Big Jim McLain (1952)

INFORMATION FROM IMDb

Plot Summary
U.S. House Un-American Activities Committee investigators Jim McLain
and Mal Baxter attempt to break up a ring of Communist Party troublemakers in Hawaii
(ignoring somewhat, as do their superiors in the Congress, that membership
in the Communist Party was, at the time, legal in the U.S.)
Summary written by Jim Beaver

Full Cast
John Wayne .... Jim McLain
Nancy Olson .... Nancy Vallon
James Arness .... Mal Baxter
Alan Napier .... Sturak
Veda Ann Borg .... Madge
Hans Conried .... Robert Henried
Hal Baylor .... Poke
Gayne Whitman .... Dr. Gelster
Gordon Jones .... Olaf
Robert Keys .... Edwin White
John Hubbard .... Lt. Cmdr. Clint Grey
Soo Yong .... Mrs. Namaka (as Madame Soo Yong)
Dan Liu .... Dan Liu, Honolulu Chief of Police
Vernon 'Red' McQueen .... Phil Briggs (as Red McQueen)
Peter Brocco .... Dr. Carter (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum .... Nightclub extra (uncredited)
Robert Fellows .... Soldier boarding ship (uncredited)
Paul Fix .... Voice of Chauncey (uncredited)
Bess Flowers .... Nightclub extra (uncredited)
William Forrest .... J.E. Lowry (McLain's supervisor) (uncredited)
Sam Harris .... Nightclub extra (uncredited)
Douglas Henderson .... J.J. Donahue (soldier boarding ship) (uncredited)
Paul Hurst .... Mr. Lexiter (uncredited)
Edwin Layton .... Himself (uncredited)
Harry Morgan .... Narrator (uncredited)
Sarah Padden .... Mrs. Lexiter (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre .... Nightclub dance extra (uncredited)
Bert Stevens .... Nightclub dance extra (uncredited)
Deane S. Tavennier .... HUAC Committee member (uncredited)
Harry Tyler .... Waiter (uncredited)
Peter Whitney .... Commie truck driver (uncredited)
Jay Wilsey ... Mr. Whalen (uncredited)

Writing Credits
Richard English story
James Edward Grant screenplay
Eric Taylor story
William Wheeler story (uncredited)

Original Music
Paul Dunlap
Arthur Lange
Emil Newman
Hugo Friedhofer (uncredited)
Robert Wiley Miller

Non-Original Music
Max Steiner (stock music) (uncredited)

Cinematography
Archie Stout

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andrew V. McLaglen

Trivia
Edwin Layton has a cameo that was arranged by the studio as a favor for getting permission for John Ford to film the actual Midway battle. Layton was the Pacific Fleet's Fleet Intelligence Officer at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.

The first film produced by Wayne-Fellows Productions (later renamed Batjac Productions), John Wayne's independent production company.

Many scenes filmed in public places such as the restaurant scene with Gordon Jones appear to be "stolen", as the bystanders seem to be watching the scenes being played out rather than act like extras who normally do not pay attention to the action.

The German title is "Mathuana". In this dubbed version for the German market John Wayne plays a hunter of marijuana smugglers, not an investigator for the Un-American Activities Commitee ferreting out Communists, as in the original film.

Nancy Olson hated the script but she figured six weeks in Hawaii and a chance to work with an icon like John Wayne seemed a good enough reason to accept. Besides, she thought the film would flop and nobody would see it. She was right to a degree - it wasn't one of Wayne's more successful pictures - but she didn't count on the constant TV exposure it has had and says people stop her all the time to say they've seen her in the film. Olson, a staunch liberal Democrat, said she and Wayne would often have political arguments but she would always let Wayne have the last word.

John Wayne recorded an advertisement for Camel cigarettes on the set of Big Jim McLain (1952).

Goofs
# Continuity: When Olaf comes out of the house and sees Jim talking to Madge, the background changes between the wide shot of the three of them and the close-up of Olaf getting the axe.

