CELEBRITY ADS: MAUREEN O'HARA

 As the holidays are approaching, it was always important for the classic Hollywood ladies to look their best, Here is screen beauty Maureen O'Hara and a 1947 advertisement showing Max Factor lipstick....

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: MORE CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day, and classic Hollywood is no different. Here are some pictures of some great St. Patrick's Day poses. I spotlighted some Irish inspired photos in 2017. You can see that photo gallery HERE. Here are some different great pics...

Maureen O' Hara

Fred Astaire

Adele Mara

Jimmy Cagney and Joan Leslie

Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins and Mary Ann Jackson

Greer Garson

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day, and to celebrate the wearing of the green, here are some excellent pictures of classic Hollywood celebrating...

JUNE HAVER

CLARA BOW

ARLENE DAHL

OLGA SAN JUAN

MAUREEN O'HARA

LUCILLE BALL

THE PASSING SCENE OF 2015

It is hard to believe that the year 2015 is in the past now. As with every year, we have lost some great people in the entertainment world. Although this is not a complete list, I want to highlight some of the major people we lost this past year. They are gone but never forgotten...

Christopher Lee

Legendary actor Christopher Lee died of heart failure on June 7th at the age of 93. He was an English actor, singer and author. With a career spanning nearly 70 years, Lee initially portrayed villains and became best known for his role as Count Dracula in a sequence of Hammer Horror films. Lee's first film for Hammer was The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), in which he played Frankenstein's monster, with Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein. It was the first film in which Lee and Cushing were co-stars, and ultimately appeared together in over twenty films and became close friends.His other film roles include Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) and The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014), and Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus in the final two films of the Star Wars prequel trilogy (2002 and 2005) and Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008).

Television actor Al Molinaro died on October 30th at the age of 96. He was known for his television sitcom roles as Al Delvecchio on Happy Days from 1974 to 1984 and Murray Greshler on The Odd Couple from 1970-1975. He also starred in TV commercials for On-Cor frozen dinners for 16 years.

Actor Rod Taylor died of a heart attack at the age of 84 on January 8th. Taylor's big breakthrough came with his starring turn in The Time Machine, director George Pal's 1960 adaptation of the H. G. Wells 1895 sci-fi classic.He also played the heroic Mitch Brenner in Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 classic The Birds, coming to the aid of Tippi Hedren, and he starred opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in another 1963 release, The V.I.P.s. Most recently, he played Winston Churchill in Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds (2009).

Television actress Marjorie Lord died on November 28th at the age of 97. She played Kathy "Clancy" Williams, opposite Danny Thomas's character on Make Room for Daddy from 1956 to 1964 and later Make Room for Granddaddy from 1970 to 1971.She also appeared sporadically in movies, and she played opposite Bob Hope in the comedy Boy, Did I Get A Wrong Number in 1966.

Leonard Nimoy

Actor Leonard Nimoy died of  chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on February 27th at the age of 83. In 1965, he made his first appearance in the rejected Star Trek pilot The Cage, and went on to play the character of Mr. Spock until 1969, followed by eight feature films and guest slots in the various spin-off series. More recently, he also had a recurring role in the science fiction series Fringe. He played the elder Spock in the 2009 Star Trek movie and reprised the role in a brief appearance in the 2013 sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness.

Actor Louis Jourdan died on February 14 at the age of 93. He was a French film and television actor. He was known for his suave roles in several Hollywood films, including The Paradine Case (1947), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), Gigi (1958), The Best of Everything (1959), The V.I.P.s (1963) and Octopussy (1983).

Television actress Donna Douglas died at the age of 81 on January 1st of pancreatic cancer. She was known for her role as Elly May Clampett in CBS's The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971). Following her acting career, Douglas became a real estate agent, a Gospel singer and inspirational speaker, and authored books for children and adults.

Director and writer Wes Craven died on August 30th at the age of 76. He was best known for creating the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise featuring the Freddy Krueger character, directing the first installment and Wes Craven's New Nightmare, and co-writing A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors with Bruce Wagner. Craven also directed all four films in the Scream series, and co-created the Ghostface character. Some of his other films include The Hills Have Eyes, The Last House on the Left, Red Eye and My Soul to Take.

Singer and actress Monica Lewis died at the age of 93 on June 12th. With the help of Benny Goodman she began to establish her career through nationally broadcast shows such as The Revere Camera Show and Beat the Band. In 1947 Lewis started providing the singing voice for "Miss Chiquita Banana," a cartoon television commercial character. In 1948 she appeared in the first ever Ed Sullivan Show, and she later appeared in some 1970s disaster films such as Earthquake (1974), Rollercoaster (1977), and both Airport '77 (1977) and The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979).

Joan Leslie

Actress Joan Leslie died on October 12, 2015 at the age of 90. She was a dancer and vaudevillian who, during the Hollywood Golden Age, appeared in such films as High Sierra (1941) , Sergeant York (1941) and Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) - all before the age of 20. Her last film was The Revolt of Mamie Stover in 1956, but she remained active in appearances at various classic movie conventions.

Movie producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. died of heart failure at the age of 88 on January 9th. Mr. Goldwyn was credited with giving Julia Roberts her big break in Mystic Pizza in 1988.  His final producing credit came in December of 2013 with the release of  The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, starring and directed by Ben Stiller, a remake of one of his father’s biggest hits. His father was studio mogul Samuel Goldwyn (1879-1974).

