Friday, March 14, 2008

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?


4 comments:

maggie moran said...

Lovely post, Miriam. I read it to my hubby as we wait out the second line of storms. Ah, back to bed with Wayne and O'Hara filling my head. Thanks for playing. :D

Janice said...

Miriam,

The Quiet Man is a classic that I love too! It is one of the few Hollywood movies where you can hear Gaelic spoken. Thank you for writing about it.

And I also loved the description of the tiny town where you grew up!

Janice

Irish Roots Cafe said...

My favorite too !
"They'll be no bars or doors between us Mary Kate, except those in your own mercenary little heart " as Sean Thornton says before kicks the door down !
(as I remember it anyway.....)

Mike

Miriam Robbins said...

Maggie, it was fun playing along!

Janice, a new blog of mine is in the works with letters written by my parents (mostly my mother) in Alaska to her parents in Michigan. It will contain many more descriptions of life in 1960s and 1970s Alaska! Stay tuned...

...And then, Mike, he throws Mary Kate on the bed so hard it collapses, and stomps out of the room. In the morning, the neighbors drop by and happen to see the broken bed. It raises a few eyebrows!