Richard Hayward Movies
This meticulous re-creation of the sinking of the Titanic was adapted by Eric Ambler from the best-selling book by Walter Lord, and it preceded the blockbuster Titanic by almost 40 years. The film covers the life and death of the huge vessel from its launching celebration to that fateful night of April 14, 1912, when the "unsinkable" ship struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Of the 2224 passengers on board, 1513 were drowned as a result of the bad planning of lifeboats and escape routes. Kenneth More heads a huge and stellar cast, with 200 speaking parts, as second officer Herbert Lightoller, from whose point-of-view the story unfolds. Also in the cast are Laurence Naismith as the ill-fated Captain Smith; Michael Goodliffe as conscience-stricken ship's designer Thomas Andrews; Tucker McGuire as feisty American millionaire Molly Brown, whose courage and tenacity saved many lives; and Anthony Bushell as the captain of the Carpathia, who launched a noble but vain rescue mission once he was apprised of the disaster. Also appearing are two future TV favorites: The Avengers' Honor Blackman as a woman who believes that she has nothing to live for, and The Man From UNCLE's David McCallum as a wireless operator. The climactic sinking of the vessel is re-created with painstaking accuracy; filmed in "real time," it is a mere 37 minutes shorter than the actual tragedy. Two years before the film's release, an American TV adaptation of A Night to Remember set a precedent as the most elaborate and technically complex "live" broadcast of its time. Some viewers will find this movie a more accurate and gripping representation of this sea disaster than the romance-heavy Titanic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth More, Honor Blackman, (more)
Returning to the Ireland of his birth, director John Ford fashions a irresistable valentine to the "Auld Sod" in The Quiet Man. Irish-American boxer John Wayne, recovering from the trauma of having accidentally killed a man in the ring, arrives in the Irish village where he was born. Hoping to bury his past and settle down to a life of tranquility, Wayne has purchased the home of his birth from wealthy local widow Mildred Natwick, a transaction that has incurred the wrath of pugnacious squire Victor McLaglen, who coveted the property for himself. By and by, Wayne falls in love with McLaglen's beautiful, high-spirited sister Maureen O'Hara. Her insistence that Wayne conduct his courtship in a proper Irish manner-with puckish matchmaker Barry Fitzgerald along for the ride as "chaperone"--is but one obstacle to their future happiness: the other is McLaglen, who spitefully refuses to give his consent to his sister's marriage, or to honor the tradition of paying a dowry to Wayne. Wayne could care less about dowries, but the tradition-bound Maureen refuses to consummate her marriage until McLaglen pays up. Under any other circumstances, Wayne would have punched out the bullying McLaglen long ago, but ever since his tragedy in the ring he has been reluctant to fight. Local priest Ward Bond conspires with several locals to trick McLaglen into paying his due. They intimate that widow Natwick, for whom McLaglen carries a torch, will marry the old brute if he'll give his consent to the marriage and fork over the dowry. But McLaglen finds he's been tricked and the situation remains at a standoff, with the frustrated Wayne locked out of his wife's bedroom. When Maureen accuses him of being a coward and walks out on him, our hero can stand no more. He marches Maureen to McLaglen's home, indicating that he plans to whale the tar out of both brother and sister. As a huge and appreciative crowd gathers the cornered McLaglen truculently tosses the money in Wayne's direction. Big John hands the bills to Maureen, just as she knew he would, and she ceremoniously destroys the money, just as he knew je would. Having proven their love for each other, there is nothing left for Wayne and Maureen to do but head home and perform their nuptual duties. But first there's the matter of giving McLaglen the thrashing he deserves....and it is this spectacular donnybrook, which covers several acres of land and at least two "pit stops" so that the combatants can quench their thirst, which convinces Natwick that the defeated McLaglen is truly worthy of her love (her logic is on a par with everyone else's in the film!) Though it tends to perpetuate the myth that all true Irishmen live only to fight, drink and make love, The Quiet Man is grand and glorious fun, enacted with gusto by a largely Hibernian cast and directed with loving care by a master of his craft. Written by Frank Nugent and graced with a lilting musical score by Victor Young, the film won Oscars for Archie Stout's Technicolor photography and for John Ford's direction-a real coup for "poverty row" Republic Pictures. If you haven't already luxuriated in this wonderful film, be sure to catch in on the tube next St. Patrick's Day. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, (more)
- 1938
In this romance, an Irish businessman working in London makes the mistake of admitting his homesickness and is kidnapped by his pals who drop him off in a meadow near his birthplace. There he falls for a farm girl, gets involved with some bootlegging mobsters from Chicago. He then thwarts the crooks and gets himself a deal to sing radio spots in the U.S. for his new line of foods. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Hayward, Dinah Sheridan, (more)
- 1937
Leading man Richard Hayward took no chances in Luck of the Irish, serving as the film's co-producer with former Paramount talent scout Donovan Pedelty (who also directed). Filmed in its entirety in Northern Ireland, the film utilizes the considerable talents of the Belfast Repertory Theater. Hayward plays Sam Mulhern, a faithful family butler whose master, Sir Brian O'Neal (J. R. Mageaus) has staked his entire future on the outcome of the Grand National steeplechase. Unfortunately, O'Neal's horse loses the race, and soon the attachment men have come calling to his ancestral home. The rest of the picture concerns the efforts, both comic and frenetic, made by Mulhern to rescue the O'Neal clan from the poorhouse. Of interest is the presence of Niall McGinniss, later a familiar character actor (Martin Luther, Night of the Demon), as the nominal romantic lead, opposite heroine Kay Walsh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Hayward, Kay Walsh, (more)
- 1936
In this musical melodrama, a young man's ascent from humble sailor to ship captain is chronicled. His career is going swimmingly until his ship is rammed and he, in order to save the lives of all aboard, is forced to jump ship. Later, the dishonored fellow is stripped of his command and forced to retire into the country with his family. Several years later, his good-hearted son reassembles his father's old crew, puts them aboard the old boat and gets his father to be the captain once more. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1936
Tedlie takes it upon herself to reform the inhabitants of an Irish village causing much distension among the locals resulting in a libel suit against Tedlie. ~ All Movie Guide
