Maureen O'Hara | Hollywood Yesterday

Maureen O’Hara, Comanche Territory (1950)

October 18, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Comanche Territory Lobby Card

Given that I am, undoubtedly, the biggest Maureen O’Hara fan in the world, it will come as no surprise to you that I’ve even seen her less-known films, including Comanche Territory (1950, directed by George Sherman).

The funny thing is, some of her lesser-known films are some of my favorites! Don’t get me wrong, nothing beats The Quiet Man, McLintock!, Rio Grande, The Parent Trap, Spencer’s Mountain, Sinbad the Sailor or the legendary Miracle on 34th Street, but the beautiful actress had a LOT more wonderful films than most realize.

In addition to these well-known outstanding films, a few of my other favorites are:

A Woman’s Face
Kangaroo
The Red Head from Wyoming (trust me on this one, it’s good!)
The Spanish Main (possibly my favorite of her swashbucklers)
Buffalo Bill
The Fallen Sparrow
Dance, Girl, Dance
The Black Swan

Comanche Territory is simply a great, old-fashioned, fun, and deliciously entertaining Western. She didn’t have the same kind of chemistry with her leading man in this one (Macdonald Carey) as she had with other actors (Melvyn Douglas, Henry Fonda, James Stewart, Brian Keith… and an actor you may have heard of before… John Wayne!). The movie is more than worth watching.

You can find Comanche Territory (affiliate link to the dvd) on Amazon. I don’t think it’s available on Prime Video yet.

Maureen O’Hara, Comanche Territory

Maureen O’Hara, John Wayne, and Yvonne De Carlo: McLintock!

August 31, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Maureen O’Hara, John Wayne, and Yvonne De Carlo in McLintock!

One of my favorite Westerns is McLintock! (1963). Talk about an outstanding cast: John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Yvonne De Carlo, Stefanie Powers, Patrick Wayne, Chill Wills, Jerry Van Dyke, Jack Kruschen, Strother Martin, Edgar Buchanan, Bruce Cabot… The director, Andrew V. McLaglen, was an all star, himself!

Like most Westerns (and films, for that matter), McLintock! doesn’t need to be taken overly seriously – unfortunately may people choose to do so anyway.

I’ll let you in on a little secret – it doesn’t make me enjoy it any less!

It’s just a fun, outrageously colorful and light-hearted Western that may possibly get better each time I see it.

Buy McLintock! (link to the dvd on Amazon) on Amazon or watch on Prime.

Maureen O’Hara, John Wayne, and Yvonne De Carlo in McLintock!

The Black Swan, Starring Maureen O’Hara, Tyrone Power, and George Sanders

August 28, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

George Sanders, Maureen O’Hara, and Tyrone Power in The Black Swan

The Black Swan (19420 was directed by Henry King and starred Tyrone Power, Maureen O’Hara, George Sanders, Thomas Mitchell, Laird Cregar, Anthony Quinn, and George Zucco.

What a cast!

Three of the cast-members in The Black Swan were Supporting Actor Oscar winners during their careers:

Thomas Mitchell, Stagecoach (1939)
George Sanders, All About Eve (1950)
Anthony Quinn, Viva Zapata! (1952) AND Lust for Life (1956)

In addition to these three well-deserved acknowledgments of greatness, I could personally list multiple films where the other cast members were deserving of nominations and wins. Suffice to say the cast was an embarrassment of riches!

The Black Swan Movie Poster

To help the WWII war effort, the actors tried hard to keep the number of takes as low as possible, to conserve film. Roughly 30 of the scenes were done in one take. That is pretty mind-boggling when you think about it -even with such an outstanding cast.

The Queen of Technicolor Looking as Beautiful as Ever

If you’ve never seen this wonderfully colorful and fun film, I hope you’ll check it out soon. Great distraction from the world around us which seems to have jumped the shark.

Watch The Black Swan on Amazon Prime…

Gearing Up for Maureen O’Hara Day on TCM’s Summer Under the Stars!