Singer Lesley Gore died of cancer on February 16th at the age of 68.  At the age of 16, in 1963, she recorded the pop hit "It's My Party", and followed it up with other hits including "Judy's Turn to Cry" and "You Don't Own Me". Gore also worked as an actress and composed songs with her brother Michael Gore for the 1980 film Fame, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award.

Actor James Best died of pneumonia at the age of 88 on April 6th. He was an American actor, who in six decades of television is best known for his starring role as bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the CBS television series The Dukes of Hazzard from 1979 to 1985. He also worked as an acting coach, artist, college professor, and musician. His last role was in the TV movie, The Sweeter Side of Life in a 2013.

Sex symbol Anita Ekberg died of undisclosed causes on January 11th at the age of 83. Anita was a Swedish-born Italian actress, model, and sex symbol. She is best known for her role as Sylvia in the Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life, 1960), which features a scene of her cavorting in Rome's Trevi Fountain alongside Marcello Mastroianni.

Actress Coleen Gray died on August 3rd at the age of 92. She was best known for her roles in the films Nightmare Alley (1947), Red River (1948), and Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956). A film noir beauty, she could also play light hearted roles like the role of Bing Crosby's love interest in the 1950 Frank Capra musical Riding High.

Actor Gary Owens died at the age of 80 on February 12th. He will be best remembered as the announcer for the TV series "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" from 1968 to 1973. His popularity and distinctive voice was suited well for animated TV programs such as "Space Ghost" (1966), "Yogi's Space Race" (1978), as well as many others.

Lizabeth Scott

Actress Lizabeth Scott died of heart failure at the age of 92 on January 31st. Scott was known for her deep voice and smoky sensual looks. After performing the Sabina role in the first Broadway and Boston stage productions of The Skin of Our Teeth, she emerged internationally in such film noirs as The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946),  Dead Reckoning (1947)  Desert Fury (1948)  and Too Late for Tears (1949). No other actress has appeared in more film noir. Of her 22 feature films, she was leading lady in all but one. In addition to stage and radio, she appeared on television from the late 1940s to early 1970s.

Character actor Robert Loggia died on December 4th. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Jagged Edge (1985). Other notable appearances include An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), Scarface (1983), Prizzi's Honor (1985), Big (1988), Independence Day (1996), and Lost Highway (1997), as well as television series such as The Sopranos. Despite suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, Loggia continued to make movies through this year.

Actress Anne Meara died on May 23rd at the age of 85. Along with her husband Jerry Stiller, she was half of the Stiller and Meara comedy team. They gained national attention during the 1960s with the aid of numerous appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show". Highly versatile, she experienced an extensive career on stage and was the recipient of an Obie Award for her performance in "Madchen in Uniform" (1955). She was the mother of actress Amy Stiller and actor Ben Stiller.

Actor Dean Jones died at the age of 84 on September 1st. Jones was an American actor best known for his light-hearted leading roles in several Walt Disney films between 1965 and 1977, such as The Love Bug (1968). Jones also originated the role of Bobby in Stephen Sondheim's Company. Jones also appeared in a small role as Director of Central Intelligence Judge Arthur Moore in the film adaptation of Tom Clancy's Clear and Present Danger (1994), which starred Harrison Ford.

Music producer and historian Ken Barnes died on August 4th at the age of 82. Ken produced a series of successful records that Bing Crosby made in the 1970s. In 1974, he convinced Johnny Mercer to record a two-disk collection of Mercer singing Mercer - with Johnny selecting his own favorites. These were the last recordings made by Mercer before his death in 1976. He was also the founder and CEO of The Laureate Company, a music and movie restoration company.

Maureen Stapleton

Actress Maureen O'Hara died at the age of 95 on October 24th. From an early age, she wanted to become an actress and took lessons. She was given a screen test, which was deemed unsatisfactory, but Charles Laughton saw something in her when he later saw it. He arranged for her to co-star with him in the Alfred Hitchcock 1939 British film Jamaica Inn. She also co-starred with him in the Hollywood production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, released the same year.  She made a number of films with John Wayne – the actor with whom she is most closely associated – and director John Ford, often both together in the same production, including The Quiet Man (1952). She also starred in swashbucklers such as The Black Swan (1942), opposite Tyrone Power, and Sinbad the Sailor (1947), with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., as well as the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947), with John Payne, Natalie Wood, and Edmund Gwenn.

May these great entertainers and all of the people we have lost in 2015 rest in peace and may their contributions to the world never be forgotten...

RIP: MAUREEN O'HARA

Maureen O'Hara, the flame-haired Irish movie star who appeared in classics ranging from the grim "How Green Was My Valley" to the uplifting "Miracle on 34th Street" and bantered unforgettably with John Wayne in several films, has died. She was 95. O'Hara died in her sleep at her home in Boise, Idaho, said Johnny Nicoletti, her longtime manager.

"She passed peacefully surrounded by her loving family as they celebrated her life listening to music from her favorite movie, 'The Quiet Man,'" said a statement from her family.

"As an actress, Maureen O'Hara brought unyielding strength and sudden sensitivity to every role she played. Her characters were feisty and fearless, just as she was in real life. She was also proudly Irish and spent her entire lifetime sharing her heritage and the wonderful culture of the Emerald Isle with the world," said a family biography.

