{"id":24379,"date":"2019-03-17T16:05:45","date_gmt":"2019-03-17T20:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=24379"},"modified":"2019-03-17T18:59:57","modified_gmt":"2019-03-17T22:59:57","slug":"maureen-ohara-remembering-redhead-from-dublin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=24379","title":{"rendered":"Maureen O&#8217;Hara: Remembering The Redhead from Dublin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- JSON-LD markup generated by Google Structured Data Markup Helper. --> <script type=\"application\/ld+json\"> [ { \"@context\" : \"http:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\" : \"Article\", \"name\" : \"Maureen O\u2019Hara: Remembering The Redhead from Dublin\", \"author\" : { \"@type\" : \"Person\", \"name\" : \"Jay Steinberg\" }, \"datePublished\" : \"2019-03-17\", \"image\" : \"http:\/\/2h3mh837ken53kitqv1co5fh83o.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Maureen-O-hara-classic-movies-28237997-312-443.jpg\", \"articleBody\" : \"The scarlet mane, emerald eyes and creamy complexion were made to be embraced by the Technicolor process, and the ingratiating presence and skill of tall, feisty Irish-born beauty <A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?ac=Maureen%20O%27Hara%7C828316&amp;mod=AP\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?ac=Maureen%20O%27Hara%7C828316&amp;mod=AP&#39;, &#39;Maureen O\u2019Hara&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Maureen O\u2019Hara<\/A> only added to the endurance of the many undisputed film classics on her lengthy resum\u00e9.<\/P><\/p>\n<p>\\n<\/p>\n<p><P>The daughter of a former contralto and a clothier who was part-owner of the Shamrock Rovers soccer team, Maureen FitzSimons was born on August 17, 1920 in Dublin\u2019s Ranelagh suburb and began training in drama and music from the time she was six. While her father insisted on her mastering clerical skills as a back-up, the athletic tomboy was winning dramatic contests by her early teens and gained admission to the Abbey Theatre at 14. In 1938, the 18-year-old Maureen traveled to London to take bit parts in two films, <EM>The Playboy<\/EM> and <EM>Little Miss Molly<\/EM>.<\/P><\/p>\n<p>\\n<\/p>\n<p><P>A screen test she had made caught the attention of <A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=Charles+Laughton\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=Charles+Laughton&#39;, &#39;Charles Laughton&#39;]);\\\" title=\\\"Charles Laughton\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Charles Laughton<\/A>, who proceeded to put her under contract and rechristened FitzSimons with the more marquee-friendly O\u2019Hara. Laughton then promptly arranged for his new prot\u00e9g\u00e9 to take a pivotal role in Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s costume drama <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D15026\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D15026&#39;, &#39;Jamaica Inn&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Jamaica Inn<\/A><\/EM> (1939). Laughton followed by bringing her later that year to America, casting her as gypsy heroine Esmeralda alongside his title performance in <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D11365\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D11365&#39;, &#39;The Hunchback of Notre Dame&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Hunchback of Notre Dame<\/A><\/EM>, but with the clouds of war gathering over Europe, Laughton sold her pact to RKO.<\/P><\/p>\n<p>\\n<\/p>\n<p><P>While her next few projects (including the since-rediscovered <EM>Dance, Girl, Dance<\/EM>) didn\u2019t generate much traction, that changed with the success of her portrayal of a Welsh mining family\u2019s willful daughter in 1941\u2019s Best Picture Academy Award-winner, <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D16429\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D16429&#39;, &#39;How Green Was My Valley&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">How Green Was My Valley<\/A><\/EM>, the first of five career projects for director John Ford. The following year, the original movie cast, including O\u2019Hara, re-created their screen roles for producer Cecil B. DeMille on the popular radio series, Lux Radio Theater\", \"publisher\" : [ { \"@type\" : \"Organization\", \"name\" : \"MovieFanFare\" }, { \"@type\" : \"Organization\", \"name\" : \"Movies Unlimited\" } ] }, { \"@context\" : \"http:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\" : \"Article\", \"name\" : \"Maureen O\u2019Hara: Remembering The Redhead from Dublin\", \"author\" : { \"@type\" : \"Person\", \"name\" : \"Jay Steinberg\" }, \"datePublished\" : \"2019-03-17\", \"image\" : \"http:\/\/2h3mh837ken53kitqv1co5fh83o.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-Cover.jpg\", \"articleBody\" : [ \"1942 found Maureen making her Technicolor debut in the timely flag-waver <EM>To the Shores of Tripoli<\/EM> (1942), where she met <A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=John+Payne\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=John+Payne&#39;, &#39;John Payne&#39;]);\\\" title=\\\"John Payne\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">John Payne<\/A>, with whom she\u2019d eventually co-star in four films. The actress then co-starred with George Montgomery in Ten Gentlemen from West Point, based on the military academy\u2019s early days, with a swashbuckling Tyrone Power in the buccaneer blockbuster <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/black-swan\/024543920021\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/black-swan\/024543920021&#39;, &#39;The Black Swan&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Black Swan<\/A><\/EM>.