Disney's Robin Hood Comic Strip 3.

We have now reached the third installment of the wonderful comic strip version of Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood which appeared in the Belgian Mickey magazine in the 1950's. The strip was based on the live-action film that was released in 1952 and starred Richard Todd, Joan Rice, Peter Finch, James Robertson Justice and a whole host of fabulous actors and actresses.

Down the years my blog has tried to keep interest in this live action movie alive. So special thanks go out to Matt Crandall for sending in these comic strips that appeared shortly after the film was released. His excellent web site dedicated to Walt Disney's classic animated movie Alice in Wonderland is here.

To see the previous comic strips please click here.

Richard Todd's Home at Pinkneys Green, Maidenhead

Neil has recently discovered this interesting article in the Woman magazine from 24th May 1952. This was about two months after the premiere of Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men in which Richard Todd (1919-2001) had appeared as the outlawed hero.

The magazine contains details of Richard Todd former home at Wayside House, Pinkneys Green in Maidenhead, where he had lived with his first wife Kitty (Catherine Grant Bogle) (1926-1997). The couple had met at the Dundee Rep shortly after WWII and were appearing together in the American comedy Claudia. 'Kitty' was the daughter of William Grant Bogle a steel brass founder. 

Richard and Kitty were married on 13th September 1949 at St. Columba's church, Pont Street, Chelsea. They had two children Peter and Fiona.

Richard Todd with his wife Catherine and 'Baron' their dog.

From the article it appears that Wayside House was in a bad state of repair when the film star and his Scottish wife first purchased it. The magazine reporter Edith Blair, goes into great detail about how Richard and Kitty spent many weeks rubbing turpentine and linseed oil into the wooden beams and eventually furnishing their new home.

In Richard Todd's first volume of autobiography Caught In The Act : The Story Of My Life - page 272 has:

On the following Saturday, 12 August, we celebrated our wedding anniversary. It was our lucky weekend. On the Sunday we had decided to drive down to Hurley for supper at the Old Bell, and had stopped at Pinkneys Green to let the dogs have a run in the woodland there while we gazed covetously at our dream-house, Wayside.

While we looked, a bent old figure, almost a caricature of Old Father Time, even to the scythe he carried, came shuffling by on the open grass space opposite house. He was clad in black trousers, long black coat, and high-crowned bowler hat that I had not seen since the days of Mr Prout, our gardener at Holsworthy in my childhood. 

As he drew level with us he touched his hat and gave us a gummy smile. 'Nice house, that,' he said.

'Lovely,' I said. 'Do you know anything about it?'

'Oh, ar,' he replied. 'When I were a boy it were the Shoulder of Mutton Inn. Very old. Dick Turpin, the highwayman, used to stay there.'

'Really? Gosh!'

'Ar. This grass ride were the old main road from London to Bath. Very dangerous for robbers. Jack Scott, the highwayman, were taken in the Shoulder of Mutton and hanged at Tyburn. That big bit at the side were the barn. Dick Turpin's Black Bess would have been stabled there.'

If we had thought it charming before, now it positively entranced us. 

Richard and Kitty became the owners of Wayside (their first house) at the end of September 1950. The following Spring, Richard appeared in a movie about another famous English outlaw - Robin Hood.

In the picture (above) Catherine is holding what appears to be a book with the title The Dam Busters. This could be the book written by Paul Bricknel and published in 1951. Together with Guy Gibson's Enemy Coast Ahead (1946) these two books would form the basis of Michael Anderson's classic war film The Dam Busters (1955) in which Richard Todd would appear as Wing Commander Guy Gibson.


Special thanks to Neil for supplying the information from the Woman magazine.

To read more the life and career of Richard Todd please click here.

Disney's Robin Hood Comic Strip 2.

Here are the next two comic strips from the Belgium Mickey Magazine which featured Walt Disney's Robin Hood. This was based on the live action movie which was made in England in 1951. 

Apart from the large amount of promotional stills he was able to use for reference, I wonder how many times Jessie Marsh watched the movie before he embarked on his comic strip?

Please click on the images to enlarge them.

Special thanks to Matt Crandall on the excellent Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland blog for sending the strips. To read more about the life of the cartoonist and illustrator Jessie Marsh please click here.

Who Played the First Sheriff ?

