How many of John Wayne's real sons played in Big Jake?
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. John Wayne with his youngest son Ethan.
Two collies, trained by Robert Weatherwax and Rudd Weatherwax, played Dog, John Wayne's faithful companion: Silver and Laddie (Lassie Jr.) for the stunts. Eventually Laddie won a PATSY award for his performance in this film.
Why did John Wayne and Christopher Mitchum have a falling out?
The two actors fell out when Mitchum disagreed with Wayne's conservative views during a television interview, and they never spoke again. Mitchum tried to get in touch with Wayne in 1979 when the veteran star was dying of cancer, but did not receive any response.
John Wayne's son, Patrick, portrays James McCandles. Robert Mitchum's son, Christopher, portrays Michael McCandles. Wayne's youngest son, Ethan, portrays Little Jake.
Did Robert Mitchum and John Wayne like each other?
“Despite the fact that John Wayne had fired Robert Mitchum from Blood Alley (1955) ten years earlier, he was happy to work with Mitchum again, and they became good friends.
As the 1970s ushered in a new era of cinema, Western icon John Wayne used the 1971 film "Big Jake" as an opportunity to proclaim that he wasn't going anywhere. In his mid-60s and dealing with health issues, Wayne tweaked the character type that made him famous, leading to some of his finest cinematic moments.
It was filmed across three central locations in Arizona (Monument Valley), Mexico (Durango), and Utah (San Rafael Swell). Most scenes were shot in Durango, Mexico, giving viewers a taste of the Wild West atmosphere that makes up this classic movie.
The dog in this Western Movie starring John Wayne was a “Rough Collie”. In the movie, the dog's name is “Dog”. “Dog” is killed by a bad guy with a machete at the end of the movie. In real life, the dog's name was “Laddie”.
Western movie star John Wayne frequently rode a horse to complete his cowboy image. However, he grew an affinity for one animal in particular. Wayne went out of his way to ensure that he could ride the same horse named Dollar across seven of his movies.
Christopher Mitchum played motorcycle-riding Michael McCandles, son of John Wayne's Big Jake McCandles in the popular 1971 ensemble Western, Big Jake. Little did Mitchum know that it would be the last film he'd make with Duke Wayne. Courtesy National General Pictures.
Though they are likely the two biggest names in the Western genre, John Wayne and Clint Eastwood didn't get along which killed any hopes of them starring together on the big screen.
True love: Maureen O'Hara met Wayne at the home of director John Ford in 1941. He was her favorite co-star--both on screen and off. Maureen would be one of the last to see him before he died in 1979 when his years of smoking four and five packs of cigarettes a day finally caught up with him.
One of his close male friends is Ol' Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra. Mitchum tells a story about Sinatra when the two were making Not as a Stranger in 1955. "Frank had gone to a premiere one night, and when I came to work in the morning I found him lying there in full dinner dress.
The owner of 26 Bar Ranch, Wayne himself was a tried-and-true cowboy, with an allegiance to and an affinity for Western culture in all its forms. He brought this authenticity to a range of beloved characters — the roles that Wayne portrayed as an actor, he understood in real life.
John Wayne is a name synonymous with some of the Classic Western films. His youngest son, Ethan Wayne, is my guest as we talk about what it was like growing up as the son of John Wayne, how he coped with losing his dad at a young age, and how the family is continuing the legacy of their father.
Jake's ghost went to the 37th Dead World when he was killed by the Wand of Disbursement on Mars. Death appears to inhabit this world and Abraham Lincoln was able to visit it at will. The 37th Dead World may be related to the Land of the Dead, as Death is shown to dwell there in "Death in Bloom".
