What part did Michael Wayne play in Big Jake

13 Which famous law enforcement group engaged in a fruitless attempt to assist in rescuing the kidnapped victim?

Answer: The Texas Rangers

The gunfighter left on horseback, with his Indian friend Sam Sharpnose on horseback, and a mule carrying the ransom. The Texas Rangers attempted to assist while using the new horseless carriages. They were planning to ambush the kidnappers and take off as fast as they could. When they got to the ambush site, they themselves were ambushed and took heavy losses. The Duke's character and Sam came plodding along on horseback. Two of the gunfighter's sons were riding with the Rangers and, unhurt, choose to ride with their father in spite of the strained relationship. The Rangers were left on the side of the path to await assistance.

Duke & his grandson on the set of Big Jake 🐎 Do you know the name of the actor that played his grandson in the movie?...

Posted by JOHN WAYNE on Sunday, July 29, 2018

He didn’t force his children to follow in his footsteps. But growing up around movie sets gave some of them a unique perspective on the entertainment industry. The Duke’s eldest son, Michael, fell in love with film production after he worked on “The Quiet Man” in 1951. In the years following, Michael Wayne produced a number of his dad’s most popular films.

Michael Wayne was the product of John Wayne’s first marriage to Josephine Saenz. He was born in 1934 and quickly took a liking to his father’s line of work. He eventually earned a position at the head of John Wayne’s production company, Batjac Productions, working as a producer.

As the Duke’s career progressed, so too did Michael’s. Wayne loved having his family work with him. And for good reason. According to his second son, Patrick Wayne, Michael always had his dad’s best interest in mind.

“Michael was his own man and tried to watch out for other things besides just the film production side of things. But in the end, he did what my dad wanted him to do, and he always tried to look out for my dad,” Patrick Wayne wrote in “The Genuine Article.”

In a bottom-line business like entertainment, having someone so loyal in such a powerful position was a major positive. And the relationship between Michael and his dad led to a number of films many remember fondly.

Classic John Wayne Film ‘The Alamo’ – 1960

The first project on which Michael and John Wayne collaborated was “The Alamo” in 1960. Though he was just in his mid-20s, Michael was included as an associate producer. The film was a John Wayne-directed effort to retell the famous story of the defense of The Alamo in 1836.

‘McLintock!’ – 1963

A few years later, however, Michael Wayne graduated to the title of producer. John Wayne starred as G.W. McLintock opposite Maureen O’Hara. And to round out the family dynamic, Patrick Wayne played the role of Devlin Warren in the film.

‘The Green Berets’ – 1968

Another classic offering from the Duke. Michael Wayne was credited as a producer on the war drama that depicted Wayne as Col. Kirby, who was tasked with carrying out a mission in South Vietnam. Patrick Wayne once again appeared. However, this time as Lt. Jamison.

‘Big Jake’ – 1971

In “Big Jake,” John Wayne plays grandpa Jacob McCandles. He sets out to exact justice on the gang who kidnapped his grandson. The film was another collaboration between father and son, with Michael Wayne producing.

John Wayne Was a Family-Oriented Man

From Michael Wayne producing to Patrick Wayne starring, John Wayne made a point of including his family in his work. With how busy his iconic acting career kept him, it was a great way for him to spend time with his kids.

Even Ethan Wayne, who was born nearly 30 years after older brother Michael, was given opportunities. He starred as Wayne’s grandson, Little Jake, in the 1971 film “Big Jake.”

Bringing together John Wayne and his three sons, the endearing 1971 Western saw a torch pass to a new generation.

Written by Constance Dunn

In May 1971, a new John Wayne movie was released—Big Jake. The Technicolor Western cast Wayne in familiar territory, playing the role of Jacob “Big Jake” McCandles, who’s come home to avenge an attack on his ranch and rescue his grandson Little Jake from the deadly Fain Gang. Big Jake also starred Christopher Mitchum, son of actor Robert Mitchum, and Wayne’s good friend and contemporary Maureen O’Hara as his estranged wife Martha McCandles. 

Big Jake was more than just another Wayne picture. The full-fledged family production featured Wayne’s three real-life sons—Michael, Patrick and Ethan. It also served as a poignant visual  bellwether of how far Wayne had come—as a Hollywood star, a cultural icon and a powerful patriarch in the midst of passing important lessons down to a new generation.


