Big Jim McLain

Big Jim McLain. 1952 Warner Bros. Pictures.
Starring: John Wayne, James Arness, Nancy Olson, Alan Napier, Veda Ann Borg
Director: Edward Ludwig
Available at Amazon as a single DVD, or one-sixth of the John Wayne Film Collection.

Big Jim McLain was released to DVD in 2007 as part of the Warner Bros. box set The John Wayne Film Collection, which were six of John Wayne's lesser movies, and in some cases, vehicles for another actor with Wayne added to the picture to lure more people to the theaters. Also, in some European markets, the movie was retitled as Marijuana, and the original plot of HUAC investigators looking for communists in Hawaii was changed to Wayne and James Arness tracking down drug dealers. I think a version of Marijuana would've been an ideal extra for the Big Jim McLain DVD. Instead, we're getting a Joe McDoakes comedy short, and a Daffy Duck cartoon called The Super Snooper.

John Wayne is the title character, traveling to the Hawaiian Islands with his fellow HUAC agent Mal Baxter (Arness) to look for Communist Party activity. The HUAC in this film has no problem with going into private homes without a search warrant, wiretapping illegally, and occasionally, beating up a suspect. There isn't too much thrilling action, apart from McLain triggering a brawl at the end of the movie, just a lot of scenes of walking around and narrated sequences to advance the plot along.

By the way, at the time of the film's production, being a member of the Communist Party was not illegal in the United States.

Big Jim McLain is not the best John Wayne movie, and many people feel it's a lousy film in general. Personally, I felt it was an enjoyable, if slight film, not to be taken too seriously. Recommended unintentional comedy.