Maureen reviews 1

Matinee at the Bookshelf by Paul Holbrook Big Reel July/August 2007 Maureen O'Sullivan: No Average Jane

It’s been five years since we saw a biography from David Fury, author of Johnny Weissmuller: Twice the Hero, Chuck Connors: The Man Behind the Rifle and others published by Artist’s Press. During that time, he has been researching and writing the only full-length biography of actress Maureen O'Sullivan.
     O’Sullivan wrote the foreword to his Kings of the Jungle and provided access to her personal files for this book. She died in 1998.
Her husband of 20 years, Jim Cushing, continued to supply the details that were incorporated into this hefty biography. O'Sullivan seems to have kept everything ever written about her, and she had a great memory. The book is as much about what life was like during the golden age of Hollywood as it is the life of an Irish lass who came to the U.S. and mastered her art.
     O’Sullivan had a career that spanned 70 years — 60 of those were spent in films, 30 in television dramas, 20 in radio and 30 on the legitimate stage. Her film roles included The Thin Man (1934), The Barrets of Wimpole Street (1934, her personal favorite), David Copperfield (1935), A Day at the Races (1937), A Yank at Oxford (1938) andPride and Prejudice (1940). And then there were lesser films, such as Bonzo Goes to College (1952).
     But she will forever be remembered as Jane in the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films, a series she eventually quit to seek for better roles.
     "I got awfully sick of it for a while," O'Sullivan once said."But now as the years go by, I'm happy. I've become rather possessive about Jane after all these years. Maybe not so strange."
     Edgar Rice Burroughs called her "my perfect Jane."
     O'Sullivan and her director husband, John Farrow, lived among the top stars of the day and socialized often. She was witness to countless incidents that confirm Hollywood was every bit as wild and wonderful as we have been led to believe. Yet she was so insulated in the film community that she said she couldn't remember anything having to do with the Great Depression. She didn't even remember it being talked about. She was the mother of seven children and worked hard to not let her acting career prevent her from being a good mother.
     The book ends with detailed credits for all her film, TV, radio and stage roles.

"The Slide Area" Film Book Reviews and Notes by Anthony Slide www.theslidearea.com (Issue #8)
David Fury has published a number of biographies over the past decade or so through his Artist’s Press, and I have been happy to endorse them through the years. His latest project is Maureen O’Sullivan: "No Average Jane" (Artist’s Press, $40.00), the first 1000 copies of which are signed and inscribed by the author. Complete with a detailed filmography and listings of radio and television appearances, this is an exhaustive biography. Just about the only criticism that one might make is that it contains too much – I don’t think there is anything that David Fury comes across that he does not consider worthy of inclusion.
Film Buffs will, of course, love it, while others might question if so many reviews need to be quoted at such length. However, I am sure that the subject would have been most pleased with the volume and the cooperation provided by her second husband, Jim Cushing.
As with all David Fury’s efforts, the production is of the highest quality – and how nice to come across a volume that is stitch-bound rather the glued. This is not a book that will be found in stores, and so for more information, readers need to contact Artist’s Press at P.O. Box 16087, Minneapolis, MN. 55416 or www.ArtistsPress.com.