Joan's Premiere Skirt

70 years ago Walt Disney's live action movie The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men had its premiere in London at the Leicester Square Theatre. Here is our lovely Joan Rice (1930-1997) wearing a specially designed skirt for the occasion. 

I wonder what happened to that skirt? 

It was possibly designed by Walt Disney's promotional team. The newspapers described Joan arriving in a limousine with Robin Hood motifs along the trim of her tulle skirt. Her velvet bodice was in Lincoln Green, of course! 

Richard Todd Meets Walt Disney

Richard Todd practices for his role as Robin Hood

 

70 years ago Walt Disney's live action movie The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men had its premiere in London. Sadly, this colourful version of the legend is rarely shown and almost forgotten since the Disney organisation released an animated version in 1973.

But, down the years I have tried to make people aware of this live action movie, with its array of talented actors and actresses and incredible production team.

In his book Caught In The Act, Richard Todd describes his first meeting with Walt Disney in October 1950 and how he wanted his Robin Hood to be portrayed:

"The following Monday I went to Burbank to meet the most legendary of all the movie-world figures, Walt Disney. I don't remember whether the idea had come from Disney himself, or whether Milton Pickman had suggested it, but Walt was planning a film about Robin Hood and wanted me to play the English folk hero.

The atmosphere in the Walt Disney Studios was quite different from any I had so far experienced in the film factories. Walt first took me on a brief tour of his empire, going round acres of sound stages and rows of drawing offices, where animators were busy sketching. And everywhere he went he was greeted with 'Hi, Walt,' and he replied, 'Hi! Jack-or Fred-or Art-or Lou.' He seemed to know every single one of the workforce.

Joan Rice (Maid Marian), Walt Disney and Richard Todd (Robin Hood)

Eventually, we arrived in his office, a large, panelled, comfy room with a bar at one end. Before we settled down to talk, Walt proudly showed me how, at the touch of a button, the bar became a soda fountain for youngsters. He adored children and delighted in surprising them.

We were joined by Perce Pearce, his senior live-action producer, a jolly, rubicund Pickwickian figure, who was going to take charge of the Robin Hood project, and Walt then outlined his ideas for the planned film. With images of Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn in my mind, I simply could not see it as a vehicle for me. I was not physically built to play a larger-than-life swashbuckler, and I could not see myself swinging from the same Sherwood family tree as the mighty Flynn.

Above all, I considered myself an actor; not for me the Lincoln-green equivalent of Tarzan.

Walt was very persuasive. He described the idea of Robin Hood as a quick-thinking welter-weight, not a ponderous heavyweight. But even so, much as I liked and admired him, I felt I could not abandon all my thespian principles for a child's play romp in the forest. I must have been taking myself very seriously at that time.

And it never occurred to me that it might be a darned sight more difficult to make a fantasy character believable than to play some of the straight conventional parts that I had already done."

Thanks to Neil Vessey owner of the fantastic web site Films of the Fifties for the use of the image of Richard Todd with the bow at the top of the page.

From Caught In The Act, The Story of My Life by Richard Todd : Hutchinson 1986

Elton Hayes the Minstrel

 

The unidentified article (shown above) reads:

This modern-day minstrel is a transatlantic troubadour, having sought and won the patronage of the B.B.C. Films, recordings for Parlophone and H.M.V. and the Stage.

Elton Hayes compiles his program with great care - 'The trouble is that you may know hundreds of songs, but if they're all the same type only a few may be suitable for a Recital Programme; to overcome that trouble I often have to write my own'.

But in writing them Elton Hayes is doing just as his medieval predecessors did, bring up to date a medieval art, the only difference being, that none of them played to such a vast audience as the modern- day minstrel.

Elton Hayes (1915-2001) was ‘made for the part’ of Alan a Dale the legendary wandering minstrel. He carried the story uniquely from scene to scene, imitating the link the legend has with the balladeers that first spread the legend in medieval England. 

70 years ago, Elton together with a rich array of talented actors and actresses was busy filming the Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men at Denham Studios and Burnam Beeches in Buckinghamshire, England. Although this wonderful version of the legend has held up remarkably well down the decades and many critics rate it highly in the long list of Robin Hood productions, today it is generally forgotten. One of the reasons is probably due to the DVD not being released by Disney in Europe and also their cartoon version of the legend overshadowing the earlier live-action production.

Others in the film's cast were Richard Todd, who played the title role; James Robertson Justice, Little John; Martitia Hunt as Queen Eleanor, and James Hayter as Friar Tuck.

James Hayter as Friar Tuck and Elton Hayes as Alan a Dale

Hayes said Robin Hood was his second association with Walt Disney. He was hired by Disney to prepare original sea chanties for Treasure Island, due to the fact that Hayes collection of old English ballads were unrivalled in all of England.

At the time he was described as Britain's counterpart to America's Burl Ives, ballad and folk singer.

There are a couple of C.D's available of the music of Elton Hayes. But for fans of the Story of Robin Hood, I recommend the remastered compilation by Windyridge (WINDYVAR90), which includes 'Whistle My Love,' and 'Riddle de Diddle De Day.'

70th Anniversary of The Story of Robin Hood

I have many favourite stills from Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952) and this is one of them. Richard Todd as Robin Hood puts his protective arms around Maid Marian played by the beautiful Joan Rice. Do you have a favourite?

This movie had a huge influence on me. I was already a huge Disney fan, but I can remember sitting in my local Granada cinema when I was a teenager, being transfixed by the visual feast before my eyes. The glorious Technicolor, the wonderful characters, the visual effects and of course I fell in love with Joan Rice.

As we approach the 70th Anniversary of the start of filming at Denham Studios, I can't help wishing Disney would release an anniversary DVD of The Story of Robin Hood, containing extras and behind-the-scenes footage. Wouldn't that be a fitting tribute to this wonderful film and the vast amount of talented people that were involved in creating this masterpiece?