Maureen O'Hara- Biography & Discussion

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  • She regarded Rare Breed as a total flop and only praised Brian Keith who also starred in the movie.



    I also wasn't enthused about that movie. It wasn't one of Jimmy's best, for sure.

    What you guys are saying, and apparently what Maureen thought, was that Jimmy was narcissistic and selfish. Which is certainly at odds with his image in America. According to everything I've ever read or heard, he was just about as popular as the Duke with American film goers. Speaking for myself, I really did like him.

    De gustibus non est disputandum

  • It's funny Jim

    Whilst Duke has a wide following Jimmy Stewart doesnt have much if any.

    I know a lot of people who cant stand him and I think his way of dragging out lines can make him particularly irritating.

    Personally, I like him in the Mann Westerns and with the exception of Harvey and Bandolero not much else. The Capra films in particularly leave me cold like taking a whole
    bottle of cough mixture!


    Mike

  • I frankly don't care what other people think. I liked Stewart as an actor and I'd put him up there in the top 10 with The Duke.



  • I speculate that you're talking about folks in the UK, Mike, because over here, he was (and still is) very popular.

    De gustibus non est disputandum


  • What you guys are saying, and apparently what Maureen thought, was that Jimmy was narcissistic and selfish. Which is certainly at odds with his image in America. According to everything I've ever read or heard, he was just about as popular as the Duke with American film goers. Speaking for myself, I really did like him.



    I'm not saying it, Stumpy, Maureen O’Hara is! There are certainly many people who would disagree with Ms. O’Hara about Jimmy Stewart, myself among them. In fact, outside of her book, I have never heard anything negative about Stewart. It should also be pointed out that she only worked with Stewart two times. I'd listen to others who were closer to Stewart before I'd swallow O’Hara's word, hook, line, and sinker.

    Also, getting back on topic, I believe Ms. O’Hara also said in her book that there were several deleted scenes from The Wings of Eagles as well. I'd ask her for some more detailed information on exactly what those scenes were about.


    Quote

    "I am not intoxicated - yet." McLintock!

  • I've heard a lot about the Irish temperament, and while I would have no cause to deny any of Maureen O'Hara's statements about Jimmy Stewart, I think we should take them with a grain of salt. Who knows how it happened? Ultimately, who really cares? The off-screen lives of actors don't really belong to us, anyway. We can only lay claim to what we see on-screen and how we respond to it.


    I love Jimmy Stewart. He could act in anything and acted pretty much everyone else off the screen. I do have to admit that sometimes he could be a little hammy and chomp on a little scenery while he was acting, and some scenes in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance come to mind when I mention this...

    I happen to be a big fan of all the Capra films, but I can appreciate that we all have different tastes around here. Those who didn't like some of the "Capra-corn" films might like Lost Horizon. It's got a different mood and feel from all the lovely (but schmaltzy) Mr. Smith/George Bailey/You Can't Take It with You type of stuff.

  • Even though we don't lay claim to their lives off screen they do get involved politically and otherwise and use their popularity to sway people's opinions. With that said, when they speak about particular topics that affect my private life I take exception to what they say and then their opinions can come under scrutiny.


    O'Hara may have acted well in some of Duke's and Stewart's movies but she had some varying opinions on these movies. She thought The Rare Breed had a lousy script, why did she even bother than. I'm sure they had right to refuse some scripts.


    Good luck if you get the interview, I bet the questions will be all pre-selected.

  • I liked Jimmy's Westerns almost as much as the Dukes' and I'd put "Bandolero" and "Shenandoah" at the top of my favorite Westerns list.

    There were several of his non-Westerns I liked almost as well, especially "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "Shop Around the Corner", "Philadelphia Story", "Thunder Bay, "Glenn Miller Story", "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation", and "Flight of the Phoenix". Great movies all.

    De gustibus non est disputandum

  • Hi Dakota

    I would say questions will be pre selected and a wide range of subjects banned but you never know.

    There is a certain amount of let us say "regrets" in Maureen's book. The last interview she did when the book was published was a non event as she refused to discuss any of the controversial elements


    Mike

  • Yes, DakotaSurfer, they do get involved in politics. Wouldn't it be nice sometimes if they would just leave well enough alone? :glare:

    I speak from personal experience when I suggest that it's best to try not to get too worked up about off-screen lives of actors. I've been guilty of idealizing people I admire in the past and have wound up being very disappointed in what I find out about them when I learn more. Then I found myself enjoying that person's contributions less. I've learned to separate that which I appreciate about the person from who that person might have been when he or she wasn't on camera. But naturally you're free to feel however you choose. :regular_smile:

    I'm a little disappointed to hear that Jimmy Stewart may have been less than gracious and generous as an actor. But even if it's true, it doesn't diminish how danged good he was, and how much I like to watch him. Now if I found out that he tore the wings off of butterflies to be mean, or plucked whiskers from kittens, or boiled babies, I might have to stop watching.



  • I am guessing 1 of 3 movies. Sinbad the Sailor, The Black Swan or Tripoli. Not very good with old Maureen movies.

    Life is hard, its even harder when your stupid!!
    -John Wayne



  • Wow! That about sums it up... Wow!

    Tbone



    "I have tried to live my life so that my family would love me and my friends respect me. The others can do whatever the hell they please."

  • Thought I'd pop this one back to the top. Was just wondering how the interview went.

    Tbone



    "I have tried to live my life so that my family would love me and my friends respect me. The others can do whatever the hell they please."

  • Maureen O’Hara was an absolute delight to talk to. I had asked about what to ask her and I tried to get those questions in. Mrs. Blair, Maureen O’Hara, was at her home in Ireland and I was in the kitchen of a friend who knows her well and had arraigned for me to chat with her. It was about ten o’clock our time and late afternoon her time.

    We talked about how she came to America and how John Ford introduced her to John Wayne so long ago. She told me about writing a scene for “The Quiet Man” and if you go to My Entertainment News you can here her tell the story.

    I will be editing the interview and putting it up on My Entertainment News in pieces. She was on the phone for over forty minutes and my friend thought I should let her go. She just wouldn’t stop talking and I loved every moment. Her voice is still to so strong and beautiful.

    John Wayne 100th Birthday Party with Maureen O'Hara