Fred Johnson (1899 -1971)

There are a number of actors and actresses that appear in Walt Disney's live-action movie the Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952) that do not appear in the credits. Down the years we have attempted to discover the identities of these people who helped make such a wonderful film. One success was the identity of Giles the pageboy, who I later discovered was played by Cavan Malone. Thanks to Neil and Laurence we also managed to put names to some of  Robin's outlaw band here.

So I was thrilled last week, to receive this email from Christian:

I have researched on subject character who appears only once in the film, that is to say upon King Richard’s departure for the Holy Land. At that moment, the sheriff requests permission to follow his king with his men across the seas, a request granted by his sovereign, prompting the latter to ask his brother Prince John : find a new sheriff !

This character plays a pivotal role in the film, since it justifies the whole plot of Robin becoming an outlaw. Should the sheriff had remained in England, the story would have been very different for obvious reasons.

I believe the Sheriff is played by Irish actor Fred Johnson (1899-1971), a very good character actor who has unfortunately made very few films (mostly horror pictures). Fred Johnson is uncredited in the Story of Robin Hood and no filmography lists him as one of the actors in this film.

Attached is Fred Johnson's filmography and a few pictures.

The Sheriff (Fred Johnson) asks King Richard I if he can join the Crusade

Christian seems to have found our lost Sheriff!

Fred Johnson was born in Dublin, Ireland on August 6th, 1899 and went on to have a very successful acting career both on the silver screen and television. He was also a screen writer and director.
Johnson is best remembered for his roles in The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), A Christmas Carol (1951) and The City of the Dead (1960).

Fred Johnson as Father Stepnik in 'The Brides of Dracula' (1960)

Christian has very kindly created a list of Fred Johnson's career:


1970
Von Richthofen And Brown 
Movie, Actor - Jeweler

1969
Where's Jack? 
Movie, Actor - Merchant

1967
Eden Cried 
Movie, Director

1967
Eden Cried 
Movie, Writer

1965
Young Cassidy 
Movie, Actor - Cab Driver

1962
Life Is A Circus 
Movie, Actor - Mr. Deaken

1961
Loss Of Innocence 
Movie, Actor - American Tourist

1961
Doctor Blood's Coffin 
Movie, Actor - Mr. Morton

1960
Horror Hotel 
Movie, Actor - Elder

1960
The Brides Of Dracula 
Movie, Actor - Father Stepnic/Cure

1960
Scream Of Fear 
Movie, Actor - Father

1958
Sea Fury 
Movie, Actor - Doc

1957
The Curse Of Frankenstein 
Movie, Actor - Grandfather

1957
Miracle In Soho 
Movie, Actor - Priest

1956
The Weapon 
Movie, Actor - Fitzsimmons

1956
Lust For Life 
Movie, Actor - Cordan

1956
The March Hare 
Movie, Actor - Joe Duffy

1955
They Can't Hang Me 
Movie, Actor

1955
The Break In The Circle 
Movie, Actor - Farquarson

1954
Land Of Fury 
Movie, Actor

1954
Tonight's The Night 
Movie, Actor

1954
Black Glove 
Movie, Actor - Inspector Mackenzie

1953
Martin Luther 
Movie, Actor - Prior

1953
The Saint's Girl Friday 
Movie, Actor - Irish Cassidy

1952
Treasure Hunt 
Movie, Actor

1952
The Long Memory 
Movie, Actor - Driver

1952
You Can't Beat The Irish 
Movie, Actor

1951
No Resting Place 
Movie, Actor - Bailiff

1951
A Christmas Carol 
Movie, Actor - Collector

1951
Flesh And Blood 
Movie, Actor

1950
The Naked Heart 
Movie, Actor - Esdras the Bonesetter

1950
Dance Hall 
Movie, Actor - Mr. Wilson

1949
Adam And Evalyn 
Movie, Actor - Chris Kirby

1947
Hi-De-Ho 
Movie, Actor - Head Waiter

1947
Nora Prentiss 
Movie, Actor

1947
The Mark Of Cain 
Movie, Actor - Prison Chaplain

1944
Knickerbocker Holiday 
Movie, Actor - Juggler

1942
Native Land 

Movie, Actor - The Farmer

Many thanks to Christian.

To see more about the lives of the wonderfully talented cast of actors and actresses who appeared in the Story of Robin Hood (1952) please click here.