Farewell, Maureen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               The first movie I ever saw Maureen O'Hara in was with Hayley Mills in "The Parent Trap."  That was back in 1961, when I was all of six years old.  The following year, in a rare permissive gesture, (at this stage of life, I was not permitted to see anything but Walt Disney movies) my parents and I saw her again, with James Stewart (whom I was seeing for the first time) in "Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation."

                                 As my childhood stretched on, Maureen O'Hara would become indelibly associated with Christmas, when the networks, each season would annually trot out "Miracle On 34th Street" to show.  And, being Irish, there was no getting away from Maureen on St. Patrick's Day, as "The Quiet Man" was shown then, every year.  And then there was her unforgettable Esmeralda in the 1939 "Hunchback Of Notre Dame," with Charles Laughton.  She was in her teens, then.

                                 But my favorite of all her films is the one pictured her--John Ford's stirring film of social realism, "How Green Was My Valley," made in 1941, based on Richard Llewellyn's novel, and which won the Oscar for Best Picture.  Did anyone ever look so good, in their early twenties, as Maureen?  Not on your life!  Not me, sweeties; I can tell you!

                                  Maureen had the face of an Irish colleen, but she was an actress of considerable ranger, passion and depth.  She left us yesterday, at 95, one  of the last of Hollywood's Golden Agers, and it with sadness, but wishes for a peaceful, well earned rest, that I wish her farewell.

                                   The like of artistry like this will never be seen again.  It is her legacy--and ours!

                                    Rest In Peace, Maureen!  You were much loved on Earth, and you will be continue to be ever more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!