A still from the 1922 Douglas Fairbanks version of Robin Hood, showing the awe-inspiring castle set.
Fairbanks's Robin Hood (1922)
A still from the 1922 Douglas Fairbanks version of Robin Hood, showing the awe-inspiring castle set.
Robin Hood's Larder
Above is a postcard from about 1910 of Robin Hood’s Larder in Sherwood Forest. The ancient oak tree was partly burnt in 1913 by picnicking schoolgirls trying to boil a kettle inside it; sadly although supported with iron braces, the rest of the great oak was blown down during the gales of 1962. It originally stood on land once owned by the Duke of Portland, where the ways of the old forest divided, a mile and a half west of the Major Oak, in Birklands, near the village of Edwinstowe. Local tradition states that Robin Hood and his men used to conceal venison and game birds inside the shell of its hollow trunk. It was originally known by the locals as the Shambles Oak or Butchers Oak and was said, at one time, to contain iron meat hooks inside its 24 ft. round base.
Variety Review
The Story of Robin HoodThe Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (UK)
By Variety Staff
Walt Disney/RKO. Director Ken Annakin; Producer Perce Pearce; Screenplay Lawrence E. Watkin; Camera Guy Green; Editor Gordon Pilkington; Music Clifton Parker; Art Director Carmen Dillon, Arthur Lawson.
Richard Todd, Joan Rice, Peter Finch, James Hayter, James Robertson Justice, Martita Hunt.
For his second British live-action production, Walt Disney took the legend of Robin Hood and translated it to the screen as a superb piece of entertainment, with all the action of a western and the romance and intrigue of a historical drama.
Despite his modest stature, Richard Todd proves to be a first-rate Robin Hood, alert, dashing and forceful, equally convincing when leading his outlaws against Prince John as he is in winning the admiration of Maid Marian. Although a comparative newcomer to the screen, Joan Rice acts with charm and intelligence.
James Hayter as Friar Tuck, Martita Hunt as the queen, Peter Finch as the sheriff, James Robertson Justice as Little John, Bill Owen as the poacher, and Elton Hayes as the minstrel are in the front rank.
Tuesday January 1 1952
21: Good Hunting
Robin reached for his hunting horn and blew a loud blast, then urged his horse towards the opposite bank. He quickly jumped down and began to fight his way up the steep wet slope. Suddenly he caught a glimpse of Lincoln Green.
“Scarlet,” he thought, “and Little John, just in time!”
Several foresters plunged into the stream as the arrows began to fly. Scathelok crawled to Robin’s side with a spare bow. But the foresters had started to retreat. The Sheriff picked up a bow and arrow and fired it blindly towards the outlaws then rushed towards a horse.
Meanwhile Friar Tuck was sitting up wondering what had caused the egg-like bump on his head. Then he let out a piercing whistle and a great mastiff bounded after the escaping Sheriff. Quickly the hound leapt at De Lacy and brought him down.
“Call off your dog friar!” said Robin as he reached the side of the priest. “He has shown the Sheriff enough sport. Now it’s our turn to do his lordship honour.”
Stutely, stripped to the waist, looked in disbelief as the outlaws brought the Sheriff of Nottingham into the camp.
“They’ve brought in the big buck himself,” he chuckled, “must have given them a massive appetite.”
He lifted a hunk of venison out of the fire and went to greet the returning men.
“You had good hunting, Master Robin?” He asked.
“Aye,” said Robin. “A lordly guest has condescended to grace our table.”
Little John smiled all over his bearded face as he led Sheriff De Lacy, blindfolded over to the rough table loaded with roast game, huge flagons of ale, black bread and cheese.
Robin helped himself to a healthy chunk of meat and sat down. Scarlet and little John helped the blindfolded prisoner to a seat at the foot of the table and whipped the bandage from his eyes. De Lacy blinked and stared around the angry faces.
“Scarlet,” he thought, “and Little John, just in time!”
Several foresters plunged into the stream as the arrows began to fly. Scathelok crawled to Robin’s side with a spare bow. But the foresters had started to retreat. The Sheriff picked up a bow and arrow and fired it blindly towards the outlaws then rushed towards a horse.
Meanwhile Friar Tuck was sitting up wondering what had caused the egg-like bump on his head. Then he let out a piercing whistle and a great mastiff bounded after the escaping Sheriff. Quickly the hound leapt at De Lacy and brought him down.
“Call off your dog friar!” said Robin as he reached the side of the priest. “He has shown the Sheriff enough sport. Now it’s our turn to do his lordship honour.”
Stutely, stripped to the waist, looked in disbelief as the outlaws brought the Sheriff of Nottingham into the camp.
“They’ve brought in the big buck himself,” he chuckled, “must have given them a massive appetite.”
He lifted a hunk of venison out of the fire and went to greet the returning men.
“You had good hunting, Master Robin?” He asked.
“Aye,” said Robin. “A lordly guest has condescended to grace our table.”
Little John smiled all over his bearded face as he led Sheriff De Lacy, blindfolded over to the rough table loaded with roast game, huge flagons of ale, black bread and cheese.
Robin helped himself to a healthy chunk of meat and sat down. Scarlet and little John helped the blindfolded prisoner to a seat at the foot of the table and whipped the bandage from his eyes. De Lacy blinked and stared around the angry faces.
