Nottingham c.1610-1611

This the earliest depiction of the town of Nottingham, showing us the medieval layout that Robin Hood would have recognised. It is an engraving by the Flemish artist, Jodocus Hondius Sr. for John Speed's compilation of maps called 'The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britayne' (c.1611). It was in fact the first atlas of the British Isles.

Muir Mathieson

“Mathieson’s credits as Music Director reads like a history of the British films from the 1930’s to the 1960’s.”

James Muir Mathieson, the son of the painter and etcher John George Mathieson, was born in Sterling Scotland on the 24th January 1911. His early years were spent studying the piano at Sterling High School, where at the tender age of 13 he became conductor of the Stirling Boys Orchestra. He won a scholarship and studied composition and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music under Arthur Benjamin and Malcolm Sergeant. His career soon took off, when Alexander Korda signed him as Musical Director for London Films at Denham Studios, Buchinghamshire, in 1931. He later became Head of the Music Department at Denham.

Although Mathieson had worked as assistant musical director on Korda’s very successful The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) his first credited film score was The Private Life of Don Juan (1934) which was composed by the Russian Mischa Spoliansky and Catherine the Great (1934). A year later he was responsible for introducing one of his teachers from the RCM, Arthur Benjamin and they collaborated on the excellent score for Korda’s The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1937).

His first cinematic triumph came when he persuaded Arthur Bliss to compose music for Korda’s celebrated production of the H.G. Wells film Things To Come (1936), which was later successfully released on a 78 rpm gramophone recording.

"The music is a part of the constructive scheme of the film."
(H.G.Wells)

In 1935 he deputised for Sir Malcolm Sergeant and conducted performances of Hiawatha at the Royal Albert Hall. It was there, amongst the massive cast, that he met his future wife, the ballerina Hermione Darnborough. They later lived in a beautiful old farm house, just a few miles away from Denham Studios and had four children.

He continued to direct the music scores for an incredible amount of major releases and was recording part of the soundtrack of The Four Feathers, when in March 1939 there was a royal visit by Queen Mary to the Denham Studios. It was there that she watched him conducting three choirs; while scenes from the film was projected over head. In five years Mathieson had put British film music firmly on the map, although he was said to have regarded American studio composers and musicians as technically more advanced.

His wartime service was spent busily working for Arthur Rank at Denham, the Film Centre, Crown Film Unit, the BBC and the Army, Navy and Air Force Film Units.

Although Mathieson was described as a ‘Music Director’ he also conducted many radio and theatre scores during this period, including the stage version of Tolstoy’ s War and Peace, the music for Alan Burgesses The Passing of Crab Village and the very first music film recital at the Stoll Theatre in 1943. In 1944 he conducted a full season at the Saddlers Wells Opera. But he mainly remembered as the most prolific conductor in British films. One of his single most important works was his music for the film Dangerous Moonlight (1941) which included Addinsell’s Warsaw Concerto which was played on the film soundtrack by pianist Louis Ketner with Mathieson conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. His work with the London Symphony Orchestra went on to include William Walton’s music for Laurence Olivier’s Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948) and ‘Oliver Themes’ by Arnold Bax for David Lean’s Oliver Twist (1948). Mathieson also found time to direct Benjamin Britten’s film, Instruments of the Orchestra in 1946.

In the early 1950’s Mathieson worked for Walt Disney on his British made live-action movies-often as Music Director and Conductor of The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He collaborated on many occasions with the composer Clifton Parker (whom he had discovered) and together they musically scored such classics as Treasure Island (1950), The Story of Robin Hood (1952) and Sword And The Rose (1953). Mathieson also worked on Walt Disney’s Rob Roy (1953), Swiss Family Robinson (1960) and also uncredited on Kidnapped (1960). He went on to compose music for movies such as Circus of Horrors (1960), Hide And Seek (1963) and Crooks Anonymous (1962).

As Musical Director, Mathieson was nominated for an Academy Award along with Larry Adler for the Genevieve (1953) score and in 1957 he was awarded an OBE.

In 1969 Muir Mathieson became conductor of the Oxford County Youth Orchestra originally founded by his brother John a year earlier. He held this position until his death in Oxford on 2nd August 1975.

Described as the ‘doyen of British film music,’ Mathieson’s importance can not be over-stated. He was the music director for over 600 films and about 400 shorts. He was responsible for introducing some of the most famous British composers such as Arthur Bliss, Vaughan Williams, Arnold Bax, William Walton and Malcolm Arnold, to the composition of orchestral scores for films.

"All that remains is for it to be unreservedly recognized that music, having a form of its own, has ways of doing its appointed task in films with distinction, judged purely as music, and with subtlety, judged as a part of a whole film. It must be accepted not as a decoration or a filler of gaps in the plaster, but as a part of the architecture."

Muir Mathieson (1911-1975)

Richard Todd, Walt Disney and Joan Rice

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.

The Great Hall

Variety Review

The Story of Robin Hood
The 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.

(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!