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'Tis Herself
You are about to read the tale of the toughest Irish lass who ever took on Hollywood and became a major leading lady....In a career that has lasted more than sixty years, I have acted, punched, swashbuckled, and shot my way through an absurdly masculine profession....As a woman, I'm proud to say that I stood toe-to-toe with the best of them and made my mark on my own terms. I'm Maureen O'Hara and this is my life story.-- From Chapter One of 'Tis Herself
In language that is blunt, straightforward, and totally lacking in artifice, Maureen O'Hara, one of the greatest and most enduring stars of Hollywood's "Golden Era," for the first time tells the story of how she succeeded in the world's most competitive business.
Known for her remarkable beauty and her fiery screen persona, Maureen O'Hara came to Hollywood when she was still a teenager, taken there by her mentor, the great actor Charles Laughton. Almost immediately she clashed with the men who ran the movie business -- the moguls who treated actors like chattel, the directors who viewed every actress as a potential bedmate.
Determined to hold her own and to remain true to herself, she fought for roles that she wanted and resisted the advances of some of Hollywood's most powerful and attractive men. It was in the great director John Ford that she first found someone willing to give her a chance to prove herself as an important actress. Beginning with the Academy Award-winning How Green Was My Valley, she went on to make five films with Ford and through him first met the great John Wayne, with whom she also made five films.
In O'Hara, Ford had found his ideal Irish heroine, a role that achieved its greatest realization in The Quiet Man. And in O'Hara, John Wayne found his ideal leading lady, for she was perhaps the only actress who could hold her own when on screen with "The Duke." Ford, however, was not without his quirks, and his relationship with his favorite actress became more and more complex and ultimately deeply troubled. The on-screen relationship between Wayne and O'Hara, on the other hand, was transformed into a close friendship built on mutual respect, creating a bond that endured until his death.
Writing with complete frankness, O'Hara talks for the first time about these remarkable men, about their great strengths and their very human failings. She writes as well about many of the other actors and actresses -- Lucille Ball, Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn, John Candy, Natalie Wood, to name a few -- with whom she worked, but ultimately it is about herself that she is most revealing. With great candor and a mixture of pride and regret, she reflects on just how this young girl from Ireland made it to America and onto movie screens all around the world. There were missteps, of course -- a troubled and deeply destructive marriage, a willingness to trust too readily in others -- but there were triumphs and great happiness as well, including her marriage to the aviation pioneer Brigadier General Charles F. Blair, who tragically died in a mysterious plane crash ten years after their marriage.
Throughout, 'Tis Herself is informed by the warmth and charm and intelligence that defined Maureen O'Hara's performances in some sixty films, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Miracle on 34th Street to The Parent Trap to McLintock! to Only the Lonely. 'Tis Herself is Maureen O'Hara's story as only she can tell it, the tale of an Irish lass who believed in herself with the strength and determination to make her own dreams come true.
In language that is blunt, straightforward, and totally lacking in artifice, Maureen O'Hara, one of the greatest and most enduring stars of Hollywood's "Golden Era," for the first time tells the story of how she succeeded in the world's most competitive business.
Known for her remarkable beauty and her fiery screen persona, Maureen O'Hara came to Hollywood when she was still a teenager, taken there by her mentor, the great actor Charles Laughton. Almost immediately she clashed with the men who ran the movie business -- the moguls who treated actors like chattel, the directors who viewed every actress as a potential bedmate.
Determined to hold her own and to remain true to herself, she fought for roles that she wanted and resisted the advances of some of Hollywood's most powerful and attractive men. It was in the great director John Ford that she first found someone willing to give her a chance to prove herself as an important actress. Beginning with the Academy Award-winning How Green Was My Valley, she went on to make five films with Ford and through him first met the great John Wayne, with whom she also made five films.
In O'Hara, Ford had found his ideal Irish heroine, a role that achieved its greatest realization in The Quiet Man. And in O'Hara, John Wayne found his ideal leading lady, for she was perhaps the only actress who could hold her own when on screen with "The Duke." Ford, however, was not without his quirks, and his relationship with his favorite actress became more and more complex and ultimately deeply troubled. The on-screen relationship between Wayne and O'Hara, on the other hand, was transformed into a close friendship built on mutual respect, creating a bond that endured until his death.
Writing with complete frankness, O'Hara talks for the first time about these remarkable men, about their great strengths and their very human failings. She writes as well about many of the other actors and actresses -- Lucille Ball, Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn, John Candy, Natalie Wood, to name a few -- with whom she worked, but ultimately it is about herself that she is most revealing. With great candor and a mixture of pride and regret, she reflects on just how this young girl from Ireland made it to America and onto movie screens all around the world. There were missteps, of course -- a troubled and deeply destructive marriage, a willingness to trust too readily in others -- but there were triumphs and great happiness as well, including her marriage to the aviation pioneer Brigadier General Charles F. Blair, who tragically died in a mysterious plane crash ten years after their marriage.
Throughout, 'Tis Herself is informed by the warmth and charm and intelligence that defined Maureen O'Hara's performances in some sixty films, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Miracle on 34th Street to The Parent Trap to McLintock! to Only the Lonely. 'Tis Herself is Maureen O'Hara's story as only she can tell it, the tale of an Irish lass who believed in herself with the strength and determination to make her own dreams come true.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published February 24, 2004
134 people are currently reading
2751 people want to read
About the author
Maureen O'Hara
22 books12 followersMaureen O'Hara was an Irish-American actress and singer. The red-headed O'Hara was known for her beauty and playing fiercely passionate but sensible heroines, often in westerns and adventure films. She worked on numerous occasions with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne, and was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood at the time of her death.
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October 16, 2025
Originally published in 2004, 'TIS HERSELF is Maureen O'Hara's reflection on her life. This memoir shares her many decades as an world renown actress as well as her life beginning in Ireland.
While we are privy to the backstories of many of her cinema creations, it's her in depth pondering of her relationship with the renowned director John Ford that captures our attention and surprise.
O'Hara was known as a straight-shooter and person of strong faith. Its apparent that it was her strong faith that guided her through the most difficult challenges of her personal life. She was definitely made of strong stuff.
At the end of this book, O'Hara teases that she hasn't told all of her stories and that she could fill more than one more volume of work. I wish she had been able to make that tease a reality.
If you are a fan of Ms. O'Hara or just a fan of old movies and the business of making them I recommend reading 'TIS HERSELF.
While we are privy to the backstories of many of her cinema creations, it's her in depth pondering of her relationship with the renowned director John Ford that captures our attention and surprise.