August 14, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr and Maureen O’Hara, Sinbad the Sailor

August 17 is Maureen O’Hara’s date of birth, meaning it’s kind of a holiday in my little world. I have always LOVED the fact that two of my absolute favorites, Maureen O’Hara and Lucille Ball, share my birth month. Truth be told, it makes me kind of giddy.

I love that TCM is devoting Maureen’s birthday to an entire day for her and her films. I’ve always loved their Summer Under the Stars each summer and I love it even more when my favorites have their own days.

[Continued Below….]

Maureen O’Hara, Jamaica Inn

Below, in order, are the movies that will be shown (check your local listings for the time):

Jamaica Inn (1939, directed by Alfred Hitchcock). The movie co-stars Charles Laughton. It marked Maureen’s film debut. She was so incredibly young in this film… with the face of an Irish angel.

A Woman’s Secret (1949, directed by Nicholas Ray). I love this film noir, mystery so much. It co-stars one of my favorite actors, Melvyn Douglas and another of my favorite actresses, Gloria Grahame. Rounding out the cast and doing it in scene-stealing fashion are Mary Philips and J.C. Flippen. Neither could possibly be any funner to watch than they are in this one.

The Fallen Sparrow (1943, directed by Richard Wallace). I’m so glad TCM is showing this VERY rarely shown drama… it’s a good one! Maureen’s co-stars are John Garfield, Walter Slezak, Patricia Morison, and Martha O’Driscoll. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to catch this one – it isn’t shown on television often.

The Rare Breed (1966, directed by Victor McLaglen). The Westerns Maureen made with John Wayne get all of the attention, but she made other outstanding Westerns without the Duke. The Rare Breed stars one of my favorite actors, James Stewart. Although he and Maureen lead the cast, the movie is all but stolen by Brian Keith (in a particularly entertaining role!) and Juliet Mills. They’re all wonderful in their roles, but Brian Keith and Juliet Mills are honestly why this movie works. They bring charm and humor and its palpable.

At Sword’s Point (1952, directed by Lewis Allen) This one’s a very underrated movie. Maureen Plays the daughter of Athos (of Three Musketeers fame) in this Technicolor swashbuckler. Co-stars include Cornel Wilde, Robert Douglas, Gladys Cooper, and Alan Hale, Jr.

Sinbad the Sailor (1957, directed by Richard Wallace). I can’t tell you how much I love the fact that TCM is airing these two technicolor beauties back to back. The more swashbuckling the better! Sinbad the Sailor has surprising little actual fighting…. very, very little in fact. However, the charisma of Douglas Fairbanks Jr, the beauty and sass of Maureen O’Hara, and the great humor of Walter Slezak make it an entertaining film in spite of little actual swashbuckling.

The Wings of Eagles (1957, directed by John Ford) With everything they meant to her, personally, and to her career, I am so very, very thankful that TCM is airing one of her films with John Ford and John Wayne. When I first saw the lineup, I was disappointed that The Quiet Man (one of the greatest films of all time) wasn’t included – but then I realized, it’s shown frequently on television. Her day is a special time to show movies that are harder to catch. This outstanding movie is a great one to represent the trio. The biographical drama also stars Ward Bond, Dan Dailey, and Ken Curtis (Festus from Gunsmoke!)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939, directed by William Dieterle) Maureen O’Hara and the wonderful Charles Laughton are teamed again for this masterpiece. If you are an avid old movie fan, you have probably seen this one before. I encourage you to watch it again – if only to marvel at the talent of Charles Laughton. The man was phenomenal and his performance in this film leaves me speechless.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947, directed by George Seaton, who was also one of the writers) I was pleasantly surprised that this one made the lineup! I love the thought of people who have never seen this excellent classic getting a chance to watch it. It is movie magic, plain and simple. The film co-stars John Payne, Natalie Wood, Edmund Gwenn, William Frawley, and Gene Lockhart.

This Land is Mine (1943, directed by Jean Renoir) Yet again Charles Laughton and Maureen O’Hara team up in a wonderful drama and, truth be told, he is every bit as mesmerizing in this role as in his role as Quasimodo. The movie also stars George Sanders and Walter Slezak (he made quite a few movies with Maureen!).

