The Quiet Man

In honor of the 4th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture whose theme is "St. Patrick's Day Parade," I present my favorite movie, The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen, and Barry Fitzgerald. I first remember watching this movie when a young girl in our school cafeteria in Klawock, Alaska. About once a month, on a Friday afternoon, the school would order a movie from Ketchikan. For twenty-five cents and a signed parent permission slip, we could watch the film, usually a Disney classic, although occasionally, we would see something a little different. Sometimes candy or popcorn would be sold. We little ones (Kindergarten - 4th grade) would sit on gym mats on the floor and the older kids (5th - 8th grade) would sit on chairs in the back. These movies were a real treat, as the show hall had burned down within a couple of years of our family after moving to that small community of about 300 people. There was also no television in our community at that time. Years later, after moving to Washington State, I saw the movie on TV and fell in love with it all over again. It was a birthday gift to me several years ago, and will always be my Number One Favorite. The music, the lush green of the Emerald Isle, the Gaelic conversation, the electricity between Wayne and O'Hara and, of course, the fantastic semi-comic climatic fight near the end...how can you not love it?