<\/P><\/p>\n<p>\\n<\/p>\n<p><P>Keeping busy through the WWII era, O\u2019Hara was paired in 1943 with <A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=Henry+Fonda\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=Henry+Fonda&#39;, &#39;Henry Fonda&#39;]);\\\" title=\\\"Henry Fonda\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Henry Fonda<\/A> (and gave the actor his final on-screen kiss before he went off to serve in the Navy)  for<EM> <A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/henry-fonda-film-collection\/024543837626\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/henry-fonda-film-collection\/024543837626&#39;, &#39;Immortal Sergeant&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Immortal Sergeant<\/A><\/EM>, and later that same year she re-teamed with Laughton for the Oscar-winning drama <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/this-land-is-mine\/883316649992\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/this-land-is-mine\/883316649992&#39;, &#39;This Land Is Mine&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">This Land Is Mine<\/A><\/EM>, directed by Jean Renoir. Back at RKO, she shared the screen with Hollywood bad boy John Garfield in the noir-flavored thriller <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D56303\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D56303&#39;, &#39;The Fallen Sparrow&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Fallen Sparrow<\/A><\/EM>. Years later, she reminisced about Garfield, \u201cHe was my shortest leading man, an outspoken Communist and a real sweetheart.\u201d<\/P><\/p>\n<p>\\n<\/p>\n<p><P>Back in Technicolor in 1944\u2013and in a totally different direction\u2013she played Louisa Cody, wife of frontiersman \u201cBuffalo Bill\u201d Cody (Joel McCrea), in the western biopic Buffalo Bill. The game physicality she displayed in action films ensured that she\u2019d be a staple of the adventure genre for the next decade, as evidenced by her turn in 1945\u2019s <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/spanish-main\/883316677841\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/spanish-main\/883316677841&#39;, &#39;The Spanish Main&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Spanish Main<\/A><\/EM> as the feisty Contessa, opposite Paul Henried, and two years later in Sinbad, the Sailor with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (both films also boasting the screen villainy of Walter Slezak).\", \"Notables from the balance of the \u201940s included <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D60096\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D60096&#39;, &#39;Do You Love Me&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Do You Love Me<\/A><\/EM>, a 1946 musical with Dick Haymes and Harry James where Maureen played (of all things) a dowdy music teacher, followed by two more with John Payne: the classic weeper <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/sentimental-journey\/024543857129\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/sentimental-journey\/024543857129&#39;, &#39;Sentimental Journey&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Sentimental Journey<\/A><\/EM> and the 1947 Chrtistmas perennial <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/miracle-on-34th-street-miracle-on-34th-street\/024543833765\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/miracle-on-34th-street-miracle-on-34th-street\/024543833765&#39;, &#39;Miracle on 34th Street&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Miracle on 34th Street<\/A><\/EM>, where she was cast as the no-nonsense Macy\u2019s executive who, along with daughter Natalie Wood, learns a lesson in the Yuletide spirit from Edmund Gwenn\u2019s Kris Kringle. In 1948, she played one of <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D60097%20%20\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D60097%20%20&#39;, &#39;The Foxes of Harrow&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Foxes of Harrow<\/A><\/EM> as Rex Harrison\u2019s tempestuous wife, and she embraced comedy in <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/sitting-pretty\/024543878001\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/sitting-pretty\/024543878001&#39;, &#39;Sitting Pretty&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Sitting Pretty<\/A><\/EM>, the first of the popular \u201cMr. Belvedere\u201d films, with Robert Young. Although she seemed quite at home in the genre, O\u2019Hara later reflected, \u201cComedy is quite difficult, you have to be able to have fun and portray that sense of fun to the audience watching you.