O'Hara came to Hollywood to star in the 1939 "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and went on to a long career.

After her start in Hollywood with "Hunchback" and some minor films at RKO, she was borrowed by 20th Century Fox to play the beautiful young daughter in the 1941 saga of a coal-mining family, "How Green Was My Valley."

"How Green Was My Valley" went on to win five Oscars including best picture and best director for John Ford, beating out Orson Welles and "Citizen Kane" among others. It was the first of several films she made under the direction of Ford, who grouchy nature seemed to melt in her presence.

The popularity of "How Green Was My Valley" confirmed O'Hara's status as a Hollywood star. RKO and Fox shared her contract, and her most successful films were made at Fox.

They included "Miracle on 34th Street," the classic 1947 Christmas story in which O'Hara was little Natalie Wood's skeptical mother and among those charmed by Edmund Gwenn as a man who believed he was Santa Claus.

Other films included the costume drama "The Foxes of Harrow" (Rex Harrison, 1947); the comedy "Sitting Pretty" (Clifton Webb, 1948); and the sports comedy "Father Was a Fullback" (Fred MacMurray, 1949).

With Ford's "Rio Grande" in 1950, O'Hara became Wayne's favorite leading lady. The most successful of their five films was the 1952 "The Quiet Man," also directed by Ford, in which she matched Wayne blow for blow in a classic donnybrook.

She was also in "Spencer's Mountain" with Henry Fonda (1963), a precursor to TV's "The Waltons"; and a Western, "The Rare Breed," with James Stewart (1966).

In 1968, she married her third husband, Brig. Gen. Charles Blair. After "Big Jake," she quit movies to live with him in the Virgin Islands, where he operated an airline. He died in a plane crash in 1978.

"Being married to Charlie Blair and traveling all over the world with him, believe me, was enough for any woman," she said in a 1995 Associated Press interview. "It was the best time of my life."

She returned to movies in 1991 for a role that writer-director Chris Columbus had written especially for her, as John Candy's feisty mother in a sentimental drama, "Only the Lonely." It was not a box-office success.

Over the following decade, she did three TV movies: "The Christmas Box," based on a best-selling book, a perennial holiday attraction; "Cab to Canada," a road picture; and "The Last Dance."

While making "The Christmas Box" in 1995, she admitted that roles for someone her age (75), were scarce: "The older a man gets, the younger the parts that he plays. The older a woman gets, you've got to find parts that are believable. Since I'm not a frail character, it's not that easy."

Maureen FitzSimons was born in 1920 near Dublin, Ireland. Her mother was a well-known opera singer, and her father owned a string of soccer teams. Through her father, she learned to love sports; through her mother, she and her five siblings were exposed to the theater.

"My first ambition was to be the No. 1 actress in the world," she recalled in 1999. "And when the whole world bowed at my feet, I would retire in glory and never do anything again."

She is survived by her daughter, Bronwyn FitzSimons of Glengarriff, Ireland; her grandson, Conor FitzSimons of Boise and two great-grandchildren...

MAUREEN O' HARA LEAVING THE SPOTLIGHT

One of the most beauty actresses to ever be captured on film was the Irish born Maureen O'Hara. What a beauty she was! Despite failing health, She kept her promise to her fans. Screen star Maureen O’Hara traveled from Boise, Idaho, to Winterset, Iowa last weekend to honor fellow Hollywood legend John Wayne in his birthplace.

A John Wayne museum and learning center and museum is planned for the Iowa town, and the project now has the best possible blessing from O’Hara, who made five movies with the late actor, including the iconic “The Quiet Man.” Wayne was born in Winterset on May 26, 1907.

It was O’Hara’s first ever visit to Winterset, and it was also billed as her last large scale public appearance. O’Hara was greeted by fans during the weekend as the town featured O’Hara and Wayne films in its movie theater.

“I hope they don’t forget,” O’Hara said of the well wishers.

“If they forget me, I might get mad at them, because I am still here,” the 92-year-old actress said.

O’Hara lived in West Cork for a number of years, but is now settled in Idaho close to family members. She has been embroiled in a bitter fight with her old assistant. She has accused her ex-assistant of elder abuse. Ms O'Hara has filed papers in New York seeking the return of files on her assets and finances from lawyer Howard Gibbs. The 'Daily News' in New York reported that court documents in relation to the issue have already been filed in Manhattan.

Her family insisted she was happier since her move to the US and was considering writing a book to outline her reasons for quitting Ireland.

"Maureen is being bombarded with offers and gets requests to attend events every day," said her nephew Charlie Fitzsimons.  "If it was up to her, she would be attending most things. . . But we have to be more selective about what she attends now because she is 92 and these things are exhausting.

"She is in good health and is living in what is called a senior family home where she has two or three girls looking after her and giving her 24/7 care. She is also receiving occupational and physical therapy -- in fact, the only thing slowing her down is her diabetes. She is incredible". According to her family, it is important for her to leave the spotlight on her own terms and not when she is being carried off. After years of film making, the red haired beauty deserves that much...

SOURCE

MAUREEN O'HARA LEAVES IRELAND

Maureen O’Hara has found peace in Idaho – but still has a place in her heart for Ireland and Hollywood. After a bitter legal struggle with a former personal assistant back in Cork, O’Hara has settled into a new life in Boise staying with her grandson Conor FitzSimons and as a great-grandmother to his two kids. Allegations of elder abuse and financial mismanagement by her personal assistant Carolyn Murphy was made which Murphy strongly denied.