O'Hara was known as a straight-shooter and person of strong faith. Its apparent that it was her strong faith that guided her through the most difficult challenges of her personal life. She was definitely made of strong stuff.
At the end of this book, O'Hara teases that she hasn't told all of her stories and that she could fill more than one more volume of work. I wish she had been able to make that tease a reality.
If you are a fan of Ms. O'Hara or just a fan of old movies and the business of making them I recommend reading 'TIS HERSELF.
August 11, 2019
I inhaled this memoir in pretty short order as I really enjoy ones about old Hollywood. This one was especially good, as I really love John Wayne and read a super book about the relationship between Wayne and director John Ford. Turns out Maureen had her own difficult relationship with Ford over 40 years. They were all friends, so there was plenty of good stuff included about all of them and times spent together, both on and off the set. I was really looking forward to reading about the filming of The Quiet Man as well, my late father’s favorite movie of all time. O'Hara really didn't have an easy personal life at all. I liked the whole book and may do something I only do with rare favorites, which is read it over again. If you like these types of memoirs, it won't disappoint.
Posted first on my Goodreads blog:
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Posted first on my Goodreads blog:
https://wordpress.com/post/bookblog20...
September 7, 2016
Chances are you've seen one of Maureen O'Hara's motion pictures, though you probably can't call it to mind at the moment. If it wasn't How Green Was My Valley or The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or even the highly-acclaimed production of The Quiet Man, then it was most certainly the Christmas classic, Miracle on 34th Street. How about The Parent Trap? You may have caught her wielding a sword with Errol Flynn, saddling up alongside John Wayne, or trading quips with Alec Guinness in Our Man in Havana. She's got one of those Golden Age Hollywood filmographies an actress would trade her eye teeth for and, fortunately for us, all the crazy backstage stories that go with it.
O'Hara pulls no punches in this memoir. She's going to tell you who was drunk on-set, who was abusive, whose seduction scenes crossed the line. She's going to be upfront about the power players she's met, among them Darryl Zanuck, Lew Wasserman, Howard Hughes. She was standing in the studio commissary with a young Lucille Ball the moment she first laid eyes on Desi Arnaz. She went to bat (against a hostile Hollywood film community) for Marlon Brando's performance in On The Waterfront and received his thanks when he took home the Academy Award. She was one of the first high-profile celebrities to sue a tabloid, and succeeded in putting the libelous rag, Confidential, out of business. There's lots of color here, lots of dish, and nowhere is that more evident than in the recounting of her long-standing, tempestuous, and eventually disturbing friendship with legendary director John Ford. O'Hara admits her motive for writing the book was to "come to terms with my feelings about this incredibly complex man" and it's a subject she spends many pages struggling to understand. On the one hand, he'd given her roles she adored. On the other, he'd actually pulled back a fist and punched her. In public. What to make of his love letters? His vicious professional sabotage? The kiss she witnessed between Ford and a famously-closeted Hollywood leading man?
O'Hara has no shortage of ego. She's a pistol on the issue of her looks and how they cost her a more substantial career. She has definite opinions on who could act and who had no business in the business. (Her insights into Jimmy Stewart's vanity are worth the price of admission.) But what I found most interesting here was the enigma presented by the woman herself. How someone this professionally straight-forward could be so privately non-confrontational. She married her first two husbands for no other reason than to get them out of her hair. They were pestering her and she appears to have imagined this would finally shut them up. When that second husband, a nasty drunk, ran through all her money, she responded by returning to the studio to work harder and make more. Her third husband's double life as a CIA operative is something she doesn't understand, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death rate a helpless shrug of the shoulder. Her odd relationship with Ford sets this passivity into high relief. He was awful to her, and genuinely frightening on occasion. Yet she kept returning, as if it were possible to put such cruelty in the past through sheer force of will.
This is a fascinating piece of work. Informative, entertaining and well-written. In the field of celebrity memoir, it ranks right up there with the best.
O'Hara pulls no punches in this memoir. She's going to tell you who was drunk on-set, who was abusive, whose seduction scenes crossed the line. She's going to be upfront about the power players she's met, among them Darryl Zanuck, Lew Wasserman, Howard Hughes. She was standing in the studio commissary with a young Lucille Ball the moment she first laid eyes on Desi Arnaz. She went to bat (against a hostile Hollywood film community) for Marlon Brando's performance in On The Waterfront and received his thanks when he took home the Academy Award. She was one of the first high-profile celebrities to sue a tabloid, and succeeded in putting the libelous rag, Confidential, out of business. There's lots of color here, lots of dish, and nowhere is that more evident than in the recounting of her long-standing, tempestuous, and eventually disturbing friendship with legendary director John Ford. O'Hara admits her motive for writing the book was to "come to terms with my feelings about this incredibly complex man" and it's a subject she spends many pages struggling to understand. On the one hand, he'd given her roles she adored. On the other, he'd actually pulled back a fist and punched her. In public. What to make of his love letters? His vicious professional sabotage? The kiss she witnessed between Ford and a famously-closeted Hollywood leading man?
O'Hara has no shortage of ego. She's a pistol on the issue of her looks and how they cost her a more substantial career. She has definite opinions on who could act and who had no business in the business. (Her insights into Jimmy Stewart's vanity are worth the price of admission.) But what I found most interesting here was the enigma presented by the woman herself. How someone this professionally straight-forward could be so privately non-confrontational. She married her first two husbands for no other reason than to get them out of her hair. They were pestering her and she appears to have imagined this would finally shut them up. When that second husband, a nasty drunk, ran through all her money, she responded by returning to the studio to work harder and make more. Her third husband's double life as a CIA operative is something she doesn't understand, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death rate a helpless shrug of the shoulder. Her odd relationship with Ford sets this passivity into high relief. He was awful to her, and genuinely frightening on occasion. Yet she kept returning, as if it were possible to put such cruelty in the past through sheer force of will.
This is a fascinating piece of work. Informative, entertaining and well-written. In the field of celebrity memoir, it ranks right up there with the best.
November 28, 2019
I first 'met' Maureen O'Hara in the 1961 movie The Parent Trap. I didn't know about any other movies she made until my first husband introduced me to the great Hollywood films of the 30's and 40's. He was a big fan of them and I became one also.
When I read this book, I was exicted to be able to be on familiar ground with nearly every movie Ms. O'Hara mentioned, but I still learned a lot. Like the fact that she did her own fencing when she was in pirate movies (she says she was always a tomboy and good at sports!) and I never realized how young she was when she started her career. She was only eighteen when she played Esmeralda to Charles Laughton's Quasimodo in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. And that was after playing opposite him in Jamaica Inn!
