Big Jim McLain (1952) - Ludwig

Stars: John Wayne, James Arness, Nancy Olsen, and Alan Napier, Veda Ann Borg

Pros: Veda Borg, Hawaiian locations, Alan Napier, Pro-HUAC
Cons: Low Budget, Not much action, Low Key, Only 90 minutes.

Plot: House Un-American Activities Committee investigators Jim McLain (Wayne) and Mal Baxter (Arness) come to Hawaii to track Communist Party activities. They are interested in everything from insurance fraud to the sabotage of a U.S. naval vessel. Alan Napier (aka Alfred of Batman) is also in Hawaii as a top communist official. Their paths will meet.

Released at height of the Korean War, "Big Jim McLain" was one of few films ever made by Hollywood that shows HUAC in a positive way. Its also one of the few John Wayne movies that dresses him in a contemporary suit and tie. Part travelogue, part quasi-documentary police movie, part political thriller, "Big Jim McLain" moves at fairly quick pace but can't escape a mediocre script and low budget values.

Shot in the quasi-realistic "Dragnet" manner, with Wayne narrating the action, the movie eschews all melodrama and action. So, no gun battles, no sadistic villains, no witty one-liners, no resounding triumph of justice, no car chases, and no damsels in distress. Only a couple mild fist-fights and one killing that is only discussed, not shown. HUAC was a serious subject in 1952 and so "BJM" is a somewhat realistic movie. But certain concessions to the box office are made.

There's a lot of beautiful Hawaiian scenery (not in color, unfortunately), a Wayne-Olsen romance that is charming and quite time-consuming, a funny Veda Borg playing her typically brassy blond, and communist leaders that are sufficiently suave and sinister - if overly talky and easily fooled.

But in the end the subdued quasi-realism makes "BJM" rather unexciting. The other major problem is the script, which is routine but has a couple good points.

First, There are two excellent patriotic scenes, one where Arness and Wayne visit the Arizona Monument at Pearl Harbor, making it clear that Cold war is continuation of that struggle, and the end scene where we see (real) Marines board their transport to Korea, signifying that no matter what, the fight continues.

Second, Napier's plan to sabotage the port is both clever and (for 1952) quite realistic. They also have some good lines, including:

Napier: Save me from these incompetent "true communists." Give me a well-paid mercenary any day.

Henchmen; Comrade, we must use the tools we have.

Napier: (Sigh) Yes, but when we achieve power...

Henchmen: ...we Liquidate.

And:

Commie: I suppose that's what an ignorant cotton-chopping East Texas redneck thinks is justice.

Wayne: You sound like you might have chopped some cotton.

Commie. I consider myself part of the country-club set. We left the cotton to the white trash and N****ers.

Wayne: (hits him on the Jaw).

Summary: Rating: **1/2. While some Classical film buffs & Wayne fans might enjoy this 'blast from the past', others will be bored by the outdated politics and lack of action. Liberals should avoid the film, since the few mild pro-HUAC references will no doubt drive them into hysteria and/or feeble attempts to laugh it away as "camp". BTW, here are some "liberal" reviews of this rather routine 1952 movie (its hard not to laugh when reading these):

"Pathetic anti-Communist propaganda film with a snarling John Wayne at his ugliest as a macho windbag special agent for HUAC. Edward Ludwig directs as if HUAC was the last means of defense in America from the invading Soviet Commies and John Wayne's simple-minded right-wing politics were needed to save a vulnerable America from its ruthless gangster-like political enemies" - Dennis Schwartz

"With that said, what was John Wayne thinking when he made this idiotic, cartoonish garbage? This is the sort of movie that, when made as pro-American propaganda, is so embarrassing that it drives people over to the other side and gives aid and comfort to this nation's enemies" - Typical IMDB Reviewer