Maureen O’Hara arrived in Hollywood under the sponsorship and tutelage of Charles Laughton. Irish to the core, O’Hara took the notice of famed film director John Ford. Ford was also Irish by birth, and his lifelong dream was to make a film in his homeland. From the moment he saw O’Hara, with her brilliant red hair and fiery personality, he knew she was right for his picture.
Maureen O’Hara Meets John Ford
O’Hara was working at RKO studios when she received word that Ford wanted to meet her. O’Hara knew Ford was a good director and Irish and that was all. Ford invited O’Hara to dinner at his house. O’Hara attended the dinner with her official studio escort, Perry Lieder. After a brief introduction, Ford and O’Hara engaged in chitchat about their homeland. Then Ford told her to mingle with the guests and did not talk with her the rest of the evening.
A few days later O’Hara was informed that Ford wanted her to be the leading lady in his film, How Green Was My Valley. When O’Hara arrived at the studio to begin the preparations for the movie, she was confused over Ford’s behavior. Ford introduced O’Hara to his studio executives by saying that she had insulted him at his dinner party by calling him a shawlee. A shawlee is an Irish insult and refers to a peasant that cannot afford a coat and therefore wears a shawl to stay warm. To call someone a shawlee is an unforgivable insult in Ireland.
O’Hara denied that she insulted Ford and started to argue with him. Then the head of casting for the studio, familiar with Ford’s quirky personality, gave O’Hara a shut up and sit down look. Wisely, she interpreted the signal and quit arguing. O’Hara was to find out later the penalty that would happen if a person ever argued with Ford in front of his cast or crew.
O’Hara and Ford Make Movies
In her autobiography, Tis Herself, O’Hara describes the filming of How Green Was My Valley as a wonderful experience. Ford was at his most relaxed and was pleasant to the cast and crew. O’Hara only angered the director once and paid the penalty. During a scene where she carried a basket, she pointed out that the basket was from the wrong time and would not look right for the era. Ford kicked her off the set and made her wait most of the day before bringing her back. When she started to film the scene, the basket now matched the time setting of the movie.
O’Hara made five films with Ford and his behavior became increasing odd and cruel over the years. Ford discussed with O’Hara and Wayne how he wanted them in his movie The Quiet Man. Ford and O’Hara spent many weekends, for years, on his yacht Araner, writing and planning for the movie. Also during this timeframe, O’Hara began to receive bizarre love letters from Ford. At first, she did not know what to make of them and did not tell anyone but her closest confidants about the letters. Later O’Hara came to realize that Ford was not writing the letters to her personally, but rather to the character she played in The Quiet Man. In a bizarre transposition, Ford had fantasized about his ideal Irish woman, and melded the fantasy with O’Hara. Once the movie was complete, the letters stopped.
Ford’s Cruelty Towards O’Hara
The relationship between O’Hara and Ford was tumultuous at best. Over the years he would be very cruel to her, then do an about face and say something very kind. In one instance, O’Hara was at the Ford house for a dinner party where unexpectedly, Ford socked her in the jaw in front of the dinner guests. During the filming of The Quiet Man he repeatedly berated O’Hara with crude and expletive filled remarks. Ford would tell one group that O’Hara was the best actress that ever lived, and then he would tell other people that she could not act at all.
Another instance of Ford’s cruelty occurred during the Academy Award nominations for the year 1952. A friend of O’Hara’s, Anne Baxter, phoned O’Hara to tell her of her nomination for her role on the Quiet Man. However, upon the release of the nominations, O’Hara’s name was not in the list. She found out from Baxter that John Ford had her name removed from the nominations.
No Academy Award for Maureen O’Hara
After the academy awards, in which Ford one an Oscar, the director summoned O’Hara to his office. He gave her a present of a gold bracelet with a small Oscar statuette hanging from it. As she opened the gift, Ford told her, “Here, that’s for what they stole from you.” O’Hara knew that it was not “they” but he, who had stolen her chance for the Oscar.
Years after Ford died, O’Hara reflected on their relationship. She concluded that Ford had indeed been in love with her. Despite the cruelty, she said that she admired, respected, and loved him. Theirs was indeed a successful, but strange, association.
Related Article: Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne
Reference:
O’Hara, Maureen and Nicolletti, John. ‘Tis Herself, A Memoir. New York, N.Y. Simon & Schuster, 2004.
Larry Putt - Larry Putt is a Steam Plant Operator, Radiological Controls Technician, Nuclear Chemist, and an Episcopal Lay Preacher. A veteran of the ...
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