Of course she may be best known for the movies she made with John Wayne. She says she was the only actress big enough and tough enough to make a good on screen match for the Duke. I loved the movies they were in together, especially Rio Grande and The Quiet Man. They really did have a wonderful onscreen chemistry, and were close friends in real life.
She talks a lot about director John Ford as well. They had an odd relationship, and I wonder sometimes how O'Hara could play such tough women onscreen and yet accept the kind of treatment Ford dished out. Once he smacked her across the face for no reason that she could ever figure out. And she just walked away, never said a word.
She also had a rough relationship with her first husband, a charmer who turned out to be a lazy drunken leech that she put up with for years for various reasons. I understand how any woman can feel trapped in a relationship, I felt that way myself once. But it seemed odd to read about a woman who saw herself as tough and able to stand up to anything but who still accepted inferiority in her personal relationships.
One of the funniest lines in the book for me was when she had finally been able to visit Ireland again after being in America throughout WWII. She hadn't seen her family in something like seven years and was looking forward to some downtime to reconnect with them all. But after just a few days the 20th Century-Fox studios called and ordered her home. She was needed immediately to begin filming her next movie.Her response? She went, but....
I was madder than a wet hen the whole flight back. "How dare they," I fumed. "How dare they force me back just to make a silly little movie about Santa Claus!"
Of course that silly little movie was The Miracle On 34th Street and she had to get back to New York so the scenes of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade could be shot live. And as we all know, the rest is history.
A side effect of reading this book is the long list of Maureen O'Hara films I now plan to watch to see if I can spot the little bits she talks about in different scenes. What fun!
This was a friendly, intimate chat with a beautiful, talented woman who to me will always be the personification of both glamour and tomboy spirit. I used to wish I could be like her when I grew up. Sometimes I still do! Thank you, Maureen!
When I read this book, I was exicted to be able to be on familiar ground with nearly every movie Ms. O'Hara mentioned, but I still learned a lot. Like the fact that she did her own fencing when she was in pirate movies (she says she was always a tomboy and good at sports!) and I never realized how young she was when she started her career. She was only eighteen when she played Esmeralda to Charles Laughton's Quasimodo in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. And that was after playing opposite him in Jamaica Inn!
Of course she may be best known for the movies she made with John Wayne. She says she was the only actress big enough and tough enough to make a good on screen match for the Duke. I loved the movies they were in together, especially Rio Grande and The Quiet Man. They really did have a wonderful onscreen chemistry, and were close friends in real life.
She talks a lot about director John Ford as well. They had an odd relationship, and I wonder sometimes how O'Hara could play such tough women onscreen and yet accept the kind of treatment Ford dished out. Once he smacked her across the face for no reason that she could ever figure out. And she just walked away, never said a word.
She also had a rough relationship with her first husband, a charmer who turned out to be a lazy drunken leech that she put up with for years for various reasons. I understand how any woman can feel trapped in a relationship, I felt that way myself once. But it seemed odd to read about a woman who saw herself as tough and able to stand up to anything but who still accepted inferiority in her personal relationships.
One of the funniest lines in the book for me was when she had finally been able to visit Ireland again after being in America throughout WWII. She hadn't seen her family in something like seven years and was looking forward to some downtime to reconnect with them all. But after just a few days the 20th Century-Fox studios called and ordered her home. She was needed immediately to begin filming her next movie.Her response? She went, but....
I was madder than a wet hen the whole flight back. "How dare they," I fumed. "How dare they force me back just to make a silly little movie about Santa Claus!"
Of course that silly little movie was The Miracle On 34th Street and she had to get back to New York so the scenes of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade could be shot live. And as we all know, the rest is history.
A side effect of reading this book is the long list of Maureen O'Hara films I now plan to watch to see if I can spot the little bits she talks about in different scenes. What fun!
This was a friendly, intimate chat with a beautiful, talented woman who to me will always be the personification of both glamour and tomboy spirit. I used to wish I could be like her when I grew up. Sometimes I still do! Thank you, Maureen!
March 12, 2017
This is the story of Hollywood legend Maureen O'Hara in her own words: “Above all else, deep in my soul, I’m a tough Irishwoman.”
And so she was.
She was born August 17, 1920 and named Maureen FitzSimons. Her family was a large, happy one, prominent in Ireland. As I read the story of her wonderful family, her early acting successes and her many professional opportunities, contrasted with her first two dismal marriages to unworthy men, I kept thinking of that book, Smart Women, Foolish Choices. We’ve all been there and my heart went out to her.
She didn’t love the first two men she married (the first marriage was annulled and her second husband was, in her words, an “abusive alcoholic”). But she did come out of the second with a daughter, Bronwyn, who she loved.
Maureen rose to stardom in the era when studios owned the talent and could force a star like Maureen O’Hara to make movies that showcased her beauty instead of her acting talent. She hated it.
She came to Hollywood as a teenager in 1939, brought by the great Charles Laughton, who became her mentor and friend, and with whom she appeared in the classic film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. At one point he asked her parents if he could adopt her.
The Second World War trapped her in the US for many years and she missed Ireland and her family. But ultimately she came to be proud of her adopted country and became a dual citizen of Ireland and America (and that was another story!).
Her favorite movie of all those she made was, not surprisingly, The Quiet Man. Her telling of the making of the movie justifies buying the book. Her co-star, John Wayne, was a good friend and they got along very well with great on screen chemistry, in part, she believed, because of her height (5'8") in contrast to many actresses with whom the studios paired the Duke. The movie was directed by John Ford, a difficult, if not twisted, genius, who often treated the actors—including Maureen—very badly. Her relationship with him, which extended over many years, was problematic.
There is nothing like hearing someone’s story in their own words and this candid telling of her life is no exception. She is frank in her assessments of the people she knew and lays the truth out “to set the record straight… before some self-serving writer pens a heap of rubbish about me after I am gone from this earth.”
I was very happy to finally read of Maureen’s finding true love with Charles F. Blair, Jr., an airline pilot who had been a Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force. He was the great love of her life. Unfortunately, after ten years together, he died in a mysterious plane crash.
She was a fascinating woman who lived in interesting times... a woman I would have loved to know.
And so she was.
She was born August 17, 1920 and named Maureen FitzSimons. Her family was a large, happy one, prominent in Ireland. As I read the story of her wonderful family, her early acting successes and her many professional opportunities, contrasted with her first two dismal marriages to unworthy men, I kept thinking of that book, Smart Women, Foolish Choices. We’ve all been there and my heart went out to her.
