Joan Rice & Ken Annakin

Joan Rice arrives at Denham Studios

 Joan Rice arrives by bicycle at Denham Studios in Buckinghamshire (pictured above) to film The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men in 1951. Director Ken Annakin later admitted he had doubts about her casting as Maid Marian, calling it his “Achilles’ heel.”

“I tested six other young actresses,” Annakin recalled, “but Walt Disney would not budge, largely because he saw me opposing him. ‘The camera loves her,’ Disney said. ‘Joan has quality.'

Annakin described how "Joan used to ride a bicycle to and from the local hotel and, between shots, would go speeding around the Denham lot. Nearly every day, she fell off and came back bruised and some part of her costume hanging loose. One evening, I saw her standing forlornly outside the studio door and took pity on her. "Where's your bike?" I called. 'Smashed up, as usual," she grinned guiltily, as she climbed into my MG Midget, then the pride of my life. She lit up a cigarette. Sure enough, within five minutes, I smelled burning. The wind had blown the hot ash into my rumble seat, and there was a half-inch hole smoking in the red leather. She staggered into her hotel, crying again. I had to feel sorry for the poor kid!"

So You Wanna Be A Director by Ken Annakin, Tomahawk Press 2001

Rare Disney Jigsaw Puzzles

These extremely rare jigsaw puzzles have attracted significant interest on my blog. They are owned by Neil, a regular contributor, and are beautifully illustrated with scenes from The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, released in 1952 by the Walt Disney Company.

Since I first wrote about these puzzles, I have learned that the illustrations were created by the multi-talented artist Arnold Beauvais (1886–1982). In 1913, he rented a studio in Chancery Lane, London, where he produced artwork for a wide range of clients, including J. Lyons and Co., RKO Radio Pictures, Black & White Whisky, Warner Bros., the Walt Disney Company, and Younger’s Scotch Ale. His work ranged from film posters and magazine illustrations to press advertisements, cartoons and jigsaw puzzles.

His work for film distributors included posters and publicity for well-known films such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Swiss Family Robinson, Up in Arms, and several films starring Danny Kaye, as well as Disney classics including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi, Treasure Island, Alice in Wonderland, Hans Christian Andersen and Peter Pan, along with several Disney nature films.

 

Nottingham Square

 

"This purse was given freely by Robin Fitzooth and his outlaw band, and with it their prayers for King Richard's safe return". This still from The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men beautifully highlights the remarkable attention to detail in Nottingham Square (above), crafted by art director Carmen Dillon and her talented team. And look closely—did you notice the man peering out from the upstairs window?