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| O'Hara and her mentor Charles Laughton during filming of Jamaica Inn. |
Today we say farewell to one of the very last of the great Hollywood stars of the golden era, Maureen O'Hara at the ripe age of 95. Her long career and life are to be celebrated, not mourned.
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| The Queen of Technicolor in Sinbad the Sailor. |
O'Hara was known as The Queen of Technicolor, you have to admit, it looked good on her. She shone as the often fiery wench against the likes of a handsome rogue's gallery as Tyrone Power, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Errol Flynn and most often paired and sparred with John Wayne.
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| O'Hara with Tyrone Power in The Black Swan |
She matched her wits and fists in many of these films. She could wield a sabre with the best of them in the cheesiest of swashbucklers.
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| with Walter Pidgeon in John Ford's How Green was My Valley. |
She also showed incredible depth and grace in what is probably my favorite, John Ford's sentimental and wonderful
How Green Was My Valley.
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| As Esmeralda in 1939's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. |
After much politicking, she was awarded an honorary Academy Award in November 2014 and appeared (to riotous applause and acclaim) at the TCM film festival. I am sure these events made her happy, though the accolades arrived almost too late.
She still has many many fans and her legacy of films will win new fans for generations to come. Rest well Irish lass, I'm sure many friends are there to meet you.
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