Maureen O’Hara once admitted that she and John Wayne had to get a scene from The Winner perfect on the first take, otherwise director John Ford would have “hung them by their toes.”
The famous film, which tells the story of a boxer who returns to his native Ireland to buy the old family farm, helped to shape an image of Ireland in American popular culture that has endured into modern times.
“The Conqueror”, which focuses on the relationship between Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne, is regularly praised as one of the best and most significant Irish films of all time.
Despite their on-screen chemistry, O’Hara and Wayne were under enormous pressure to pull off the film’s famous cemetery scene in a single take.
“It’s everything that happens, right down to the hug and the kiss,” O’Hara wrote in her memoir, “Tis Herself: A Memoir.”
“We had to do it in one take because our clothes were soaking wet when we finished. If we missed it, our costumes had to be cleaned, dried and ironed.
“Our hair had to be washed, dried and restyled. Makeup had to be reapplied. These things took many hours and cost thousands and thousands of dollars per take. We did it in one.”
The subsequent kissing scene was shot in a separate take, O’Hara hinted in her memoirs.
She said she enjoyed the “electrifying” chemistry with Wayne because she was the “only leading lady who was big and strong enough” for him.
O’Hara also revealed that her performance in the cemetery scene was praised by fans of The Victor decades after the film’s release.
O’Hara’s memoir provides insight into her experiences in the film industry, her relationships with fellow actors and directors, and her personal life. She talks about her roles in classic films such as The Winner and Miracle on 34th Street, as well as her interactions with well-known figures such as John Wayne and John Ford.
Critics and readers appreciated the book’s candid and engaging style of storytelling. O’Hara’s strong personality and ability to share both her successes and challenges resonated with readers, offering a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood’s golden era. The memoir also sheds light on the struggles she went through as a woman in a male-dominated industry.
* Originally published October 2022. Updated August 2024.
