Herne the Hunter

Spring is my favourite time of year and over the last few weeks we have been blessed with some lovely warm weather. The cold grey cloak of winter has at last been finally lifted and gentle blossom is at last decorating the branches of the trees and hedgerows.

As I walk down my garden and admire the bluebells and the magnolia, it often reminds me of scenes in that excellent series ‘Robin of Sherwood’ of the 1980’s. The award winning writer Richard Carpenter very cleverly created a link in the screen play between Herne the Hunter, the mysterious Green Man and the Celtic fertility god, Cernunnos.

The shamanic figure of Herne the Hunter (John Abineri) featured in 17 of the 26 episodes and one particular story, ‘Lord of the Trees’ (31st December 1984) often reminds me of this time of year. In that wonderful episode the villagers set aside a ‘Time for the Blessing,’ a forest tradition held in the spring when no blood can be shed to guarantee a good harvest.

Many of my blog readers are familiar with the art work of Mike Giddens. A while ago I featured his version of Herne the Hunter from ‘Robin of Sherwood’ and along with his art work I did a short history of the mysterious legend of Herne the Hunter.

Above is Mike’s most recent painting of Herne and I am sure you will agree that this version is absolutely stunning. His fabulous artwork can be seen on his Facebook site and also throughout this website, including his beautiful interpretation of Maid Marian.

Herne the Hunter

The Whistling Arrows are certainly a multi-talented group! Particularly Mike. Many of us on Face Book (come and join us!) are now familiar with Mike’s beautiful paintings and Avalon has recently featured his work on her blog. But it is always a thrill to see another example of his art work, particularly when it is connected to our favourite outlaw and one of the most popular recent adaptions of the legend, Robin of Sherwood.

Above is Mike’s interpretation of Herne the Hunter, one of the central figures in Richard Carpenter’s scripts for the hugely successful and influential TV series of the 1980’s.

The series Robin of Sherwood started in 1984 and was made by Goldcrest for HTV. It first featured Michael Praed as Robin, the son of a peasant family murdered by the Normans. After being mistreated in early childhood, he makes common cause with a group of other young outcasts. But not before he is chosen for his role to lead resistance as ‘The Hooded Man’ by Herne the Hunter, a pagan shaman wearing stag’s antlers and living in a grove on an island in a lake.

When, in 1597, William Shakespeare set pen to parchment and wrote The Merry Wives of Windsor he had Mistress Page utter the lines below:

There is an old tale goes,
That Herne the hunter,
Sometime a keeper here in Windsor Forest,
Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight,
Walk round about an oak, with great ragg'd horns;
And there he blasts the tree, and takes the cattle,
And makes milch-kine yield blood, and shakes a chain
In a most hideous and dreadful manner.
You have heard of such a spirit, and well you know
The superstitious idle-headed eld
Receiv'd, and did deliver to our age,
This tale of Herne the Hunter for a truth.

Despite this being the earliest written reference we have to the legend of Herne the Hunter, it is probable that Shakespeare was drawing on a much older local tradition, the origins of which lay with the Norse god, Odin (a leader of the wild hunt) and of the horned Celtic deity, Cernunnos. We know Shakespeare’s knowledge of folklore was considerable and that he seldom invents when he can refer to a genuine story. This was one of many innovations by Carpenter who inserted medieval magical realism along with Robin’s traditional battles with the Sheriff of Nottingham.

But the legend of Herne originally had no connection with Robin Hood or Sherwood Forest. In fact the various legends place him during the reign of Richard II (1377-1399) as a keeper of Windsor Forest in Berkshire. It was there that Herne was known for his great hunting and woodcraft skills. He was favoured after saving King Richard from being gored by a cornered white hart, but very badly injured himself. Later a mysterious dark figure, known as Philip Urswick appeared and promised the king that for a reward he will insure Herne recovered.

The king agreed and announced that if Herne lived, he would promote him to chief-keeper of Windsor Forest. So Urswick took him to his hut at Bagshot Heath and bound the antlers and skull of a stag to the dying Herne, prescribing plenty of rest. But the other game-keepers were jealous of Herne and made it known to Urswick that they wished that he had died of his injuries. So Urswick did a deal with the other keepers.

Herne recovered, (although the antlers remained permanent) returned to court and was promoted to chief game-keeper; Urswick meanwhile was rewarded by King Richard with gold and silver. But gradually Herne began to lose his hunting skills, much to the annoyance of the king who revoked the promotion. So bitterly ashamed Herne hung himself from a giant oak tree in Windsor Forest and his body mysteriously vanished during a thunderstorm.

Urswick never revealed the charm he put on Herne to the king and as each new chief-keeper was installed, they too lost their skills. Realising they would never get promotion, the game-keepers then begged Urswick to dispel the charm, which he agreed to on condition that they met him at the giant oak tree at midnight. When the keepers arrived at the oak tree Herne’s ghost appeared before them complete with his stag’s antlers. He ordered them to return the following night prepared for a hunt, which they did and when he reappeared he raced off, forcing them to chase him on horseback with their hounds, on and on through Windsor Forest.

But the game-keepers suddenly came to a halt when Urswick miraculously appeared before them. He demanded payment for stripping Herne of his game-keeping abilities. The payment would be that they had to join in Herne’s wild hunt forever.

