8mm Story of Robin Hood

 

Before streaming, DVDs, and even videotapes, there was only the cinema and television. Yes — I’m that old!

If you wanted your own copy of a favourite film, you needed a projector and a reel of cine film, usually 8mm.

After many years of waiting, I finally managed to get hold of the Disney Home Movies 8mm silent colour version of The Story of Robin Hood. I hadn’t seen it on television since I first watched it at the cinema, so owning it felt like winning the lottery.

Even though it was only four minutes long, those precious minutes of seeing that wonderful film again meant everything to me.

Joan Rice meets the 'real' Queen Mother

 

Joan Rice meets the Queen Mother

In November 1951, Joan Rice — Maid Marian — met the “real” Queen Mother at the Royal Premiere of 'Where No Vultures Fly.'

I’ve researched Joan’s extraordinary, almost fairy-tale life story: raised in a Nottingham orphanage near Sherwood after her father’s imprisonment, she moved to London, worked various jobs including waitressing, won a beauty contest, and was personally chosen by Walt Disney to play Maid Marian in The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, appearing alongside Queen Eleanor (Martita Hunt), mother of Richard I of England and Prince John.

There are now over 124 pages dedicated to Joan's life on this blog.

Not in Sherwood

 

Although many film websites claim that Walt Disney’s Story of Robin Hood was filmed in Sherwood Forest, this is not correct. The outdoor scenes were actually shot at Burnham Beeches, a magnificent area of ancient woodland in Buckinghamshire, close to Denham Studios, where the interior scenes were filmed.

Disney’s research team visited Sherwood Forest and Nottingham during pre-production, which may explain how the persistent myth arose that the film was shot there.

Burnham Beeches, designated an area of outstanding natural beauty, has long been a favourite location for film and television productions. On my last visit, filming was underway for a Harry Potter scene. It's remarkable ancient pollarded trees and atmospheric woodland have provided a convincing medieval backdrop for decades.

Disney’s second unit filmed many scenes on a part of Burnham Beeches known as Mendelssohn’s Slope, famed for its striking veteran trees. Nearby, at Middle Pond, Robin (Richard Todd) and Marian (Joan Rice) take their romantic evening stroll, accompanied by Friar Tuck (James Hayter) and Allan-a-Dale (Elton Hayes), who sings “Whistle My Love.”

Burnham Beeches became Walt Disney’s Sherwood Forest not only because it lay just twelve miles from Denham Studios — making it logistically practical — but also because its ancient woodland provided exactly the visual character required for this classic tale. Ironically, several film websites still state that Disney’s live-action adaptation was the only Robin Hood story filmed in Sherwood Forest. This is incorrect, though it does demonstrate just how convincingly Burnham Beeches doubled for the legendary forest.

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