All Else Confusion

I was once paid the ultimate compliment of being compared to Maureen O'Hara. In reality, we look nothing alike except for our red hair, but I'll still take it! Born August 17, 1920 in Ranelagh, Ireland, Maureen O'Hara, with her red hair and green eys, was perfectly suited to technicolor. A versatile actress, O'Hara excelled in both comedic and dramatic roles. Her athletic talents were frequently on display, especially in movies with her most famous co-star, John Wayne. In several adventure movies her prowess with a sword proved her the movies' only genuine female swashbuckling star.

In 1941 John Ford cast Maureen O'Hara in How Green Was My Valley, the beginning of a long professional and personal friendship between the two. Together they would make 4 more films including The Quiet Man. Ford considered O'Hara "the best bloody actress in Hollywood."

Check out The Wings of Eagles tonight at 6:00
Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne play in the true story of Frank "Spig" Wead, directed by John Ford. Wead was a personal friend of Ford's and the picture is as true to life as he could make it. Look for an outstanding performance by John Wayne as "Spig" Wead.

As Wead, John Wayne is excellent. He's a difficult fellow to like, especially because he turns away from his wife and family so often, but the Duke's full, 3-dimensional performance movingly captures the frustrations and dreams of this tragic character. In a sign of his commitment to the role, Wayne even went without his toupee for sequences as the older Wead. He's still John Wayne, though... Look for him doing the dishes in one scene; no one ever made it look more manly.

Read the rest of the TCM write-up here.

Labels: movies