Figure 2.--Here Little Jake is with his grandmother facing the kidnappers. Jake wears a brown velvet suit, large white collar, ruffled-front blouse, and cream-colored bow. The outfit is a little off for 1909, but could have been worn a few years earlier.

This John Wayne western is set in 1909, I think in Arizona. Big Jake, John Wayne of course, goes after his grandson, Little Jake, who was kidnapped. The boy first appears before the kidnapping taking piano lessons wearing a rather city looking velvet suit with knee length pants and grey stockings even though he lives on a ranch. His grand mother is bringing the boy up strictly. No blue jeans and cowboy hats. He has never met his grandfather as he restrained from his grandmother. The suit is worn with a plain, large white rounded collar, lace at the cuffs, and a cream-colored bow. This appears to be an reasonably accuare costume, but I wonder how many boys wore an outfit like that on a ranch, except for church or special occassions. Boys in the 1900s did wear white stockings with velvet suits, but dark stockins were more common. After a very violent kidnaping, Big Jake arrives to begin tracking down the kidnappers. He asks for an article of the boy's clothes so that the dog can help track the boy. He is given Little Jake's broad-brimmed hat with the ribbon hanging down the back. He really gives it a disgusted look when it is presented to him, but doesn't comment.

Filmography

John Wayne in collaboration with Geroge Sherman directed the film. Like all John Wayne films, there is plenty of action. It is not an award winning film, but John Wayne fans will like it.

Cast

The 1971 Western, 'Big Jake' starred John Wayne and as with many of his films, Maureen O'Harra plays the female lead opposite Wayne. Little Jake, Big Jake's grandson, was played by Ethan Wayne, John Wayne's son. He appear at the beginning and action packed end of the film. This was Ethan's only real film as a child actor. He did a good job, I'm not sure why he did not o more movies. The yar before he had a small uncredited role in "Rio Lobo' (1970). Ethan was born in 1962 and about 9-years old when the fil was made. After his father's death, hEthn had a minor film and TV career. Another big name star in the film was Ricard Boone played concingly by Richard Boone. Boone play another classic villan in 'Hondo'.

Setting

The action takes place in the Arizona territory and Mexico in 1909 during the Taft presidency. As a result ,otor bikes and cars enter the picture.

Plot

The McCandles ranch is suddenly attacked by a band of ruthless cutthroats who shoot up the place, killing a number of people and kidnapping young Jake McCandles, the 11-year-old grandson of Big Jake (John Wayne), who lives in Texas and hasn't seen his wife (Maureen O'Hara) for 18 years. Little Jake's grandmother sends for the husband from whom she has long been separated, and he arrives to take charge of the boy's rescue. Big Jake arrives to begin tracking down the kidnappers. He asks for an article of the boy's clothes so that the dog can help track the boy. He is given Little Jake's broad-brimmed hat with the ribbon hanging down the back. He really gives it a disgusted look when it is presented to him, but doesn't comment. The villain, John Fain, holds the boy ransom for a million dollars, which Big Jake carries with him in a large strong box. But of course he doesn't intend to pay the ransom. It is only a lure to appeal to the greed of the criminal gang. There is much typical frontier violence, but the boy is finally returned unharmed, having participated in the final battle himself in which he shoots his first pistol.

Figure 2.--Here is Little Jake just after the above scene tries to get away from the kidnappers.

Costuming

Costuming plys a role in the film, meant to play on the conflict beteem Nij Jake and his wife. Little Jake is shown at first practicing the piano and being brought up with almost Eastern luxury and culture by his grandmother. He wears a Faunterloy suit of black velvet with a large white collar and a floppy silk bow tie at the neck. The outfit is alittle dated for 1909, but could have been worn a few years earlier. His suit is a knee-pants suit which he wears with long grey stockings held up not by supporters but by elastic round garters worn about his thighs. This costuming detail seems a little false, since upper-class boys of the period almost always wore hose supporters rather than round garters because the elastic bands above the knee tended to cut off circulation and become very uncomfortable and restrictive. Round garters were sometimes worn as a kind of makeshift arrangement by boys lower down the social scale than Little Jake. He wears highcut black shoes. The biggest costume mistake made was the rounded-crown hat with streamers. These hats date to the 19th century. Later in the film we see Little Jake without his fancy silk shirt (which has been sent to his grandfather by the villain as proof of his possession). In these scenes Little Jake still wears his velvet jacket but only over an undershirt and of course without the silk bow tie. Little Jake's participation in his own rescue becomes a sort of coming-of-age experience for him as he moves from a quasi-sissy role to that of a more red-blooded boy. The acting is somewhat shallow. The main interest is Western shoot-em-up action. The first two images show Little Jake during the attack on his grandmother's ranch. The third image shows him being protected by his grandmother. No age of the boy is given in the script, but he seems to be about 10 years old.

Created: February 4, 2004
Last updated: February 4, 2004