So every night the hunt met at Herne’s Oak, riding forth with the horned ghost and raiding the forest taking deer until very few were left. King Richard was furious when he heard of their pursuits and decided to make a visit to the oak tree. Herne appeared to the king and learned of his anger at the state of his forest, but explained that he rode the hunt for vengeance. The king agreed to hang the game-keepers from that very oak tree on condition that Herne would haunt no more during his reign. The group of game-keepers were hung the next day.

Tradition says that Herne was not seen until after Richard II’s abdication in 1399 when once again he rode with the wild huntsman through the forest of Windsor collecting the souls of the dead. To this day the hunt is seen or heard in Windsor Forest and as far away as Cookham Moor and Huntercombe Manor which gets its name from the hunter.

One version of the legend warns:


Fly then, quickly make no stay,
For Herne the Hunter rides this way.

When Michael Praed grew tired of appearing in the series ‘Robin of Sherwood’, he was killed off and after memorial fire-arrows, it was left to the mystical Herne the Hunter to chose another face to fill the hood. But this time he was not a local from the destroyed village of Locksley but the upper-class Earl of Huntingdon, played by Jason Connery (son of Sean).

Patricia Driscoll at Nettlefold Studios

Geoff Waite has very kindle sent me this article on Patricia Driscoll from the 1958 Annual ‘Girl Film & Television’, which is copied below. Pat took over from Bernadette O’Farrell as Maid Marian in the third and fourth series of The Adventures of Robin Hood which aired on ITV in Britain from 1955 till 1960. The series eventually ran to 143 half-hour black and white episodes and is still very fondly remembered.

Pat Driscoll-A Girl Who Adds Glamour to the Robin Hood Show.

"An unexpected telephone call from the Nettlefold Studios, at Walton-on-Thames, to the London mews flat of Pat Driscoll hoisted her to fame in the role of Maid Marian in TV’s ‘Robin Hood.’

When the phone rang, Pat was doing a spot of gardening-if ‘gardening’ is the right word to use about tending window boxes outside a town flat!

The odd thing was that she seldom saw TV. There was no room in her small home for a set, and she didn’t like badgering neighbours to look in at theirs.

Like her predecessor in the part, Bernadette O’Farrell, Pat was born in Cork. When her mind was made up that acting was the life for her, her parents sent her to RADA. After that, she worked her way around the country with various repertory companies.

While with the Manchester Rep she met and married a dark Scot, Duncan Lamont. Duncan has also appeared in ‘Robin Hood’ from time to time. Their first home was in a London mews flat, where hammers, tacks, paint rollers and wallpapers made many demands on leisure time.

Pat's first TV success came in 1953, in a show called ‘Whirligig.’ She also appeared in the film Charley Moon with Max Bygraves. Until the Maid Marian part came along, she was working in both ‘Listen With Mother’ and ‘Looking With Mother.’

Pat has been used to handling horses all her life, and had her own pony as a child and did a lot of show-jumping, in the modern manner. In fact, she was once a leading pony rider at the Olympia Horse Show. When she was eleven year old, Pat won a jumping competition at the Arundel Gymkhana.

This helped a great deal when she took on the role of Maid Marian-though she found she had to learn to ride side-saddle to conform to medieval custom. She took lessons from an expert to steer an elephant in the right direction in Charley Moon. ‘After that, riding side-saddle on a horse was child’s play,’ she’ll tell you.

Pat’s favourite hobby, when she has time for it, is salmon fishing. When she is filming, an alarm clock shatters her sleep at six-thirty in the morning. After this early start she is ‘on set,’ ready with her make-up completed, at the Nettlefold Studios by eight thirty.

She likes to tell about her own shame when she first began working there.‘Puzzled, I was, by the plaque over the entrance HEPWIX 1898, until someone told me it was a memorial to Cecil Hepworth (part of his own name coupled with that of a fiend). He was one of the pioneers of film making, who built the place in the back garden of his house by the Thames.’

The hooks on which Hepworth slung his film negative to dry are still there, an interesting link with the television films of today."

Many thanks to Geoff for sending this article.

Television's First Robin Hood

Last week I posted an article about the very earliest television version of Robin Hood. It starred the late British actor Patrick Troughton (1920-1987) and only one episode, The Abbot of St Mary’s, survived from those early pioneering days. Neil has now pointed me in the direction of a wonderful website www.bbctv-ap.co.uk/robinhd.htm which covers the early days of the BBC when it was broadcast from Alexander Palace. The period covered is post-war from 1952 to 1963 and is constructed from the personal recollections and memoirs of Arthur Dungate. In addition there are some experiences of Lime Grove and Riverside Studios in the mid-1950s. His web site is worth a visit.

I hope Arthur doesn’t mind me copying part of his fascinating recollections of finding part of a Robin Hood  episode from the very first series:

"Until the late 1970s the BBC was not an archiving organisation and thus had no requirement to keep material for posterity. While at Alexandra Palace in the early 1950s, I had a key to the film vault, and often I would go and see what was to be thrown away. Amongst several things, one item I found was part of an episode of Robin Hood, a serial for children shown in March 1953.

This was a half-hour programme eminating from Studio G (I think) at Lime Grove. No film location material was used, the whole of the action taking place live in the studio.

What I had found was a 16mm reduction print of Episode 2, The Abbot of St Mary's which Kays Labs at Finsbury Park had produced from the 35mm telefilm recording made while the programme was being transmitted.