\u201d<\/P><\/p>\n<p>\\n<\/p>\n<p><P>The \u201950s began with her reuniting with director Ford\u2013and commencing her memorable screen partnership with <A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=John+Wayne\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=John+Wayne&#39;, &#39;John Wayne&#39;]);\\\" title=\\\"John Wayne\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">John Wayne<\/A>\u2013in <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/rio-grande\/887090044905\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/rio-grande\/887090044905&#39;, &#39;Rio Grande&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Rio Grande<\/A><\/EM>. Miss O\u2019Hara was then found at her action-packed best as the daughter of the Three Musketeers\u2019 Athos, defending the French throne in <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D57439\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D57439&#39;, &#39;At Sword\u2019s Point&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">At Sword\u2019s Point<\/A><\/EM>. Her string of adventure films at Universal included <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D69759\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D69759&#39;, &#39;Against All Flags&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Against All Flags<\/A> <\/EM>(1952) with co-star Errol Flynn, but it was the enduring success of 1950\u2019s Rio Grande that granted Ford the requisite leverage with Republic Pictures\u2019 head honcho Herbert J. Yates for Wayne and O\u2019Hara to collaborate on the irresistible Ireland odyssey <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/quiet-man\/887090048309\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/quiet-man\/887090048309&#39;, &#39;The Quiet Man&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Quiet Man<\/A> <\/EM>(1952), in which her fiery red hair never looked better\" ], \"publisher\" : [ { \"@type\" : \"Organization\", \"name\" : \"MovieFanFare\" }, { \"@type\" : \"Organization\", \"name\" : \"Movies Unlimited\" } ] }, { \"@context\" : \"http:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\" : \"Article\", \"name\" : \"Maureen O\u2019Hara: Remembering The Redhead from Dublin\", \"author\" : { \"@type\" : \"Person\", \"name\" : \"Jay Steinberg\" }, \"datePublished\" : \"2019-03-17\", \"image\" : \"http:\/\/2h3mh837ken53kitqv1co5fh83o.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-Quiet-Man-Color.jpg\", \"articleBody\" : \"adventure movies that kept her from getting the lead in the 1955 movie version of <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/king-and-i\/024543839477\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/king-and-i\/024543839477&#39;, &#39;The King and I&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The King and I<\/A><\/EM>. According to popular belief, Richard Rodgers turned her down because he didn\u2019t want a \u201cPirate Queen\u201d in his movie. Although Deborah Kerr is spirited and assertive in the movie, more than likely O\u2019Hara could have brought a sassier dimension to the role, which might be what Rodgers feared.<\/P><\/p>\n<p>\\n<\/p>\n<p><P>She\u2019d remain a formidable leading lady through the Eisenhower era, as marked by <EM>War Arrow<\/EM> (1953), a thrilling Cavalry-versus-Indians adventure also starring Jeff Chandler; as <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D44392++\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D44392++&#39;, &#39;The Redhead from Wyoming&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Redhead from Wyoming<\/A><\/EM> (also \u201953), where she takes the rustling rap for a slimy politician but cleverly outwits him before the film\u2019s end; and in the title role of the 1955 \u201cun-costume drama\u201d Lady Godiva from Coventry (O\u2019Hara stated that she actually wore a flesh-colored leotard in the movie). 1955 also saw the return of an old co-star (Tyrone Power), an old setting (West Point) and a familiar director (Ford) for <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D31128\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D31128&#39;, &#39;The Long Gray Line&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Long Gray Line<\/A><\/EM>, a moving true-life story that plays like a West Point-flavored <EM>Goodbye, Mr. Chips<\/EM>. In 1957 Ford came calling again, bringing Maureen and the Duke back together in<EM> <A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D63921\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D63921&#39;, &#39;The Wings of Eagles&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Wings of Eagles<\/A><\/EM>, a biography of pioneering WWI Navy aviator Frank \u201cSpig\u201d Wead, who turned to screenwriting after a debilitating injury; and in 1959, she starred alongside Alec Guinness in Carol Reed\u2019s spy comedy <EM>Our Man in Havana<\/EM>, shot in pre-Castro Cuba. Off the set of that film, Miss O\u2019Hara actually met Castro\u2019s right-hand compadre. She later said of him, \u201cI spent a great deal of time with Che Guevara while I was in Havana. I feel he was less a mercenary than he was a freedom fighter.\u201d\", \"publisher\" : [ { \"@type\" : \"Organization\", \"name\" : \"MovieFanFare\" }, { \"@type\" : \"Organization\", \"name\" : \"Movies Unlimited\" } ] }, { \"@context\" : \"http:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\" : \"Article\", \"name\" : \"Maureen O\u2019Hara: Remembering The Redhead from Dublin\", \"author\" : { \"@type\" : \"Person\", \"name\" : \"Jay Steinberg\" }, \"datePublished\" : \"2019-03-17\", \"image\" : \"http:\/\/2h3mh837ken53kitqv1co5fh83o.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-1962.jpg\", \"articleBody\" : \"Maureen spent the early to mid-\u201960s making a seamless transition to matriarchal parts, as shown by her starring role opposite Brian Keith in the Disney classic <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D74817\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D74817&#39;, &#39;The Parent Trap&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Parent Trap<\/A><\/EM> (1961), and reunited with Keith for Sam Peckinpah\u2019s non-traditional Western adventure, <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D28821\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D28821&#39;, &#39;The Deadly Companions&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Deadly Companions<\/A> <\/EM>(1962). She and Keith became good friends and O\u2019Hara made news when she claimed that Keith\u2019s reported suicide in 1997 was actually an accident. Keith had been ailing from both emphysema and cancer and was also in mourning over his 27 year-old daughter\u2019s suicide.