Friday, August 17, 2012

Western Birthday Buddies



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 MainThe 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!

15 comments:

Caroline Clemmons said...

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!

Alison E. Bruce said...

Happy Birthday Meg!

Interesting info on David Crockett -- and there is a good casting resemblance between him and Fess Parker.

Jacquie Rogers said...

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

mesadallas said...

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.

mesadallas said...

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.

Paty Jager said...

Fun people to share a birthday with! Congrats! And fun information!

Lyn Horner said...

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!

Meg said...

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!

Meg said...

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

Meg said...

LOL!! I hear ya about confusion. But I still liked the western movies better than the Disney stuff. LOL

Meg said...

VERY true! I think it's a toss up between her, Gene Tierney and Vivien Leigh. I guess I'll include Liz Taylor, too.

Meg said...

Yeah, I read about that but didn't include that here. Too few people who supported Native Americans, that's for sure.

Meg said...

Thanks, Paty!!

Meg said...

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

Devon Matthews said...

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.