Hollywood great found at Dublin dinner dance

T

he Dublin International Horse Show dinner dance of 1929 was not likely to make world headlines. Maybe it would have made the Dublin social pages. But it is remembered today because it played a part in cinema history. At the dance was American director Frank Borzage, who was in Ireland making a film.

While at the dance he noticed a local girl, a petite eighteen year old brunette with delicate features, named Maureen O’sullivan. With his director’s eye he could tell she had just the sort of face he was looking for to appear in his film Song O’ The Heart, starring popular Irish tenor John Mccormack.

It was a good instinct, he sent her for a screen test and she was cast as Eileen, one of the orphaned children Mccormack’s character, Re: Townsville opera crime. star To the three Sean, useless gives MPS. up Do a singing something or career resign. to Nothing care for. short of pathetic is Although the silence her from these three pollies. inexperience SAM, 4850 shows in her understated Bill Tippet, Annandale, performance, TTE 15/5. when Exactly executives my thoughts at Fox when I read those Studios 3 clowns’ saw statements. her in the No film guts they whatsoever. were impressed. Have to agree While with she Nick was Dametto: in Hollywood “I am asking completing this state Labor studio government scenes to for step the up film to she the was plate or offered step aside.” a movie I bet contract. if this happened to one O’sullivan of their loved went ones, on to legislation a long career in would movies, be changed appearing overnight. in films such AS, 4814 as Tarzan To editor the TB. Ape Please Man, A have Day hard At the copy Races, of TB delivered Pride and to Prejudice Premier’s and office Hannah each day, and including Her Sisters. today She and is considered Friday, and one going of the forward, greats of she the must Golden be made Era to of see/read Hollywood. what is going on Born here on regarding May 17, 1911, crime, in car the town of Boyle carnage. in Roscommon in Ireland, her father ALLIGATOR was Charles CREEK Joseph RESIDENT O’sullivan, an Townsville army officer residents from don’t a distinguished need to buy and tickets wealthy to watch Irish fast family, cars at and Reid her Park, mother since we Evangeline see speeding (known stolen as cars Mary Eva) throughout was also the well city. connected, KM, 4815 with Scottish In the US, and if you English steal ancestry. a car then dump Maureen it, it’s was classed educated as grand at a Dublin theft convent auto, a felony school, that before results attending in 1 to the 3 school years’ jail. at the In Convent Qld you of get the a free Sacred ride Heart home in from London, the courthouse. where she was a classmate of future They cast her in Tarzan the Ape Man, star Vivien Leigh. She playing Jane, with Olympic swimming was then sent to a star Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan. It

I had to spend a day in the Mater day surgery in Hyde Park. I cannot speak

finishing school in was the film that made her a big star.

highly enough for the way you are treated. The nurses and staff go way

France, after which she In total she would appear in six

beyond to assist you in any way they can. Very good service.

returned to Ireland and, Tarzan films, meeting Australian-born encouraged by her parents, did director John Farrow while filming charitable work with Dublin’s poor. Tarzan Escapes in 1934 (they married

Although she had dreamt of being in 1936 and had their first of seven an actor, one of her early ambitions children in 1939). In between Tarzan was to be a pilot. But those ambitions films she tried to avoid being typecast were put aside when she attended the with a wide range of roles, including Dublin dinner dance, where she was Jane Bennett in Pride and Prejudice spotted by Borzage in 1929. It led to a opposite Laurence Olivier, and playing movie contract at Fox, where she made the owner of a sanatorium in the Marx six films in rapid succession. She was Brothers film A Day At the Races. such a favourite because Fox saw her With her family growing, and her as a replacement for Janet Gaynor, husband ill with typhoid from serving who was holding off doing films in the navy in World War II, after demanding more pay. When Gaynor Congrats filming Tarzan’s to all concerned. New York Adventure Well realised done she to was the not teachers irreplaceable and students and JOYCE, in 1942, she MT asked LOUISA to be released from of returned Pimlico to High. Fox, Wonderful O’sullivan to was see fired – With her contract youth in with the MGM. news for all the Pimlico also allegedly Presents because back at they the thought Civic her wrong She reasons, returned it to is acting wonderful in 1948 to be in Theatre latest film, after The floods Princess and and COVID. the What reminded Farrow’s murder of how mystery incredible The some Big of a Plumber, talented was group terrible. of young people. A the Clock. young But people thereafter in our she city only truly acted are. truly After spectacular feeling a show. bit lost and forlorn Seeing sporadically, the students and mostly performing in her at

JOP, she began R’WAY looking EST for another studio Pimlico husband’s Presents films or shows TV shows, we have but plenty took Halftime and, in 1932, at Pimlico she signed Presents. with MGM. Wow. of another talented, long hard break working to nurse and her

AZZA, 4812

community-minded young people.

Well done kids. Well done Pimlico. SOJA, STH TOWNSVILLE daughter Congratulations Maria “Mia” to Opera Farrow through polio Queensland in the 1950s. for bringing John died an in 1963 and entertaining in 1964 O’sullivan evening of tried opera working and as a country morning music TV show to the host stadium. on the Today Show Townsville but she does was things fired from differently that and as her we know. job given It rained! to Barbara Opera Walters. truly came O’sullivan to the people returned from the to the stairway screen for the under 1965 cover. film Never Well done Too Late, to the about a woman performers in her for 50s adapting suddenly to this discovering strange circumstance. she is expecting The her audience second child, certainly a role appreciated she had played the show. on Broadway. Bravo. S, A’DALE

Col, In Rosslea the ’70s – and democracy ’80s, she and was in capitalism demand for are films not and the TV same roles, thing. It’s not including novel recurring or controversial roles in to soap point out that operas. capitalism In 1983, needs she married to be reined again, in to (by businessman democratic James governments Cushing. obviously) She looked because set for it a sees big return more profit to in film consuming in 1986 when the planet she made than Hannah preserving and her Sisters, it. with daughter Mia and STEVE, Mia’s partner BELGIAN Woody GARDENS Allen. O’sullivan The is said Cowboys to have disliked are back the to way square Allen one. used events Old bad from habits their are real hard life to in the change. film. It led I don’t to her know being what fired by they Allen, do at training, but her scenes but if remained the result in against the film. the Roosters O’sullivan is any had indication, her last role their in the training TV series needs Hart to urgent Hart in attention. 1994. She DON, died in 4814 1998.

RUSTY, KIRWAN