<\/P><\/p>\n<p>\\n<\/p>\n<p><P>Also in \u201962, the actress paired with <A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=James+Stewart\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=James+Stewart&#39;, &#39;James Stewart&#39;]);\\\" title=\\\"James Stewart\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">James Stewart<\/A> in <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D63326\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D63326&#39;, &#39;Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation<\/A><\/EM>, where she and husband Jimmy try to enjoy a quiet family getaway amid ever-increasing obstacles. The following year she starred with old friend Henry Fonda in the adventure <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D44627\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D44627&#39;, &#39;Spencer\u2019s Mountain&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Spencer\u2019s Mountain<\/A><\/EM>, based on the same writings which later inspired <EM>The Waltons<\/EM> TV series; making it a family affair, her daughter Bronwyn FitzSimons appears in that film, in an uncredited role. Maureen was then very much at home in high comedy in <A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D63482\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D63482&#39;, &#39;McLintock!&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><EM>McLintock<\/EM>!<\/A>, with Wayne in 1963: and 1966 brought her together again with Stewart for a fine family film, <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D44391\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D44391&#39;, &#39;The Rare Breed&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Rare Breed<\/A><\/EM>, in which Maureen tries to deliver a prize bull with help from Jimmy and daughter Juliet Mills \u2014 yes, believe it or not, that\u2019s what its about.<\/P><\/p>\n<p>\\n<\/p>\n<p><P>Subsequently, she entered into a happy union with aviator Charles Blair that lasted from 1968 until his death ten years later, and pared back her workload after her final teaming with Wayne in 1971\u2019s <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D39288\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D39288&#39;, &#39;Big Jake&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Big Jake<\/A><\/EM>. It was no secret that she was John Wayne\u2019s favorite actress, and they considered each other best friends. Wayne is quoted as saying, \u201cThere\u2019s only one woman who has been my friend over the years and by that I mean a real friend, like a man would be. That woman is Maureen O\u2019Hara. She\u2019s big, lusty, and absolutely marvelous, definitely my kind of woman. She\u2019s a great guy. I\u2019ve had many friends and I prefer the company of men. Except for Maureen O\u2019Hara.\u201d<\/P><\/p>\n<p>\\n<\/p>\n<p><P>After <EM>Big Jake<\/EM>, she embraced a big-screen retirement, briefly resurfacing for the 1973 telefilm of <EM>The Red Pony<\/EM>. After Blair\u2019s passing in a 1978 plane crash, she assumed the presidency of his air carrier business for a time. She was coaxed back to filmmaking in 1991 with the tailor-made role of lovelorn cop John Candy\u2019s controlling mom in director John Hughes\u2019 <EM><A href=\\\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D63139\\\" onclick=\\\"_gaq.push([&#39;_trackEvent&#39;, &#39;outbound-article&#39;, &#39;http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D63139&#39;, &#39;Only the Lonely&#39;]);\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow\\\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Only the Lonely<\/A><\/EM>. She\u2019d make a handful of made-for-TV films over the mid- to late \u201990s, after which the redoubtable redhead called it a day with performing. The years that followed saw the publication of O\u2019Hara\u2019s 2004 autobiography<EM> \u2018Tis Herself<\/EM>, occasional appearances at film festivals and retrospectives, and a retirement divided between her homeland and the U.S. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences saluted the actress with an honorary Oscar in early 2015, and she passed away from natural causes at the age of 95 in October of that year.<\/P><\/p>\n<p>\\n<\/p>\n<p><P><EM>This article originally appeared on MovieFanFare in 2012. We are reprinting it again in honor of today\u2019s St. Patrick\u2019s Day celebrations\", \"publisher\" : [ { \"@type\" : \"Organization\", \"name\" : \"MovieFanFare\" }, { \"@type\" : \"Organization\", \"name\" : \"Movies Unlimited\" } ] } ] <\/script><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-47809\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Maureen-O-hara-classic-movies-28237997-312-443.jpg\" alt=\"Maureen-O-hara-classic-movies-28237997-312-443\" width=\"225\" height=\"319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Maureen-O-hara-classic-movies-28237997-312-443.jpg 225w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Maureen-O-hara-classic-movies-28237997-312-443-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Maureen-O-hara-classic-movies-28237997-312-443-70x100.jpg 70w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Maureen-O-hara-classic-movies-28237997-312-443-100x142.