John Wayne’sBig Jakeco-starred his son Patrick and it marked the only time they played father and son onscreen.Big Jakeis John Wayne’smost violent Westernby far, with the film being uncharacteristically bloody by the star’s standards. Wayne had a distaste for the increasing violence in American cinema seen in the likes ofThe Wild Bunch, so he made sure to balanceBig Jakeout with ill-fitting scenes of slapstick. While he’s not credited for it, Wayne also filled in as co-director when helmer George Sherman fell ill during production.
The 1971 Western cast Wayne as the titular Jake, who reunites with his estranged family after his grandson is kidnapped during a violent raid.Big Jakeco-stars Christopher Mitchum (son of screen legend Robert Mitchum) and Patrick Wayne as Jake’s sons, who accompany him on the ride to pay the ransom.Patrick had worked with his father on many other movies at this point, includingWayne’s favorite Western of his own,The Searchersand his father’s controversial war movieThe Green Berets.
Every John Wayne Movie That His Son, Patrick, Also Appeared In
Every John Wayne movie that his son, Patrick, also appeared in showcased their strong on-screen bond, from uncredited roles to major characters.
Big Jake Was The First Time John And Patrick Wayne Actually Played Father And Son
The tenth time was the charm for the Waynes
John and Patrick Wayne had appeared in nine movies together in the 20 years beforeBig Jake. For whatever reason, none had paired John and Patrick as father and son before, which felt like a very obvious move. It certainly works inBig Jake’sfavor, sincethe Waynes share an easy chemistry - even though their characters are at odds for much of the runtime. Patrick’s James is feeling raw over his father abandoning the family years before, and it takes time for the pair to trust one another.
This element givesBig Jakean emotional spine lacking from many of the laterJohn Wayne’s Westerns,which recycled his greatest hits to diminishing returns.In his later career, Wayne played into his image as a paternal figure too, playing surrogate father figures in Westerns likeThe Cowboysor his final film,The Shootist.Big Jakeis the most obvious example of this since he’s playing alongside his actual son, giving their interactions a spikier edge.
Technically, John Wayne’s final role was in the originalStar Warsin 1977; distorted samples of his voice were used for the spy character Garindan ezz Zavor.
Perhaps the Waynes wanted to resist playing father and son until the right project came along. Many of Patrick’s earlier roles in films likeThe Quiet Manwere uncredited or small bit parts, intended to give him experience on a film set. However,by the timeBig Jakecame along, Patrick knew how to carry himself on screen. That said, his father is still the dominant force in all of their scenes.
Big Jake Was A Wayne Family Affair
The Western feels like a Wayne family holiday at times
Patrick wasn’t the only member of the Wayne clan to work onBig Jake.John Wayne’s youngest son Ethan plays Little Jake, the kidnapped grandson that Big Jake has never met; this adds a touching quality to their eventual meeting during the finale. The movie itself was produced by Michael Wayne, who was the eldest of John Wayne’s seven children.Michael Wayne produced much of his father’s later work, includingChisumand the 1974 cop thrillerMcQ.
While Christopher Mitchum obviously wasn’t a member of the Wayne clan, he was very close to the family and previously appeared alongside Wayne inChisumandRio Lobo.Big Jakeproved to be John Wayne and Christopher Mitchum’s final time working together, with the pair reportedly falling out over politics shortly after the film’s release.
Big Jake Was The Last Film John And Patrick Wayne Worked On
Patrick Wayne was very nearly Superman
John Wayne with a bloody bullet hole on his arm and Wayne pointing a rifle as Big Jake.
Playing father and son meantBig Jakewas a fitting final collaboration between John and Patrick Wayne, with the latter deciding it was time to forge a career on his own terms. In the years after the film, he starred in movies likeSinbad and the Eye of the TigerandThe People That Time Forgot.Patrick was also famously cast in the title role inSuperman: The Movie, but dropped out after his father fell illin the late 1970s.Patrick mainly moved into television during the 1980s, appearing in everything fromCharlie’s AngelstoMurder, She Wrote.
Jacob McCandles
James McCandles
One of his most notable movie projects during this time was playing Pat Garrett in 1988’sYoung Guns, but he was later recast with William Petersen (CSI) for the sequel. Despite holding his own inBig Jake, there was little hope that Patrick could have forged a career as iconic as his father’s, but he still created a healthy filmography for himself. His nephew Brendan Wayne is also keeping the family’s Western tradition alive, acting as the main suit performer for Din Djarin inThe Mandalorian.
Big Jake
Cast
A ruthless gang kidnaps the grandson of Jacob McCandles, leading the estranged patriarch to reunite with his family to deliver the ransom. Accompanied by his sons, Jacob tracks down the outlaws, confronting both violent criminals and his own strained family relationships along the way.