However, only the beginning two sequences and the end sequence were there. The main story sequence had been removed for some reason, leaving only 8 minutes of the programme. Thus, although the episode is titled The Abbot of St Mary's, we never get to see the Abbot himself!

I spliced the two parts of the print together and since then it had remained in my loft for about 47 years, practically forgotten.

It was not until the autumn of 1999 that I came to realise that this is probably the earliest surviving example of a BBC Television drama series as it predates The Quatermass Experiment shown in July 1953 (of which only the first two episodes were recorded) by 4 months. Thus its historical significance is greater than I had thought, and I believe a Digi-Beta copy is now in the BBC archives."

Arthur Dungate's web site is at
http://www.bbctv-ap.co.uk/bbctvp1.htm

Patrick Troughton as Robin Hood

Neil recently reminded me of the earliest television serial of Robin Hood. It was written by Max Kester and broadcast over six weeks, in 30 minute live transmissions from the Gaumont-British Studios in Lime Grove, London, between the 17th March and April 21st 1953.

Fans of the recent BBC series of Robin Hood might be surprised to read that it was Sam Troughton’s (Robin’s manservant, Much) Grandfather Patrick, who was the very first actor to play the part of the legendary outlaw on the television of the 1950’s. Sam was ten years old when his Grandfather died.

Patrick Troughton (1920-1987) is probably best remembered for being the second Dr Who in the cult Sci-Fi series, which was his favourite role. But he was one of Britain’s most versatile, recognisable and finest dramatic actors, with a career that lasted 40 years in films and television. Which incidentally included a short part in Walt Disney’s Treasure Island (1950) as a pirate called Roach.

Television was Troughton’s favourite medium and as a very fine swordsman, this made him an ideal choice for the part of Robin Hood. Alongside him was Kenneth Mackintosh as Little John, Wensley Pithey as Friar Tuck, Philip Guard as Will Scarlet, John Brestin as Alan A Dale and Dudley Jones as Much. An interesting choice for the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham was David Kossoff, with Maurice Jones as his evil side-kick Guy of Gisbourne.

Sadly it has been reported recently that only one episode of this historic series has survived. At that time, most live shows were broadcast and discarded, with most of them being lost forever. But fortunately the BBC was starting to experiment with a specially adapted monitor that recorded televised material. As a result of this experimentation, an entire episode of Robin Hood, (Episode 2, The Abbot of St Mary’s) survives in the BBC Archives. This is probably the earliest example of those pioneering ‘telerecording’ experiments.

Robin Hood Playsuit

So how many of you had a Robin Hood outfit like this in the 1950’s? Above is an American children’s playsuit in superb condition from about 1956. The make is unknown, but it was made to accompany the groundbreaking British made TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood.

From 1955-1959, CBS were showing The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Richard Greene, Archie Duncan and Alexander Gauge on Monday evenings and then in re-runs on Saturdays. The show was one of the few non-westerns popular with children of the era.

It was also on the 2nd November 1955, during the second series of Disneyland that The Story of Robin Hood was first aired. The feature film had been edited, like many at that time, into a two part television presentation, with the second part broadcast during episode 9 on the 9th November 1955. During Walt Disney Presents on ABC, The Story of Robin Hood was shown again in two parts, on 26th December 1958 and 2nd January 1959.

Disney’s live-action film The Story of Robin Hood had a significant influence on TV’s Adventures of Robin Hood with some of the actors and even occasionally the props re-appearing. But that simply added to the magic of children experiencing and re-enacting the legend of Robin Hood in the 1950’s.

Robin Hood's Chair

Over the last few years interest in my Disney's Story of Robin Hood Facebook page has been growning and there are now 41 members. One new member, Brian Varaday, has recently sent me another example of the use of what has become known as Robin Hood's Chair.


Brian has very kindly sent me a still from the movie The Dark Avenger (1955) which not only starred Errol Flynn, but also involved many people that would have been familiar with the chair when it was first used in Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood (1952). Peter Finch, Michael Hordern, Ewen Solon, Guy Green, Alex Bryce and Charles Beard.

The original chair used in Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood (1952)

                                                                 

The chair used in TV's Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1960)

                            

A few years ago I was given the complete box set of The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1960) on DVD. It was during watching one of the first episodes of this wonderful classic TV series that I noticed a familiar piece of furniture, in the Sheriff of Nottingham’s chamber. It was a distinctive, highly decorated chair, with a circular headrest and pineapple decorated top.

I was sure I had seen it before-It couldn’t be could it?

I immediately paused the DVD and quickly grabbed my illustrated book of Disney’s Story of Robin Hood - I was right, it was the same chair!

This extremely elaborate and colourful chair designed by Carmen Dillon and her art department in 1951 for Walt Disney’s Technicolor movie had found its way to Nettlefold Studios and the set of the groundbreaking black and white TV series starring Richard Greene in 1955.

As a young lad, these two versions of the Robin Hood were hugely influential and remain my two favourite interpretations of the legend. So you can imagine my surprise when I recently found, what I believe to be that very same chair, appearing thirty years later in another favourite of mine, HTV’s excellent Robin of Sherwood (1984-1986)!

