A Tribute to Maureen O'Hara
The great Maureen O'Hara passed away last Saturday, October 24, 2015.
O'Hara, who was born in Ireland on August 17, 1920, was 95 years old.
I was out of town the weekend of her passing, hence the delay in this tribute, which is no less heartfelt for being written a week later. Indeed, the past week has provided the opportunity to reflect on her wonderful life and career and all that she left behind, which will be enjoyed for generations to come.
Back in 2008 I named her as one of my favorite actresses, and indeed, several of her movies are threaded throughout my life, watched time and again, and enjoyed more on each viewing, especially MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947), RIO GRANDE (1950), THE QUIET MAN (1952), and THE PARENT TRAP (1961). The beautiful color portrait above is from THE QUIET MAN, a film I never tire of watching.
A look back at just a few of her roles:
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1939):
HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941):
THE BLACK SWAN (1941), with Tyrone Power, who was also her costar in THE LONG GRAY LINE (1955):
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947), with John Payne and Natalie Wood:
SINBAD THE SAILOR (1947) with Douglas Fairbanks Jr.:
RIO GRANDE (1950) with John Wayne, her costar in five films:
THE PARENT TRAP (1961) with Hayley Mills:
I treasure the memory of her appearance before HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941) at the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival, when the audience gave her a prolonged ovation, showering her with our love and appreciation.
Maureen O'Hara will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, next to her husband, U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles F. Blair Jr., who died in 1978.
Turner Classic Movies will pay tribute to Maureen O'Hara on Friday, November 20th, with a 24-hour marathon showing a dozen of her films.
Obituaries: The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and Leonard Maltin.
Maureen O'Hara movies reviewed at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings: DANCE, GIRL, DANCE (1940), HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941), THE BLACK SWAN (1942), THE FALLEN SPARROW (1943), MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947), SINBAD THE SAILOR (1947), COMANCHE TERRITORY (1950), FLAME OF ARABY (1951), AGAINST ALL FLAGS (1952) (also here), THE QUIET MAN (1952), THE REDHEAD FROM WYOMING (1953), and WAR ARROW (1953). Other notable O'Hara films include JAMAICA INN (1939), THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1939), THIS LAND IS MINE (1943), BUFFALO BILL (1944), THE SPANISH MAIN (1945), SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY (1946), SITTING PRETTY (1948), RIO GRANDE (1950), THE LONG GRAY LINE (1955), THE WINGS OF EAGLES (1957), THE PARENT TRAP (1961), and McLINTOCK! (1963), to name just a few.
Related Posts: Birthday tributes in 2010 and 2013; an account of her appearance at the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival; and a post last year celebrating her as TCM Star of the Month.
Update: Here are reviews of JAMAICA INN (1939), RIO GRANDE (1950), THE LONG GRAY LINE (1955), THE RARE BREED (1966), and BIG JAKE (1971).
posted by Laura @ 6:50 PM
4 Comments:
That was such a lovely tribute, Laura. Maureen O'Hara was truly a lovely actress from a bygone era.
It will be even more precious to see her in Miracle on 34th Street every Christmas!
Blessings to you! Net
Thanks for a lovely tribute to one of our absolute favourite actresses, Laura. They really DON'T make 'em like her anymore! RIP
Net and Jerry, thank you so much. I loved putting this together and am so glad that Maureen has so many devoted fans. She gave us a great deal to remember her by.
Best wishes,
Laura
Still feel a little stunned by the news... of course, I knew it was only a matter of time, but it's never easy to lose someone whose career has been 'threaded throughout your life...' (a beautiful phrase to describe how someone's films have touched and enriched our lives. Thank you for it, and the rest of your tribute... excellent, as always.)
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