All in the Family

By JAY COCKS

Big Jake is an inescapably likable John Wayne western. This time round, Big John plays a robustly aging paterfamilias who has been separated from his wife (who else but Maureen O'Hara?) lo these 18 years. When a band of merciless marauders led by Richard Boone kidnaps Wayne's grandson and demands a million dollars ransom (in $20 bills, please), Maureen swallows her pride and sends for the Duke. As soon as he shows up, both the child's safety and a predictable quality of brawny, easygoing entertainment are guaranteed.

In more than its plot, Big Jake is something of a family affair. The supporting cast includes such old Wayne cronies as Bruce Cabot and Harry Carey Jr. Cinematographer William Clothier has worked with Wayne at least half a dozen times before, and Director George Sherman guided Wayne through a series of two-reel westerns back in the early '30s. The film's producer is the Duke's oldest son, Michael, 36, and the air of reunion is reinforced by the presence on-screen of two other sons, John Ethan, 8, who appears as Jake's grandson, and Patrick Wayne, 31, who plays Jake's son. Patrick, in fact, spends most of his time either getting tossed into mud puddles or decked flat by his father. Freud might have wondered, but audiences are sure to love it.

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