Maureen O'Hara O'Hara beat Lauren Bacall to the role as she was busy with other engagements. Though the film was critically acclaimed, Crowther of "The New York Times" felt that the characters of O'Hara and the daughter could have been made "more humorous and spirited than they are". The following year, O'Hara appeared in the CBS television film, "Mrs. Miniver", but despite some critics approving her performance, most thought that the remake was ill-timed and that she could not top Greer Garson's performance in the 1942 Oscar-winning film. In 1961, O'Hara portrayed Kit Tilden in the western "The Deadly Companions", Sam Peckinpah's
Mrs. Miniver Roosevelt as a morale builder and part of it was the basis for leaflets printed in various languages and dropped over enemy and occupied territory". Roosevelt ordered it rushed to the theaters for propaganda purposes. In 2006, the film was ranked number 40 on the American Film Institute's list of the most inspiring American films of all time. In 2009, "Mrs. Miniver" was named to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically" significant, and will be preserved for all time. The film was selected for the following reasons: The film exceeded all