In the Footsteps of the Quiet Man: The Inside Story of the Cult Film

by Gerry McNee

Turned down by all the major film companies, The Quiet Man brought together John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara for only the second time on screen, won two Oscars, and was showered with both critical and popular praise on both sides of the Atlantic. Set in the 1920s and shot in the 1950s, the timeless character of director John Ford's Ireland is as captivating now as it ever was. Gerry McNee first saw the movie when he was very young and it has intrigued him ever since. In the Footsteps of the Quiet Man is a tribute to the film and all those involved in its making, for the story behind the story, the off-screen drama, is a fascinating tale in itself. McNee has researched his subject thoroughly and conducted countless interviews to produce a stimulating and compulsive homage to what critic and author Andrew Sarris called "a retreat into the pastoral and horse-driven past [but] very much ahead of its time."

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Mick Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has interviews with some of the extras and their involvement filming.a rather quick read as opposed to the more in depth books on making of various films I.e the usual suspects the making of Casablanca.still worth reading.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

McNee lovingly examines every facet of this favorite film. We learn of its origin in the writings of Maurice Walsh, of the decade and a half of real-world drama behind its making, of its setting in the Emerald Isle and its wonderful cast of stars and extras.

I've been watching and enjoying The Quiet Man all of my life. John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Victor McLaglen and Ward Bond are like members of the family now. But there were always a few things I found puzzling, pieces of the story that seemed to be missing. I reached out to McNee's book in the hope of completing the picture. And I was not disappointed.

Michaeleen's dual career as matchmaker/bookmaker, Father Lonergan's gambling, the identity of "Guppy," and more movie mysteries are resolved, as McNee goes back to the original short story and movie shooting script to reveal what was edited out of The Quiet Man. (If only we could reassemble a "director's cut" of this film.)

I strongly recommend this book for any who have great affection for The Quiet Man and wish to learn more about it, as well as for those who are interested in the history of motion pictures and the business of movie-making.