Joan Rice, Ivanhoe & Robin Hood's Chair

Joan Rice as Marcia

Over the past 16 years I have attempted to piece together the life of Joan Rice (1930-1997). This blog is dedicated to her memory.

Joan liked it to be known that she was Walt Disney's 'first' Maid Marian. She was personally chosen by the legendary film producer to appear alongside Richard Todd in the live-action movie The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952).

I have known for many years that Joan Rice appeared in the TV series Ivanhoe (1958), but until recently I have never had an opportunity to watch it. But at last I have managed to see the particular episode on Youtube and it was good.

In an episode called The Night Raiders, Joan played the part of Marcia, a farmer's daughter who is abducted by a group of night riders terrorising a village. A young Roger Moore plays Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, son of Sir Cedric of Rotherwood. The TV series was based on the novel by Sir Walter Scott and set during the reign of King Richard the Lionheart. The Crusades have ended in disaster for the English king, who is believed dead - and the running plot of this series mostly concerns Prince John's various efforts to claim the English throne and Ivanhoe's attempts to secure justice for the populace despite John's illicit rule.

Joan would have been familiar with this particular time in history after her appearance as the girlfriend of Robin Hood, six years earlier and assisting the outlaw in his duels with the cold-blooded Sheriff of Nottingham and evil Prince John. 

Roger Moore as Ivanhoe

This swashbuckling TV series was typical of the period. Shows like The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel, The Adventures of Lancelot and later the Adventures of Richard the Lionheart were all aimed at the younger audiences of the late 1950's and early 1960's.

While watching this particular episode of Ivanhoe, I was surprised to catch a glimpse of one of 'Robin Hood's Chairs'!

My regular blog readers will know about the 'Robin Hood's Chairs'. They were created by Carmen Dillon's art department for Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men in 1951 and Joan Rice would have remembered them from her days filming on the sound stages at Denham Studio.

The chair in The Story of Robin Hood

And here it is again below, in the Ivanhoe episode in which Joan Rice appeared.

The chair in the episode of Ivanhoe

Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men was the last major production made at Denham Studios and this huge complex later merged with the Rank Organisation's Pinewood Studios. Laurence points out that The Black Knight was made at Pinewood, which probably explains the availability of the chairs as props. 

Because of our discoveries, I have compiled a list of some of the film and television productions that have used those Robin Hood Chairs:

The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (Film:1952)

The Men of Sherwood Forest (Film:1954)

The Black Knight (Film:1954)

The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV:1955-58)

The Dark Avenger (Film:1955)

Ivanhoe (TV:1958) Ep.The Night Raiders.

Sword of Sherwood Forest (Film:1960)

Robin of Sherwood (TV:1984-86)

Horrible Histories (TV: 2013-15)

To read more about Joan Rice (1930-1997) and much more click on the labels.