The chair used in Robin of Sherwood (1984-1986)

I made a few enquires about this remarkable coincidence and received this message from a member of the Britmovie forum:

“I think it’s quite normal for props and costumes and even whole sets to be used in other films over the years, studios normally had their own prop stores and there are also several large independent prop hire companies around London that have been on the go for years. I remember visiting one in Acton many years ago while helping a friend find some props for a theatre production; it was like an Aladdin’s cave with the proprietor cheerfully pointing out what other famous plays some of the props had been used for in the past.”


And:

"I guess most of the props these days are located in private rental firms. In the old days before studios went four walls they contained huge prop departments on site. I know Pinewood had a massive prop dept so it’s not unusual for the same prop to pop up in many films and are now privately owned. I know when MGM Borehamwood closed they flogged a lot off in a huge auction and many went down the road to Elstree."

The chair used in Men of Sherwood (1954)

A regular blog visitor kindly sent me stills of the chairs from the Story of Robin Hood  also being used in Men of Sherwood Forest (1954). This was the first of a trilogy of Robin Hood features made by Hammer Film productions and also their first colour movie. Recently some critics have described it as the possibly the worst sound film about the outlaw ever made, although American actor Don Taylor gives a good performance as Robin Hood and Reginald Beckwith is an excellent Friar Tuck in this low budget romp.

So there we are, what I like to call ‘Robin Hood’s Chair’ has appeared in all three of my all-time favourite Robin Hood productions.

Men of Sherwood (1954)

The various chairs from the Story of Robin Hood used in Men of Sherwood.

If anybody reading this, knows if that chair and other movie props from Disney's Story of Robin Hood are still stored away somewhere, please get in touch. I think that chair would look just great in my front room!

Jonas Armstrong's Last Arrow

The Guardian announced-“Fewer than 2 million viewers tuned in to BBC2 recently to watch Robin Hood meet a violent end, murdered by a sword tipped with poison, after disposing of his old enemy the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Now BBC executives have announced that the show itself has also been killed. BBC executives will not re-commission Robin Hood, which starred Jonas Armstrong as the legendary outlaw and Keith Allen as the Sheriff of Nottingham, after three series and 39 episodes.”

As I have said quite often on this blog, I think it was an opportunity that was missed by the BBC. In the past they have produced such sumptuous classic productions, but this sorry tale was a lesson in how NOT to treat our literary heritage. The talent was available, but the story-lines ranged from weak to downright poor and in the end the show disintegrated before our very eyes.

Below is a rather harsh but amusing article taken from The Sun newspaper on Friday November
10th 2006. It is written by Ally Ross during the start of the first series:

Robin Steals Poor Viewers’ Will To Live.

Stick a bunch of monkeys in a room with a typewriter and they’ll eventually come up with something Shakespeare could’ve written. Stick a bunch of BBC employees in a room with a typewriter and they’ll immediately come up with something a monkey could’ve written. Robin Hood. Or Ro-Bin Laden as I’ve come to think of the little twerp. A fantastic story that’s thrilled generations and, even in the school playground, is almost impossible to screw up. You’d imagine.
Though, by crikey, Auntie’s tested that theory to the absolute limit with this one. THE best reason for watching The X Factor on Saturday.

A series that always looked and felt wrong. Robin was a weedy student. The Sheriff of Nottingham appeared to be Billy Joel and Marian was wearing full make-up.

But then just to cut off all escape routes, Auntie sealed its fate by saddling a pacifist Robin Hood with an agenda and script that was horribly, unforgivably, comically Left-wing. And absolutely bloody awful.

An unfolding embarrassment it’s been. From episode one and two, when the Sheriff launched his “war on terror” (you get their drift?). Through episodes three and four, when Robin suddenly started spouting chunks of the Koran. To complete meltdown last Saturday.

Robin Hood And The Silver Arrow. A simple heroic tale. Until the Beeb get hold of it and we learn it’s all been sparked by a medieval miners’ strike and the Sheroff’s (get this) had to “introduce new security measures,” because of the arrival of Turkish slave labourers, led by a cross-dressing feminist Muslim healer. As they so often were in those “human trafficking” days of yore.
Upshot?
The silver arrow story was utterly screwed.
However, just about every right-on box was successfully ticked and we had clanky-as-hell Guardian dialogue to match thank you very much. With clankiest of the night award surely going to this corker from Maid Marian.

“I couldn’t go to war. But I decided I could go to war against poverty.”

And you mark my words, the smug bint’ll be handing out “MAKE PEASANTRY HISTORY” bracelets by the end of the series. Unless, that is, Sir Guy of Gisbourne introduces legislation to enforce ID scrolls.

‘Cos seriously, Robin Hood could actually get that nutty. As the shock of this series hasn’t been discovering the BBC is institutionally Left-wing. We knew that. It’s been discovering that the Beeb’s also institutionally arrogant and stupid enough to think it can clamp every little bit of its PC agenda on to a prime-time, family show without some of the audience noticing and getting mightily hacked off.

Still, the facts must speak for themselves. And although over two million people have for whatever reason, already turned Robin Hood off, six million remain. Meaning, there will probably be a second series. So, guess all I can do is hope Auntie tones down the political guff, topical references and trendy haircuts (which will date the show more brutally than Errol Flynn’s version). Or else just suggest a more honest, PC title than the merry men thing. Something like this would do.
Robin Hood And His Non Gender Specific Ethnically Diverse Collective Of Crisis Management Officers. “Working for a fairer Nottingham."

