Making The Story III

Richard Todd and Antony Forwood on bicycles

Richard Todd as Robin Hood and Anthony Forwood (Will Scarlet) arrive in Burnham Beeches on bicycles for some location shooting, just seven miles from Denham Studios. And, is that the actress Martitia Hunt on a motorbike (below)? 

We will also see Joan Rice on a bicycle later. Let's take another glimpse behind the scenes of the making of Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952).

Is this Martitia Hunt?

This is the third and final part of my look at Walt Disney's Riddle of Robin Hood (1951). This promotional film was for his live-action Technicolor movie The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952).

I must apologise for the quality of the images in this article as they are simply taken from the grainy original film. But they give us an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes of the making of The Story of Robin Hood.

Joan Rice arrives at Denham Studios

The director Ken Annakin bemoaned in his autobiography how Joan Rice (1930-1997) would ride her bike everywhere and sometimes fall off. In the latter part of The Riddle of Robin Hood, we see the beautiful actress (above) leave her cottage and ride through the gates of Denham Studios.

Nearly all of The Riddle of Robin Hood has been uploaded on YouTube and can be seen under the title: How Disney Made The Story of Robin Hood (1952) | You Asked For It. But, sections are missing, including Walt Disney with art director Carmen Dillon examining a model of Nottingham castle's drawbridge (below).

Carman Dillon and Walt Disney

Another interesting shot (below) shows director Ken Annakin and producer Perce Pearce planning a scene, while some of the cast take a break.

Kan Annakin and Perce Pearce

A young award-winning director of photography, Guy Green is shown using one of the huge Technicolor cameras in the castle (below).

Guy Green filming in the castle

The narrator of The Riddle of Robin Hood (possibly Hans Conried, the voice of Captain Hook in Disney's Peter Pan) claims that the animals used in The Story were authentic to the medieval period. The horses, shown below were English hunters and proved quite temperamental during filming.

The horses on set in Nottingham Square

And finally below, is an interesting shot of the mastiff with its trainer and the crew filming the scene when Friar Tuck's dog chases the sheriff across a stream.

The mastiff with its trainer

A huge thank you to Neil Vessey for making The Riddle of Robin Hood available for me to see.

Making The Story II

Ken Annakin starts filming inside Nottingham Castle

This is my second blog post about the short promotional film 'The Riddle of Robin Hood'. My first article described how this 12-minute movie was the idea of Disney legend Bill Walsh (1913-1975), pictured below. The film showed some fascinating behind-the-scenes footage of the making of 'The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men' (1952). The image above is a good example and shows director Ken Annakin starting to shoot a dramatic castle scene.

As you can probably guess, I have always loved the movie, 'The Story of Robin Hood'. It triggered not only my interest in the legend of the outlaw but a love of history. 

There were reports that Warner Brothers, the makers of the classic 1938  'Adventures of Robin Hood' starring Errol Flynn, resented the fact, that an animation studio, was lining up to film a new live-action version in the early 1950s. Producer Perce Pearce admitted that at that time, it would be the 14th film interpretation.

So, Walt knew that he needed to approach the story differently. The main message put across in the 12-minute promotional film, 'The Riddle of Robin Hood,' is that their Robin Hood film would be historically 'accurate' and shows the research crew's trip to England.

One of the team inspected a medieval manuscript

Richard Todd, producer Perce Pearce, scriptwriter Lawrence Edward Watkin, historical advisor Dr Charles Beard and art director Carmen Dillon visited Nottingham City Library, Nottingham Castle, Newstead Abbey, Edwinstowe, Sherwood Forest, Ollerton, Creswell Crags, Nottingham’s Caves, the Salutation Inn and the Trip to Jerusalem Inn. Their quest was to 'bring the REAL story of Robin Hood to the screen.'

Richard Todd explores a limestone cave

The narrator describes how they sifted through hundreds of manuscripts and old documents in museums and libraries across England. Even inspecting the ballads sung by minstrels.

We get to see art director Carmen Dillon's original drawings and model for Nottingham Square (above) that have been inspired by all the historical research. 

One of the research crew and advisors on the film was Dr Charles Beard, seen above, described as a historical scholar and expert on the "mode and the manners and customs of medieval England".  But, I don't think they had cigarettes in those days!

A very interesting moment in the 'Riddle of Robin Hood' is seeing Richard Todd being trained by Rupert Evans, 'England's outstanding authority on ancient and medieval combat'.

"Even the horses typical of Robin's time and place were sought", says the narrator, "not Hollywood cow ponies or Arabian stallions, but English hunters, of a breed familiar to the period."

