Maureen O'Hara filmography

Maureen O'Hara (1920–2015) was an Irish singer and actress from Dublin, who worked primarily in American film and television. She was born into a close-knit and artistically talented family; her mother was a contralto vocalist, and her three sisters and two brothers were budding actors and musical performers.[1] O'Hara received music and dance lessons at the Ena Burke School of Elocution and Drama, becoming a member of the Rathmines Theatre Company when she was 10 years old.[2] While still a teenager, she won several Radio Éireann Players contests to perform with them. She also won the Dublin Feis Award, for her performance as Portia in The Merchant of Venice. O’Hara was a member of the Abbey Theatre School, and a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music.[3]

Maureen O'Hara as Esmeralda in the first sound version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)

O'Hara's entry into films was the result of her and her parents meeting actor Harry Richman, who offered her a one-line part in the British comedy film Kicking the Moon Around (1938).[4] Within the next year she had made a screen test, following which, actor Charles Laughton cast her in the role of Esmeralda in the first sound version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) for RKO Pictures.[5] Laughton and O'Hara would work together again in Jamaica Inn (1939) for the British-based Mayflower Productions,[6] and again at RKO for This Land Is Mine (1943).[7]

Following Jamaica Inn, O'Hara's career floundered at RKO Pictures. Her agent Lew Wasserman got her the role of Angharad Morgan in the 20th Century Fox film adaptation of How Green Was My Valley (1941), directed by John Ford. The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Black-and-White Cinematography, Best Black-and-White Art Direction, and Best Supporting Actor Donald Cook.[8] The effect it had on O'Hara's career was to jumpstart her in a new direction.

From that point forward, O'Hara became an audience favorite, working with some of the most successful actors in the industry. She and John Payne co-starred in To the Shores of Tripoli (1942), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Tripoli (1950) and Sentimental Journey (1958). Tyrone Power and she teamed up for The Black Swan (1942) and The Long Gray Line (1955). Anthony Quinn first appeared as a non-lead actor in her films The Black Swan (1942), Buffalo Bill (1944), Sinbad the Sailor (1947) and Against All Flags (1952). Quinn soon began to rise in his own career, and he and O'Hara were on equal co-star billing in The Magnificent Matador (1955).[9] Her last film with him was Only the Lonely (1991). She also worked twice with Henry Fonda in Immortal Sergeant (1943) and Spencer's Mountain (1963). O'Hara and Brian Keith co-starred in The Deadly Companions (1961), and The Rare Breed (1966). Their film The Parent Trap (1961) grossed $29,650,385 (equivalent to $278,439,923 in 2023) worldwide, more than any of her other films.[10]

Her association with Ford ultimately led to her collaborations with John Wayne, the co-star who was most linked to her in the public's perception. Together they made Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (1957), McLintock! (1963) and Big Jake (1971). The Quiet Man was her personal favorite of her entire career, and one she often referred to as "lightning in a bottle".[11] Both the public and Wayne's children saw an on-screen rapport between them that existed with no other co-stars for either of them.[12] The two became so identified with each other that some of the public came to mistakenly believe she and Wayne were actually married in real life.[12] In 1976, she was a participant in the Variety Clubs International All-Star Tribute to John Wayne.[13] On May 21, 1979, O'Hara was summoned by United States Senator Barry Goldwater to speak before a congressional committee in advance of the Congressional Gold Medal being bestowed on Wayne, who was less than a month away from his death from cancer.[14]

With the growing television market in the 1950s and 1960s, O'Hara appeared as a guest star on numerous shows, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960.[15] O'Hara never won an Academy Award for any individual performance, and was not even nominated as such. She was finally given an Honorary Oscar in 2014, when she was 94 years old.[16]

She attained US citizenship in 1946.[17] O'Hara gradually left show business after her 1968 marriage to Charles F. Blair Jr., retired US Air Force brigadier general, former chief pilot at Pan Am and founder of the United States Virgin Islands airline Antilles Air Boats. They are buried together in Arlington National Cemetery.[18]

Film

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Maureen O'Hara from The Black Swan (1942)
 
Maureen O’Hara from Photoplay magazine (1942)
 
Lobby poster from Miracle on 34th Street – Maureen O'Hara and John Payne in the foreground, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn in background (1947)
 
Fred MacMurray and Maureen O'Hara in Father Was a Fullback (1949)
 
John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man (1952)
 
Lobby poster from The Redhead from Wyoming (1953)
 