What part did Michael Wayne play in Big Jake

Maureen O’Hara and Ethan Wayne, Big Jake.

This year marks the 50 year anniversary of Big Jake. To commemorate the production, on November 3, three of its principals—Patrick Wayne, Ethan Wayne and Christopher Mitchum—will take part in a panel discussion about the film at Fort Worth Stockyards. The panel will be held at John Wayne: An American Experience, a 10,000-square-foot exhibit located at the Stockyards that’s dedicated to The Duke.

Born Marion Robert Morrison in 1907, Wayne moved from his native Iowa to Southern California at age 6. A natural athlete, he attended University of Southern California (USC) on a football scholarship until his career on the turf was cut short by a bodysurfing accident. The strapping 6’4” Wayne then worked behind the scenes on the Fox Film Corporation movie lot until graduating to stand-in and extra work. 

During his time at Fox, Wayne would forge relationships with legendary creative heavyweights in Hollywood, notably directors John Ford and Raoul Walsh. Morrison’s first speaking role was in the 1929 Ford film Salute, and his first starring role came courtesy of director Raoul Walsh, who cast him in The Big Trail (1930). Nearly 10 years of film work followed until Wayne’s 1939 breakout role as Ringo Kid in Ford’s hit Stagecoach launched him into the Hollywood stratosphere. 


What part did Michael Wayne play in Big Jake

John Wayne and Claire Trevor in Stagecoach.


What part did Michael Wayne play in Big Jake

From there, Wayne’s star ascended ever higher throughout the decades. He became an internationally recognized symbol of American ideals, formed a production company (Batjac Productions), and became the father of seven children. By the time Big Jake was filmed, eldest son Michael had graduated to the role of producer, son Patrick was cast as his onscreen son James McCandles, and his youngest, Ethan, portrayed his grandson Little Jake. 


What part did Michael Wayne play in Big Jake

John Wayne with his youngest son Ethan.

The film is rife with Wayne’s onscreen value system, notably his grit and single-mindedness in achieving a heroic mission, which he visibly demonstrates to his offspring. (In life, as in the film, Wayne was a role model. “He wasn’t a person to give advice on any level, whether it be professionally or education or whatever,” says Patrick Wayne of his father. “I think he operated by example.”) Despite the changing times of 1909, the year the movie takes place, Wayne’s McCandles insists on longstanding, and superior, methods—riding a horse instead of a motorcycle; using his trusted gun instead of the new gas-powered model shown to him by his son. The movie even references his position of elder statesman, or someone from another time. Several times in Big Jake his character is told: “I thought you were dead,” to which Wayne as McCandles responds in the negative, once declaring: “Not hardly.” Given the weight of his cultural impact, even 50 years after Big Jake, it’s a response that still rings true.


What part did Michael Wayne play in Big Jake

John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in Big Jake.


Join us in the. Big Jake panel discussion with Patrick Wayne, Ethan Wayne and Christopher Mitchum on November 3! The event will start with a pre-panel cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. at the John Wayne: An American Experience exhibit. And, the live panel discussion will follow at 7:30 p.m. at the Cowboy Channel Studio. Tickets are $40/person and will benefit the John Wayne Cancer Foundation. All ages welcome. Purchase tickets here!

Did Ethan Wayne play the little boy in Big Jake?

He played Little Jake, the grandson of his father's title character in Big Jake. Ethan started doing stunt work after the death of his father in 1979. His first film was The Blues Brothers. He then resumed work as an actor.

Is John Wayne's real son in Big Jake?

Ethan Wayne, who plays Big Jake's grandson, is actually John Wayne's son. Bobby Vinton played the middle brother, despite being four years older than Patrick Wayne. Tenth out of ten John Wayne films co-starring his son, Patrick Wayne.

How old was John Wayne in Big Jake?

By the time Western legend John Wayne was filming 1971's violent and bloody “Big Jake,” he was in his mid-60s and in failing health.

Who played the little boy on Big Jake?

Ethan Wayne: Little Jake McCandles. Jump to: Photos (4)