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/em><\/p>\n<p>The scarlet mane, emerald eyes and creamy complexion were made to be embraced by the Technicolor process, and the ingratiating presence and skill of\u00a0tall, feisty Irish-born beauty\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?ac=Maureen%20O%27Hara%7C828316&amp;mod=AP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Maureen O&#8217;Hara<\/a> only added to the endurance of the many undisputed film classics on her lengthy resum\u00e9.<\/p>\n<p>The daughter of a\u00a0former contralto\u00a0and a clothier who was part-owner of the Shamrock Rovers soccer team, Maureen FitzSimons was born on August 17, 1920 in Dublin&#8217;s Ranelagh suburb\u00a0and began training in drama and music from the time she was six. While her father insisted on her mastering clerical skills as a back-up, the athletic tomboy was winning dramatic contests by her early teens and gained admission to the Abbey Theatre at 14. In 1938, the 18-year-old Maureen traveled to London\u00a0to take bit parts in two films, <em>The Playboy<\/em> and\u00a0<em>Little Miss Molly<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>A screen test she had made caught the attention of <a title=\"Charles Laughton\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=Charles+Laughton\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Charles Laughton<\/a>, who proceeded to put her under contract and rechristened FitzSimons with the more marquee-friendly\u00a0O&#8217;Hara. Laughton then promptly arranged for his new prot\u00e9g\u00e9 to take a pivotal role in Alfred Hitchcock&#8217;s costume drama <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D15026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Jamaica Inn<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(1939). Laughton followed by bringing her later that year\u00a0to America, casting her as gypsy heroine Esmeralda alongside his title performance in <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D11365\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Hunchback of Notre Dame<\/a><\/em>, but with the clouds of war gathering over Europe, Laughton sold her pact to RKO.<\/p>\n<p>While her next few projects (including the since-rediscovered <em>Dance, Girl, Dance<\/em>) didn&#8217;t generate much traction, that changed with the success of her portrayal of a\u00a0Welsh mining family&#8217;s willful\u00a0daughter in 1941&#8217;s\u00a0Best Picture Academy Award-winner, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D16429\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">How Green Was My Valley<\/a><\/em>, the first of five career projects for director John Ford. The following year, the original movie cast, including\u00a0O&#8217;Hara, re-created their screen roles for producer Cecil B. DeMille on the popular radio series, Lux Radio Theater.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_24386\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-Cover.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24386\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24386 \" title=\"Maureen O'Hara Movie Story Magazine (1942)\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-Cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"290\" height=\"382\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-Cover.jpg 290w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-Cover-227x300.jpg 227w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-24386\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maureen O&#8217;Hara and John Payne on the cover of Movie Story Magazine (1942)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>1942 found Maureen\u00a0making her Technicolor debut in the timely flag-waver <em>To the Shores of Tripoli<\/em> (1942), where she met <a title=\"John Payne\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=John+Payne\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">John Payne<\/a>, with whom she&#8217;d eventually co-star in four films. The actress then co-starred with George Montgomery in Ten Gentlemen from West Point, based\u00a0on the military academy&#8217;s early days,\u00a0with a swashbuckling Tyrone Power in the buccaneer blockbuster <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/black-swan\/024543920021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The Black Swan<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Keeping busy through the WWII era,\u00a0O&#8217;Hara was paired in 1943 with <a title=\"Henry Fonda\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=Henry+Fonda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Henry Fonda<\/a>\u00a0(and gave the actor his final on-screen kiss before he went off to serve in the Navy)\u00a0\u00a0for<em> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/henry-fonda-film-collection\/024543837626\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Immortal Sergeant<\/a><\/em>, and later that same year she re-teamed with Laughton for the Oscar-winning\u00a0drama <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/this-land-is-mine\/883316649992\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">This Land Is Mine<\/a><\/em>, directed by Jean Renoir. Back at RKO, she shared the screen with Hollywood bad boy John Garfield in the noir-flavored thriller <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D56303\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Fallen Sparrow<\/a><\/em>. Years later, she reminisced about Garfield, &#8220;He was my shortest leading man, an outspoken Communist and a real sweetheart.