John Wayne is best known for his roles in Westerns and war movies, but in 1952, he appeared in one of his best films, a romantic drama calledThe Quiet Man. Based on aSaturday Evening Poststory by Maurice Walsh, bothJohn Wayne and John Fordwanted to make this movie, but the studios balked at the subject matter. Finally, Republic Pictures agreed to let Ford and Wayne make the movie, but only if they agreed to make another Western,which ended up asRio Grande.It worked, and the two men finally got to makeThe Quiet Man.
Maureen O’Hara joined Wayne in the castof this romantic drama as the leading lady, Mary Kate Danaher. The movie had Wayne star as Sean Thornton, a retired boxer who goes to Pittsburgh to buy his old family farm. When he arrives, he falls in love with Mary Kate but soon finds himself in the crosshairs of her cruel brother, Red Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen). The movie won John Ford his fourth Oscar for Best Director. Much of the film’s success wasthanks to the pairing of Wayne and O’Hara.
Maureen O’Hara Claimed To Be The Only Leading Lady “Tough Enough” For John Wayne
Maureen O’Hara Points To Why She Was The Only Person Who Could Match Up To John Wayne
John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara made five movies together. WhileThe Quiet Manwas their best effort, they also appeared together inRio Grande(1950),The Wings of Eagles(1957),McLintock!(1963), andBig Jake(1971). WhileRio Grandewas their first time working together, they quickly rebounded withThe Quiet Manand made history with the only romantic drama of the five releases.
McLintock! (1963)
Big Jake (1971)
George Sherman, John Wayne
Scott Allen Nollen wrote about the two actors in his bookThree Bad Men: John Ford, John Wayne, Ward Bond.The author revealed what Maureen O’Hara said about shootingThe Quiet Manwith John Wayne. She discussed a scene in the film where Wayne’s Sean Thornton demanded a dowry for O’Hara’s Mary Kate Danaher. When her brother balked at it, Wayne dragged Mary Kate around and threw her away from him. No stunt double was used, and O’Hara took the fall herself.
“Why were Duke and I so electric and our love scenes together? I was the only leading lady big enough and tough enough for John Wayne. Duke’s presence was so strong that when audiences finally saw him meet a woman of equal hell and fire, it was exciting and thrilling… I always gave as good as I got, and it was believable. So during these moments of tenderness… audiences saw for a half second that he had finally tamed me - but only for that half second.”
Why John Wayne & Maureen O’Hara’s Onscreen Partnership Was So Successful
Wayne & O’Hara Were Extremely Close In Real Life
After appearing in five movies together, no couple in a John Wayne movie was more iconic than his partnership with Maureen O’Hara. What made them so special together was simply that they were the closest of friends outside the films.O’Hara met Wayne thanks to John Ford, who introduced them during the casting ofRio Grande.They quickly became friends. O’Hara’s grandson, Conor Beau Fitzsimons, said (viaCloser):
“She got a reputation as one of the boys… I think my grandma didn’t like when men hit on her too much. When she wanted to socialize, drink, and just be Maureen, she knew that Duke always had her back. They would have been friends first, and most of the Duke’s dames were not his friends. I think that night might have cemented their friendship.”
In the bookMaureen O’Hara: The Biography, author Aubrey Malone wrote that John Wayne had made comments about Maureen O’Hara and their relationship:
“There’s only one woman who has been my friend over the years, and by that, I mean a real friend, like a man would be. She’s big, lusty and absolutely marvelous, definitely my kind of woman. She’s a great guy. I’ve had many friends, and I prefer the company of men. Except for Maureen O’Hara.”
When John Wayne died in 1979, Fitzsimons said, “That’s the only time I had ever seen my grandmother cry. She didn’t really cry when her husband died. But when Duke died, she cried.” However, in the same interview, he said that Wayne and O’Hara could never share the same relationship in real life as they did in movies likeThe Quiet Man. “She was way too strong for him.They would never have been a good couple.”
Sources:Three Bad Men: John Ford, John Wayne, Ward Bond, Maureen O’Hara: The Biography,Closer
The Quiet Man
Cast
The Quiet Man is a 1952 romantic drama directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne as a retired boxer who returns to his Irish roots. Set in the idyllic countryside, the film follows his attempts to reclaim his family’s homestead while pursuing a romance with a spirited local woman played by Maureen O’Hara. Known for its vivid scenery and cultural depiction, the film explores themes of identity and tradition.
