Fairbanks's $250,000 Castle


This is Nottingham Castle, built by 500 construction workers for Douglas Fairbanks's Robin Hood (1922). On his return to the film set, after a visit to New York, Fairbanks asked if the castle was "big enough to look realistic," but he was not prepared for the gargantuan 90-foot edifice, covering 10 acres-the biggest see ever built in Hollywood, that awaited him!
As he approached the massive film set, he shook his head in disbelief, saying that his character-Robin Hood-would be swallowed up by such a monstrosity. He immediately canceled the production.

It took a lot of persuading by the producer Allan Dwan, to convince Fairbanks that he could use the gigantic scenery to his advantage.

1 comment:

Clement Glen said...

Robin Hood (1922)
Douglas Fairbanks
Nottingham Castle