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Back in Technicolor in 1944&#8211;and in a totally different direction&#8211;she played Louisa Cody,\u00a0wife of frontiersman &#8220;Buffalo Bill&#8221; Cody (Joel McCrea), in the western\u00a0biopic Buffalo Bill. The game physicality she displayed in action films ensured that she&#8217;d be a staple of the adventure genre for the next decade, as evidenced by her turn in 1945&#8217;s <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/spanish-main\/883316677841\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The Spanish Main<\/a><\/em> as the feisty Contessa, opposite Paul Henried, and two years later\u00a0in Sinbad, the Sailor with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (both films also boasting the screen villainy of\u00a0Walter Slezak).<\/p>\n<p>Notables from the balance of the &#8217;40s included\u00a0<em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D60096\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Do You Love Me<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0a 1946 musical\u00a0with Dick Haymes and Harry James\u00a0where Maureen\u00a0played (of all things) a dowdy music teacher,\u00a0followed by two more with John Payne:\u00a0the classic weeper <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/sentimental-journey\/024543857129\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Sentimental Journey<\/a><\/em> and the 1947 Chrtistmas perennial <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/miracle-on-34th-street-miracle-on-34th-street\/024543833765\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Miracle on 34th Street<\/a><\/em>, where she was cast as\u00a0the no-nonsense Macy&#8217;s executive who, along with daughter Natalie Wood, learns a lesson in the Yuletide spirit from\u00a0Edmund Gwenn&#8217;s Kris Kringle. In 1948, she played one of <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D60097%20%20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Foxes of Harrow<\/a><\/em> as Rex Harrison&#8217;s tempestuous wife, and she embraced comedy in <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/sitting-pretty\/024543878001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Sitting Pretty<\/a><\/em>, the first of the popular &#8220;Mr. Belvedere&#8221; films,\u00a0with Robert Young. Although she seemed quite at home in the genre, O&#8217;Hara later reflected, &#8220;Comedy is quite difficult, you have to be able to have fun and portray that sense of fun to the audience watching you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The &#8217;50s began with her reuniting with director Ford&#8211;and commencing her memorable screen partnership with <a title=\"John Wayne\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=John+Wayne\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">John Wayne<\/a>&#8211;in <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/rio-grande\/887090044905\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Rio Grande<\/a><\/em>. Miss O&#8217;Hara was then found at her action-packed best as the daughter of the Three Musketeers&#8217;\u00a0Athos, defending the French throne in <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D57439\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">At Sword&#8217;s Point<\/a><\/em>. Her string of adventure films at Universal included <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D69759\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Against All Flags<\/a> <\/em>(1952) with co-star Errol Flynn, but it was the enduring success of 1950&#8217;s Rio Grande that granted Ford the requisite leverage with Republic Pictures&#8217; head honcho Herbert J. Yates for\u00a0Wayne and O&#8217;Hara to collaborate on the irresistible Ireland odyssey\u00a0<em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/quiet-man\/887090048309\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The Quiet Man<\/a> <\/em>(1952), in which her fiery red hair never looked better.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_24398\" style=\"width: 440px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/maureen-ohara-that-redhead-from-dublin\/maureen-ohara-quiet-man-color\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-24398\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24398\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24398\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-Quiet-Man-Color.jpg\" alt=\"John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man (1952)\" width=\"430\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-Quiet-Man-Color.jpg 430w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-Quiet-Man-Color-300x191.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-24398\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">John Wayne and Maureen O&#8217;Hara in The Quiet Man (1952)<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"vid\"><\/div>\n<p>Often called the Queen of Technicolor, it was supposedly Maureen&#8217;s gorgeous red tresses in all those adventure movies that kept her from getting the lead in the 1955\u00a0movie version of <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/king-and-i\/024543839477\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The King and I<\/a><\/em>. According to popular belief, Richard Rodgers turned her down because he didn&#8217;t want a &#8220;Pirate Queen&#8221; in his movie. Although Deborah Kerr is spirited and assertive in the movie, more than likely O&#8217;Hara could have brought a sassier dimension to the role, which might be what Rodgers feared.