Sitting Pretty (1948, directed by Walter Lang). This light, fun comedy co-stars Robert Young (who is always excellent in everything), Clifton Webb, Richard Haydn, and Louise Allbritton.

Spencer’s Mountain (1963, directed by Delmer Daves) Maureen O’Hara has starred with my absolute favorite actors – James Stewart, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr – and here she’s teamed with yet another one… the wonderful Henry Fonda. They’re perfect together in this outstanding movie. The film also stars James MacArthur and Virginia Gregg.

Maureen O’Hara and Henry Fonda, Spencer’s Mountain

Jamaica Inn Lobby Cards: Charles Laughton and Maureen O’Hara

August 13, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Maureen O’Hara and Charles Laughton, Jamaica Inn

Maureen O’Hara’s only Alfred Hitchcock film was also her first “official” movie, Jamaica Inn (1939). When Charles Laughton was signed for the role, he insisted that his protege, Maureen O’Hara be cast in the role of Mary. As possibly the biggest Maureen O’Hara fan of all time (I will make concessions for her family members, of course), I owe such a debt of gratitude to Charles Laughton. He saw the special talent, charisma, and potential in the (very) young and (very) inexperienced actress.

His influence on her cannot be stressed strongly enough. He mentored her and took her under his wing – any suggestion that there was anything more is complete and utter garbage. Unable to have children, Laughton even commented once that he wished he could adopt young Maureen. There was nothing unseemly about their friendship in the least.

This was Alfred Hitchcock’s last film in England before he took Hollywood by storm. Unfortunately, even though the film was a box office success, Hitchcock was not completely satisfied or happy with it. From all indications, he and Charles Laughton didn’t work too well together. Both had such strong opinions and had their own way of working. Surprisingly, however, the two worked together again in the 1947 film The Paradine Case.

Jamaica Inn Lobby Card – Maureen O’Hara and Charles Laughton

John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, McLintock

August 5, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, McLintock

I love A LOT of old movies… so many that I almost laugh when someone asks me what my favorite movie is. FAR too many to name… but there is and will always be a special corner of my heart reserved for Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne movies. The Quiet Man, McLintock!, Rio Grande… love them all and love them dearly.

McLintock! (1963) was sublimely directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starred the Duke, Maureen, Patrick Wayne, Stefanie Powers, Jack Kruschen, Chill Wills, Yvonne DeCarlo, Jerry Van Dyke (love him in this role!), and a host of other colorful stars creating colorful characters. Like its stars, the movie is deliciously larger than life and more fun than it has a right to be.

If you’ve never seen it, or haven’t seen it in a while, I hope you’ll watch it soon. It is a romp… a perfect, glorious romp!

You can find McLintock! (Amazon Link) on dvd or watch it on Amazon Prime.

John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, McLintock

Picture of the Day: Maureen O’Hara (Bagdad, 1949)

July 19, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Maureen O’Hara, Bagdad (1949)

July has been uncommonly hectic… and frankly, unspeakably unkind, so my pictures of the day and regular posts basically took a backseat… to life.

Sometimes life insists on taking the driver’s seat, the passenger seat, the steering wheel AND control of the AC. July took control of just about everything – tossing me into the backseat. All I’ve been able to do is hold on and hope the ride ends soon.

I lost one of my cats earlier this month – a gorgeous 16-1/2 year old spoiled princess named Alexa. It was age-related and I had to watch her, over the course of a week, slow down before leaving me on a Sunday that’ll forever break my heart. I could have taken her to a vet and spared myself a great deal of emotional suffering – but she was always there for me, her entire life, and I had every intention of being there for her. She saw me through each of my daughter’s finishing high school (and having the audacity to grow up… kids, right?!), through their weddings, through losing my mom, and through all of life’s ups and downs. At the end of the day, she’d always be there for me in the den. She’d sit in my lap in our favorite chair and we’d watch old movies, baseball, college hoops, NFL, classic tv, and Bigfoot shows.

She loved those.

On her last day, I knew it would be just that… the last day. I wrapped her in her baby blanket and carried her from her bed in the kitchen (forever near me) into the den and into our chair. Right at the end, I laid in the floor with her and that was it. Looking back, it brings me a level of comfort knowing that she was allowed to die in her beloved den with her mommy who loved her so very, very, very much.