In a statement last summer in Glengarrif,Cork where she then lived O’Hara stated “Discoveries give me grave concern regarding the handling of my affairs . . . Carolyn Murphy’s no longer my personal assistant.”

Murphy replied “I have done nothing wrong . . . I didn’t take any money” and she strongly denied allegations of elder abuse. ”

The 92-year-old screen legend has revealed her contentment in her new home in a moving interview with the Idaho Statesman.

And even now, as she relaxes in the company of her great-grandchildren, O’Hara finds time for some self critique as ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ fills the seasonal screens again.

As they watched the 1947 classic, she told Bill Roberts from the paper: “How did I do that? Why didn’t I pay attention? Oh, I did a good job with that scene.”

O’Hara is now living in a purpose built new home in Idaho after her only grandson Conor FitzSimons brought her back from Ireland. She is reticent to talk about the dispute with her former PA but plans to write a book on the experience.

Her New York based lawyer Ed Fickess explained: “Maureen took steps to discharge the power of attorney, then fended off a second power of attorney and took steps to be reunited with her family, especially her grandson.”

The report says that her recently built Boise home is dotted with memorabilia from her more than a half-century in film including a poster from 1955’s ‘The Magnificent Matador’ co-starring Anthony Quinn, and a photo of John Wayne, with whom she made five movies.

Roberts reports that when O’Hara talks about her new hometown, she sometimes uses both city and state: Boise, Idaho. “Funny thing,” she said, “when you are in the picture business, you don’t learn a thing by the one name.

“Scripts must tell the audience exactly what location you are talking about. People say, ‘Oh, this is my town ... and they tell their neighbors you better go see that movie because we get credit for our town. The most important part of showing a movie is to please the public.”

Recalling her childhood in ‘Dirty’ Dublin, O’Hara admitted she sees similarities between the city of her birth and her new home.

“I see cows and sheep along the roadside in the Treasure Valley and it reminds me of home,” she told Roberts...

SOURCE

MAUREEN O'HARA FIRES ASSISTANT

The west Cork village of Glengarriff is famous for two things: the lush vegetation that flourishes in its balmy Gulf Stream and its most exotic flower, the legendary Hollywood actress Maureen O'Hara, who made it her home many years ago.

In recent months, the climate has chilled thanks to a rather poisonous fallout from a dispute over the elderly actress's affairs.

Under an unpleasant spotlight is Carolyn Murphy, whom she personally entrusted with power of attorney over her personal affairs. Until recently Ms O'Hara, the flame-haired beauty who tamed John Wayne in The Quiet Man, robustly defended her friend, dismissing reports of elder abuse that found their way into the press. But, since her family told her of concerns they had about Ms Murphy's handling of her affairs, the 91-year-old actress mustered all her trademark feistiness to rail against her former friend.

Last Thursday week, the actress called a press conference at the Eccles Hotel in Glengarriff which she said was to "set the record straight". Reporters, conscious of the stories that have swirled in recent months, gathered in the function room wondering what it was all about. She made her entrance in a wheelchair, pushed by her grandson Conor Beau Fitzsimons, 42, who lives in Idaho. By her side was Pablo O'Neill, the long-standing family accountant who is based in the US Virgin Islands, and Ed Fickess, an American tax lawyer and newly recruited as adviser to Ms O'Hara.

From her wheelchair, she beamed at a couple of reporters and asked: "Did Ireland win the match last night?" The reporters were confused. The European Championships had finished weeks ago. What match was she talking about? Then she revealed the reason why she had gathered them all there: it was to clear up the "rumours" and the "false information" about her personal life and the Maureen O'Hara Foundation that was to be her legacy to Glengarriff.

In a prepared statement, she said had recently made "discoveries" that caused her "grave concern" over Ms Murphy's handling of her affairs and had revoked her power of attorney.

She was "profoundly disappointed" at how her "original dream" for the foundation had been "so distorted". She demanded that Ms Murphy hand over all financial records to her accountant. In conclusion, she noted that the "silver lining" in the turmoil was her family -- previously isolated from her and now restored.

Afterwards, she answered questions with more of that famed feistiness. She wasn't just upset, she said, she was "damned upset".

What exactly Ms Murphy was accused of was not clear, but the insinuation of impropriety in the carefully worded statement was enough to leave her reputation well and truly challenged. Ms Murphy, who had no forewarning of the press conference, issued a short and dignified statement through a spokesperson that said she was, and would remain, a true and loyal friend of Ms O'Hara's.

But she was so stung by what she said were utterly unfounded allegations against her, that last week she felt compelled to speak publicly.

So on Thursday morning, Ms Murphy, 71, sat nervously in the living room of her restored farmhouse on the outskirts of Ballylickey, a village near Bantry, preparing to give her account of this sorry saga. Her husband, Bill, sat in an armchair nearby and her son, Brendan, served coffee and cakes. "They have annihilated my name in this community," she said. "I am just not capable of this kind of thing. I can tell you with all my heart and soul, I have not done anything wrong. I would never hurt Maureen."