O'Hara and Claude Rains, lobby poster for Lisbon (1956)
 
Lobby poster for The Parent Trap (1961)
Maureen O'Hara filmography
Title Year Role Notes Ref(s)
Kicking the Moon Around 1938 Secretary Vogue Film Productions [4]
My Irish Molly 1938 Eileen O'Shea John Argyle Productions [4]
Jamaica Inn 1939 Mary Yellen Mayflower Pictures Corp. [6]
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1939 Esmeralda RKO Pictures [19]
A Bill of Divorcement 1940 Sydney Fairfield RKO Pictures [20]
Dance, Girl, Dance 1940 Judy O'Brien RKO Pictures [21]
They Met in Argentina 1941 Lolita O'Shea RKO Pictures [22]
How Green Was My Valley 1941 Angharad
20th Century Fox
Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive
[23]
To the Shores of Tripoli 1942 Mary Carter 20th Century Fox [24]
Ten Gentlemen from West Point 1942 Carolyn Bainbridge 20th Century Fox [25]
The Black Swan 1942 Lady Margaret Denby 20th Century Fox [26]
Immortal Sergeant 1943 Valentine Lee 20th Century Fox [27]
This Land Is Mine 1943 Louise Martin RKO Pictures [7]
The Fallen Sparrow 1943 Toni Donne RKO Pictures [28]
Buffalo Bill 1944 Louisa Frederici Cody 20th Century Fox [29]
The Spanish Main 1945 Contessa Francesca RKO Pictures [30]
Sentimental Journey 1946 Julie Beck / Weatherly 20th Century Fox [31]
Do You Love Me 1946 Katherine "Kitten" Hilliard 20th Century Fox [32]
Sinbad the Sailor 1947 Shireen RKO Pictures [33]
The Homestretch 1947 Leslie Hale 20th Century Fox [34]
Miracle on 34th Street 1947 Doris Walker 20th Century Fox [35]
The Foxes of Harrow 1947 Odalie "Lilli" D'Arceneaux 20th Century Fox [36]
Sitting Pretty 1948 Tacey King 20th Century Fox [37]
A Woman's Secret 1949 Marian Washburn RKO Pictures [38]
The Forbidden Street 1949 Adelaide "Addie" Culver 20th Century Fox [39]
Father Was a Fullback 1949 Elizabeth Cooper 20th Century Fox [40]
Bagdad 1949 Princess Marjan Universal Pictures [41]
Comanche Territory 1950 Katie Howard Universal Pictures [42]
Rio Grande 1950 Mrs. Kathleen Yorke Argosy Pictures
Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive
[43]
Tripoli 1950 Countess D'Arneau Pine-Thomas Productions [44]
Flame of Araby 1951 Princess Tanya Universal Pictures [45]
At Sword's Point 1952 Claire RKO Pictures [46]
Kangaroo 1952 Dell McGuire 20th Century Fox [47]
The Quiet Man 1952 Mary Kate Danaher Republic Pictures
Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive
[48]
Against All Flags 1952 Prudence "Spitfire" Stevens Universal Pictures [49]
The Redhead from Wyoming 1953 Kate Maxwell Universal Pictures [50]
War Arrow 1953 Elaine Corwin Universal Pictures [51]
Malaga 1954 Joanna Dane Alternative title: Fire Over Africa
Film Locations Ltd.
[52]
The Long Gray Line 1955 Mary O'Donnell Columbia Pictures [53]
The Magnificent Matador 1955 Karen Harrison 20th Century Fox [54]
Lady Godiva of Coventry 1955 Lady Godiva Universal Pictures [55]
Lisbon 1956 Sylvia Merrill Republic Pictures [56]
Everything but the Truth 1956 Joan Madison Universal Pictures [57]
The Wings of Eagles 1957 Min Wead Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer [58]
Our Man in Havana 1959 Beatrice Severn Kingsmead Productions [59]
The Deadly Companions 1961 Kit Tilden Carousel Productions [60]
The Parent Trap 1961 Margaret "Maggie" McKendrick Walt Disney Productions [61]
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation 1962 Peggy Hobbs Jerry Wald Productions [62]
Spencer's Mountain 1963 Olivia Spencer Warner Bros. [63]
McLintock! 1963 Katherine Gilhooley McLintock Batjac Productions [64]
The Battle of the Villa Fiorita 1965 Moira Warner Bros. [65]
The Rare Breed 1966 Martha Price Universal Pictures [66]
How Do I Love Thee? 1970 Elsie Waltz ABC Pictures
Freeman-Enders
[67]
Big Jake 1971 Martha McCandles Batjac Productions [68]
Only the Lonely 1991 Rose Muldoon 20th Century Fox [69]
A Century of Cinema 1994 Herself British Film Institute [70]