(Ally Ross On TV, The Sun, Friday November 10 2006)

Jonas Armstrong Meets Some Ghosts

With more twists and turns than any of the paths through old Sherwood Forest, the third series of the BBC’s Robin Hood is reaching its conclusion over the next few weeks. The average audience of approximately 3.24m in the U.K. will not only see the dramatic siege of the village of Loxley but the return of King Richard to rally his forces against his scheming brother, Prince John.

Amidst the bombardment of Byzantine fireballs at Nottingham Castle, fans of the series will also witness the ‘real’ Sheriff of Nottingham (Keith Allen) return from the dead with his well equipped army and a pledge to finish-off Robin Hood (Jonas Armstrong) once and for all.


This is just one of a whole quiver-full of surprises that viewers will be treated to, in the finale of this rather disjointed and unpredictable take on the medieval story. The BBC are desperately trying to keep the last episodes of this series a close-guarded secret, but it is already common knowledge that Jonas Armstrong who plays Robin Hood will leave the show after three years. It is also believed that another ghost from Robin’s past-Maid Marian-played by Lucy Griffiths will also make a surprise return for the finale.
To read more about the BBC’s Robin Hood series and a whole lot more, I recommend http://robinhoodseries3.blogspot.com/

Are you a fan of the series? Please let me know what you think of this modern take on the ancient legend.

Jonas Armstrong and his Bow

For at least 800 years the legend of Robin Hood has been enhanced and embellished by minstrels and story-tellers. With the start of the recent BBC TV series; it came as no surprise to critics; that to appeal to a modern young audience, today’s writers had to come-up with a few new twists for their version of the ancient tale.

But as the new series unfolded, it soon became apparent that no element of the legend was safe. In particular, the BBC’s Robin Hood chose not to use a traditional English bow made from the finest Yew, but what appeared initially to be a Middle Eastern recurved bow constructed from composite materials.

This of course sent shock-waves through the English archery clubs and federations up and down the country who look upon Robin Hood as their ‘patron saint.’

The directors have certainly made the archery shots completely unrealistic and in some cases spectacularly ridiculous. But what followed on many web sites and forums was an interesting debate on Jonas Armstrong’s choice of bow. Initially it was believed that Jonas; as Robin Hood, carried this type of bow, as a respect for his former Saracen enemy during the third Crusade with King Richard the Lionheart. In the first series he explains to Luke Scarlet, the younger brother of Will, that the Saracen bow is curved that way to give more power to a smaller weapon. But was it a Saracen bow?

A recurve bow is defined as having tips curving away from the archer. The recurve bow's bent limbs have a longer draw length than an equivalent straight-limbed bow, giving a more acceleration to the projectile and less hand shock. But Recurved limbs also put greater strain on the materials used to make the bow and this is what started quite an interesting internet debate.

Below is just a small sample:

“The composite bow that Robin uses in the TV show requires the use of very strong glues. The strongest glues at that time were made from collagen which is a main protein of connective tissue in animals. The collagen in our own skin, for example, helps bind it and keep it supple. If you boil up animal hide, sinew or parts of certain fish you can scoop of the collagen and get different types of hide glue, sinew glue and fish glue respectively. Although as strong as modern synthetic glues the biggest weakness for this type of glue is that it takes a long time to dry because any moisture in the glue will break down the bonds that hold it. And worse, once dry, if it gets wet the glue will begin to dissolve again. This is why composite bows were common in warm, dry climates but weren't used in wetter climates, like England. So no, if Robin Hood were real he wouldn't have used a composite "Saracen" bow. Or at least not for very long.”

Then:

“It's not a Saracen bow. It's an ancient Hungarian recurved bow.The Hungarian fighters used it 1500 years ago."Ab saggittae ungarorum, libera nos Domine"- God save us from the Hungarian's bows- said the prayer of the Middle Ages, which is familiar to everyone, who ever studied the tactics of the "raider" Hungarians.
This new version filmed in Hungary. That's why this bow is in the series.”

And:

“It is indeed a Hungarian bow, and looks like it was made by either Kassai or Grozer, both fine Hungarian bowyers making traditional style bows. Of the two, Grozer is, I think, the best - his finest bows are made using authentic materials and designs. They are incredible testaments to engineering knowledge that dates back more than 2 millennia. I too saw the article on the web stating that the wet climate would cause the glue used to construct the bow would fail - This is not a logical argument. Firstly, the weak point of any medieval bow is the bow string - contemporary English bow strings were made from nettle or flax fiber, and would stretch when wet. Secondly, the glue (made from the swim bladders of freshwater fish) unlike hide or sinew glue, cures as it dries. This makes it far less susceptible to moisture, but for added protection the bow limbs were covered with fish/snake skin or birch bark. Thirdly, and probably most convincingly, the horn/wood/sinew composite bow was used to great effect by Ghengis Kahn across a vast and climatically diverse area - it was never a weapon limited to arid regions.”

But:

“This type of bow is often called a "horse bow”. Developed by the Mongols, it was used on horseback (hence the smaller size). Despite its small size it packs incredible power. This is because of its shape, and materials used in its construction. Wet weather is not a problem; ancient archers (much more ancient than the middle ages) covered these bows with a layer of birch bark to protect them from the elements. These bow easily pierced the plate armor of Roman or Chinese soldiers. This weapon was the reason Genghis Kahn was able to rule the largest empire known to man.”

