. Gerstad		(as Harry Gerstad)

Casting by
Hoyt Bowers

Art Direction by
Carl Anderson

Set Decoration by
Ray Moyer

Makeup Department
Dave Grayson	....	makeup artist (as David Grayson)
Allan Snyder	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Joseph C. Behm	....	unit manager
Lee Lukather	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Newt Arnold	....	assistant director (as Newton Arnold)
Joe Lauth	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Ray Thompson	....	property

Sound Department
John Ferguson	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Howard Jensen	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Denny Arnold	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Babcock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Burk	....	stunts (uncredited)
Everett Creach	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddy Donno	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ken Ferguson	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Leonard	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunt double: John Wayne (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dean Smith	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Summers	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert Warner	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Dave Sutton	....	stills
Richard Barth	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
William Dodds	....	camera operator (uncredited)
James Glennon	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Alexander Klein	....	camera mechanic (uncredited)
Robert McCarthy	....	best boy (uncredited)
Karl Reed	....	grip (uncredited)
Paul Schori Jr.	....	generator operator (uncredited)
Bill Tharp	....	grip (uncredited)
James V. Vajana	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Frank Visconti	....	crane operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Luster Bayless	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
George Coleman	....	transportation coordinator
Frank Austin	....	driver (uncredited)
James D. Brubaker	....	driver (uncredited)
J.W. Coffman	....	driver (uncredited)
Robert Conte	....	driver (uncredited)
John Corwin	....	driver (uncredited)
Bob Goodrich	....	driver (uncredited)
Bobbie Green	....	driver (uncredited)
William Charles Hauer	....	driver (uncredited)
Rex Schroetter	....	driver (uncredited)
Richard R. Seay	....	driver (uncredited)
Jean Spray	....	driver (uncredited)
Joseph Wolfe Jr.	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Charlsie Bryant	....	script supervisor
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	main title design
Edward Arnold	....	location auditor (uncredited)
Ted Bonnet	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Wayne Cutlip	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Jeanne Dodson	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Dawn Forrester	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Barney Fotheringham	....	catering chief (uncredited)
Heinz Hagin	....	cook (uncredited)
'Chema' Hernandez	....	livestock coordinator (uncredited)
Billy Jones	....	head wrangler (uncredited)
Gordon G. Jones	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Thomas John Kane	....	liaison (uncredited)
Alice Moriarty	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Martin Roosendahl	....	dog trainer (uncredited)
Robert Shuman	....	accountant (uncredited)
Carole Steller	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Ralph Volkie	....	trainer: John Wayne (uncredited)
Robert Weatherwax	....	dog trainer (uncredited)
Ruth West	....	accountant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cinema Center Films (presents)
• Batjac Productions (as A Batjac Production)

Distributors

• National General Pictures (1971) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1971) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Prodis (1971) (France) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Company (1971) (UK) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1976) (USA) (TV)
• Key Video (1988) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan for CBS/Fox Video)
• Paramount Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (2004) (Brazil) (DVD) (as "Jake Grandão")
• Paramount Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2007) (USA) (VHS)
• Fox Films (1971) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Finnkino (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Fox Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Nelonen (1999) (Finland) (TV)
• Opção (????) (Brazil) (VHS) (as "O Grande Jake")
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2011) (Germany) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (DVD)
• Showtime (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1982) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for western violence (2001)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

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

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (2001) | Singapore:PG | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 (video rating) (1990) (2001) (2003) | UK:AA (original rating) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1972) | UK:15 (tv rating) | USA:PG-13 | Germany:16 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Durango, Mexico

Company:

Cinema Center Films

Trivia:

Ethan Wayne, who plays Big Jake's grandson, is actually John Wayne's real-life son.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Michael is riding his M/C next to the Ranger's cars there are wide modern day tire tracks in the dirt.

Quotes:

Michael McCandles:You want to chance it Mother?
Martha McCandles:Buck?
Buck Duggan:No matter what happens I think they'll kill the boy sooner or later, Texas have the best rifleman in the world luck with 200 yards to hit them-...
Martha McCandles:It very daring yes, yes I chance it. What you think Jacob?
Jacob 'Big Jake' McCandles:Suit yourself Martha
Martha McCandles:I was asking your opinion Jacob
Jacob 'Big Jake' McCandles:No, You made up your mind and you made your decision alone, you live it alone
Martha McCandles:I was wrong you haven't change, have you Jacob McCandles
Jacob 'Big Jake' McCandles:Not one bit.

Movie Connections:

References The Searchers (1956)

Big Jake Holds His Own, Thank You

Mark this down as a very entertaining western with more realistic gunfight scenes than most films, meaning the good guys get shot as well as the villains. John Wayne's "The Searchers," a very similar movie story-wise, gets a lot better press than this film but "Big Jake" is just as good, if not better.

To be fair, while the gunfights in here were well done, the fistfights were an insult. Whenever someone got slugged, such as Wayne belting his kids, it had no effect on them, except just to knock them down for a second or two. In real life, folks, chances are you will knocked unconscious if you are hit in the face, especially by a powerful man like Wayne. This has been a ludicrous fact-of-life, however, in all films for 100 years, not just here.

Other than that, the film is a straight hard-nosed one with Wayne and adversary Richard Boone both fascinating. The dialog between the two was especially fun to hear. Too bad there wasn't more of it. Boone did not have enough lines in this film. Wayne's real-life sons in this film didn't impress me with their acting but they weren't horrible either.

Bruce Cabot was a hoot as an old Indian friend of Wayne's. As with most westerns, there is some nice scenery so if you have the opportunity, watch this on widescreen DVD. It was nice-looking movie.