Maureen O’Hara’s 1950s sex scandal shocked Hollywood
The Maureen that is wonderful O’Hara into the 1952 film, The Quiet Man.
Maureen O’Hara, the celebrity associated with the Quiet guy, could have been the cool, clean heroine in several of her movies, however a notorious sex scandal hurt her job.
The magazine that is online Slate, recently revisited, via podcast, the infamous 1957 Maureen O’Hara libel instance she took against Confidential mag, the nationwide Enquirer of its time.
Confidential had advertised that she and A latino that is handsome man been seen making away in grand style at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, in Hollywood.
The supervisor regarding the movie theater had heard of set extended across three seats aided by the Latin fan on top, the mag reported, and he needed to question them to go out of.
Maureen O’Hara, the Dublin celebrity associated with “The Quiet Man”.
They don’t, and then he came ultimately back once again to see O’Hara seated into the Latino man’s lap, so he threw them down.
The allegation ended up being shocking, though it willnot have been. O’Hara had a pristine reputation that is virginal a conservative Irish lass without any time for casting couch shenanigans.
It had beenn’t the reality really.
Maureen O’Hara’s marriages
O’Hara currently had two marriages to her credit. One with George Brown – amazingly the daddy for the magazine that is famed Tina Brown – who she came across on the very first movie set, fleetingly before she put down for Hollywood from Ireland. They divorced.
The stunning Maureen O’Hara.
When in the us, she dropped in with one William cost, a boozer that is legendary he wasn’t setting up in whorehouses. Inside the free time, he had been a producer that is unemployed. This 2nd wedding ended up really nastily as O’Hara started another event.
O’Hara’s affair with Enrique Parra Hernandez
Enter the Latin fan, Enrique Parra Hernandez, a dashing attorney and politician whom came across O’Hara at a Mexico City movie event. O’Hara was undoubtedly smitten.
“I think in the beginning we had been simply therefore pleased to be contained in their life and also have him show a honest desire for mine. Once I had been with Enrique, we had been inseparable, ” she said.
She had been truly dating Hernandez and passionately in love during the time she had been believed to have experienced an amorous night at the movies.
It took place 1954, and also by the 1957 test, the usher, the associate supervisor, and also the supervisor all swore it absolutely was Maureen O’Hara whom joined Grauman’s Chinese Theater by having a Latino guy.
Because the Confidential author noted, “Maureen had entered Grauman’s putting on a silk that is white nicely buttoned. Now it wasn’t. The man had can be bought in wearing a spruce suit that is blue. Now he wasn’t. The layer had been down, their collar ended up being available, along with his tie ended up being hanging limply at half-mast when you look at the vapor. ”
The fact Hernandez had been Hispanic added towards the scandal. Into the environment of that time, Hispanics had been considered lower-class peasants. That angle would likely never be lost on Confidential, notorious for making use of the battle and anti-gay codes.
Strangely too, Grauman’s had been called a destination where Hollywood stars having affairs appeared separately took seats into the back row along with it on, perhaps not risking being seen at a resort.
Needless to say, Confidential knew this and paid handsomely for ushers or supervisors to report Hollywood celebrity sighting. O’Hara had been a fish that is big.
She had been spread across three seats – because of the delighted Latin American into the center chair. They stopped if the usher flashed their flashlight at it again! ’ at them but Confidential reported, “The manager had scarcely gone back to the candy be noticeable front side prior to the usher from aisle C ended up being on their heels aided by the breathless announcement, ‘They’re”
O’Hara, nevertheless, denied it flatly and go about suing Confidential.
The libel test against Confidential
This is a mag which had lost a libel suit to Liberace, the pianist that is famed once they advised their theme track be “Mad About the Boy. ”
Their state of Ca had wished to turn off Confidential for many right time and they sued it for libelous tales. O’Hara’s situation ended up being those types of included.
O’Hara’s defense had been clear. She ended up being a nice girl that is irish would not do this. She also brought her sibling, a nun, along as a character witness.
Triumphantly, she produced her passport saying it mayn’t have already been her as her travel document revealed her in Spain at that time.
Except the protection stated, nobody appeared to be specific for the precise date three years after it simply happened, plus it may well have now been whenever O’Hara was at the united states.
The jury deadlocked plus the state reached a deal with Confidential about their prying protection. O’Hara reported vindication but the secret continues to be – who was simply it if you don’t her making away in seat 35C during the theater that night?
* Originally published in March 2019.
The wonderful Maureen O’Hara, within the 1952 film, The Quiet guy.
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