The opening titles of the BBC’s Robin Hood series declares that deep in the heart of England lies the legend of Robin Hood.
But at the heart of the ancient legend of Robin Hood, is his traditional prowess with an English bow; perhaps it would have been better if the BBC had left this vital element of the story alone.

What do you think?

The BBC's Robin Hood-Series 3

The third series of the BBC’S Robin Hood begins on Saturday 28th March at 1850 GMT. Some new characters will appear amongst the Hungarian glades of Sherwood Forest, including Guy of Gisbourne’s sister, played by Laura Pulver and Joanne Froggatt, who will join the outlaw band as Kate; Robin’s new love interest. There is also the much publicised arrival of David Harewood as Friar Tuck.

This year the show in ‘much darker’ reckons Jonas Armstrong who plays Robin for the last time. How he leaves at the end of the last episode is a tightly kept secret, but there are rumours that the series will continue without him. They have already killed off Marian! So a fourth series? Hmm!

As I have said many times before, I have felt the series has been a big disappointment, considering the multi award winning costume dramas the BBC has achieved in the past. But I will give Jonas and his politically correct group of activists, a third chance.

Gordon Kennedy

“Strong, instinctive, practical, resolute, Little John is powerful in battle and knowledgeable about survival in the forest.”

The line above is taken from the website for the BBC/Tiger Aspect Robin Hood (2006-2009)series. The role of Little John is played by actor Gordon Kennedy, known for a variety of acting and presenting projects.

Kennedy was born in Scotland on 22nd February 1958, the son of a local doctor; he grew up in Tranent, East Lothian, where he has two roads named after him. This old coal mining town was re-named Stoneybridge by Kennedy in the cult TV comedy Absolutely (1989-93) and became the butt of many jokes, when the town in the series hilariously bid to host the Olympic Games!

It was as a student at George Watsons College in Edinburgh that Kennedy met up with future members of Absolutely. They got together originally to form the fringe sketch show The Bodgers and went on create what has often been described as the best comedy show Scotland has ever produced.

His early experience in comedy also saw him in The Kenny Everett Show and various characters in many episodes of Russ Abbott’s comedy series.

“I loved working on The Russ Abbott Show! Kennedy says, “It was a very steep learning curve, and I used to keep bumping into the sets. I was far too big for the show. When it came to Absolutely, I made sure they made an extra six-inch gap to get my shoulders through the doorway. I loved it. It was great fun, and a fantastic first experience.”

Due to a last minute adaption to a script, Kennedy also appeared in another cult TV series, Red Dwarf (1988-1999) as Hudzen. But this former P.E. teacher also presented the original National Lottery alongside Anthea Turner and filmed an advert for Tunes-the cold remedy.
Various television dramas also used his acting ability, including, Inspector Morse, Where the Heart Is, Red Cap, River City and two episodes of The Bill.

As the rather grisly Little John, Gordon Kennedy has starred in both series of the BBC’s new adaption of the legend of Robin Hood and recently completed a third.

“I don't mind keeping my hair long,” Kennedy said during filming Robin Hood, “as it is cheaper than having a mid-life crisis and buying a Ferrari but I don't like the beard. I had my last shave for eight months yesterday. It feels like an invasion of my facial space. I hate it!”

The BBC’s Robin Hood has received mixed reviews, particularly in its determined departure from many of the traditional elements of the story and an eagerness to modernize the age old tale. But it has a hard-core following, including many fan-sites over the web, which in there own way are taking this ancient medieval tale into the 21st Century.

Kennedy’s Little John does not have the traditional quarter-staff fight with Robin Hood over a river in this modern adaption by the BBC. Instead he is the moody, no-nonsense ‘giant-bear’ that stands mainly in the back-ground, that we only really get to know in Episode 11, of the first series, Dead Man Walking written by Simon Ashford. In this emotionally charged story, Little John’s son (also called John) is imprisoned after trying to protect a villager known as Luke, from being arrested for making bows and arrows for Robin Hood. Little John attempts to rescue the pair but is also thrown in the dungeons.

Later, Little John’s wife Alice is also imprisoned and estranged husband and wife, temporally meet up in the overcrowded cells, where they are soon to appear in the Sheriff’s Festival of Pain. Alice is surprised to see her husband alive. Little John soon begins to realize how time has moved on and that Luke now looks after Alice and her son. Meanwhile in an emotional scene Little John reveals he is the father of John.

Robin and his men infiltrate the castle dressed as guards and Little John’s temper finally snaps. In a fit of anger he breaks free of his oak stocks and manages to help free his family. Robin sets to work freeing the other prisoners from their chains with a lock pin given to him by Marian. Upon their escape, they leave the wicked Sheriff hanging upside-down in one of his own instruments of torture.

Sadly Little John has to say goodbye to his wife and son as they are now forced to live elsewhere for safety.

This in my opinion, was without doubt one of the best episodes of the first series, where we get to see some fine acting, particularly by Kennedy.

It was during the filming of the second series, that Kennedy pulled a ligament in his leg. When he was taken to hospital in Budapest, where the location filming was taking place, he was still in full costume as Little John and was left to one side, as the hospital staff thought he was a tramp!

Wildroot Cream-Oil

This is an advert for a popular vintage hair tonic, known as Wildroot Cream-Oil. It shows an illustration of Richard Greene as Robin Hood announcing that Wildroot Cream-Oil would be advertised on the Robin Hood TV Show starting from November 26th 1956.