Carolyn and Bill, both Americans, had what she called an "international family". They lived in Brazil and later Germany, and moved to Ireland in the Seventies, six young children in tow. "We loved it. The kids loved it. We decided that this would be a better place to raise the children, so we moved here and stayed here," she said.

Their friendship deepened over the years. Ms Murphy described herself as a "speech therapist cum housewife" but she also ran an Italian restaurant in the Nineties and volunteered with local projects. She met Ms O'Hara at a local environmental awareness project in Bantry in 1978.

It was the year the actress's husband died and she lived between America and her stunning home, Lundine, in Glengarriff.

According to Ms Murphy, they just clicked. "We just had an affinity to one another. I wasn't star struck. She didn't know who I was. But, you know, you just look someone in the eyes -- and we just clicked.

"She'd always come in June and go home before October. She'd always have family around her and I had a lot of children too. We were very busy but we'd always manage to have a lunch together or a dinner together and just talk about real-life things, not movies, or anything. We were just friends.

"When I had the restaurant, she would come two or three times a week. I was really, really busy those years. But we still managed to get time together. She spent a lot of time in the house with us. We've been very, very close friends since then."

According to Ms Murphy, their friendship became even closer in 2004 when Ms O'Hara, who was then in her early 80s, asked her for help. That day, Ms O'Hara dispatched her daughter and her carer out for lunch.

"She said, can we have a sandwich or something here, Carolyn. I need help and I don't know who to turn to. We sat down and she said: 'I have signed some papers. I've changed my will and I've changed my trust'."

Ms O'Hara said she wasn't happy with the changes.

Ms Murphy said she agreed to help. She flew with Ms O'Hara to the US where she re-instated the original will and trust.

Two years later, in 2006, she said Ms O'Hara, who due to her health was advised against foreign travel, asked her to accept power of attorney over her affairs. Ms Murphy is bound by confidentiality from discussing what she did for Ms O'Hara, but as a successful Hollywood actress, Ms O'Hara's financial interests are complex.

Entrusted with power of attorney, Ms Murphy said she carried out Ms O'Hara's instructions. They met on Fridays at Ms O'Hara's house. They called it "business day".

"We talked about what needed to be done. I never did anything without asking Maureen first. I never spent a penny without asking her," said Ms Murphy.

She said she was paid €500 "every now and again" to cover her expenses, but wouldn't take payment.

"I really have to say on behalf of Maureen, at least three times a year for the last eight years she has offered me wages, which I continually turned down," she said.

According to Ms Murphy, her involvement in Ms O'Hara's affairs was accepted by her family. There was some occasional tension. Things became fraught, however, after Ms Murphy returned from a business trip to New York, in her capacity as Ms O'Hara's attorney.

After that, she said, her relationship with Ms O'Hara's family deteriorated but she could not elaborate. "I am in a strange position. My hands are tied because of the confidentiality of my position."

In April, Ms O'Hara's nephew, Charles Fitzsimons, made a complaint about her over elder abuse to the health authorities. The family believed the elderly actress was being worked too hard, and attended too many functions. A social worker followed up on the complaint, interviewing Ms O'Hara for two-and-a-half hours, and later Ms Murphy. Ms O'Hara dismissed the claims, and signed a statement saying she was happy to do public appearances and with Ms Murphy as her attorney. The HSE social worker concluded that no harm had been done to Ms O'Hara.

Ms O'Hara said as much when that story reached the newspapers: "There is nothing scandalous about us or our behaviour, or what we are trying to do."

But the allegations against Ms Murphy became far more serious. At the end of May this year, the actress's long-standing family accountant, Pablo O'Neill, and an American attorney, visited Glengarriff to look into the actress's affairs. And according to Ms Murphy, rumours and gossip began circulating about her in the village, although she was never formally accused of anything.

Ms Murphy said she last spoke to Ms O'Hara in late May and Ms O'Hara seemed supportive of her.

Soon after, lawyers acting on Ms O'Hara's instructions wrote to tell Ms Murphy that her power of attorney had been revoked. Ms Murphy has refused to accept this. She hired a solicitor, Frank Buttimer, and plans to go the High Court in order to have her position legally clarified.

Why would Ms Murphy just not walk away?

She said: "I am honour-bound," adding that she is holding on to her papers, as her "proof" that she has done nothing wrong.

Although old friends, Ms Murphy and Ms O'Hara have not been out together since late May.

"Friday nights were our date nights. Bill picked Maureen and I up at her house on Friday nights, and she got dressed up beautiful for him. She just loved Bill Murphy. I think her heart must be broken right now. She had her own little corner in Casey's Hotel. We say she's holding court," said Ms Murphy.

"What was so nice about it was that families came in, with their children, and stopped to say hello to her, and touch her hand. Groups came down from Dublin, men playing golf, they were in there drinking their pints and they would come over and talk to her and sing to her. She spent two hours every Friday night with us in there, and she was a queen and she just thrived on it. And she called it date night."

Later on Thursday, Frank McCarthy, who runs an accountancy practice in Bantry, called to the Murphys' home in Ballylickey. He is chief executive of the Maureen O'Hara Foundation, and said he was "flabbergasted" when the actress claimed her "dream" had been "distorted".

"I met her in 2009 and I had a long chat with her. If I was going to take over formulating this foundation and making sure that the foundation stones were laid correctly, I asked every question in the book of Maureen to make sure I understood her dream," he said.

