John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara are two legends of Hollywood’s Golden Age who starred in five movies together, the most acclaimed of which is John Ford’s 1952 classicThe Quiet Man. Wayne and Irish actor O’Hara first worked together in Ford’s Western romanceRio Grandetwo years earlier, when their on-screen chemistry quickly became apparent. But it was only withfollow-up collaborationThe Quiet Manthat their acting partnership really came into its own.
The film features a rare comic turn from Wayne as Irish-American boxer “Trooper Thorn” Thornton, who moves to rural Ireland to manage his family’s homestead. O’Hara plays Thornton’s love interest, whose brother he must fight in one ofJohn Wayne’s best fight scenesto win her hand in marriage. The Duke trades in his usual Stetson hat for a peasant’s flatcap, and his whiskey flask for “one of those black beers,” as he calls them. Meanwhile, O’Hara gives the only performance of her careerset in her native Ireland.
The Quiet Man Was John Wayne & Maureen O’Hara’s Best Movie Together
It Took Risks Their Other Films Didn’t
The parochial setting ofThe Quiet Mandiverges from the sweeping depictions of the American West and contemporary warfare with which John Ford is synonymous as a director. At the same time, it invokes the small-town charm of his1941 Oscar-winnerHow Green Was My Valley, in which Maureen O’Hara also played the female lead for her first major Hollywood role. It’s this setting, combined witha performance from Wayne which reveals surprisingly versatile acting chops, that sets the movie apart from the four others starring the pair.
A rousing pub rendition of the Irish folk song “Wild Colonial Boy” typifies the film’s authentic portrayal of Ireland’s customs and traditions. This commitment to realismhas earnedThe Quiet Manthe only Rotten Tomatoes score above 80%for any Wayne-O’Hara collaboration, as well asFord’s fourth Oscar for Best Director.
Every Movie Starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara
75%
91%
40%
57%
Big Jake(1971)
John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara’s other moviesfollowmore risk-averse cinematic formulas, withRio Grandeeffectively painting the romantic war western by numbers and 1971’sBig Jakeleaning heavily into Wayne’s long-established curmudgeonly cowboy. Elsewhere,The Wings of Eaglesmore than earns its parodic reference in the satirical Coen Brothers filmHail, Caesar!, and the 1963 crowdpleaserMcLintock!ultimately serves to demonstrate that Wayne and O’Hara weren’t really cut out for exploitation cinema.
Why John Wayne & Maureen O’Hara Were Such A Great Onscreen Pairing
O’Hara Could Handle the Duke’s Big-Screen Charisma
Nevertheless, there’s a reason why John Ford’s two favorite lead actors straddledthree decades and four genres together on the big screen. O’Hara could match Wayne’s on-screen charisma like few other female actors at the time, while their compatibility for physical comedy is particularly evident inThe Quiet Man.
Likewise, when it comes to romance, the pair offer upan easy mix of tension and reparteethat beliesWayne’s legacy as a gun-toting hardman of Western adventure stories. “Who gave you leave to be kissing me?” O’Hara’s heroine Mary Kate Danaher demands of him inThe Quiet Man. For once, the Duke defers to a woman’s strength of will, and O’Hara, in turn, opens up a tender side to him seldom seen across his half-century in cinema.
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.
