Product Description

In an acting career of more than seventy years, Hollywood legend Maureen O'Hara came to be known as "the queen of Technicolor" for her fiery red hair and piercing green eyes. She had a reputation as a fiercely independent thinker and champion of causes, particularly those of her beloved homeland, Ireland. In 'Tis Herself, O'Hara recounts her extraordinary life and proves to be just as strong, sharp, and captivating as any character she played on-screen.

O'Hara was brought to Hollywood as a teenager in 1939 by the great Charles Laughton, to whom she was under contract, to costar with him in the classic film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She has appeared in many other classics, including How Green Was My Valley, Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, and Miracle on 34th Street. She recalls intimate memories of working with the actors and directors of Hollywood's Golden Age, including Laughton, Alfred Hitchcock, Tyrone Power, James Stewart, Henry Fonda, and John Candy. With characteristic frankness, she describes her tense relationship with the mercurial director John Ford, with whom she made five films, and her close lifelong friendship with her frequent costar John Wayne. Successful in her career, O'Hara was less lucky in love until she met aviation pioneer Brigadier General Charles F. Blair, the great love of her life, who died in a mysterious plane crash ten years after their marriage.

Candid and revealing, 'Tis Herself is an autobiography as witty and spirited as its author.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #312638 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Film legend O'Hara (b. 1920) and her collaborator, Nicoletti, have assembled a delightful anecdotal autobiography. She calls it "the tale of the toughest Irish lass who ever took on Hollywood and became a major leading lady of the silver screen." Born in a Dublin suburb, Maureen FitzSimons was a child radio actress, joined the Abbey Theater at age 14 and was cast in two major films before she was 19. After Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn (1939) came The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), launching her career of 60 films. Many were top productions, yet O'Hara never received an Oscar nomination: "Hollywood would never allow my talent to triumph over my face." She recalls highlights and hurdles, including confrontations with stars and directors, commenting, "I have acted, punched, swashbuckled, and shot my way through an absurdly masculine profession during the most extraordinary of times." With her hazel-green eyes and red hair, O'Hara was dubbed "Queen of Technicolor," but yearned for more than "decorative roles." During her lengthy friendships with John Wayne and director John Ford, she saw "the darker side of John Ford, the mean and abusive side." In concluding chapters, she writes about her TV appearances as a vocalist, the mysteries surrounding the death of her husband, Brig. Gen. Charles F. Blair and her life in the Virgin Islands, where she ran an airline (Antilles Air Boats) and became publisher of Virgin Islander magazine. Hollywood's heyday returns to life in this revealing, insightful memoir. O'Hara treats readers like close friends, and her powerful personality is evident throughout. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
John Wayne called her the "greatest guy he ever knew." She matched wits with Errol Flynn and traded barbs with Rex Harrison. Now 83, O'Hara looks back on her lengthy and legendary career in a captivating chronicle of Hollywood's heyday. O'Hara was known for her shimmering red hair and smoldering green eyes, and by looks and talents coincided with the advent of Technicolor movies, yet from Rio Grande to The Quiet Man, the roles she played on screen often mirrored her off-stage persona: tough, courageous women trying to survive in, as she puts it, an "absurdly masculine" world. Highly principled and high-spirited, O'Hara would go toe-to-toe with the tabloids and knock heads with studio brass. Throughout it all, she remained a woman of both physical and moral strength and integrity. In an open and sincere look back at a tumultuous career that spanned more than six decades, from London's Abbey Theatre to the Great White Way, O'Hara tells her own story as only she can: honestly, frankly, and unapologetically. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"A great page-turner, a well-told saga."

-- The Hollywood Reporter

"This feisty memoir shows there's more to O'Hara than red hair and green eyes."

-- Kirkus Reviews

"Lots of revealing, candid moments from inside Hollywood."

-- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"A delightful anecdotal autobiography....O'Hara treats readers like close friends, and her powerful personality is evident throughout."

-- Publishers Weekly

Customer Reviews

Maureen O'Hara
I am a big fan of Miss O'Hara's and enjoyed reading about her life. I was quite surprised about what she had to say about John Ford. Who knew? I think a lot of people will get their money's worth out of this one.

"I believed I would set the world on fire."
I always enjoyed Maureen O'Hara in movies such as "McLintock!" and "The Parent Trap." Not only was she stunningly beautiful, she had a very likeable, intelligent, and spirited image. Her autobiography gives detailed accounts of her family, movies, and the ups and downs of her love life, and is definitely a fun ride.

Born to a prominent Irish family, Maureen knew from the age of five that she would be someday be a great actress. Charles Laughton discovered her on the stage and brought her to Hollywood to co-star in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" when she was still in her teens, and she continued to make films for sixty years. She speaks reverently of the film, "The Quiet Man" and of her friendship with John Wayne, but severely criticizes many others such as John Ford, Walt Disney, James Stewart, and Errol Flynn. If you're looking for juicy gossip, it's all here, as well as heartbreaking personal revelations. O'Hara does come off a bit egostistical at times, but her loyal fans will enjoy this book, which contains many personal and professional photos.

'Tis herself" rings true!
I just finished reading Maureen O'Hara's autobiography and enjoyed it. It had a ring of truth throughout and without flinching. The "gossip" it contained regarding old Hollywood and other stars, I found to be truthful and not acerbic.
I think that anyone who has ever watched an old performance of Maureen's would get a good idea of what was going on behind the scenes by reading this book. Her descriptions of the movie business and day to day trials she endured in a time when women were, well, little more than figureheads gives us insight in how far we have come as women and yet how far we have to go.
I found Maureen's story of her 2 unhappy marriages, one latin lover and finally a happy but brief marriage to be very honest. It also is a parallel of the times she lived in and the system she was part of.
Her story also gives us insight on some of the silver screen greatest performers and helps us understand them as real people; not just larger than life characters on the screen.
I would recommend this book to others who are interested in this period of movie history and in learning more about a very interesting woman.