Television

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Bill Dana, Maureen O'Hara and Andy Williams performing on The Andy Williams Show (1965)
Television credits of Maureen O'Hara
Title Year Role Notes Ref(s)
The Ed Sullivan Show 1961–1962 Herself [71]
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show 1957, 1961 Herself [72]
This Is Your Life 1957 Herself [73]
The George Gobel Show 1958 Herself [74]
The Perry Como Show 1958–1959 Herself [75]
The Garry Moore Show 1958 Herself [76]
The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom 1959 Herself [77]
The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show 1959 Herself [78]
What's My Line? 1959 Herself [79]
DuPont Show of the Month 1960 Lady Marguerite Blakeney The Scarlet Pimpernel on CBS [80]
The Bell Telephone Hour 1962 Herself [81]
Hallmark Hall of Fame 1963 Susanna Cibber "A Cry of Angels" [82]
The Andy Williams Show 1962–1966 Herself [83]
Hollywood Talent Scouts 1966 Herself as a presenter [84]
The Fabulous Fordies 1972 Herself Hosted by Tennessee Ernie Ford [85]
The American Film Institute Salute to John Ford 1973 Herself [86]
The Red Pony 1973 Ruth Tiflin With Henry Fonda. [87]
An All-Star Tribute to John Wayne 1976 Herself Variety Clubs International [13]
Natalie: A Tribute to a Very Special Lady 1982 Herself KCOP-TV [88]
The Hollywood Greats 1984 Herself Episode: John Wayne [89]
Hollywood Stars 1991 Herself [90]
John Ford 1993 Herself TV movie documentary [91]
A Century of Cinema 1994 Herself TV movie documentary [92]
The Christmas Box 1995 Mary Parkin Television movie [93]
Cab to Canada 1998 Katherine Eure Television movie [94]
The Last Dance 2000 Helen Parker Television movie [95]
The Quiet Man: The Joy of Ireland 2002 Herself/Mary Kate Danaher Video documentary short [96]
The Parent Trap: Caught in the Act 2002 Herself/Margaret "Maggie" McKendrick Video documentary short
Bonus material sold with the DVD of the original film
[97]
9th Screen Actors Guild Awards 2003 Herself [98]
Dreaming the Quiet Man 2010 Herself/Mary Kate Danaher Documentary [99]

Bibliography

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  • Cronin, Jan S. (2019). The Making of ... Adaptation and the Cultural Imaginary. Cham, Switzerland. ISBN 978-3-030-28349-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Malone, Aubrey (2013). Maureen O'Hara : the biography. Lexington : University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-4238-8.
  • McFarlane, Brian (2016). "Oo". The Encyclopedia of British Film (4th ed.). Manchester University Press. ISBN 9781526111975. OCLC 989751901. (subscription required)