The next day, while cooking supper, I happened to start crying again (horrible thing to do while cooking – especially when said cooking involves an iron skillet and HOT grease). I got a terrible grease burn on my right arm and on my chest. Thankfully my top was pretty thick material, so that burn wasn’t as bad or painful as the one on my arm.

I’ve had two bad burns in my life and, for someone who cooks every single day – often more than once – the odds aren’t bad. The pain, however, is. I take every opportunity to remind people to take extra, extra caution while cooking and I’m doing it now. Always pay 110 percent attention when you’re cooking. Burns are excruciatingly painful and the pain lasts quite a while.

Just be careful, okay? Something else… if you have pets, hug them closely and give them all the time in the world they need, when they need it.

A few reminders that I hope will serve you well.

This month has actually reminded me just how wonderful old movies can be – they’re always there to catch us when we fall. A few nights ago, I watched The Women (for the first time) starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine, and Paulette Goddard.

Funny – it’s supposed to be “Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer’s” movie but, as far as I’m concerned, it was very much Rosalind Russell’s movie. She and her antics were exactly the tonic I needed and for a few hours, my entire world was glorious.

The next afternoon, I watched Bagdad, for probably the 99th time and loved it just as much as ever. If Maureen O’Hara wasn’t already one of my absolute favorite actresses, she would be now.

Once again, the magic of an old movie dried every tear and provided a wonderful escape.

If you’ve never seen these movies, I couldn’t possibly recommend them more.

The rest of the stuff I’ve dealt with in July… I don’t recommend one bit.

Maureen O’Hara, Bagdad

Maureen O’Hara, Behind the Scenes of The Long Gray Line (1955)

July 5, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Maureen O’Hara, The Long Gray Line

The lovely picture above is Maureen O’Hara, behind the scenes of The Long Gray Line. The 1955 film (which can be downright impossible to find on television) was directed by John Ford and also stars Tyrone Power, Robert Francis, Ward Bond, Donald Crisp, Betsey Palmer, Phil Carey, Milburn Stone, Harry Carey, Jr, and Peter Graves.

The movie can also be an absolute nightmare to find on dvd. The only place I’ve found it is on Amazon, as part of a John Ford collection: John Ford – The Columbia Films Collection (link to the collection on Amazon).

Picture of the Day: Maureen O’Hara, The Parent Trap

July 3, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Maureen O’Hara, The Parent Trap

Maureen O’Hara was every bit as gorgeous in The Parent Trap (1961) as she was in her earliest films. The Irish beauty aged as beautifully as any star I’ve seen.

While I love all of her films (okay, love may be a bit strong for “Father was a Fullback”), The Parent Trap has always been one of my favorites. It’s just an especially feel-good movie and all of the performances are wonderful. I also LOVE (this time love isn’t quite strong enough) the chemistry between Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith. They were outstanding together.

You can buy The Parent Trap on Amazon (link to the dvd) or watch it on Prime.

Maureen O’Hara and Alec Guinness: Our Man in Havana

June 20, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Maureen O’Hara and Alec Guinness

First of all, Alec Guinness is an actor I don’t talk nearly enough about! He was an absolutely wonderful actor and a colorful and classy individual. I think the reason I don’t often talk about this talented actor is a simple enough reason – I haven’t seen many of his films! I need to work on that right away.

I love this behind the scenes photo of him and Maureen O’Hara. It looks like she’s deeply contemplating something (a scene, perhaps… or where to have dinner…) and his expression is priceless as he watches her contemplation.

Maureen O’Hara spoke very, very highly of Alec Guinness in her autobiography and seemed to have enjoyed making this film a great deal. The film also stars Burl Ives, who she was also fond of. Maureen, Ives, and Guinness would frequently have dinner together during filming and she often attended Mass with Guinness.

Our Man in Havana (1959) was directed by Carol Reed and is very much worth finding. You can watch Our Man in Havana on Amazon Prime.

Amazon also has the Our Man in Havana dvd (link to the dvd on Amazon), for those who collect them as I ravenously do!