(To read earlier sections of the story, please click on the label "Story" in the right hand column.)
Douglas Fairbanks's 'Robin Hood' Lobby Card
Above is an absolutely stunning lobby card from the Douglas Fairbanks silent classic Robin Hood, the first feature –length movie about the outlaw. It was on New Year’s Day 1922 that Fairbanks rapped the boardroom table, in dramatic fashion and announced to his staff that Robin Hood would be the most monumental film he would ever make. He intended to buy the old Goldwyn Studio at Santa Monica and Formosa and construct massive medieval sets, including a grand jousting tournament. The Fairbanks brothers eventually purchased the studio for $150,000. Unfortunately his backers were not persuaded to fund his Robin Hood movie, so Fairbanks went on alone at an estimated production cost of $1.5 million.
Using 500 construction workers, Fairbanks had a 90 ft castle constructed on the Goldwyn lot made out of chicken wire, plaster and old rocks. When Doug’s brother John asked him about the cost, he replied “These things have to be done properly, or not at all.” The drawbridge was powered by a gasoline engine!
The Riddle Of Robin Hood #1
Below is the script for the beginning of Walt Disney’s short promotional film ‘The Riddle of Robin Hood.’ Possibly read by Hans Conried (later the voice of Captain Hook in Disney’s Peter Pan). I am indebted to Neil Vessey for sending me information on this extremely rare piece of cinematic history. What it emphasises is the amount of groundwork and research Disney and his staff carried out before a single frame of his lavish Technicolor movie was shot. Walt Disney was also brave enough to tackle a mystery that has caused ceaseless controversy amongst distinguished scholars and antiquaries for well over seven hundred years-who was Robin Hood?
His fact-finding expedition to Nottingham and Sherwood paid off. The end product was without doubt one of the best-if not the best-Robin Hood movie ever made. It certainly sparked an interest in the legend in me, that has lasted a lifetime. Thank you Mr Disney.
"Who was Robin Hood? Was he a man or a legend? Did such a person roam the glades of Sherwood Forest, robbing the rich and giving to the poor? Or was he simply a fable invented by strolling minstrels? If he did exist, was he an ordinary rogue whose concern was fattening his own purse, or was he a champion of mankind whose deeds help to light the first torch of freedom back in the dark ages?
Could there have been a real Robin Hood, or someone very like him who inspired the knights of England to force the Magna Carta, that first great document of human rights and law, from the tyrannical Prince John?
Would the outlaw story ever be known? The legendry challenge, the hope of untangling a trail of mystery that led back through the centuries was not lost on Walt Disney. With his producer Perce Pearce and his screen playwright, Lawrence Watkin, they stuck to the job of sifting through endless books, ballads, papers, public and private libraries, the scraps of song and traces of legend that have accumulated over the passing years.
Famous writers, back through the ages, Tennyson, Spencer, Chaucer, were fascinated by the Robin Hood story and referred to the outlaw frequently.
In Act 1 of 'As You Like It', Shakespeare too makes special mention of Robin. Still despite all the literary and historical clues, as the Sheriff of Nottingham discovered long ago. The capture of the elusive mocking spirit, known as Robin Hood, was not an easy one. Obviously if he was to be caught at all, it would not be in the sylvan glades of Hollywood. The Disney force headed for England to take up the quest of Robin on his own grounds".
Gold Key: Walt Disney's Robin Hood
This is a Gold Key comic based on the Disney live-action film and was published in 1965 (originally printed as Dell 4 Color in 1952) by K.K. Publications, Inc., Poughkeepsie, New York, in cooperation with Golden Press, Inc. It was designed, produced and printed in the U.S.A. by Western Printing and Lithographing Company. I own the third printing 10163-506. The illustrations are good and the comic does mainly follow the original screen play, although Alan a Dale, (pictured on the back cover)and Little John, (illustrated on the front cover) do not appear in the comic strip.
The cover has a full colour picture of Richard Todd as Robin Hood and on the inside cover are some small, black and white photos of Joan Rice as Maid Marian, Peter Finch as the Sheriff of Nottingham, James Robertson Justice as Little John, Hubert Gregg as Prince John and Patrick Barr as Richard the Lionheart.
Also on the inside cover is an introduction to the story:
During the reign of Richard the Lionheart a great crusade was fought in the Holy Land. While Richard strove against the Saracens, his brother, Prince John, ruled in his place.
Prince John had neither the kindliness or the fighting spirit with which Richard ruled the land. The usurper trampled on the rights of the simple people. Ever jealous of his great brother, grasping after gold and power, Prince John ruled with a mailed fist…….always plotting against his brother’s hoped for return to England and the Throne.
But when his tax collectors and game wardens entered Sherwood Forest, they encountered the Merry Men and their famous leader, Robin Hood. Then, as never before, did Prince John begin to doubt he would ever be the King.
The comic consists of 32 pages in colour. The inside back cover has a good quality film still of Maid Marian (Joan Rice) being rescued from the dungeon with the Sheriff (Peter Finch) being led at knife point by Robin (Richard Todd) . On the back is a full cover still of Allan-a Dale (Elton Hayes) with Little John (James Robertson Justice) and Scathelok (Michael Hordern).
The comic script is by Gaylord Du Bois and Morris Gollub. Pencils by Jon Small and Morris Gollub. Inks by Jon Small.
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