In Britain the classic TV series aired between 1955-1960 and in the USA it was shown on the CBS network from 1955-1959.

Peanut Butter Glasses

Above can be seen three extremely rare, peanut butter glasses, out of a set of 8 from the classic 1950’s TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood. They were manufactured by Federal Glass in Canada and depict Richard Greene as Robin Hood, Patricia Driscoll as Maid Marian and Alan Wheatley as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

The Haunted Mill

The classic TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood had many strong links with Walt Disney’s live-action motion picture the Story of Robin Hood. Here is just one example, with James Hayter (Friar Tuck in Disney’s Robin Hood) playing the part of Tom the Miller in an episode from the second series called The Haunted Mill.

The original ITV program was first transmitted on 3rd December 1956. James Hayter can be seen standing behind Friar Tuck (Alexander Gauge) admiring Tom the Millers freshly cooked strawberry cake.

James Hayter went on to have a long association with cakes, when he became the familiar voice-over for television advertisements of Mr. Kipling’s Cakes.

Lucy Griffiths

The recent BBC series Robin Hood has come in for a great deal of criticism. None more so, than when in the final part of the second series, the writers had one of the strongest characters in the show, Marian, played by Brighton born Lucy Griffiths, apparently killed-off by the evil Guy of Gisborne. This led to the Robin Hood 2007 Blog, a companion of this site (see My Blog List) being inundated with 136 comments and over a thousand hits straight after the program! Later in his online poll, 69% of his readers wanted Lucy Griffiths to return for a third series.

Twenty year old Lucy had followed Joan Rice’s earlier pioneering steps in the Story of Robin Hood (1952) and moved away from the traditional ornamental ‘Maid,’ into becoming a distinctly bright, independent 'Marian' with her own agendas. These included becoming a crime fighter in her own right as the leather clad, Kung-Fu kicking Nightwatchman. But with this sassy Marian came the modern ‘Top Shop’ style clothes that didn’t go down too well with traditionalists, including myself.

But one tradition that the writers of the BBC series did stick to, was the love triangle with Guy of Gisborne played by Richard Armitage as Robin Hood's (Jonas Armstrong) violent rival for Marian. This plot can be traced right back to Reginald De Koven’s successful Victorian play of 1890 called Robin Hood (produced in London as Maid Marian). This popular formula was also used in the 1938 classic swashbuckling film The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone and Olivia de Havilland.

Michael Praed

Without doubt the most successful and influential re-telling of the Robin Hood myth in more recent times was HTV’s Robin of Sherwood. The writer of this series Richard Carpenter cleverly blended together elements of ancient pagan mysticism and folklore and created a gritty, realistic and hugely successful re-telling of the ancient legend for television. It soon became a firm favorite of mine.

Paul Knight of Goldcrest and Richard Carpenter had seen Michael Praed in a West End production of The Pirates of Penzance in 1982. His real name was Michael Prince, but chose the old Cornish name ‘Praed’ (meadow), because another actor was already listed with that name in Equity. Praed was playing the part of the swashbuckling pirate Frederick and soon displayed to them, all the qualities they needed for the part of the ‘Hooded Man’ in their new project.

Robin of Sherwood was first shown on Saturday April 28th 1984 and went on to attain cult status and ran up until 1986. Praed played Robin of Loxley for the first two series then left leafy Sherwood for Broadway, later taking on the role as the Prince of Moldavia in the American TV series Dynasty.

The third season had Praed replaced by Jason Connery (son of Sean who had played an older Robin Hood in 1976) as a reincarnation of the outlaw, Robert of Huntingdon.
I will be looking at this series in greater depth in the future. The series has a huge fan base with various excellent websites out there, including http://www.robinofsherwood.org/.

If you enjoyed the series get in touch! How does it compare to the latest BBC version?

Lardner's Ring & Ring Lardner Jr.

In series two of the BBC’s largely disappointing Robin Hood series, starring Jonas Armstrong, Lucy Griffiths and Richard Armitage-the ninth episode was given the title Lardner’s Ring. This is undoubtedly a reference to the blacklisted American writer Ring Lardner Jr., who after being imprisoned and unable to work in his own country, wrote under several pseudonyms for the classic British television series, The Adventures of Robin Hood, in the 1950’s.

In 1942 Ring Lardner Jr., known as ‘Bill’ to friends, the son of the famous humorist, was the youngest writer ever to win an Academy Award for ‘Best Original Screen-Play.’ His writing career was at an all time high. But his well publicized, foolhardy testimony, to Committee Chairman J. Parnell Thomas, as one of the ‘Hollywood Ten’ (communist or leftist sympathizers) during the era of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s ‘witch-hunt’, caused utter controversy. When brought before the House Un-American Activities Committee, Ring refused, along with the others, to answer any questions under the First and Fifth Amendments of the United States of America.

After a series of appeals they were eventually found guilty of ‘contempt of Congress.’ All ten were jailed and on November 24th 1947 Ring was fined $1000 and incarcerated for 10 months in the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. His passport was impounded; he was fired from his job at Twentieth Century Fox and was unable to work in his native land.

So this talented scriptwriter was punished for a ‘crime’ that his country constituted as a basic right! (Like freedom of choice, freedom of speech etc.) In the so-called ‘land of the free’ he became a member of the infamous ‘blacklisted’ Hollywood fraternity and after his release from prison, fled with his wife Frances, (the widow of his brother David) to live firstly in Mexico City, then New York and possibly London.

