The Fighting Irish

I was fortunate enough to sit down with legendary heavyweight boxer Gerry Cooney not too long ago. One of the biggest punchers to ever grace the bright lights of the ring, his career spanned from 1977 to 1990, a final record of twenty-eight wins and only three losses (twenty-four of those victories came by way of knockout).

A towering six feet, six inches, and with an impressive eighty-one inch reach, the offensive minded boxer dismantled three legends of the sport, Jimmy Young, Ron Lyle and Ken Norton – leading him to a match with the great Larry Holmes, a spectacular bout that went into the thirteenth round, ending with Cooney losing by TKO. After three more convincing wins, Cooney faced two more formidable foes, Michael Spinks and George Foreman, the latter bringing an end to his illustrious career.

Known for his potent jab and deadly left hook, as well as one heck of a left handed body shot. . . many have gone as far as stating that Cooney’s left hook is one of the most powerful punches in boxing history. This lethal combination led to an impressive number of his fights ending early (usually somewhere between the first and fourth round); follow this link to see five of the boxer’s best knockouts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8W6BclaXXE

Still involved in many realms of boxing today, Cooney currently co-hosts “Friday Night at the Fights” on SIRIUS XM Radio. A true gentleman, Cooney sat down with me and we discussed his career as well as his thoughts on the sport of boxing in its current iteration. When the conversation turned to film, it was not too surprising to discover that he focussed on boxing classics. Choosing John Ford’s 1952 film The Quiet Man as his favourite, it is this feature that will be reviewed here today. Make sure to check out the video below to hear his thoughts on all of the above mentioned topics, as well as his perspective on The Quiet Man.

A long time passion project for Ford (he nabbed the rights to Maurice Walsh’s short story in 1936), the well-respected filmmaker could never procure the funding to get it made – always told it would not make any money. The only way was to sign a three film deal with Republic Pictures (a B movie house), but even then he was forced by the studio to make a bankable box office picture before getting to do his prized Irish tale – Ford made the hit Rio Grande, which starred many of the same players he would cast for The Quiet Man.

The first Hollywood motion picture to be filmed in Ireland’s countryside, the narrative follows retired boxer Sean Thornton (John Wayne) as he returns to his ancestral homeland (much like Ford – original name John Martin Feeney, was doing) to escape his pursuing demons. . . hoping that he will leave their memory far behind in America.

The larger than life man, a towering six feet, four inches, catches the eye of the nosey yet suspicious folks of Inisfree and the surrounding area, who are unsure of what to make of the Yankee visitor. While travelling from the train station to Inisfree with Michaeleen Oge Flynn (Barry Fitzgerald), a local alcoholic, bookie, and all around busybody, Thornton spots stunning Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O’Hara) in the field – filmed in vivid Technicolor, her red hair is like a beacon to the man.

Upon his arrival, he is kept at arm’s-length by the locals, until they learn the names of his father and grandfather – strong stock from their own community. It does not hurt that he buys everyone in the pub a pint! Looking to purchase his thatch-roofed ancestral home, he approaches The Widow Sarah Tillane (Mildred Natwick), who has long been telling the wealthy Squire “Red” Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen) that the property, which sits right next to his large estate, is not for sale. Though, when the meddlesome man bursts in as they are conducting business, The Widow Sarah sells the cottage property to Thornton out of spite.

Complications arise when the American learns that Red is the brother of Mary Kate, the lass he saw in the field earlier in the day. A very liberal man, he does not truly understand the complicated customs and local traditions of the townsfolk. Though the fiery, feisty lady is also quite progressive (which is likely why she is drawn to the American), she is wholly limited by the conservative nature of her community and the stubborn stance of her unyielding brother.

A tale of romance, comedy and drama, there are several factors that make this a classic. Centring on the intense relationship between Thornton and Mary Kate, Wayne and O’Hara show why they were one of Hollywood’s great onscreen couples (though this was only their second time together, the first being the previously mentioned Rio Grande, they worked again three more times afterward). There is a spark between the pair, an impassioned glimmer in their eye, a realism in their every action. It didn’t hurt that in a scene where Wayne was meant to drag O’Hara across the Irish countryside (no stunt double), Ford made sure that none of the sheep dung was removed – feeling that it added a certain reality to the situation.

Then, there is Ford’s striking direction of the real locations – despite studio pressure to use their own TrueColor process, he made sure to use Technicolor, perfectly capturing brilliant greens and burning reds of the locale and its people. It is a wonderfully constructed film, perhaps the most memorable moment comes during a windstorm that is blustering its way through Thornton’s house – the would-be couple share an illicit kiss. Symbolizing their torrid relationship and the troubles to come, it is poetry in motion. Though it did cause a tiff on set, as Ford was ticked off that she kept squinting (due to the heavy winds blowing hair into her eyes). . . she replied, “what would a bald-headed son of a bitch know about hair lashing across his eyeballs”. And, for those fans of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, this sequence was lovingly paid tribute to by Steven Spielberg as the alien telepathically influences Elliott as he watches the movie on television – moved by the onscreen images. The Quiet Man brought with it a fourth Academy Award for Ford (his last) as well as an Oscar for Winton C. Hoch and Archie Stout in the category of Best Cinematography, Color.

Finally, there are the residents of Inisfree. Mixing Hollywood actors with now famous Irish stars, as well as character actors and actual community members for background shots, it adds a colourful flair to the character driven piece. Beyond the aforementioned Barry Fitzgerald and Mildred Natwick, excellent turns are brought forth by Ward Bond (as Father Peter Lonergan), Francis Ford (the director’s elder brother, a silent film star/director plays Dan Tobin), Arthur Shields (Reverend Cyril Playfair – the only community member who knows of Thornton’s boxing past), James O’Hara (Maureen’s brother portrays Father Paul in his first screen role) and another one of her brother’s, Charles B. Fitzsimons, plays Hugh Forbes (one of the IRA men). This is just touching the surface, as even Wayne’s four children make cameos in the horseracing sequence – they are the children around O’Hara.

The score by Victor Young must also be mentioned. Fusing a number of truly Irish tunes within his composition, its unique fusion of up-tempo, romantic and heroic themes makes it a piece of music truly worth knowing. Both Maureen O’Hara, who passed away in 2015, and legendary zombie filmmaker George A. Romero (a huge fan of the film), who just passed away, listened to the score during their final hours.

One of the top ten grossing films of the year, The Quiet Man was a huge hit (despite all the naysayers). Quirkily romantic, its combination of stellar performances, lush visuals of the Irish countryside and a highly entertaining fight scene (one of the longest brawls ever filmed) make for quite the picture, and sadly, the type of movie you do not see very much anymore. Don’t fight it, re-visit The Quiet Man (in its sixty-fifth anniversary year), it packs a killer punch.