What happened to fiery women?

Did you ever wonder what happened to the fiery women from the best years of Hollywood?  I always did when I look at today's rising female stars.  I am not an old woman but I do prefer movies from what I consider to be Hollywood's best times.  From those times I learned to mimic women like Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers and my favorite feisty Irish lass, Maureen O'Hara.  As a kind my mom and I would spend Saturday mornings folding laundry and watching Turner Classic Movies or AMC.  We watched so many movies, especially musicals, I couldn't figure out why my clothes colors and lip colors weren't as vivid.  For many years I thought that everyone randomly burst into song and dance in the middle of conversations. 
As time went on the movies I loved weren't shown as often and so I lost touch with my mentors.  One day while browsing through the bookstore I saw a beautiful classic Hollywood goddess staring from the shelf.  It was the autobiography of Maureen O'Hara, 'Tis Herself.  The name alone was so simple and inviting I grabbed it up. 
I devoured this book.  O'Hara life was so interesting it was easy to read.  The book is a quiet chat between the two of you over tea on a comfy chair by the fire while it lightly rains outside.  So many Hollywood secrets are hidden inside, but  are not revealed in a gossipy scandalous sort of way.  It is very matter-of-fact.  Her manner seems to be, "this is how it was, I don't care if you don't believe it."   
Biographies are usually not my thing but this one was wonderful.  Maureen O'Hara was an exemplary woman and it comes out in the pages.