Evidence of attention to historical detail by Carmen Dillon's art department can be seen in the still above showing an example of a Norman arch of the 11th and 12th Centuries.

It was Perce Pearce, Disney's director on 'The Story of Robin Hood' who was tasked to find a young British actress - 'perhaps someone relatively unknown, who suggests the countryside, but is also aristocratic.' 

Six girls auditioned for the role. Out of the six, it was twenty-one-year-old Joan Rice (1930-1997) who was chosen for a screen test at Denham Studios, in full costume in February 1951. The tests were then sent back to Walt in America. After seeing Joan he told Perce Pearce, that she has quality, a "great little emoter, the camera loves her, she gets my vote!"

 

During the beginning scenes of 'The Riddle of Robin Hood', I spotted Perce Pearce carrying an image of Joan Rice (above). 

The image above of Joan (above) might possibly have been used for a screen test.

I want to thank regular contributor Neil Vessey who originally tracked down the 'Riddle of Robin Hood'.

More to follow.

Making The Story

Walt Disney reading Robin Hood

In 2008, I was lucky enough to watch Walt Disney’s 12-minute promotional film ‘The Riddle of Robin Hood.’ This is an extremely rare piece of cinematic history. What it reveals is the amount of groundwork and research Disney and his staff carried out before a single frame of his lavish Technicolor movie  ‘The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men’ was shot.

Producer Perce Pearce, Richard Todd and the research team

Walt Disney’s production crew, including producer Perce Pearce, scriptwriter Lawrence Edward Watkin, historical advisor Dr Charles Beard art director Carmen Dillon and Richard Todd visited Nottingham City Library, Nottingham Castle, Newstead Abbey, Edwinstowe, Sherwood Forest including Robin Hood’s Larder (now gone) and the Major Oak, Ollerton, Creswell Crags, Nottingham’s Caves, the Salutation Inn and the Trip to Jerusalem Inn.

Richard Todd climbs the Major Oak

The idea for this short promotional film came from Bill Walsh (1913-1975). His career with Walt Disney began in June 1943. Initially, he started as a joke writer and publicist, which led to work on the syndicated Micky Mouse cartoon strip. But this portly, cigar-chomping New Yorker would later become one of the most successful producers in entertainment history.

Disney soon noticed Walsh's talents in publicity and put him in charge of the studio’s first television production ‘One Hour in Wonderland,’ which aired on Christmas Day in 1950. Later, when the studio began planning their second live-action movie, ‘The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men’ in 1951, Disney invited Walsh over to England.

Left to right. Perce Pearce, Walt Disney, Lawrence Watkin

Once in England, Walsh put his instinct as a publicist to good use and conceived the idea of a 12-minute promotional film about the making of this new Disney live-action movie. He called it 'The Riddle of Robin Hood' and it included details about the amount of research the studio had made into the ancient legend and backstage production scenes. The Riddle of Robin Hood was shown in schools, cinemas and TV stations across the country. Walsh described Disney as being delighted because:

“We were getting a lot of mileage out of this goofy little film and Walt was sort of enchanted by all that free space promoting the film.”

Today, Walsh's 'goofy little film' gives a fascinating insight into the Disney studio’s live-action production of Robin Hood.  It takes you behind the scenes, right from the early research, the planning stages, set construction and on to the filming at Denham Film Studios in 1951. 

To be continued soon…

Behind The Scenes

Richard Todd, Walt Disney and Joan Rice

As we celebrate the centenary of the formation of The Walt Disney Company this year. I thought I would share a few publicity shots of the day the great man visited Burnham Beeches and Denham Film Studios in Buckinghamshire to oversee the filming of The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952).

Elton Hayes, Walt Disney and Richard Todd

In July 1951, just as his cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland was released in America, Walt Disney visited Europe with his wife Lillian and their daughters to supervise his second live-action movie, The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952) which was financed again by the blocked monies of RKO and Disney. Apparently, he was thoroughly pleased with the way things were going.

Walt Disney and family visiting England in 1951

Before leaving America, Walt had screened films at the studio, looking at prospective actors and directors and making what he called ‘merely suggestions’, while he left the final decisions to Perce Pearce, who was producing. For his part, Pearce had laid out every shot in the movie in thumbnail sketches, or storyboards, just as the studio had done with the animators, and sent them on along with photostats and the final script to Walt for his approval, which Walt freely gave, though not without a veiled threat that Pearce had better make the film as quickly as possible. “This is important not only to the organisation but to you as the producer,” he wrote.

