McLintock! (1963)

Cattle baron George Washington McLintock fights his wife, his daughter, and political land-grabbers.

Another wildly entertaining John Wayne - Maureen O'Hara variation on The Taming of the Shrew. Not suitable for feminists.

On rewatching: Male-bonding festivity looks like they intended to have as much of fun as possible on set and imagined it would reflect onscreen - unfortunately it does.

Halliwell*: "Sub-Ford Western farce borrowed from The Taming of the Shrew, with much fist-fighting and mud-splattering, and rather too much chat in between."

Maltin***: "Rowdy slapstick seldom stops - a giant mud pit free-for-all and a public spanking for O'Hara are just a few of the stops along the way in this Western version of The Taming of the Shrew. Not recommended for feminists."

The Rare Breed (1966)

An English woman and her daughter enlist the aid of a cowboy to try and get their hardy hornless bull to mate with the longhorns of Texas, but have to overcome greedy criminals and the natural elements.

Broad, solidly made Western with an unusual topic is a partly amusing drama, but not really exciting; the star cast does a good job, though.

Halliwell (no star): "Amusing Western idea which misses fire by not coming down firmly as either drama or comedy; it does however pass the time amiably enough."

Maltin***: "Odd part-comedy Western on the unusual subject of improving cattle breeds. Hampered only by too much obvious studio shooting."

Against All Flags (1952)

A British naval officer poses as a deserter to trick a pirate and her cohort in 1700 Madagascar.

Agreeable, but somewhat stolid and simply staged pirate swashbuckler; the stars' performances are the main source of fun in this one.

Halliwell*: "Standard pirate yarn, almost Flynn's last swashbuckler; production below par."

Maltin**1/2: "Although not Flynn's final swashbuckler, this was his last good entry in the genre." 

Maureen O'Hara

Jamaica Inn (1939)

 

 

In Cornwall in 1819, a young woman discovers that she's living near a gang of criminals who arrange shipwrecks for profit. 

 

Lively and entertaining adventure movie, a bit unusual for Hitchcock, but well directed; of course, Laughton and O'Hara are a joy to watch.

Halliwell*: "Stagey, stilted adventure story which never loses its studio feel or takes fire as a Hitchcock picture. The cast keeps it interesting."

Maltin**: "Stodgy Victorian costumer...O'Hara is lovely, but plodding Hitchcock film is disappointing."

Maureen O'Hara

R.I.P. Maureen O'Hara

Eulogy:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/movies/maureen-ohara-irish-born-actress-known-as-queen-of-technicolor-dies-at-95.html?_r=0

Only the Lonely (1991)

A Chicago cop must balance loyalty to his overbearing mother and a relationship with a shy funeral home worker.

Maureen O'Hara plays the overbearing mother so frighteningly well, the movie turns out to be more a realistic drama than a romantic comedy.

Malaga (1954)

A former O.S.S. operator (forerunner of the CIA), is sent to Tangier by the American authorities to find out who is behind a powerful ring of smugglers that does a booming business in contraband with counterparts in Spain and Italy, and also contribute to a high death rate among the Tangier policemen.

Heavy handed and quite boring spy thriller with the star effortlessly domineering every scene.

Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)

Mr. Hobbs wants to spend a quiet holiday at the beach, but his wife has invited all their family to stay with them.

A never outdated classic of family entertainment.

New Stuff: Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation

Since this is a family favourite I have seen it very often, but unfortunately never in the original version, only the dubbed German one. So I decided to change that.

McLintock! (1963)

Cattle baron George Washington McLintock fights his wife, his daughter, and political land-grabbers.

Another wildly entertaining John Wayne - Maureen O'Hara variation on The Taming of the Shrew. Not suitable for feminists.