<\/p>\n<p>She&#8217;d remain a formidable leading lady through the Eisenhower era, as marked by <em>War Arrow<\/em> (1953), a thrilling Cavalry-versus-Indians adventure also starring Jeff Chandler; as <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D44392++\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Redhead from Wyoming<\/a><\/em> (also &#8217;53), where she takes the rustling rap for a slimy politician but cleverly outwits him before the film&#8217;s end; and in the title role of the 1955 &#8220;un-costume drama&#8221; Lady Godiva from Coventry (O&#8217;Hara stated that she actually wore a flesh-colored leotard in the movie). 1955 also saw the return of an old co-star (Tyrone Power), an old setting (West Point) and a familiar director (Ford)\u00a0for <em>The Long Gray Line<\/em>, a moving true-life story that plays like a West Point-flavored <em>Goodbye, Mr. Chips<\/em>. In 1957 Ford came calling again, bringing\u00a0Maureen and the Duke back together\u00a0in<em> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D63921\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Wings of Eagles<\/a><\/em>, a biography of pioneering WWI Navy aviator Frank &#8220;Spig&#8221; Wead, who turned to screenwriting after a debilitating injury; and in 1959, she starred alongside Alec Guinness in Carol Reed&#8217;s spy comedy <em>Our Man in Havana<\/em>, shot in pre-Castro Cuba. Off the set of that film, Miss O&#8217;Hara actually met Castro&#8217;s right-hand compadre. She later said of him, &#8220;I spent a great deal of time with Che Guevara while I was in Havana. I feel he was less a mercenary than he was a freedom fighter.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_24403\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-1962.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24403\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24403\" title=\"Maureen O'Hara (1962)\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-1962.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"290\" height=\"304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-1962.jpg 290w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-1962-286x300.jpg 286w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-24403\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maureen O&#8217;Hara in The Parent Trap (1961)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Maureen spent the early to mid-&#8217;60s making a seamless transition to matriarchal parts, as shown by her starring role opposite Brian Keith in the Disney classic <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D74817\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Parent Trap<\/a><\/em> (1961), and reunited with Keith for Sam Peckinpah&#8217;s non-traditional Western adventure, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D28821\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Deadly Companions<\/a> <\/em>(1962). She and Keith became good friends and O&#8217;Hara made news when she claimed that Keith&#8217;s reported suicide in 1997 was actually an accident. Keith had been ailing from both emphysema and cancer and was also in mourning over his 27 year-old daughter&#8217;s suicide.<\/p>\n<p>Also in &#8217;62, the actress\u00a0paired with <a title=\"James Stewart\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor_smart.asp?search=James+Stewart\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">James Stewart<\/a> in <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D63326\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation<\/a><\/em>, where she and husband Jimmy try to enjoy a quiet family getaway amid ever-increasing obstacles. The following year she starred\u00a0with old friend Henry Fonda in the\u00a0adventure <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D44627\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Spencer&#8217;s Mountain<\/a><\/em>, based on the same writings which later inspired <em>The Waltons<\/em> TV series; making it a family affair, her daughter Bronwyn FitzSimons appears in that film, in an uncredited role. Maureen was then very much at home in high comedy in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D63482\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>McLintock<\/em>!<\/a>, with Wayne in 1963: and 1966 brought her together again with Stewart for a fine family film, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D44391\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Rare Breed<\/a><\/em>, in which Maureen tries to deliver a prize bull with help from Jimmy and daughter Juliet Mills &#8212; yes, believe it or not, that&#8217;s what its about.<\/p>\n<p>Subsequently, she entered into a happy union with aviator Charles Blair that lasted from 1968 until his death ten years later, and pared back her workload after her final teaming with Wayne in 1971&#8217;s <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D39288\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Big Jake<\/a><\/em>. It was no secret that she was John Wayne&#8217;s favorite actress, and they\u00a0considered each other best friends. Wayne is quoted as saying, &#8220;There&#8217;s only one woman who has been my friend over the years and by that I mean a real friend, like a man would be. That woman is Maureen O&#8217;Hara. She&#8217;s big, lusty, and absolutely marvelous, definitely my kind of woman. She&#8217;s a great guy. I&#8217;ve had many friends and I prefer the company of men. Except for Maureen O&#8217;Hara.