Feb 23, 201312:05 AMThe Telegraph
The Premier Blog of the West
Weekend Western: 'Big Jake'
National General Pictures
Free for you to view on YouTube: John Wayne in Big Jake, director George Sherman’s 1971 western featuring The Duke as gunfighter-turned-rancher Jacob “Big Jake” McCandles.
Long estranged from his wife (Maureen O’Hara) and family, Big Jake straps on his shootin’ irons and returns to the homestead when his beloved grandson (Ethan Wayne, The Duke’s real-life son) is kidnapped by outlaws led by the notorious John Fain (Richard Boone). He sets out on a rescue mission accompanied by two of his adult sons, Michael (Chris Mitchum) and James (Patrick Wayne) – who, at first, don’t entirely trust their dad.
Big Jake is best remembered by some John Wayne fans as the fifth and final film in which The Duke appeared opposite Maureen O’Hara (after Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, The Wings of Eagles and McClintock!) Unfortunately, she only has a couple of scenes in the completed picture. But that’s more than enough for her to make a lasting impression.
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