Mar 29, 2011

Book Review: "'Tis Herself" by Maureen O'Hara (and John Nicoletti)

Maureen O'Hara

Once my mom told me that she was impressed of Maureen's reaction in the documentary Directed by John Ford. She said that when Maureen was asked about the famous director, she cried, but she noticed that not only out of sadness but out of anger too. 
I had seen that documentary, and yes, her reaction wasn't normal. Now I know why. She cried out of a mixture of sadness and anger and nostalgia and powerlessness. Because John Ford was a man that was beyond the word complex. He was COMPLEX with capital letters, underlined and italic. His picture should illustrate the 'complex' entry in the dictionary. I know this because I finished 'Tis herself, the incredibly engaging autobiography by Maureen (FitzSimons) O'Hara, the great Irish actress with the read hair.
She and John Nicoletti managed to write a book that surprises you. Surprises you not only because the episodes they chose to include are were very well picked, but because you get to know Maureen herself. If you haven't read this book yet and you still picture her only as the fierce woman she played in most of her films, well you'll be shocked.
And you'll be shocked, because even when she doesn't fully admit it, men and life overpassed her. She had one failed marriage (if you can call that way the bond between a boy and a girl that said "yes, I do" and never see each other again), then another marriage that left only one good thing for her: her daughter. At this point, the image of Maureen the untouchable, the one you had seen in movies like Against all flags starts to succumb. And then her vulnerability strikes you.
This book contains one of the most violent episodes ever: her alcoholic second husband, the one that left their home and came back when he wanted, the one that hired prostitutes with her money because he didn't work, the same that decided to change houses every two minutes and pick every time a more expensive one, that same guy, drunk of course, kicks Maureen on her stomach. She was pregnant. Eight months pregnant. And then she continued living with him for years, before assuming that she was freaking scared of what he might do to their daughter.
So, you see, it wasn't very easy to read things like that. It wasn't easy either to read the difficult/marvelous times she lived with John Ford. Pappy, as she called him, allowed her to live some of her greatest moments as a performer, but also feel utterly miserable. According to Miss O'Hara, he was a man that could praise you one moment and the next make fun of you or call you a bitch in front of a crowd. He did the craziest things -- including campaigning against her winning the Oscar-- the kind of things that make you wonder if you're the only normal person living on Earth. But they adored each other. And they hated each other. They suffered.
Scan from the book. It contains many interesting pictures.

AND OF COURSE, there are hundreds of anecdotes and great stories about her life in Ireland with her wonderful family and her life in America, the movies she did and how she did them. You get to know a bit more about how things worked in Hollywood, for example, the way the studio forced her to take stupid roles (well, I knew that). You get to know a bit more about Classic actors and directors (want names? Well, right now come to my mind James Stewart, Natalie Wood, Linda Darnell, Lucille Ball, Errol Flynn, Alfred Hitchcock...). Charles Laughton and John Duke Wayne are the two she most talk of. The first, her mentor, the one who gave her her first film role, the one who wanted to adopt her; the second, of course, her pal and greatest friend. 
The Quiet Man has a full, amazingly interesting chapter (you read the ending the other day); and you also know more about the making of films like The Parent Trap and Miracle on 34th Street. I like the way she openly discusses every topic, from her sicknesses and fears to her suspicion that the love her life --her third husband pilot Charles Blair-- was murdered (I don't want to tell you about this, you need to read this book). I like the way she swears and how she makes fun of herself. I like the way Maureen O'Hara decided not to talk about her child or grandchildren. My only tiny, tiny complain is that at some points I would have a edited a bit more the text, because I felt that they repeated the same words in the same paragraph (yes, I know, I have some nerve...). End of the complain.
So, you see, I said that the image of the strong, untouchable Maureen starts to succumb when you read how much she was hurt by close people during her life. But it doesn't fully succumb. Because she was a brave woman that could face the American government and demand that her Irish heritage was acknowledge; she could face one of the most nasty gossip magazines and make them pay; she could be on a set and do her own dangerous stunts.

'Tis herself doesn't shatter her legendary cinematic image. Just makes this woman, who plans to live till she's 102, more human. And that fact, in Maureen O'Hara's case, is priceless.

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    13 comments:

    1. I really enjoyed this book when I read it last fall. Maureen O'Hara is not only breathtakingly beautiful but such a genuinely interesting person. When she so tenderly talks about John Wayne's passing ... I had tears.

      Great review, Clara!

      ReplyDelete
    2. Oh My God.
      She's so beautiful!
      I think that book is fantastic. (And the price is the best)
      Congratulations for the post!

      Thanks for visiting, you are always welcome!

      See you soon.

      ReplyDelete
    3. That is so sad that Maureen was mistreated by her husband! She seems to be a very amazing person, and it was interesting just to read this review and learn more about her. I bet the book is even better.

      ReplyDelete
    4. Joder! Estoy impresionado con esta reseña de la biografía. Menuda vida!
      Y cómo cambian las cosas.
      Una vez leí un reportaje en algún dominical y salía alguna frase de ella diciendo que su marido (que pilotaba o algo así) era lo que el John Wayne de las pelis. Igual me equivoco y lo decía otra actriz, pero me da que era Maureen. Y ahora leo aquí lo del hijodeputa que le pegó estando embarazada de ocho meses y... bueno.
      Y luego lo de Ford, haciendo campaña contra ella. De verdad que...
      Cuando he puesto la anécdota de los dos Johns en mi blog y la gente venía con..."qué buenos los dos"... me he mordido un poco la lengua...pero Ford fue bastante más cabrón en esa relación. Era bastante tirano y algunas anécdotas demostraban que no tenía la clase que el Wayne demostró en aquella anécdota.
      Sabía de este libro porque en un estudio de Tag Gallagher, comentaba la anécdota (y le daba toda la credibilidad) que aparece en el libro cuando Ford se está besando con un actor un día que ella entró en las oficinas. (Un amigo piensa que podría ser Tyrone Power...)
      En fin... Sigo demasiados-demasiados blogs... pero bueno, que esta entrada me ha dejado a cuadros. Buenísima. Procuraré pasar cuando pueda. Y esa foto de Maureen no la conocía.
      Un saludo.

