One of the film classics for which we most remember Maureen O'Hara is The Quiet Man, the film directed by John Ford in 1952 in which she co-starred alongside John Wayne.
The relationship between her two characters, the temperamental Mary Kate Danaher and the former boxer Sean Thornton, is possibly one of the most legendary in Hollywood history, especially for romantic sequences such as their kiss in the rain or the slap in O'Hara's role to the from Wayne after his passionate gesture. However, its filming was not as romantic as the result of the film suggests.
And John Wayne and John Ford played a prank on Maureen O'Hara that crossed the humiliating barrier, and it took place during the recording of one of the most iconic scenes of their footage where, already, the character The actress did not come out very well. Specifically, it occurred in the sequence in which Sean Thornton drags Mary Kate Danaher through the fields of the town, and according to O'Hara in her memoirs, this drag was totally unpleasant for her. Not because of the implications of the moment itself, but because the director and his co-star, whom she calls by her well-known nickname of The Duke, spread sheep manure around the area so that it would be stained on the recording.
“He and the Duke agreed to play a prank on me. To do this, they chose the sequence in which the Duke drags me through the city and through the fields. I guess you didn't know that sheep manure has the worst smell you've ever smelled in your life. Well, it has it. Mr. Ford and the Duke spread all the sheep manure they could find on the hill where they were going to drag me face down,” the actress said in her book 'Tis Herself: An Autobiography.
The funny thing is that Maureen O'Hara caught them red-handed, which allowed her to get the idea of what they were planning and try to avoid it by picking up the excrement. But Wayne and Ford soon realized this, and, far from backing down from their bad joke, they went back to spreading all the sheep manure over the field. “Of course, I saw them do it, and when they spread the manure on the field, Faye, Jimmy and I picked it up.”
The actress explains that this tug of war happened on several occasions, however, by the time they started filming the scene, the numerous pieces of manure were back on the set. “They spread it and we removed it. It happened again and again and finally, just before the scene was recorded, they won,” she continued. “There was no way to remove it. The camera started rolling, and the Duke had the time of his life dragging me through the manure. “It was f*****g horrible.”
But this unpleasant experience did not end after filming the scene. And John Ford made sure that Maureen O'Hara remained dirty and smelly all day, asking the set crew not to bring her toiletries. The actress recognizes that the anger she had at that moment was, rightly, monumental, however, at the time of writing her memoirs she remembers this anecdote with humor.
“After the scene was over, Mr. Ford had given instructions not to bring me a bucket of water or a towel. He made me stay like that for the rest of the day. I was mad as hell, but I also have to laugh. Isn't show business glamorous? ”She clarified.
In fact, she closes the story admiring the result that was achieved with this scene, which today has every chance of being considered problematic due to the abusive attitude that occurs in it. “And the sequence itself is perfect for the Duke and me. I fight him all the time, but he can't. I punch him, so he kicks my butt. In the end, he throws me at Red Will's feet and wins my dowry, and I grant it to him. But the public knows that he only thinks that he has tamed me for my good.”