# Continuity: When Jim returns one morning from looking for Baxter's murderer, he finds Nancy asleep. The amount of the rug covering Nancy changes between when he kisses her and when she wakes.

# Revealing mistakes: When the plane taking McLain to another island begins taxiing, the door is still partly open.

Filming Location
Pearl Harbor, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA
Moloka'i, Hawaii, USA
Waikiki, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA
Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA

Big Jim McLain is a 1952 political thriller film starring John Wayne and James Arness
as HUAC investigators hunting down communists in the post-war Hawaii organized labor scene.
Edward Ludwig directed.

The film has developed something of a cult following due to a perceivedly
now-campy red scare theme.
In some European markets the film was retitled as Marijuana
and dispensed with the communist angle, making the villains drug dealers instead.
This was achieved entirely through script changes and dubbing.

Its publicity slogan was: "He's A Go-Get'Em Guy for the U.S.A.
on a Treason Trail That Leads Half-a-World Away!"

Strange old film this one, and one that Duke got a lot of stick for.
Personally I enjoy this movie, particularly as it features,
a visit to the wreck of the USS ARIZONA, a visit,
that I am proud to have taken myself.

Duke played well as a HUAC agent, and with Duke's
Americanism at its peak, one could have expected no less
from the great man, on the matter of communism.

James Arness, his protege, was his sidekick, not for long though.
Nancy Olson, was Duke's. not so convincing, love interest.
Although I enjoy the film, it was not well received.

The response was negative,

Quote

More action, and less talk

When the film was released, critics found it no more,
than crass anti-Red propaganda, with some reviewers,
even labeling it, irresponsible.

Consequently, the picture was a disappointment at the box office.
However, against the critics, wrath,
I enjoyed the film, for what it was!

User Review

Quote

A more gentlemanly John Wayne
22 December 2004 | by moonspinner55 (las vegas, nv)

The Duke (in ties and jackets?) ferrets out Commies in Hawaii along with strapping partner James Arness. For a movie so obviously filled to the brim with machismo, the results surprise us with just a scene or two of fisticuffs and much more romance between Wayne and Nancy Olson (who moves quickly, and can you blame her?). The black-and-white cinematography is quite beautiful, with silvery shots of the tropics in all their '50s splendor. "Big Jim McLain" features one of John Wayne's best walk-throughs; he looks a little sheepish, but he's so amiable you forget he's really not in character. The drama at hand is tidied up rather quickly, yet the film is directed with a steady hand and has an easy-going pace. Its flag-waving stance is 100% purple heart-patriotic, but that's certainly in keeping with the era, as well as with Wayne's all-American persona. *** from ****

Hi,

Here is movie that rarely gets mentioned,
so it is Movie of the Week

Please let's hear your comments

Quote

Originally posted by etsija@Nov 22 2006, 03:25 PM
Big Jim rarely gets mentioned because not many have seen it? I haven't

[snapback]37156[/snapback]

Most Duke fans, of course,
would have, some copy of this movie!
it's just not as popular as others!

Congratulations on reaching

100 POSTS

Hi Vera

I agree totally, with Arthur.
Your insight, was expressed very well.
And as Arthur says, history is past,
and hopefully, one day, we will all learn
from, our mistakes, if mistakes are what we made

Hi Robbie,

Thanks for your post, which sent me scurrying back
to where that information came from!!

According to
Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne.

Quote

Duke's despair deepened, when the movie
was not well received.
At the movie's preview at the Warner
Theatre in HuntingtonPark,
the response was negative
.......the movie was a disappointment
at the box office!

Display More

However,
John Wayne:American
says this

Quote

The movie played to enthusiastic audiences,
...the film was a solid hit... ranking
27th. in the 1952 top grossing movies.

Well there you are, two opposite views
from two credible sources.

Who are we to believe??
On reflection, I think
we should believe
the account
as written in
John Wayne: American

Thanks for bringing the point up.

Hi Robbie,

Those box office figures were also
discussed in
John Wayne: American

So the movie was indeed a credible hit.
So that makes at least one book incorrect!