Ironically the H.U.A.A. Committee chairman J. Parnell Thomas was convicted of embezzlement in 1950 and also became an inmate at Danbury. Four years later, the Senate voted to censure McCarthy and his career in major politics was soon over. But the ‘blacklist’ was not lifted until about 1960 and only then could Ring Lardner write under his own name again.

The screenwriter and playwright Michael Eaton met Ring Lardner, during the exiled writer’s invited visit to the Amiens film festival in Northern France. Ring was guest of honour and Eaton took the opportunity to show him a ‘rough cut’ of his forthcoming TV movie, ‘Fellow Traveller’ (1989) about the effects of growing up in Hollywood under the shadow of McCarthyism.

It was during their conversation about Ring’s years of suffering as an exile during the 1950’s that the subject of Robin Hood came up. During this period he was forced to write under pseudonyms, give credit to non-black-listed members or, simply write unaccredited for American sales. Ring described to Michael Eaton how some of his ‘Robin’ scripts for the TV series were smuggled over to England in great secrecy, before he eventually found work in London. But Ring and the other ‘blacklistees’ like Abe Polonsky and Walter Bernstein, had leapt at the opportunity for, as he put it, ‘commentary–by-metaphor’ on the issues and institutions of Eisenhower America.

When ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’ was aired in the USA it quickly became, of course, a huge success. Youngsters across America were soon re-enacting his tales, firing imaginary bows and arrows in their school playgrounds and tricking the cruel sheriff. One of those children was Ring’s youngest son. But, although his eldest children had lived through - and were well aware - of their fathers unjust imprisonment and exile, Ring could not risk telling the young boy that his favourite TV show, ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’ was partly created by his dad.

‘He couldn’t take the gamble that his child’s justifiable pride would not overflow and put him back in jeopardy.’ (Eaton)

I think you will agree that the domestic heartache Ring experienced as an outcast at that time brings into sharp focus the realities of challenging injustice. And, as Michael Eaton describes it, the timeless truths of Robin Hood.

Archie Duncan

Archie Duncan has the unique distinction in the world of Robin Hood, of playing a villain and a hero. He played Red Gill, the murderer of Robin’s father, in The Story of Robin Hood, and Little John in 105 episodes of TV’s The Adventures of Robin Hood between 1955-1960.

Archibald Duncan was born in Glasgow on 26th May 1914 and was educated at Govern High School. The Scottish actor Russell Hunter, remembers ‘big Archie’ at a Communist Party Rally in support of the Soviet Union and the opening of a second front in 1941. Duncan was then working as a welder at John Brown’s Shipyard.

“I was looking for acting work,” Hunter said. “Duncan came up to me and asked if I he had a big voice? I replied yes! So he invited me through to a back room, where I was asked to read the part of the fascist in the Saturday night production at the Partick Borough Halls. As the original actor had been called up.”

Archie Duncan later introduced Russell Hunter to the Glasgow Unity.

It was at the Citizens Theatre Company that Duncan joined the training ground of many Scottish actors including, Molly Urquart, Duncan Macrae, Gordon Jackson and Eileen Herlie. He then made his Scottish acting debut in Juno and the Paycock, playing all three gunmen, at Glasgow's Alhambra in May 1944.

His London debut came at the Phoenix Theatre in 1947 when he appeared with Alistair Sim and George Cole as Inspector Mc Iver in Dr Angelus.

Film roles started to follow with: Operation Bullshine (1948) Counter Blast (1948), The Bad Lord Byron (1949), Floodtide (1949), The Gorballs Story (1950), The Elusive Pimpernel (1950), Green Grow the Rushes (1951), Flesh and Flood (1951), Circle of Danger (1951) Henry V (1951), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) You're Only Young Twice (1952), Hot Ice (1952), Home At Seven (1952) and The Story Of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men(1952).
Two years later Duncan teamed up again with Richard Todd and James Robertson Justice, in Disney’s Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue as Dugal Mac Gregor.

In-between these various film roles, came the first of his long running TV appearances in the early U.S. series Sherlock Holmes as Inspector Lestrade. But just as he was finishing the final recording of Sherlock Holmes in 1955, he was preparing for a role that he will always be fondly remembered.

6ft. 2inch Archie was to play the part of Little John for Sapphire Films in The Adventures of Robin Hood, at Nettlefold Studios, the first production of the newly formed ITP company (later ITC). It was commissioned by Lew Grade and was shown in the first weekend of Independent television in 1955 and became a massive success, running to 143 episodes. It was during the filming this unforgettable series that Duncan proved to be a true hero and managed to prevent a runaway horse from hurtling towards a group of spectators, consisting of mainly children, watching close by. For this brave feat, he was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery and £1,360 in damages But it also resulted in him missing the recording of eleven episodes of Robin Hood. So between times, a replacement was found in fellow Scotsman, Rufus Cruickshank.

After TV’s The Adventures of Robin Hood, Duncan’s most notable film roles were in Saint Joan (1957) and Ring of Bright Water (1969). His career in television production carried on with parts in programmes like Z Cars, Hereward the Wake, Orlando, Black Beauty and Bootsie and Snudge. Sadly he passed away in London aged 65 on 24th July 1979.

© Clement of the Glen 2006-2007