The Story of Maid Marian

Joan Rice’s (1930-1997) Marian is central to Ken Annakin’s 1952 Walt Disney film, somewhat misleadingly titled The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men. In truth, it is Marian’s story as much as Robin’s, for without her, half the narrative would be missing. Rice portrays Lady Marian as bright, spirited, and resourceful—the devoted daughter of the Earl of Huntingdon and the loyal childhood friend of Robin Fitzooth (Richard Todd). Although Robin is the son of her father’s head forester, and therefore beneath her in social rank, Marian gradually falls in love with him despite those barriers. Yet Rice’s Marian is far more than a conventional romantic heroine; she possesses a strong, independent streak. Defying the Queen Mother’s commands, she secretly escapes the castle disguised as a page boy in order to seek out Robin after he becomes an outlaw in Sherwood Forest. Through her courage and initiative, Marian helps reveal that Robin and his Merry Men are the true allies of King Richard, while Prince John is exposed as a traitor. This sharply independent characterisation distinguishes Joan Rice’s Marian from her later, more widely recognised Disney successor—the flirtatious vixen Marian in Wolfgang Reitherman’s 1973 animated Robin Hood.

Elspeth Gill

Elspeth Gill and Richard Todd

Elspeth Gill was the daughter of Alex Bryce (1905–1960), the Scottish screenwriter, cinematographer, and film director who worked extensively with Walt Disney on live-action productions in the UK. Bryce was the head of Disney’s “Second Unit,” directing the outdoor, woodland action and fight sequences for The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952). In the summer of 2011, Neil Vessey—regular contributor and owner of the acclaimed Films of the Fifties blog—visited Elspeth, who shared fascinating stories about her father’s work. These memories can be explored through Neil’s blog and this blog. Just click on the links below.

The Sheriff's Chair??

 

To find out how many times “Robin Hood’s Chair” has been used in various historical productions, click the link titled “Robin Hood’s Chair.”

Collectable Barratt's Cards

 

In 1952, Barratt & Co. issued a series of black-and-white collectable cards packed with their popular sweet cigarettes, bringing Walt Disney Productions’ live-action film The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men to young audiences in an engaging, collectable form. Serving as a promotional tie-in, the cards allowed children to collect, trade, and relive the story through Barratt’s sweet cigarette packs. Below is part of regular contributor Laurence’s collection.

Rare Robin Hood Jigsaw

 

We recently came across some of Neil’s rare puzzles that were used to promote Disney’s Story of Robin Hood. More recently, Laurence shared his Jigsaw No. 1—it’s astonishing to think these pieces are around 74 years old!

Barratts Robin Hood

 

Laurence has generously shared images from his remarkable collection of Barratt & Co trading cards, created to promote The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men by The Walt Disney Company in the 1950s. 

Issued with sweet cigarettes—something that feels rather unusual today—the set also included 36 collectable cards featuring scenes from the film.

Shakespeare & Alan-a-Dale

James Hayter as Friar Tuck

“There was a lover and his lass,
Sat ’neath a spreading oak,
And fearing lest his heart might break,
The devoted lover spoke…”

“Come Sing Low, Come Sing High,” written by Elton Hayes (Alan-a-Dale) and Lawrence Edward Watkin (as L.E. Watkin) for Disney’s The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, reimagines William Shakespeare’s “There Was a Lover and His Lass” from As You Like It as a more lively and characterful piece. While Shakespeare’s original offers a gentle, pastoral celebration of spring and young love, the Disney version—later performed by Friar Tuck (James Hayter)—leans into humour and homely pleasures, highlighting warmth and entertainment over poetic elegance.

Thank You!

Maid Marian would like to thank all our regular readers and contributors!

Joan Rice & Ken Annakin

Joan Rice arrives at Denham Studios

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

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

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

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