He incorporated the foundation in 2010, with the primary purpose of setting up an acting and film academy for children and young people in Glengarriff, with memorabilia displayed to boost local tourism. Cork County Council provided the site in Glengarriff; it has two awards ceremonies and a Classic Film Festival under its belt. It has no assets, little income and will be financed by fundraising.

Mr McCarthy completed a detailed business plan -- for which he charged no fee -- in February, which he talked through in detail with Ms O'Hara.

He said: "I was personally flabbergasted because there was no way I saw this coming from this business plan and two years of my work. I never saw that coming. It's out of the blue. It's like a bolt of lightning to me.

"This is her dream and I'm involved with it two-a-half years. This is her dream."

He does not believe the stories about Ms Murphy either.

"I think it is disgraceful to go for trial by media. I do not believe them. I am working two-and-a-half years with Carolyn and her reputation and professionalism is impeccable."

Others in the community have also rallied to Ms Murphy's support, including Fr Pat Coughlan, a Holy Ghost priest who has known the Murphys since their time in Brazil: "That Carolyn's generosity has been misconstrued is a travesty."

Speaking from Los Angles, Charlie Fitzsimons, Ms O'Hara's nephew, said the family had concerns about expenditure and claimed there wasn't enough consultation about Ms O'Hara with family members. He said his family wanted to conduct an audit of her affairs. As for the foundation, he claimed it was outrageously ambitious and far from Ms O'Hara's original idea of a small museum in Glengarriff.

Ms Murphy rubbished these claims, saying she was accountable not only to Ms O'Hara but to her team of advisers for every penny that was spent. Records, which she was prepared to submit to the High Court, would vindicate her, she said.

When business decisions had to be made, she consulted only Ms O'Hara and her advisers, because she considered her affairs confidential.

Mr McCarthy was equally dismissive: "Maureen has spoken to me about what she wanted. Her legacy is not a museum. Her legacy is all about children," he said. "The foundation was a separate entity charged with fulfilling Maureen's dream. If we had decisions to make, I would ask Maureen."

Mr Fitzsimons said he now holds co-power of attorney over Ms O'Hara's affairs.

Ms O'Hara, he said, was very well but worried about all that had happened: "On a personal note, I would like to see a quick and peaceful resolution to this and we can all get on with our lives."

At the centre of this unpleasant affair is a woman nearing the end of her life who now faces the prospect of having to prove her competency before a court of law as accusations swirl about her former friend.

Mary Twomy, a retired teacher who lives in Bantry and has known her since 1984, stills visits her at her home in Glengarriff. "Maureen's welfare is very important to me and my family," she said.

"I can see the difference in Maureen since Carolyn has taken over. I saw a massive change in Maureen's demeanour, and her quality of life. She was alive, and content and had peace of mind. You couldn't but notice the difference."

UPDATE JANUARY 2013: You read more news on Maureen O'Hara here. She has left Ireland and is now living in Idaho.

SOURCE

JOHN WAYNE BIRTHPLACE REMEMBERS QUIET MAN

The John Wayne Birthplace, in Winterset, Iowa, will be celebrating the legendary actor's birthday with a lavish salute to the enduring 1952 film classic, "The Quiet Man" over two days.

In addition to big screen presentations of the film at Winterset's vintage Iowa Theatre, the weekend will include a plethora of celebrations.

These will include:

- the Midwest premiere of the Loopline Film documentary "Dreaming The
Quiet Man" by Dublin director Se Merry Doyle
- live stage performances of "Maurice Walsh's The Quiet Man" by Frank Mahon
- the Inisfree Race Meet (a 5K run/walk)
- breakfast at the Winterset firehouse
- traditional Irish music at the Little Dublin Irish Pub
- guided tours of the John Wayne Birthplace home
- "Pie Squared," a pie tasting event on the historic Courthouse square,
- corned beef and cabbage at the Pheasant Run tavern
- a special Birthplace Museum Benefit Dinner and auction
-rides on an authentic horse-drawn Irish jaunting car like the one featured in “The Quiet Man”.

Hailed as director John Ford's greatest triumph, the "The Quiet Man" stars John Wayne as an American boxer who, after accidentally killing an opponent in the ring, returns to his Irish birthplace to forget his troubles. Instead he falls in love with the fiery Maureen O'Hara and their ensuing onscreen romance became a Hollywood legend.

The picture received Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Cinematography. But the real star of the picture, according to O'Hara, is Ireland itself, a fact not lost on organizers of this event.

The original Quiet Man story was written by popular Irish author Maurice Walsh and, using the same source material, Chicagoan Frank Mahon wrote an award-winning stage adaptation of the tale, "Maurice Walsh's The Quiet Man." Mahon's play has been presented throughout the United States and Ireland and will be performed by The Winterset Stage theater company throughout the weekend.

The documentary "Dreaming The Quiet Man" includes interviews with Maureen O'Hara, John Wayne's daughter Aissa, directors Martin Scorsese and Peter Bogdanovich and surviving bit players in Ireland who worked in the film. Much of the documentary takes place at the actual sites in Ireland where "The Quiet Man" was filmed 60 years ago and where very little has changed.

A highlight of the celebration will be a Benefit Dinner program ($100 per person) to help raise funds for the planned John Wayne Birthplace Museum. Hosted by the actor's daughter, Aissa Wayne, the evening will include traditional Irish food, a performance of music from "The Quiet Man" score, an auction of "Quiet Man" collectibles and memorabilia and a performance by the acclaimed Shannon Rovers pipes and drums.