She didn’t love the first two men she married (the first marriage was annulled and her second husband was, in her words, an “abusive alcoholic”). But she did come out of the second with a daughter, Bronwyn, who she loved.
Maureen rose to stardom in the era when studios owned the talent and could force a star like Maureen O’Hara to make movies that showcased her beauty instead of her acting talent. She hated it.
She came to Hollywood as a teenager in 1939, brought by the great Charles Laughton, who became her mentor and friend, and with whom she appeared in the classic film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. At one point he asked her parents if he could adopt her.
The Second World War trapped her in the US for many years and she missed Ireland and her family. But ultimately she came to be proud of her adopted country and became a dual citizen of Ireland and America (and that was another story!).
Her favorite movie of all those she made was, not surprisingly, The Quiet Man. Her telling of the making of the movie justifies buying the book. Her co-star, John Wayne, was a good friend and they got along very well with great on screen chemistry, in part, she believed, because of her height (5'8") in contrast to many actresses with whom the studios paired the Duke. The movie was directed by John Ford, a difficult, if not twisted, genius, who often treated the actors—including Maureen—very badly. Her relationship with him, which extended over many years, was problematic.
There is nothing like hearing someone’s story in their own words and this candid telling of her life is no exception. She is frank in her assessments of the people she knew and lays the truth out “to set the record straight… before some self-serving writer pens a heap of rubbish about me after I am gone from this earth.”
I was very happy to finally read of Maureen’s finding true love with Charles F. Blair, Jr., an airline pilot who had been a Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force. He was the great love of her life. Unfortunately, after ten years together, he died in a mysterious plane crash.
She was a fascinating woman who lived in interesting times... a woman I would have loved to know.
May 3, 2022
Review originally published June 2004
'Tis Herself, a memoir by Maureen O’Hara with John Nicoletti, is the blunt, straightforward story of Maureen O’Hara, one of the great stars of Hollywood’s Golden Era. How she became a star in the world’s most competitive business she attributes to being “a tough Irishwoman.” In her words:
She goes on to say:
Maureen Fitzsimons was born in Dublin, Ireland, and started acting with her own shadow at age five. In that same year, an old gypsy foretold her future by telling her, “You will leave Ireland one day and become a very famous woman known all around the world.” Maureen was the second of six children in a close-knit clan. She was a tomboy, played sports in school, and also excelled in fencing, so was able later to hold her own with Cornel Wilde and Errol Flynn in her swashbuckler pictures.
At 17 the gypsy’s predictions came true as she came to Hollywood with her mentor, Charles Laughton, who signed her to a seven year contract with Mayflower Pictures. He then changed her name to Maureen O’Hara because Fitzsimons was too long. From there, the fiery redhead went on to star in five John Ford films beginning with How Green Was My Valley, but probably is best known for her role in The Quiet Man with John Wayne.
Performing in some 60 films over the years, O’Hara’s stories of her adventures while filming, her clashes with moguls and directors, the roles she fought for, and how she resisted the advances of some of Hollywood’s most powerful men make fascinating reading.
With warmth and candor, she talks about the strength and failings of many of the actors and actresses she worked with, her troubled marriages, and the happy one that ended tragically when her husband died in a mysterious plane crash.
In addition, her reflections on conversations with Che Guevara, while filming in Cuba, Pearl Buck, and other famous people of the time give insight to the real Maureen O’Hara, an Irish gal who believed in herself and faced the world with grit and determination.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
'Tis Herself, a memoir by Maureen O’Hara with John Nicoletti, is the blunt, straightforward story of Maureen O’Hara, one of the great stars of Hollywood’s Golden Era. How she became a star in the world’s most competitive business she attributes to being “a tough Irishwoman.” In her words:
“Being an Irishwoman means many things to me. An Irishwoman is strong and feisty. She has guts and stands up for what she believes in. She believes she is the best at whatever she does and proceeds through life with that knowledge. She can face any hazard that life throws her way and stay with it until she wins. She is loyal to her kinsman and accepting of others. She is not above a sock in the jaw if you have it coming. She is only on her knees before God. Yes, I am most definitely an Irishwoman.”
She goes on to say:
“In a career that has lasted sixty years, I have acted, punched, swashbuckled and shot my way through an absurdly masculine profession…As a woman, I’m proud to say I stood toe-to-toe with the best of them and made my mark on my own terms.”
Maureen Fitzsimons was born in Dublin, Ireland, and started acting with her own shadow at age five. In that same year, an old gypsy foretold her future by telling her, “You will leave Ireland one day and become a very famous woman known all around the world.” Maureen was the second of six children in a close-knit clan. She was a tomboy, played sports in school, and also excelled in fencing, so was able later to hold her own with Cornel Wilde and Errol Flynn in her swashbuckler pictures.
At 17 the gypsy’s predictions came true as she came to Hollywood with her mentor, Charles Laughton, who signed her to a seven year contract with Mayflower Pictures. He then changed her name to Maureen O’Hara because Fitzsimons was too long. From there, the fiery redhead went on to star in five John Ford films beginning with How Green Was My Valley, but probably is best known for her role in The Quiet Man with John Wayne.
Performing in some 60 films over the years, O’Hara’s stories of her adventures while filming, her clashes with moguls and directors, the roles she fought for, and how she resisted the advances of some of Hollywood’s most powerful men make fascinating reading.
With warmth and candor, she talks about the strength and failings of many of the actors and actresses she worked with, her troubled marriages, and the happy one that ended tragically when her husband died in a mysterious plane crash.
In addition, her reflections on conversations with Che Guevara, while filming in Cuba, Pearl Buck, and other famous people of the time give insight to the real Maureen O’Hara, an Irish gal who believed in herself and faced the world with grit and determination.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
September 4, 2024
I love autobiographies - especially candid, self aware and deeply reflective ones. This was a brilliant read - it was all of the above. It was like sitting down to a cuppa with Maureen herself and listening to her talk. I loved this book, loved the person Maureen O’Hara was and I hope she is resting peacefully after an amazing and eventful life.
July 10, 2009
What a fun read! I have always loved this classy lady. She is a lot more than Natalie Wood's mother in "Miracle on 34th Street." She is a sweet, funny, feisty, Irish fighting lady who has always given as good as she gets. I love the story about when she was driving an inebriated John Wayne home from a party & he made her stop at a perfect stranger's house, where he demanded a drink! Guess what? They gave it to him! Lots of fun.