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>After <em>Big Jake<\/em>, she embraced a big-screen retirement, briefly resurfacing for the 1973 telefilm of <em>The Red Pony<\/em>. After Blair&#8217;s passing in a 1978 plane crash, she assumed the presidency of his air carrier business for a time. She was coaxed back to filmmaking in 1991 with the tailor-made role of lovelorn cop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=john+candy&amp;mod=AP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">John Candy<\/a>&#8216;s controlling mom in director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/search?q=john+hughes&amp;mod=AP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">John Hughes<\/a>&#8216; <em>Only the Lonely<\/em>. She&#8217;d make a handful of made-for-TV films over the mid- to late &#8217;90s, after which the redoubtable redhead called it a day with performing. The years that followed\u00a0saw the publication of O&#8217;Hara&#8217;s 2004 autobiography<em> &#8216;Tis Herself<\/em>, occasional appearances at film festivals and retrospectives,\u00a0and a retirement divided between\u00a0her homeland and the U.S. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences saluted the actress with an honorary Oscar in early 2015, and she passed away from natural causes at the age of 95 in October of that year.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article originally appeared on MovieFanFare in 2012. We are reprinting it again in honor of today&#8217;s St. Patrick&#8217;s Day celebrations.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Her beauty and fiesty on-screen demeanor were in evidence in Miracle on 34 Street, The Quiet Man, and over 50 other films. We salute actress Maureen O&#8217;Hara, who passed away this past weekend at 95.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":29567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[5596,1520,1759],"coauthors":[1711],"class_list":["post-24379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-articles","tag-actor-profiles","tag-john-wayne","tag-maureen-ohara"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Maureen O&#039;Hara: Remembering The Redhead From Dublin<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Movie FanFare salutes Irish-born actress Maureen O&#039;Hara, star of Miracle on 34th St., The Quiet Man and over 50 more films. Maureen O&#039;Hara 1920-2015.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=24379\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maureen O&#039;Hara: Remembering The Redhead From Dublin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Movie FanFare salutes Irish-born actress Maureen O&#039;Hara, star of Miracle on 34th St., The Quiet Man and over 50 more films. Maureen O&#039;Hara 1920-2015.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=24379\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MovieFanFare\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Movies-Unlimited\/88679322377\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-17T20:05:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-03-17T22:59:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Maureen-OHara-1955.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jay Steinberg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jay Steinberg\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/?p=24379#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/?p=24379\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jay Steinberg\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a7d98afd00a15d3e7aaaa7ff0c9e802a\"},\"headline\":\"Maureen O&#8217;Hara: Remembering The Redhead from Dublin\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-17T20:05:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-03-17T22:59:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/?p=24379\"},\"wordCount\":1649,\"commentCount\":15,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/?p=24379#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2012\\\/08\\\/Maureen-OHara-1955.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Actor Profiles\",\"John Wayne\",\"Maureen O'Hara\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Movie Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/?p=24379#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/?p=24379\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/?p=24379\",\"name\":\"Maureen O'Hara: Remembering The Redhead From Dublin\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/?p=24379#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/?p=24379#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2012\\\/08\\\/Maureen-OHara-1955.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-17T20:05:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-03-17T22:59:57+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.moviefanfare.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a7d98afd00a15d3e7aaaa7ff0c9e802a\"},\"description\":\"Movie FanFare salutes Irish-born actress Maureen O'Hara, star of Miracle on 34th St., The Quiet Man and over 50 more films. 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