The celebrations are set to take place on 25th and 26th May. For further details on the event and dinner reservations visit the John Wayne Birthplace website...

SOURCE

MOVIE SHOWCASE: MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET

I remember seeing the original MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET as a child, and I really believed that Edmund Gwenn was Santa Claus. MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET is a 1947Christmas film written by Valentine Davies, directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn. It is the story of what takes place in New York City following Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, as people are left wondering whether or not a department store Santa might be the real thing. Because of its Christmas theme, the film has become a perennial Christmas favorite.

The film won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Edmund Gwenn), Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies) and Best Writing, Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Picture, losing to Gentleman's Agreement.

Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is indignant to find that the person (Percy Helton) assigned to play Santa in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is intoxicated. When he complains to event director Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), she persuades Kris to take his place. He does such a fine job that he is hired to be the Santa for Macy's flagship New York City store on 34th Street.

Ignoring instructions to steer parents to goods that Macy's wants to sell, Kris tells one shopper (Thelma Ritter) to go to another store for a fire engine for her son that Macy's doesn't have. She is so impressed, she tells Julian Shellhammer (Philip Tonge), head of the toy department, that she will become a loyal customer. Kris later informs another mother that archrival Gimbels has better skates for her daughter.

Fred Gailey (John Payne), an attorney and neighbor of Doris, is babysitting the young divorcee's six-year-old daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) and takes her to see Kris, who makes an impression on the young girl. When Doris finds out,she asks Kris to tell Susan that he really isn't Santa Claus, but Kris surprises her by insisting that he is.

Fearing that he may be insane, Doris decides to fire him out of a concern that he might harm someone. However, Kris has generated so much good publicity and customer goodwill for Macy's that a delighted R. H. Macy (Harry Antrim) promises Doris and Shellhammer generous bonuses. To overcome Doris's misgivings, Shellhammer proposes getting Granville Sawyer (Porter Hall) to give Kris a "psychological evaluation". Kris easily passes the test, but antagonizes Sawyer by questioning Sawyer's own psychological health.

The store expands on the marketing concept. Anxious to avoid looking greedy by comparison, Gimbels implements the same referral policy throughout its entire chain, forcing Macy's and other stores to respond in kind. Eventually, Kris accomplishes the impossible: Mr. Macy shakes hands with Mr. Gimbel (Herbert H. Heyes).

Pierce (James Seay), the doctor at Kris's nursing home, assures Doris and Shellhammer that Kris's delusion is harmless. Meanwhile, Fred offers to let Kris stay with him so he can be closer to work. Kris makes a deal with Fred – he will work on Susan's cynicism while Fred does the same with the disillusioned Doris, still bitter over her failed marriage.

Then Kris learns that Sawyer has convinced a young, impressionable employee, Alfred (Alvin Greenman), that he is mentally ill simply because he is generous and kind-hearted (Alfred plays Santa Claus at his neighborhood YMCA). Kris confronts Sawyer and, in a fit of anger, raps him on the head with his cane. Doris and Shellhammer only see the aftermath; Sawyer exaggerates his injury in order to have Kris confined to Bellevue Mental Hospital.

Tricked into cooperating and believing Doris to be part of the deception, a discouraged Kris deliberately fails his mental examination and is recommended for permanent commitment. However, Fred persuades Kris not to give up. To secure his release, Fred gets a formal hearing before Judge Henry X. Harper (Gene Lockhart) of the New York Supreme Court. Ordered by Mr. Macy to get the matter dropped, Sawyer pleads with Fred not to seek publicity. To Sawyer's dismay, Fred thanks him for the idea. As a result, Judge Harper is put in an awkward spot – even his own grandchildren are against him for "persecuting" Santa Claus.

Fred quits his job at a prestigious law firm to defend Kris and has a falling out with Doris, who calls his resignation an "idealistic binge" over some "lovely intangibles." He replies that one day she might discover that they are the only worthwhile things in life.

At the hearing, District Attorney Thomas Mara (Jerome Cowan) gets Kris to assert that he is in fact Santa Claus and rests his case, believing he has prima facie proven his point. Fred stuns the court by arguing that Kris is not insane because he actually is Santa Claus – and he will prove it. Mara requests the judge rule that Santa Claus does not exist. Harper is warned privately in chambers by his political adviser, Charlie Halloran (William Frawley), that doing so would be disastrous for his upcoming reelection bid. The judge buys time by deciding to hear evidence before ruling.

Fred calls R.H. Macy as a witness. Mara pointedly asks if he really believes Kris to be Santa Claus. Macy starts to equivocate, but when Mara asks him point-blank, Macy remembers the expressions on the faces of small children upon seeing Kris and firmly states, "I do!" On leaving the stand, Macy fires Sawyer. Fred then calls Mara's own young son to the stand. Thomas Mara Jr. testifies that his father had told him that Santa was real and that "My daddy would never tell a lie!" Outmaneuvered, Mara concedes the point.

Mara then demands that Fred prove that Kris is "the one and only" Santa Claus on the basis of some competent authority. While Fred searches frantically, Susan, by now a firm believer in Kris, writes him a letter to cheer him up, which Doris also signs. A mail sorter (Jack Albertson) sees that it is addressed to the courthouse and realizes that the post office could clear out the many letters to Santa taking up space in its dead letter office by delivering them to Kris.