April 28, 2014
Maureen O'Hara, every bit as wonderful in her autobiography as she is an actress. Entertaining, truthful, colorful, courageous and talented are some descriptors that identify who she is. Hollywood stars have to be tough to survive the rigors of their occupation. I wouldn't trade my life with any of them, at least, not their real lives. I love to imagine to be all of the characters they play. In their seemingly perfect lives, I might think that I would love to be them, with all of their fame and riches, but as I read about their problematic lives I would run away as fast as I could. Many starlets, like Maureen, have been taken for rides and stripped of their money, self-esteem and sanity by men who profess to love them. They lose the best part of their lives trying to recover what was taken from them. How sad to live in that world, not knowing who you can trust and who you cannot trust. Maureen survived it all, has remained strong, and still has a good outlook on life. She attributes her strength to her Irish roots and her parents who raised her to be a strong, independent person. She has outlived most of her costars and friends from her heyday and reflects on the strong friendships that she held with them. She also gives insight to the strong and powerful Hollywood moguls that reigned during her tenure and how they manipulated people even in their private lives. Some actors that she worked with were scene stealers, verbally or physically abusive, or arrogant. She touches on these incidences to give an all around picture of her life and what she experienced. However, she doesn't dwell on them, instead she prefers to accentuate the strong bonds of friendship she developed with her favorite costars. I wish she would have written more books, I really enjoyed this one and I feel she had much more to tell.
February 24, 2024
Enjoyable read about an actress I always thought was unbelievably beautiful. I’m interested in old Hollywood and this satisfied my curiosity.
September 29, 2016
This was a revealing book into the personal struggles that Maureen Fitzsimmons (AKA: O'Hara) had with her second husband, William H. Price and director, John Ford. While not a bash book, it pulls no punches and paints Ms. O'Hara as a sometimes confused, hesitant but always noble person. I was most touched by her level of forgiveness of those who hurt her, including William Houston price, her second husband; director, John Ford and Walt Disney. I love her strength, honesty, devotion to her faith and positive attitude. This was a joy to read. I only wished she had expanded a little more on her Hollywood friends and her family.
September 8, 2015
I have admired Maureen O'Hara as an actress for many years and now I can admire her as a person.
October 30, 2017
I like Maureen O’Hara. Used to borrow my Grandpa’s tape of McLintock! a lot when I was a kid until I got my own copy. Loved that movie, it’s my favorite of hers and John Wayne’s. She always seemed so confident and strong, on and off the screen.
After reading her book though, I saw that while she was not short on confidence, it was the strong O’Hara backbone that I found surprisingly lacking. Her first two marriages happened because she didn’t know how to say no (her second one was almost like a constant nightmare, felt so bad for her!). And then the years of bullying from John Ford (one time he punched her in the face and all she did was walk away and never brought up the incident again - I wish he hadn’t gotten away with that or that someone else had at least stood up for her). He really bothered me, with all that abusive power he apparently had in Hollywood. Already knew Ford had his issues, but I didn’t know to what extent his mean streak was until I read all the weird and mean things he did to Maureen. She still admired him for his creative vision, but my dislike for the man has increased. Might be a while before I can watch another Ford movie.
But through all the disappointments and heartbreak, Maureen still shined through, never losing faith, and as I was reading her book I could hear her voice like she was narrating it. She had some help with telling her story from John Nicoletti. He worked well with her, pulling everything together, and as she said at the beginning of the book, he helped her find her voice.
For the most part, I liked this book. She had unapologetic candor about how things were with her peers and what happened behind the scenes. She sure had her opinions and it was both fun and rather enlightening. I got frustrated with her sometimes, like how she handled certain situations (anything dealing with her second husband and John Ford), but as the book went on and she got older and wiser, she started to become the strong Maureen O’Hara I had always imagined her to be. Towards the end of the book, she reveals how Roddy McDowall once told her that she would never win an Oscar or even be nominated because Hollywood didn’t like her. She never found out why. I was so happy for her though when she finally did get her well deserved honorary Oscar in 2014, a year before she died. Hollywood finally came around. She was quite a lady who deserves more recognition than what she’s had.
After reading her book though, I saw that while she was not short on confidence, it was the strong O’Hara backbone that I found surprisingly lacking. Her first two marriages happened because she didn’t know how to say no (her second one was almost like a constant nightmare, felt so bad for her!). And then the years of bullying from John Ford (one time he punched her in the face and all she did was walk away and never brought up the incident again - I wish he hadn’t gotten away with that or that someone else had at least stood up for her). He really bothered me, with all that abusive power he apparently had in Hollywood. Already knew Ford had his issues, but I didn’t know to what extent his mean streak was until I read all the weird and mean things he did to Maureen. She still admired him for his creative vision, but my dislike for the man has increased. Might be a while before I can watch another Ford movie.
But through all the disappointments and heartbreak, Maureen still shined through, never losing faith, and as I was reading her book I could hear her voice like she was narrating it. She had some help with telling her story from John Nicoletti. He worked well with her, pulling everything together, and as she said at the beginning of the book, he helped her find her voice.
For the most part, I liked this book. She had unapologetic candor about how things were with her peers and what happened behind the scenes. She sure had her opinions and it was both fun and rather enlightening. I got frustrated with her sometimes, like how she handled certain situations (anything dealing with her second husband and John Ford), but as the book went on and she got older and wiser, she started to become the strong Maureen O’Hara I had always imagined her to be. Towards the end of the book, she reveals how Roddy McDowall once told her that she would never win an Oscar or even be nominated because Hollywood didn’t like her. She never found out why. I was so happy for her though when she finally did get her well deserved honorary Oscar in 2014, a year before she died. Hollywood finally came around. She was quite a lady who deserves more recognition than what she’s had.
November 27, 2011
Like most of your reviewers I did not expect much from this but it is brilliant in nearly every way. This is a seventeen year old star grown up. This particularly shows in her lack of insight into complex people. It shows how stars living the life of the adored are in a way blinded to others. Her co-writer deserves special mention- he is masterful.
A strong woman, and Irish Republican and no apologies like her cohorts in the Ford Stock Company, this is a book that will be read and studied as long as Ford films are understood and appreciated as the masterpieces they were.
She is generous where it us due and is not afraid to slap in the face those who are too vain to know their own frailties.
If only dirty money wasn't buried in Hollywood as much in the last forty years. Maybe then we would have more like her today. One small thing, it is truly charming for an old lady to be gracious to her friends of long standing- Lucille Ball for example. It is the kind of thing that makes this book so special.
And she never forgot where she came from, her Faith always came with her.
A strong woman, and Irish Republican and no apologies like her cohorts in the Ford Stock Company, this is a book that will be read and studied as long as Ford films are understood and appreciated as the masterpieces they were.
