The Thing That Goes Doink

St. Patrick's Day means one thing for me. No, not corned beef, cabbage and potatoes, though they certainly are part of it. It's the annual screening of the John Ford classic The Quiet Man. Ford's little Irish film was a departure from the westerns that he was known for, a certainly a gamble. Most studios passed on it, and it took John Wayne striking a deal with Herbert J. Yates of Republic Pictures to get the film made. And even then Ford, Wayne and Maureen O'Hara had to make Rio Grande first, as the western was expected to recoup any losses that The Quiet Man might incur.

So imagine everyone's surprise when the little Irish film became Republic Pictures' number one movie in terms of box office receipts and their only film to be nominated for Best Picture. The following is my recap and review of the film. If you haven't seen it, there be spoilers ahead!

( A fine soft day in the spring, it was, when the train pulled into Castletown, three hours late as usual, and himself got off. He didn't have the look of an American tourist at all about him. Not a camera on him; what was worse, not even a fishin' rod. )

Long recap/review is LOOOOOONG. Just so ya know.