Anthony Eustrel, Patrick Barr and Walt Disney

Richard Todd is vague about how he was chosen to play the part of Robin Hood for Disney. He didn't remember if it was through his agent or the legendary filmmaker himself.  But, after agreeing to play the part of the outlaw he met Perce Pearce and Maud Spector (the casting director) at the Dorchester Hotel in London and went through lists of candidates for parts in the film. Todd's only contribution was to suggest James Robertson Justice as Little John.

Joan Rice with Ken Annakin

What is certain is Disney personally chose Joan Rice to play the part of Maid Marian. Todd doesn't mention Joan in his biography but, Ken Annakin, the director of The Story of Robin Hood, does. He depreciatingly describes Joan as Disney's, Achilles Heel and only fit to be somebody's housemaid! 

Audiences around the world disagreed with Annakin.

The Disney Magic

Prince John watches his brother King Richard leave on Crusade

 

Prince John (Hubert Gregg) watches his brother King Richard and his Crusading army leave for the Holy Land. One of my favourite scenes from Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). This film contained so many visual feasts! It left me sitting spellbound in my local cinema.

It is difficult to describe to the younger generation what it was like growing up in the 1950s and 1960s. Our television was in grainy black a white, with a very small screen. Hi-definition and recording a programme off of it was something yet to be invented.

So visiting a cinema was not only a treat but an immersive experience, especially if the film was in colour!

Nottingham Castle

One of the first TV programmes I can remember watching was the Richard Greene series The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1959). I was also a huge fan of everything Walt Disney produced. So, when I had the chance to see Disney's live-action movie The Story of Robin Hood at my local Granada Cinema, I was buzzing with excitement. 

I saw it three times that week! 

A disguised Marian finds Alan a Dale

Disney's Story of Robin Hood inspired an interest in the outlaw's legend that has never left me. It also led to my love of history and genealogy. 

So, I started this blog as a way of making others aware of this now almost forgotten Technicolor masterpiece. 

But what made this version of the legend so special for me? 

Nottingham Archery Tournament

Where do I begin? To start with it oozes quality, in the host of actors, chosen by casting director Maud Spector. Stars like Peter Finch, Richard Todd, James Hayter, Martitia Hunt and Joan Rice- to name a few. The crews behind the camera are; legendary art director Carman Dillon and directors Ken Annakin and Alex Bryce. Also Director of Photography Guy Green, later to become co-founder of the British Society of Cinematographers.

I could go on and on.

It was Disney legend Perce Pearce who was chosen by Walt Disney to supervise and produce the film in England. It would be the last major movie to be made in Denham Studios in Buckinghamshire using some of its huge sound stages.

Friar Tuck

Perce Pearce, Richard Todd, Carmen Dillon, scriptwriter Lawrence Edward Watkin and other members of the production unit made several research visits to Nottinghamshire and its archives during the Spring of 1951. It is this close attention to detail and respect for the legend that I admire and shows in the final cut.

The five images in this article demonstrate the visual beauty of this film, they were created by the legendary matte artist Peter Ellenshaw- another Disney legend, working many decades before the invention of computer generated imagery. 

Ellenshaw's artistic skill, together with Carmen Dillon's art department created that storybook quality to the film. It is not surprising it was voted one of the best Technicolor movies ever made in Britain. Disney Magic!

 

Walt Disney Visits the Robin Hood Set

Richard Todd, Walt Disney and Joan Rice

 

Here is a collection of publicity shots of Walt Disney with Richard Todd (Robin Hood) and Joan Rice (Maid Marian). In July 1951, just as his cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland was released in America, Disney visited Europe with his wife Lillian and their daughters to supervise his second live-action movie, The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952) which was financed again by the blocked monies of RKO and Disney. Apparently he was thoroughly pleased with the way things were going.

Walt Disney greets Joan Rice (Maid Marian)

Before leaving America, Walt had screened films at the studio, looking at prospective actors and directors and making what he himself called ‘merely suggestions’, while he left the final decisions to Perce Pearce, who was producing. For his part, Pearce had laid out every shot in the movie in thumbnail sketches, or storyboards, just as the studio had done with the animators, and sent them on along with photostats and the final script to Walt for his approval, which Walt freely gave, though not without a veiled threat that Pearce had better make the film as quickly as possible. “This is important not only to the organisation but to you as the producer,” he wrote.

Another publicity shot of Walt with Joan and Richard

In his biography Caught in the Act, Richard Todd described Perce Pearce as a jolly, rubicund Pickwickian figure. 