References

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  1. ^ Malone 2013, pp. 7–8.
  2. ^ Malone 2013, p. 9.
  3. ^ Malone 2013, p. 11.
  4. ^ a b c McFarlane 2016, p. 568.
  5. ^ (1939)"The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Jamaica Inn". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "This Land Is Mine". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  8. ^ "The 14th Academy Awards | 1942". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  9. ^ Malone 2013, pp. 125–128.
  10. ^ "Maureen O'Hara – Box Office". The Numbers. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  11. ^ Malone 2013, p. 109.
  12. ^ a b Malone 2013, pp. 172–173.
  13. ^ a b "An All-Star Tribute to John Wayne". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  14. ^ Malone 2013, pp. 182–183.
  15. ^ "Maureen O'Hara". Hollywood Walk of Fame. 25 October 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  16. ^ Byrd, Craig (November 5, 2014). "Curtain Call: Actress Maureen O'Hara Finally Has an Oscar". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  17. ^ Moncrieff, Chris (October 26, 2015). "Maureen O'Hara's on-screen legacy 'will endure for many years to come'". Irish Examiner. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  18. ^ "A final farewell: Maureen O'Hara laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery (PHOTOS)". IrishCentral.com. 10 November 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  19. ^ "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  20. ^ "A Bill of Divorcement". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  21. ^ "Dance Girl, Dance". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  22. ^ "They Met in Argentina". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  23. ^ "How Green Was My Valley". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  24. ^ "To the Shores of Tripoli". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  25. ^ "Ten Gentlemen from West Point". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  26. ^ "The Black Swan". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  27. ^ "Immortal Sergeant". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  28. ^ "The Fallen Sparrow". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  29. ^ "Buffalo Bill". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  30. ^ "The Spanish Main". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  31. ^ "Sentimental Journey". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  32. ^ "Do You Love Me". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  33. ^ "Sinbad the Sailor". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  34. ^ "The Homestretch". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  35. ^ "Miracle on 34th Street". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  36. ^ "The Foxes of Harrow". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  37. ^ "Sitting Pretty". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  38. ^ "A Woman's Secret". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  39. ^ "The Forbidden Street". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  40. ^ "Father Was a Fullback". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  41. ^ "Bagdad". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  42. ^ "Comanche Territory". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  43. ^ "Rio Grande". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  44. ^ "Tripoli". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  45. ^ "Flame of Araby". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  46. ^ "At Sword's Point". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  47. ^ "Kangaroo". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  48. ^ "The Quiet Man". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  49. ^ "Against All Flags". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  50. ^ "The Redhead from Wyoming". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  51. ^ "War Arrow". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  52. ^ "Fire Over Africa". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  53. ^ "The Long Gray Line". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  54. ^ "The Magnificent Matador". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  55. ^ "Lady Godiva of Coventry". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  56. ^ "Lisbon". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  57. ^ "Everything but the Truth". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  58. ^ "The Wings of Eagles". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  59. ^ "Our Man in Havana". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  60. ^ "The Deadly Companions". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  61. ^ "The Parent Trap". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  62. ^ "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  63. ^ "Spencer's Mountain". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  64. ^ "McLintock". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  65. ^ "The Battle of the Villa Fiorita". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  66. ^ "The Rare Breed". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  67. ^ "How Do I Love Thee?". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  68. ^ "Big Jake". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  69. ^ "Only the Lonely". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  70. ^ "A Century Of Cinema". Turner Classic Movies, Inc. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  71. ^ "The Ed Sullivan Show: October 8, 1961: From Berlin – Louis Armstrong, Connie Francis, Maureen O'Hara". TV.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.; "The Ed Sullivan Show: March 11, 1962: Henry Fonda and Olivia de Havilland, Maureen O'Hara, Rosemary Clooney, Bobby Rydell". TV.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  72. ^ "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  73. ^ "This Is Your Life". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  74. ^ "The George Gobel Show: December 30, 1958". TV.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  75. ^ "The Perry Como Show 1958-03-15". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.; "The Perry Como Show 1958-09-13". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.; "The Perry Como Show 1959-04-04". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.; "Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall 1959-12-30". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  76. ^ "The Garry Moore Show". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  77. ^ "Pat Boone Chevy Showroom: March 12, 1959". TV.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  78. ^ "The Ford Show". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  79. ^ "What's My Line?". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  80. ^ "The DuPont Show Of The Month". TV.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  81. ^ "The Bell Telephone hour. Gala performance". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  82. ^ "Hallmark Hall of Fame: Cry of angels". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  83. ^ "The Andy Williams Show (1962)". TV.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  84. ^ "Hollywood Talent Scouts". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  85. ^ "The Fabulous Fordies". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  86. ^ "The American Film Institute salute to John Ford". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  87. ^ "The Red Pony". Turner Classic Movies, Inc. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  88. ^ "Natalie: A Tribute to a Very Special Lady". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  89. ^ "Hollywood Greats in Early Westerns". www.amazon.com. 4 March 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  90. ^ "Hollywood stars". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  91. ^ "John Ford (documentary)". Turner Classic Movies, Inc. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  92. ^ "A Century Of Cinema". Turner Classic Movies, Inc. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  93. ^ "The Christmas Box". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  94. ^ "Cab to Canada". Turner Classic Movies, Inc. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  95. ^ "The Last Dance". Turner Classic Movies, Inc. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  96. ^ "The DVD Journal | Quick Reviews: The Quiet Man: Collector's Edition". www.dvdjournal.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  97. ^ "The Parent Trap (1961)". www.dvdmg.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  98. ^ "The 9th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Turner Classic Movies, Inc. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  99. ^ Cronin 2019, p. 25.
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