Kris is uplifted by Susan's letter. Just then, Fred learns that over 50,000 pieces of mail have been delivered to Kris. He presents Judge Harper with three letters addressed only to "Santa Claus", which the U.S. Post Office (which was then a Cabinet-level department of the federal government) has just delivered to Kris. When Harper demands that Fred produce "further exhibits", the judge is soon hidden behind many bags of letters. Harper rules in favor of Kris. Afterwards, Doris invites Kris to dinner, but he reminds her that "It's Christmas Eve!"

On Christmas morning, Susan is disillusioned because Kris was unable to get her what she told him she wanted most. As they are about to leave, Kris gives Fred and Doris a route home that will supposedly avoid traffic. Along the way, Susan is overjoyed to see the house of her dreams (exactly matching the drawing she had given Kris earlier) with a For Sale sign in the front yard. Fred learns that Doris had encouraged Susan to have faith, and suggests they get married and purchase the house. He then boasts that he must be a great lawyer, since he managed to do the seemingly impossible. However, when he notices a cane leaning against the fireplace that looks just like the one Kris used, he wonders "Maybe I didn't do such a wonderful thing after all."

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: MAUREEN O'HARA

In my opinion, I think Maureen O'Hara was one of the most beautiful actresses to ever come out of Hollywood. Maureen was born Maureen Fitzsimons in 1920 in Ireland. The famously red-headed O'Hara has been noted for playing fiercely passionate heroines with a highly sensible attitude. She often worked with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne. Her autobiography, 'Tis Herself , was published in 2004.

Her first major film was Jamaica Inn (1938) directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Charles Laughton was so pleased with O'Hara's performance that he cast her in the role of Esmeralda opposite him in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), which was to be filmed at RKO Studios in Hollywood that same year. After the successful completion of Hunchback, World War II began, and Laughton, realizing their studio could no longer film in London, sold O'Hara's contract to RKO. That studio cast her in low-budget films until she was rescued by director John Ford, who cast her as Angharad in How Green Was My Valley, which won the 1941 Academy Award for Best Picture.

Six years later, in 1947, she made what is perhaps her best-remembered film, starring as Doris Walker and the mother of a young Natalie Wood in 20th Century Fox's Miracle on 34th Street, which, despite being released in May, has become a perennial Christmas classic, with a traditional network television airing every Thanksgiving Day on NBC. The film also helped to further establish O'Hara's career after the film garnered several awards, including an Academy Award Nomination for Best Picture.

In 1939, at the age of 19, O'Hara secretly married Englishman George H. Brown, a film producer, production assistant and occasional scriptwriter whose best known work is the first of Margaret Rutherford's 1960s Miss Marple mysteries, Murder She Said. The marriage was annulled in 1941. Later that year, O'Hara married American film director William Houston Price (dialog director in The Hunchback of Notre Dame), but the union ended in 1953, reportedly as a result of his alcohol abuse. They had one child in 1944, a daughter named Bronwyn FitzSimons Price. Bronwyn has one son, Conor Beau FitzSimons, who was born on September 8, 1970. From 1953 until 1967 O'Hara had a relationship with Enrique Parra, a Mexican politician and banker. She wrote in her autobiography ; "Enrique saved me from the darkness of an abusive marriage and brought me back into the warm light of life again. Leaving him was one of the most painful things I have ever had to do."

She married her third husband, Charles F. Blair, Jr., on March 12,1968. Blair was a pioneer of transatlantic aviation, a former Brigadier General of the U.S. Air Force, and a former Chief Pilot at Pan Am. A few years after her marriage to Blair, O'Hara for the most part retired from acting. Blair died in 1978 when an engine of a Grumman Goose he was flying from St. Croix to St. Thomas exploded. She was elected CEO and President of Antilles Airboats with the added distinction of being the first woman president of a scheduled airline in the U.S. Later she sold the airline with the permission of the shareholders.

O'Hara remained retired from acting until 1991, when she starred in the film Only the Lonely, playing Rose Muldoon, the domineering mother of a Chicago cop played by John Candy. In the following years, she continued to work, starring in several made-for-TV movies, including The Christmas Box, Cab for Canada and The Last Dance, the latter her last film to date, released in 2000.

Now officially retired, she has homes in Arizona and the Virgin Islands but lives mainly in Glengarriff, County Cork.

UPDATE AUGUST 2012...Maureen O' Hara has made news again. She is enbroiled in a battle with her assistant, whom she fired. Allegations of elder abuse and mismanagement has come out. You can read more of the story HERE. The article also includes an updated picture of Ms. O'Hara from this year...

UPDATED JANUARY 2013...Maureen is now living in Idaho. You can read more of the update HERE. There is also a picture with her grandson and her two great grandchildren...

UPDATE JUNE 2013...Maureen is leaving the spotlight. Poor woman has had a hard couple of years. You can read the update HERE.

UPDATE OCTOBER 2015...Legendary actress Maureen O'Hara has passed away at the age of 95. You can read about it HERE.

MOVIE TRAILER: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

Here is the movie trailer for the classic 1939 film THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. It is hard to believe this film is 71 years old. It starred Charles Laughton and the beautiful Maureen O'Hara. It is truly a classic film...