Perce Pearce with Richard Todd

Todd is vague in how he was chosen to play the part of Robin Hood for Disney. He didn't remember if it was through his agent or the legendary film maker himself.  But, after agreeing to play the part of the outlaw he met Perce Pearce and Maud Spector (the casting director) at the Dorchester Hotel in London and went through lists of candidates for parts in the film. Todd's only contribution was to suggest James Robertson Justice as Little John.

Walt Disney enjoys a picnic with Robin and Marian

What is certain is Disney personally chose Joan Rice to play the part of Maid Marian. Todd doesn't mention Joan in his biography but Ken Annakin, the director on The Story of Robin Hood, does. He depreciatingly describes Joan as Disney's, Achilles Heel and only fit to be somebody's house maid! 

Audiences around the world disagreed with Annakin.

Neil's fantastic website Films of the Fifties contains an extremely interesting article on how Joan was treated on the set of Disney's Story of Robin Hood: https://filmsofthefifties.com/the-bullying-of-joan-rice/

 

Walt Disney with James Robertson Justice and a Mystery Man

Philip Glaister, Walt Disney and James Robertson Justice

Back in July 2018, I published this image showing Walt Disney with James Robertson Justice (1907-1975). This was my original post :

“ Neil has kindly shared this interesting image. It shows Walt Disney with James Robertson Justice (1907-1975). The photograph seems to have been taken sometime between June and September 1952, which coincides with the filming of Justice’s second movie for the Disney Organisation, The Sword and the Rose (1953). Justice is looking a lot more portly than when he appeared as Little John in The Story of Robin Hood (1952). This weight-gain was probably in preperation for his role as Henry VIII in the Tudor adventure”.

But who was the man, holding a bird of prey on the other side of Disney?

I recently received this kind answer to our question from Peter Tingey in April this year :

“ The third man is Phillip Glasier, the falconer, who took a minor part as the 'Royal Falconer' in The Sword and the Rose. His role involved flying falcons to add authenticity to the drama. James Robertson Justice later invited Glasier to be his personal falconer. Glasier was also responsible for the flying of falcons for the film Knights of the Round Table starring Ava Gardner and Robert Taylor”.

Many thanks to Peter Tingey for answering our question and also to Neil for supplying the original image.

If you are a fan of films from this period, don’t forget to visit Neil’s fantastic web site Films of the Fifties.

Walt Disney with James Robertson Justice

Neil has kindly shared this interesting image. It shows Walt Disney with James Robertson Justice (1907-1975). The photograph seems to have been taken sometime between June and September 1952, which coincides with the filming of Justice’s second movie for the Disney Organisation, The Sword and the Rose (1953). Justice is looking a lot more portly than when he appeared as Little John in The Story of Robin Hood (1952). This weight-gain was probably in preperation for his role as Henry VIII in the Tudor adventure.

Behind the Scenes at Denham Studios

Anthony Eustrel, Patrick Barr and Walt Disney

Once again I am indebted to Neil Vessey for sending me yet more rare pictures of the making of Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). Neil has kindly scanned these images from the Picture Show Annual of 1953. Above we can see Anthony Eustrel in costume as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Patrick Barr as King Richard the Lionheart with Walt Disney, during the filming of Robin Hood at Denham Studios.

In July 1951, just as his cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland  was released in America, Walt Disney visited England with his wife Lilian and his daughters, to supervise the production of his second live-action movie.

Ken Annakin with Perce Pearce

In the second image (above) we can see Ken Annakin (1914-2009) the director of this wonderful film with Perce Pearce (1899-1955). Pearce was chosen by Disney to supervise and produce his early film productions in England, including Treasure Island, The Sword and the Rose, Rob Roy the Highland Rogue and of course The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men.

To read more about the making of Robin Hood at Denham Studios and the wonderful cast of actors that appeared in this Technicolor masterpiece, please click on the relevant labels.

Bill Walsh's 'The Riddle of Robin Hood'

I last posted about The Riddle of Robin Hood over eight years ago.  Since then, I have discovered more fascinating information about the making of this little film.

Bill Crozier Walsh's (1913-1975) career with Walt Disney began in June 1943. Initially he started as a joke writer and publicist, which led to work on the syndicated Micky Mouse cartoon strip. But this portly, cigar chomping New Yorker would later become one of the most successful producers in entertainment history.

Disney soon noticed Walsh's talents in publicity and put him in charge of the studios first television production, One Hour in Wonderland which aired on Christmas Day in 1950. Walsh recalled Disney inviting him into his office and being told that he had decided to "go with television and that he was the guy that was going to do it."

