Denham Film Studios in 1977

Herbert Smith (1901-1986) started sweeping the floors at Denham Film Studios in Buckinghamshire when he was 13 years old. He eventually became controller of the premier British studios from June 1945 until 1950. Above is a picture of Herbert (pointing towards his old office) taken on his last visit there in 1977 (the picture is strictly copyright Barrie Smith 2004). Shortly afterwards a golden era of film history ended, when those once famous studios (built by Sir Alexander Korda in 1935) were demolished by British Land, for construction of an industrial park.

Walt Disney’s Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952) was the last major motion picture to be produced at that massive film complex.

Herbert’s son Barry has produced a website dedicated to his father’s long career at Denham Studios, with some fascinating personal pictures and rarely seen behind -the -scene photographs of the film stars that he met. The site is at http://www.frenchpix.com/herbert.html

I would like to say a special thank you to Barry Smith, for kindly allowing me to use the picture of his father at Denham Studios in 1977.

To read more about Denham Film Studios, please click on the Denham Studios Label.

Martitia Hunt as Queen Eleanor

This fantastic still of Martitia Hunt elegantly posing as Queen Eleanor, was kindly sent to me by Mike. There are more to come!

Robin Hood's Archery Instructor

Above is a picture of Richard Greene (1918-1985), star of the classic long-running British TV series the Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1960) on the set of the 1960 Hammer movie Sword of Sherwood Forest. Anna Fraser of the Adventures of Robin Hood Appreciation Society kindly informed me that the archery instructor alongside him is the famous Hollywood stuntman and Master of Arms, Jack (Jackie) Cooper.

Cooper’s long career in television and films include Captain Horatio Hornblower RN (1951), The Son of Robin Hood (1958), The Guns of Naverone (1961), The Longest Day (1962), Cleopatra (1963), Alfred The Great (1968), TV’s Arthur of the Britons (1973), Return of the Pink Panther (1975), Superman II (1980) and Willow (1988).

Sword of Sherwood Forest was directed by Terence Fisher for Hammer-Yeoman Film Productions and starred Richard Greene as Robin Hood, Peter Cushing as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Niall MacGinnis as Friar Tuck, Sarah Branch as Marian Fitzwalter and Nigel Green as Little John. The movie was produced by Sidney Cole and Richard Greene.

Peter Finch as the Sheriff of Nottingham

This excerpt is taken from the excellent book, Peter Finch –A Biography by Trader Faulkner….

“As soon as Peter had finished his six week contract in Point of Departure he went straight on to the Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men at Denham Studios. The Americans were very anxious to make an authentic, accurate film on the Robin Hood legend and Carmen Dillon, who had done memorable artistic work on Olivier’s film of Henry V and who subsequently designed Richard III, was sent to Nottingham to do detailed research. They were also very keen, says director Ken Annakin now, to get ‘what we’d now call National Theatre actors, which surprised everybody, because they never did manage to get any.’

Richard Todd, a contract artist, had already been cast as Robin Hood and Disney were determined to test everybody for the Sheriff of Nottingham. All the best available actors were tested. Peter had only done Train of Events, for Ealing and he didn’t regard himself as a costume actor. But ‘Peter’s test,’ says Annakin, ‘was simply great and everyone agreed he should play the Sheriff. He brought sincerity to the part with a lot of bite and I would say it was rather like the casting of Guinness in Star Wars. He gave the whole of Robin Hood a lift with consummate acting. He had some marvelous scenes with Hubert Gregg as Prince John, another very good English actor. Of course he had to do a lot of action stuff as well.

‘I remember one Saturday afternoon we had him on one of the typically untrained horses that England produced at the time. We had to do seventeen takes to get a close-up of him on the horse and it took us the whole afternoon. Every time we turned over, the horse seemed to understand at once and played up. Peter showed great patience. In fact, he was one of the most professional actors I’ve ever worked with. He was a sympathetic person and very responsive to direction. In his later life we all know he had a period when he started hitting the bottle. I never saw a sign of this when we were making Robin Hood, but clearly his life was not satisfying him entirely.

‘He was a marvelous actor, but if one has asked him in the old days whether being an actor was the sort of thing he really should be doing, I suspect his answer would have been that he needed more out of life than just that. I think he found himself forced into a shoe, a shape, which for a long time he didn’t accept.

‘He had the intelligence to be a director. I don’t know whether he had the patience to apply himself constantly. I always feel that direction is about forty per cent obstinacy and forty per cent patience.’

With the Sheriff of Nottingham, Peter began to be accepted in England as an important actor in terms of screen potential. Ken Annakin maintains that what Peter Finch did with his role was the best that an actor had done in that kind of film until that time and that people in the film industry began to take serious notice of him because of this. It gave a tremendous boost to his confidence and the possibility of a substantial film career really fired his enthusiasm.”


Peter Finch-A Biography by Trader Faulkner p.166-167


For more information on Peter Finch, please click on the Peter Finch Label.

Robin Hood in the Blitz

This extremely rare miniature paperback book with 32 pages is titled Robin Hood . It was published by Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd as one of the Tuck’s Better Little Book series in the early 1940's. The book measures 6.5cm x 9.4cm. These little books were published during World War II when there was a severe paper shortage. They were referred to as Air Raid Books or Blitz Books and were designed for children and adults to slip into their pockets for reading in the air-raid shelter. They were published by several different companies.

These books are scarce as they were ephemeral by nature.

If you remember these books or still own one, please get in touch at disneysrobin@googlemail.com

Australian Poster

Another very rare poster from the 1950's, this time from Australia.

Joan Rice in 1978

These two items have been very kindly sent to me by Maria Steyn. They are both strictly copyright 1978 © Maria Steyn 2009. Permission to use these images must be obtained from her.

The photograph of Joan was taken, she says, “ after I rented "Quinneys" in Cookham through Joan, when she ran the Joan Rice Accomodation Bureau from her office in High Street, Maidenhead. Joan had "Quinneys" on her books, which at the time was owned by a Maidenhead lady whom I paid the rent to (I will get her name later from my diaries).

Was I lucky!

Since I usually carried a camera I asked her for her picture to be taken after we signed the contract. Of course she obliged, being such a warm person. See her wonderful warm smile.
This must have been mid 1978; when I unearth my diaries of that period I can be more precise."

If you have any information on Joan Rice or her husband Ken McKenzie please contact Maria at:

maria.steyn@orange.nl. Or:

disneysrobin@googlemail.com.

To read more about Joan Rice, please click on the Joan Rice Label.

Valentine's Day

I would like to wish all my female readers a happy Valentine’s Day for tomorrow! And just to show how romantic I can be, I have posted a very rare 1930’s Robin Hood style card for you! XXX

He Clasped the Dainty Page Close

As we approach St Valentines Day, I thought I would share with you one of my favorite Robin Hood illustrations. It is by Greg Hildebrandt and is titled He Clasped the Dainty Page Close.

I think it is absolutely beautiful. Many more of his stunning pictures can be seen in Unicorn's re-print of Mc Spadden's Robin Hood published in 1989 and at http://www.spiderwebart.com/

The Hildebrandt brothers are well known in the world of Fantasy and Science Fiction art. Greg and Tim were twins, born in Detroit, Michigan USA in 1939 and both became professional artists in 1959. Their combined work includes the first Star Wars poster, Black Sabbath’s Mob Rules Album, illustrations for The Lord of the Rings and countless comics. Sadly Tim passed away in June 2006.