Tuesday, November 17, 2015

My Ten Favorite Maureen O'Hara Movies

To honor Maureen O'Hara after her recent passing, I'm sharing a list of my ten favorite films that she starred in.  Comedies, westerns, swashbucklers, dramas -- she could handle them all.


1.  The Parent Trap (1961)

Twin sisters (Hayley Mills as both) with divorced parents (Maureen O'Hara and Brian Kieth) scheme to bring their parents back together.  It's been one of my favorite movies since I was a teen.

2.  The Rare Breed (1966)

A British widow (Maureen O'Hara) and her daughter (Juliet Mills) accompany the prize bull they've sold on its way to its new owner (Brian Keith) with the help of a determined cowhand (James Stewart).  I've seen this so often, the characters all feel like dear old friends.

3.  The Black Swan (1942)

Captain Jamie Waring (Tyrone Power) renounces piracy, falls in love with a fiery noblewoman (Maureen O'Hara), and dashes about having swashbuckling adventures.  A perfectly delightful movie.

4.  Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)

Roger Hobbs (James Stewart) and his wife Peggy (Maureen O'Hara) vacation with their family in a decidedly eccentric house, encountering many gently comic adventures. This is one of those movies I quote all the time in my head.

5.  The Quiet Man (1952)

An American ex-prizefighter (John Wayne) moves to Ireland and marries a feisty native (Maureen O'Hara) who believes he is a coward and refuses to live with him as man and wife until he proves her wrong.  A dramatic and beautiful movie.

6.  Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

A skeptical little girl (Natalie Wood) and her busy single mother (Maureen O'Hara) meet a man named Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) who tries to convince them he's the real Santa Claus.  Heartwarming.

7.  McLintock! (1963)

A rich rancher (John Wayne) battles his estranged wife (Maureen O'Hara), daughter, land-grabbing bad guys, and various other adversaries.  Almost a western version of The Taming of the Shrew.

8.  The Wings of Eagles (1957)

The true story of a Navy pilot (John Wayne) who is paralyzed after an accident, and regains the ability to move with the help of his best friend (Dan Dailey) and wife (Maureen O'Hara).  Such an inspiring movie!

9.  Spencer's Mountain (1963)

A hardworking man (Henry Fonda) has to decide if he should build his wife (Maureen O'Hara) the home he's promised her for years or send his son (James MacArthur) to college.  Based on the novel by Earl Hamner, Jr. that also inspired the TV show The Waltons a few years later.

10.  Big Jake (1971)

A rich rancher (John Wayne) returns to his home after years of roaming when his estranged wife (Maureen O'Hara) telegraphs him that their grandson (Ethan Wayne) has been kidnapped.  The more modern setting (1909, with cars and motorcycles) saddens me in many ways, but it's a solid story and has lots of familiar faces.

14 comments:

  1. John Wayne and Maureen O' Hara were such a great duo! I grew up with The Quiet Man and McClintock and could not get enough hot them! McClintock is one of my very favorite movies. I love the Parent Trap too! That's so much fun! I didn't know she starred in another movie with Brian Keith but I think I'll check it out. :) I think I saw The Black Swan as a kid too and I remember liking it. I don't think I've seen the rest of those but I'll have to check them out. I love Maureen O'Hara. :)

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    1. And JW & MO were good friends in real life too, which I love :-D I hope you can find some of these that you haven't seen yet!

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  2. I so need to watch Miracle on 34th Street. I've heard it's really, really good and I love stories about Christmas and Santa Claus . . . but it's not on YouTube and I don't think our library has it either. Maybe I'll just have to bite the bullet and buy the DVD :)

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    1. Jessica, MO34S is very sweet! I haven't seen it for a few years, but when I was a teen we watched it every December :-)

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  3. Nice list! We just re-watched The Quiet Man and hopefully will see Miracle on 34th Street this December!

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    1. Thanks, Annie! I hope you can see MO34S soon, because it's such a nice movie. And The Quiet Man is so lovely!

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  4. I think the only ones I've seen are McLintock and The Quiet Man, but I enjoyed both :D Lovely list!

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  5. I've only seen four of these, but they were all fabulous!

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    1. MC, which ones? Glad you dug them!

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    2. The Parent Trap (1961), The Quiet Man (1952), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), & McLintock! (1963).

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  6. McLintock was so hilarious when Maureen got that spanking!

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    1. Chrisk, my favorite part is the giant mud fight :-D

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