She is generous where it us due and is not afraid to slap in the face those who are too vain to know their own frailties.
If only dirty money wasn't buried in Hollywood as much in the last forty years. Maybe then we would have more like her today. One small thing, it is truly charming for an old lady to be gracious to her friends of long standing- Lucille Ball for example. It is the kind of thing that makes this book so special.
And she never forgot where she came from, her Faith always came with her.
February 10, 2008
This was also out of my Mom's library.
I have always loved Maureen O'Hara's spirited performances in her movies and was enthralled by her red hair (which I have always wanted).
Her book begins as a young girl and chronicles her acting career, her unfortunate marriage to an opportunist who was an abusive alcoholic, and her relationships with family and fellow actors. Maureen is an extremely intelligent, self-possessed woman who didn't know everything she needed to be able to make better decisions in her life. Her decisions were largely made for her by movie studios and others who saw opportunities to show her that they knew better than she about what was best for her (which was really best for them).
Her life story is compelling and helps to shed some real light into how hard the acting profession really is, and how unglamorous it can be.
I enjoyed reading it.
I have always loved Maureen O'Hara's spirited performances in her movies and was enthralled by her red hair (which I have always wanted).
Her book begins as a young girl and chronicles her acting career, her unfortunate marriage to an opportunist who was an abusive alcoholic, and her relationships with family and fellow actors. Maureen is an extremely intelligent, self-possessed woman who didn't know everything she needed to be able to make better decisions in her life. Her decisions were largely made for her by movie studios and others who saw opportunities to show her that they knew better than she about what was best for her (which was really best for them).
Her life story is compelling and helps to shed some real light into how hard the acting profession really is, and how unglamorous it can be.
I enjoyed reading it.
August 2, 2018
I LOVED THIS BOOK! What a classy lady! She has been a favorite actress of mine as long as I can remember and now I understand why. She gave as good as she got, kept quiet when she needed to and stood up for herself and others when it was the right thing to do. Loved her john Wayne and old Hollywood stories. The best part is that I finished it, quite accidentally, the day before her birthday and she was the Summer Under The Stars actress for 24 hours! A Must Read for any Classic Movie fan!
January 23, 2020
This was a fast read. Interesting to see behind the scenes in Maureen O'Hara's movies, her personality and that of the very famous actors she worked with. Much of the book is about the troubled relationship with John Ford. It's curious how she titled the book, given that Ford addressed her as 'Herself' when trying to put her down in public, which happened in all their films after 'The Quiet Man'. 'Yet he cast me in more films than any other of her leading ladies, so that will have to suffice as an answer for me.'
August 14, 2019
This "autobiography" contains very little insight into Maureen O'Hara. She is a woman filled with self-denial over her bad decisions, especially allowing men to walk all over her. If you think she's the feisty redhead that fights men in real life, think again. She allowed one man to force her into a teenage marriage minutes before she left for Hollywood the first time, then married a drunk even though she said on the way to the ceremony she was making a mistake, allowed him to physically abuse her without reporting it, failed to protect her child from him, and then suffered bizarre emotional torture from director John Ford without saying anything.
At least half the book is about Ford, which makes for pretty dull reading. He was a mean guy who she later discovered kissing an unnamed famous actor in his office. Even though there are a couple juicy stories in this book, she pulls punches and doesn't name names in most cases.
The exception is Walt Disney. Wow, does she throw him under the bus for being a horrible boss who threatened her when she wanted her contract enforced that her name come first in The Parent Trap. He was mad that she demanded three times what he offered to play the role. She says that then he stole the idea of Mary Poppins from her--she pitched the idea since it was her daughter's favorite books, soon Disney negotiated to acquire the rights without her getting credit. He even called her the B word on his death bed.
But a few fun stories do not a good book make. O'Hara says very little about herself, her having an affair while still married despite her claims of being a good Catholic, some of the bad career choices she made, or her private life. It's mostly bits and pieces about her movies or co-stars, and way too much about John Ford (who repeatedly mocked O'Hara with the "Herself" name that's in the book's title). Too bad she didn't dig deep and stop blaming the men in her life for her own failures to stand up for herself. Instead of feisty she comes across as a redheaded wimp.
At least half the book is about Ford, which makes for pretty dull reading. He was a mean guy who she later discovered kissing an unnamed famous actor in his office. Even though there are a couple juicy stories in this book, she pulls punches and doesn't name names in most cases.
The exception is Walt Disney. Wow, does she throw him under the bus for being a horrible boss who threatened her when she wanted her contract enforced that her name come first in The Parent Trap. He was mad that she demanded three times what he offered to play the role. She says that then he stole the idea of Mary Poppins from her--she pitched the idea since it was her daughter's favorite books, soon Disney negotiated to acquire the rights without her getting credit. He even called her the B word on his death bed.
But a few fun stories do not a good book make. O'Hara says very little about herself, her having an affair while still married despite her claims of being a good Catholic, some of the bad career choices she made, or her private life. It's mostly bits and pieces about her movies or co-stars, and way too much about John Ford (who repeatedly mocked O'Hara with the "Herself" name that's in the book's title). Too bad she didn't dig deep and stop blaming the men in her life for her own failures to stand up for herself. Instead of feisty she comes across as a redheaded wimp.
September 20, 2018
I enjoyed the ending - who would have thought that there would be a Gospel invitation?!?!
The actual book was good/interesting too. It's hard to swallow everything she said though. I don't know if John Ford was really as controlling/manipulative/malevolent as she said. It's just hard to believe! And I'm not going to read a bunch of other sources to find out.
Her marriage to Bill Price -- unforgivable. You look at her and you think "she's beautiful, famous, employed, she's got it all!" and then she goes home to an abusive man who is bleeding her dry. And then, her supporters/friends (John Ford) that she believes she can trust are using her for their own agenda.
I talked to my husband about this and he said "Well, think of all the #metoo movement. And that stuff is happening now! Imagine how much more difficult it was back then!" He's right and that's the reason that I'm going to completely accept her truth without quibble.
She's a tough lady and it's fun to see her on the screen. I enjoyed learning more of her life story but I'm going to limit my celebrity memoirs because it ruins the illusion. And I wouldn't have wished her life on anyone (the abusive parts). Wish it could have been better for her.
The actual book was good/interesting too. It's hard to swallow everything she said though. I don't know if John Ford was really as controlling/manipulative/malevolent as she said. It's just hard to believe! And I'm not going to read a bunch of other sources to find out.
Her marriage to Bill Price -- unforgivable. You look at her and you think "she's beautiful, famous, employed, she's got it all!" and then she goes home to an abusive man who is bleeding her dry. And then, her supporters/friends (John Ford) that she believes she can trust are using her for their own agenda.