      ReplyDelete
    5. Me encantaria hacerme con éste libro. Por lo que puedo entender es bastante "jugoso" incluido todo eso de sus experiencias con maridos y familia y ¡cómo no ! la relación amor-odio con John Ford. No es la 1ª vez que leo cosas chunga sobre él pero parece ser que entre amigos se lo perdonaban.
      ¡ Me encanta Mauren ante todo ! Es la maravillosa Mary Kate de esa genial pelicula The Quiet Man...ya por eso merece la pena que trabajara con el maestro y su amigo Wayne con el que se llevaba bastante mejor.

      Saluditos :-)

      ReplyDelete
    6. Brandie: Yeah, the way she describes John Wayne's passing is really touching...I mean, the way she felt that the fog would take him and everything...so emotive! Oh, and thank you :)

      Rubi: Thanks! Yeah, totally, the book is great and really affordable...I love visiting your blog, you always have interesting things to read/hear. Que esteja bem :)

      Audrey: Of course the book is 1,000 times better, you should totally read it :) And yes, the fact that she was mistreated by her second husband was really shocking and sad. Thanks for stopping by :)

      David: Sí, John Ford estaba algo trastornado, quien entiende que un año la golpee en la cara de la nada (!!) y en los próximos años le mande cartas de amor (ella creía que de verdad era el proceso creativo de Ford, es decir, que no se las estaba mandando a ella sino que a Mary Kate de "The Quiet Man")...Y sí, casi me caí de la silla cuando leí la parte del beso con un actor, de verdad no tenía idea y fue muy sorpresivo! No sé si será Tyrone Power, Maureen lo menciona en varias partes y de ser él yo creo que lo habría dicho directamente...(cuento aparte: el otro día estaba leyendo un post sobre Tyrone, en el que se mencionaba el rumor de que era gay....y una de las hijas, Romina (!!!) posteó diciendo que eso no era cierto)...
      Bueno, gracias por los halagos, y espero verlo de nuevo por aquí :)

      Abril: Y deberías conseguirlo, Abril! Muy entretenido, muy sorprendente e interesante. Y sí, John Wayne fue su gran amigo y sus diferencias eran normales y pasajeras, en cambio con Ford la cosa se ponía bien rara (hasta él la golpeó una vez!)...Cuenta cada cosa rara que hacía el hombre que sería bien largo de contar, pero una de ellas es que hizo pelearse a Maureen y Wayne durante un año diciéndole a cada uno que el otro hablaba mal de él/ella (ay la gramática española)... y cuando por fin se encararon, se dieron cuenta que ninguno de los dos había dicho nada del otro, y que el "old son of a bitch" como ella le dice, había mentido...Y esta anécdota es de las menos graves...Te lo recomiendo, de verdad :)

      ReplyDelete
    7. Reading this book made me adore her more. She was very open in the book and honest. Genuine.

      ReplyDelete
    8. Anne: I agree with you :) Thanks for stopping by!

      ReplyDelete
    9. Anne: I agree with you :) Thanks for stopping by!

      ReplyDelete
    10. Anne: I agree with you :) Thanks for stopping by!

      ReplyDelete
    11. Reading this book made me adore her more. She was very open in the book and honest. Genuine.

      ReplyDelete
    12. Joder! Estoy impresionado con esta reseña de la biografía. Menuda vida!
      Y cómo cambian las cosas.
      Una vez leí un reportaje en algún dominical y salía alguna frase de ella diciendo que su marido (que pilotaba o algo así) era lo que el John Wayne de las pelis. Igual me equivoco y lo decía otra actriz, pero me da que era Maureen. Y ahora leo aquí lo del hijodeputa que le pegó estando embarazada de ocho meses y... bueno.
      Y luego lo de Ford, haciendo campaña contra ella. De verdad que...
      Cuando he puesto la anécdota de los dos Johns en mi blog y la gente venía con..."qué buenos los dos"... me he mordido un poco la lengua...pero Ford fue bastante más cabrón en esa relación. Era bastante tirano y algunas anécdotas demostraban que no tenía la clase que el Wayne demostró en aquella anécdota.
      Sabía de este libro porque en un estudio de Tag Gallagher, comentaba la anécdota (y le daba toda la credibilidad) que aparece en el libro cuando Ford se está besando con un actor un día que ella entró en las oficinas. (Un amigo piensa que podría ser Tyrone Power...)
      En fin... Sigo demasiados-demasiados blogs... pero bueno, que esta entrada me ha dejado a cuadros. Buenísima. Procuraré pasar cuando pueda. Y esa foto de Maureen no la conocía.
      Un saludo.

      ReplyDelete
    13. Oh My God.
      She's so beautiful!
      I think that book is fantastic. (And the price is the best)
      Congratulations for the post!

      Thanks for visiting, you are always welcome!

      See you soon.

      ReplyDelete

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