Walsh was stunned and said, "I don't know anything about television." But Disney just grinned and said, "that's o.k. nobody does!" Walsh remained convinced this new venture was doomed to failure. So he wrote an urgent memorandum to Disney warning that the studio should avoid small screen productions at all costs.  

The note didn't work and ironically Disney's television debut was such a success that Walsh was then hired as head of all the studios television productions. These included the hugely popular series Davy Crockett, The Adventures of Spin and Marty, The Mickey Mouse Club and The Hardy Boys.

Bill Walsh with Walt Disney

When the studio began planning their second live-action movie The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men in 1951, Disney invited Walsh over to England. When he inquired as to what his role would be, Walt replied:

"There's a funny little magic word called 'initiative', and that will tell you what to do." 

Once in England, Walsh put his instinct as a publicist to good use and conceived the idea of 12 minute promotional film about the making of this new Disney's live action movie. He called it The Riddle of Robin Hood and it included details about the research that the studio had made into the ancient legend and backstage production scenes. 


The Riddle of Robin Hood was shown in schools, cinemas and TV stations all over the country. Walsh described Disney as being delighted because:

"We were getting a lot of mileage out of this goofy little film and Walt was sort of enchanted by all that free space promoting the film."

Whilst browsing the Chronology of the Walt Disney Company many years ago I discovered, under the year 1952, a mention of The Riddle of Robin Hood. It simply said-under, month unknown, “Disney releases the film The Riddle of Robin Hood for promotional use [501.470].” I immediately emailed the owner of the web site, but he later confessed that he knew very little else. So I put an appeal on this blog in September 2007 for anyone that might have seen this mysterious film.

Perce Pearce with Walt Disney in 'The Riddle of Robin Hood.'

Eventually Neil contacted me and revealed that he had acquired a copy of this very rare film. This was fantastic news! It was produced by the Disney organisation to promote their second live-action production The Story of Robin Hood (1952). It is not only an amazing piece of cinematic history - but also of Disney history.

Today, Walsh's 'goofy little film' gives a fascinating insight into the Disney studios live-action production of Robin Hood.  It takes you behind the scenes, right from the early research, the planning stages, set construction and on to the filming at Denham Film Studios in 1951. So you can imagine my surprise when I received this message from Disney expert Bill Cotter a few years ago:

“I just saw your post on this film and wanted to share what I wrote about it for my book The Wonderful World of Disney Television:

'Another project during this time also helped to confirm Walt's feelings about using television to promote his theatrical releases. After World War II, the Studio made several films in England to use funds being held there. Walt took Bill Walsh with him to England during the filming of The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, a 1952 release starring Richard Todd. Walsh's assignment was to produce a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, and he took the unusual approach of questioning Robin Hood's actual existence. The resultant 12-minute film, The Riddle of Robin Hood, was Walsh's first live action film. The Studio wasn't quite sure what to do with it, and as Walsh later retold it, they decided to give it away for free to anyone who was interested in it:

"In those days, naive was the word for the TV people. They didn't know what to do - they had to fill up a lot of time all day long, but they didn't have the stuff. We planted this film with a lot of TV stations all over the country, planted it with schools, because it had kind of a documentary feel about it. So pretty soon we were getting a lot of mileage out of this goofy little film. Walt was sort of enchanted by that, all that free space promoting the film, so the next year the networks came in and wanted Walt to do a TV show, and he was sort of spooky about it. I think he had had a bad experience on radio using the voices like the Duck and the Mouse. Nobody could understand it and the show wasn't successful, so he was a little leery about doing a TV show."

While it wasn't originally planned as a television program, The Riddle of Robin Hood certainly served the purpose of proving once again that television and films could happily co-exist.'

(Bill Cotter) 

Below are two more screenshots from The Riddle of Robin Hood.

Richard Todd up in The Major Oak in Sherwood Forest

Carman Dillon designing Nottingham town square

After several years in television Walsh switched to live-action films. He was either a writer, co-producer and producer on such memorable Disney productions like Mary Poppins, The Absent Minded Professor, That Darn Cat, Black Beard's Ghost, One Of Our Dinosaur's Is Missing, Bedknobs And Broomsticks, The Love Bug and Herbie Rides Again.

On Mary Poppins, Walsh shared an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture with Walt Disney.  He also shared an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay with Don Da Gradi.

Bill Walsh

Marsh's remarkable creative talent led him to become Disney's right-hand man and close friend until Disney's death in 1966. 

Songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman described Bill Marsh as:

"one of the most gifted men ever to have worked for Disney-deft with language and humour."

Bill Warsh died of a heart attack on January 27th 1975.