I talked to my husband about this and he said "Well, think of all the #metoo movement. And that stuff is happening now! Imagine how much more difficult it was back then!" He's right and that's the reason that I'm going to completely accept her truth without quibble.
She's a tough lady and it's fun to see her on the screen. I enjoyed learning more of her life story but I'm going to limit my celebrity memoirs because it ruins the illusion. And I wouldn't have wished her life on anyone (the abusive parts). Wish it could have been better for her.
January 29, 2012
I've always had a respect for Ms. O'Hara as an actress. My favorite movie of all the ones she did with Duke Wayne is, of course, The Quiet Man. But in every movie they are in together has a special place in my heart because of their chemistry. You can tell without a doubt that they have a one of a kind friendship. This friendship also comes through in her autobiography "Tis Herself." Ms. O'Hara makes it clear that John Wayne's friendship with her was one of the most cherished parts of her life. The only other man who she loved even more was her beloved husband Charlie Blair. I loved this book so much I read it in exactly 4 days. And I'm certainly going to read it again because it was so good. I'd also highly recommend it to anyone who is a classic movie fan. Both Ms. O'Hara and Mr. Nicoletti managed to produce a truely memorable story of one of Hollywood's best loved movie actresses of all time!!!
March 29, 2018
Maureen O'Hara begins this book stating that she wrote it both to revisit her life but also to set the record straight before she passed away and couldn't refute incorrect information. This instantly drew me in because it told me that although she was a movie star who worked with lots of legends, she was also realistic and down to earth.
Included are stories about cantankerous John Ford, dear friend John Wayne, beautiful Tyrone Power, and kind Roddy McDowall among others.
"It's hard when you outlive most of the people who were closest to you. You count on them being there." O'Hara lived to be 95 years old, so her book covers a lot of ground, and a lot of personal changes. Her changing perspective makes her memoirs a notch above a simple chronology.
I read this with the Silver Screen Book Club.
Included are stories about cantankerous John Ford, dear friend John Wayne, beautiful Tyrone Power, and kind Roddy McDowall among others.
"It's hard when you outlive most of the people who were closest to you. You count on them being there." O'Hara lived to be 95 years old, so her book covers a lot of ground, and a lot of personal changes. Her changing perspective makes her memoirs a notch above a simple chronology.
I read this with the Silver Screen Book Club.
July 29, 2013
Maureen O'Hara has always been one of my favorite actresses. It was a treat to read this book and get to know her. This book has been sitting in my library for years. Wish I read it sooner. I don't want to give much away. It is too fun to read and discover so many interesting stories! Would not want to spoil that for anyone! I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in Maureen O'Hara and her work.
This book was wonderful. Great stories about her home and family in Ireland. Great stories about Hollywood. Insights into her friendships with The Duke and John Ford. Touching stories of her beloved husband Charlie Blair.
She was one of the great actresses. This book tells of how she was one classy, strong lady. Still is!
This book was wonderful. Great stories about her home and family in Ireland. Great stories about Hollywood. Insights into her friendships with The Duke and John Ford. Touching stories of her beloved husband Charlie Blair.
She was one of the great actresses. This book tells of how she was one classy, strong lady. Still is!
May 1, 2012
While I think a lot of Maureen O'Hara, this book showed me that even though she was/is a strong woman, she still made a lot of decisions that didn't make her life happy. Her association with John Ford, while a productive relationship work wise, was probably very detrimental to her personally. While reading about Ford I felt a darkness. It made me realize that putting actors and actresses (among others) on pedestals is something that we should take more care about doing. They are just people, nothing more special than any of the rest of us. What a frightening society Hollywood is.
September 11, 2019
4/5⭐️— I loved it! Maureen O’Hara has long been one of my favorite actresses, and her autobiography was perfect in every way. She was the fiery red head that we see in her movies, strong and confident and beautiful. I also especially loved reading about her long-time friendship with John Wayne. Anyone who likes reading about the Golden Age of Hollywood should read this book.
July 11, 2014
Loved this book. When you read it you could hear her talking it. So many things You don't know about this lovely film Icon, the film industry of yesteryear, the stars most of whom are gone. She relives the golden Age of Hollywood as only someone who has lived it can
July 25, 2008
Maureen O'Hara is a favorite actress of mine. I really enjoyed reading about her life in her own words.
March 26, 2023
A compelling read! Lots of old Hollywood gossip as can only be told by a feisty old lady who has outlived everyone and has zero "effs" to give. Enough grief, loss, and heartache to fill many lifetimes.
December 20, 2023
I have mixed feelings about this book.
Maureen O'Hara was always one of my grandfather's favorite actresses- he loved John Wayne films and thought Maureen was just great. I've always enjoyed her films as well, mostly having watched them with my grandfather before he passed. I even wanted to have red hair like her growing up! So, I eagerly read this book when I saw it at the library.
While her life and her career are interesting, this book is only okay in my opinion. For someone who made an entire career out of playing strong-minded women who didn't rely on men, O'Hara is definitely unlike most of the characters she played.
I think she may have had her screen persona confused with her real life, since she doesn't come always come across as very sensible, smart, or even likable in this book at times- especially when it came to some of the men in her life. According to this book, she was basically talked into her first marriage as a teenager, spent years married to a chronic alcoholic she says she never loved and stayed with for her daughter's sake, before finally finding love with her last husband though she claims she didn't love him until after they were married.
Why bother getting married in the first place if she never loved them? That seemed to contradict everything she wrote about herself being so tough and gruff.
She also talks about how director John Ford constantly tried to sabotage her career and her friendship with John Wayne- yet, she still seems loyal to Ford and constantly credits him with giving her a career! I was left scratching my head after reading that part.
Charles Laughton sounded like a very decent guy, and she was extremely grateful for him for having helped launch her career in film. She also speaks very highly of Errol Flynn, who she adored despite his constant drinking when they worked together. She also loved John Garfield, Tyrone Power, Anthony Quinn, John Forsythe, and Brian Keith, who was her co-star in The Parent Trap.
She also had very nice things to say about Lucille Ball, who she did a film with- surprisingly, she said, the woman who became famous as Lucy Ricardo (another redhead) was a very good dancer. She was devastated when Natalie Wood, played her daughter in Miracle on 34th Street, died after drowning.
She detested the actor George Montgomery, and did not have very good things to say about James Stewart either.
I also didn't like how she kept talking about how renowned she was for her beauty during her career. While she was certainly considered one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood during her career it seemed kind of arrogant to keep repeating it during the book.
