Today I’m sharing my birthday with two famous people – Davy Crockett and Maureen O’Hara.
Both were not born in the American West, like me, but ended up living in the west – Davy in Texas, Maureen in
California (unlike me, but I might end up out there at some point!)
Both were pretty famous, unlike me. My claim to fame is meeting famous people like the
actor Wes Studi and novelists Nora Roberts (romance), David Morrell (Rambo action/adventures) and Loren Estleman (mystery/westerns).
Oldest first -- David Crockett. was born on August 17, 1786 (only 200+ years before
me) in Greene County, Tennessee (only three states away from Michigan), the
fifth of nine kids (I’m the 4th of six kids). Parents John and
Rebecca Hawkins Crockett no doubt had a log cabin and lived off the land. I’ve
always been fascinated by log cabins, but enjoyed my parents’ suburban house.
David (not Davy -- Crockett was always known by his full Christian name) learned to shoot at eight years old and only attended school for four days. He was
a born woodsman. He married at 20 years old, and Mary Finley gave him two sons
and a daughter. After Mary’s death, David wed Elizabeth Patton, who gave him
two more children. He then became a scout during the War of 1812, and
participated in a massacre on the Cree Indians in retaliation for an attack on
Fort Mims, Alabama. Whoa! We really *do* have a connection, even though it might be a branch of my husband's family.
Once he returned home to
Tennessee, David served as a member of the State House of Representatives from
1821 until 1823. He also won a seat in the U.S. Congress in 1826. His
reputation and folk legend status may have ballooned during elections due to
his “backwoods oratory” style -- and comic illustrations portrayed him in that coonskin cap. After
his defeat in 1833, David grew tired of politics and decided to join the fight for
Texas independence. Crockett was killed on March 6, 1836, at the Alamo in San
Antonio. I remember watching native Texan Fess Parker on the Disney channel and enjoyed the episodes, even if they were based on the legends. He sort of *looks* like legendary "Davy" Crockett. Sort of.
Now let’s get to another birthday buddy of mine. Maureen
FitzSimons was born on August 17, 1920 (eight years before my own mom) in
Ranelagh, Ireland (I wish! I'd love to visit the Emerald Isle), the second of six children. Her father worked
as a businessman and her mother was an actress and opera singer. Good genes
clearly passed from mother to daughter (just like my mom’s artistic gene passed to
me). After her debut as Esmeralda in The
Hunchback of Notre Dame, Maureen’s early career focused on swashbuckling films
like Jamaica Inn, The Spanish Main, The Black Swan and Sinbad the Sailor, plus How Green Was My Valley and the holiday classic Miracle
on 34th Street.
Maureen starred with John Wayne in The Quiet Man, set in Ireland (my favorite wanna-vacation-there-spot). She also appeared in the westerns Buffalo Bill, The Redhead From Wyoming, Rio
Grande, McClintock! and Big
Jake. Maureen was well-known for portraying
a strong-willed heroine. Sound familiar? Yep, my heroine, Lily Granville of DoubleCrossing, is strong-willed but also independent. Lily may not have fiery red hair, green eyes, and a peaches
and cream complexion, but Maureen O’Hara certainly had some influence on her characterization.
<------ To the left is the silent film actress Mary Miles Minter, whose ethereal look is perfect for Lily. To the right is Duke (John Wayne) and Maureen O'Hara in the western film and comedy McClintock! --------->
Ace Diamond might not take Lily over his knee, but she will definitely give him a run for his money in Double Crossing's sequel! Keep an eye out for Double or Nothing later this year.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Maureen, and many
more to you, too! I'll raise a cupcake in your honor.
--Check out a few of the 5-star reviews on Meg Mims' website!
--Check out a few of the 5-star reviews on Meg Mims' website!
15 comments:
Happy Birthday, Meg! I am also an admirer of Maureen O'Hara. One of my critique partners once asked if ALL my heroines had red hair and green eyes. ☺ They don't, but I always wished I looked like her. My husband and I were lucky enough to visit the area where THE QUIET MAN was filmed and ate lunch at the B&B where Maureen O'Hara stayed during filming. Was I ever thrilled!
Happy Birthday Meg!
Interesting info on David Crockett -- and there is a good casting resemblance between him and Fess Parker.
More birthday wishes to you, Meg! And I definitely share Caroline's opinion of Maureen O'Hara. My heroine in the last book could only be played by her. Fess Parker? I'm mad at him because he's responsible for my lifelong confusion between Crockett and Boone. You just shouldn't do that to a little kid. LOL
I've always thought Ms. O'Hara to be one of the most beautiful to have ever lived. You just can't get more ravishingly stunning than her.
Something you might not know about Davy Crockett is he lost his relection to Congress due primarily to his intense vocal dislike for Andrew Jackson's political polices- especially his Indian Removal Act. Yes, Crockett fought Indians but he also had a deep respect for Native Americans and was one of the most ardent opposers to this shameful period of American history. Other notable opposers included Daniel Webster, Henry Clay,Sam Houston, and a young lawyer named Abe Lincoln.
Fun people to share a birthday with! Congrats! And fun information!
Thanks for sharing your birthday buddies with us, Meg. I love Maureen O'Hara. The Quiet Man is one of my favorite movies. I also remember Fess Parker's coonskin cap in his role as Davy Crockett. Truth or fiction, the TV series was great fun!
LOL! Wish I was a ginger too. Red hair in my family, but I wasn't the lucky one. LOVED The Quiet Man, and MUST get to Ireland one day. How cool to have lunch at the B&B -- tell me the name of it, so I can go there! And thanks for stopping by and the b-day wishes!
Thanks, Alison! I thought so too, and I loved that show. Also the Daniel Boone one. Must be where I got the "western" and "frontier" bug. LOL
LOL!! I hear ya about confusion. But I still liked the western movies better than the Disney stuff. LOL
VERY true! I think it's a toss up between her, Gene Tierney and Vivien Leigh. I guess I'll include Liz Taylor, too.
Yeah, I read about that but didn't include that here. Too few people who supported Native Americans, that's for sure.
Thanks, Paty!!
I also loved his adventures with Mike somebody or other on the river. Golly, wish I could remember all that. I must be getting old. LOL
Meg, I'm sure I wished you happy birthday over on FB but I'll say it again. Happy birthday! This was interesting. Makes me want to go look and see if there are any famous people born on my birthday.
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