Still, she definitely does not hold back about anyone she didn't like in this book, not that it means much, since most of the people she speaks about in this book were gone long before this book was published. She didn't care much for James Stewart (which was surprising to me, since I'd always read nice things about him from his co-stars), Joel McCrea, and especially detested George Murphy, who she only worked with on a film after another actor dropped out.
I never heard O'Hara sing, but apparently that is one area of her career she was disappointed by. She had a very good singing voice, but never really was able to capitalize on that. She lost the lead role in "The King and I" because the writers of the film believed she was too closely associated with pirate films and refused to cast her. She lost the part to Deborah Kerr, who didn't even sing in the film!
Fans of O'Hara would be better off watching her films and enjoying her acting rather than reading this book. It's kind of a disappointment.
Maureen O'Hara was always one of my grandfather's favorite actresses- he loved John Wayne films and thought Maureen was just great. I've always enjoyed her films as well, mostly having watched them with my grandfather before he passed. I even wanted to have red hair like her growing up! So, I eagerly read this book when I saw it at the library.
While her life and her career are interesting, this book is only okay in my opinion. For someone who made an entire career out of playing strong-minded women who didn't rely on men, O'Hara is definitely unlike most of the characters she played.
I think she may have had her screen persona confused with her real life, since she doesn't come always come across as very sensible, smart, or even likable in this book at times- especially when it came to some of the men in her life. According to this book, she was basically talked into her first marriage as a teenager, spent years married to a chronic alcoholic she says she never loved and stayed with for her daughter's sake, before finally finding love with her last husband though she claims she didn't love him until after they were married.
Why bother getting married in the first place if she never loved them? That seemed to contradict everything she wrote about herself being so tough and gruff.
She also talks about how director John Ford constantly tried to sabotage her career and her friendship with John Wayne- yet, she still seems loyal to Ford and constantly credits him with giving her a career! I was left scratching my head after reading that part.
Charles Laughton sounded like a very decent guy, and she was extremely grateful for him for having helped launch her career in film. She also speaks very highly of Errol Flynn, who she adored despite his constant drinking when they worked together. She also loved John Garfield, Tyrone Power, Anthony Quinn, John Forsythe, and Brian Keith, who was her co-star in The Parent Trap.
She also had very nice things to say about Lucille Ball, who she did a film with- surprisingly, she said, the woman who became famous as Lucy Ricardo (another redhead) was a very good dancer. She was devastated when Natalie Wood, played her daughter in Miracle on 34th Street, died after drowning.
She detested the actor George Montgomery, and did not have very good things to say about James Stewart either.
I also didn't like how she kept talking about how renowned she was for her beauty during her career. While she was certainly considered one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood during her career it seemed kind of arrogant to keep repeating it during the book.
Still, she definitely does not hold back about anyone she didn't like in this book, not that it means much, since most of the people she speaks about in this book were gone long before this book was published. She didn't care much for James Stewart (which was surprising to me, since I'd always read nice things about him from his co-stars), Joel McCrea, and especially detested George Murphy, who she only worked with on a film after another actor dropped out.
I never heard O'Hara sing, but apparently that is one area of her career she was disappointed by. She had a very good singing voice, but never really was able to capitalize on that. She lost the lead role in "The King and I" because the writers of the film believed she was too closely associated with pirate films and refused to cast her. She lost the part to Deborah Kerr, who didn't even sing in the film!
Fans of O'Hara would be better off watching her films and enjoying her acting rather than reading this book. It's kind of a disappointment.
June 25, 2017
I love this woman. I love her strength and tenacity and I love the way she told her story. She began, à la David Copperfield: I am born. In other words, she began at the beginning. O'Hara wasn't overly sentimental, nor did she allow herself to go too far beneath the surface, but, unless I'm mistaken, I think that just reflects her character and who she was as a person. She was very forthright and the things about herself she couldn't account for (i.e., her first marriage), she just chalked up to being some incomprehensible part of herself.
If you love old movies and old Hollywood at all, you'll like this memoir, if for no other reason than because O'Hara went in-depth about the making of many of her movies. She gave a good bit of detail into her experiences while making these movies, and brought those threads into her woven narrative about her real life. It was interesting to note when one affected the other, and when it didn't. Her professional relationships were wonderful to read about—and she rarely got gossipy, only did she occasionally directly address gossipy rumors . . . to dispel or give what information or opinion she had about it. She addressed rumors or tabloid nonsense about herself head on and related what really happened.
It was a wonderfully structured memoir that was difficult to put down. She will be missed greatly now that she's passed, but we (of course) have her movies with her enchanting face staring back at us through the decades.
If you love old movies and old Hollywood at all, you'll like this memoir, if for no other reason than because O'Hara went in-depth about the making of many of her movies. She gave a good bit of detail into her experiences while making these movies, and brought those threads into her woven narrative about her real life. It was interesting to note when one affected the other, and when it didn't. Her professional relationships were wonderful to read about—and she rarely got gossipy, only did she occasionally directly address gossipy rumors . . . to dispel or give what information or opinion she had about it. She addressed rumors or tabloid nonsense about herself head on and related what really happened.
It was a wonderfully structured memoir that was difficult to put down. She will be missed greatly now that she's passed, but we (of course) have her movies with her enchanting face staring back at us through the decades.
August 25, 2010
I really like Maureen O'Hara. More than one of her movies is among my favorites. It was kind of funny, while I was in the middle of reading this book a marathon of her best movies ran on TCM. I didn't watch all of them, but it was interesting to get a glimpse of some of the movies she talks about making. While it's an interesting memoir overall there is nothing shocking revealed. While Maureen O'Hara would class herself as anything but typical, I have to say it's a rather typical Hollywood story. I have to give her props for standing up for her convictions or morals or whatever you want to call them. She says that she refused to appear on screen smoking or drinking, especially when she was younger, and after thinking about it I don't recall her characters ever smoking, not really drinking, and never being suggestive or trashy. I was a bit surprised at the amount of cussing she does throughout the book. It is kind of funny; one doesn't expect that from an older lady. I would not say she's humble, but she certainly is real. That's part of her appeal.
As for the writing ... she started out strong but by then end I was getting bored with her style. Also seemed like toward the end her narrative no longer flowed well. She deals with a lot of death (John Ford, John Wayne) toward the end, so maybe that's why.
As for the writing ... she started out strong but by then end I was getting bored with her style. Also seemed like toward the end her narrative no longer flowed well. She deals with a lot of death (John Ford, John Wayne) toward the end, so maybe that's why.
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