The Caged Oak at Burnham Beeches

Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire, was chosen by Walt Disney and his production crew for the out-door scenes of his live-action movie the Story of Robin Hood in 1951. This ancient woodland is one of the finest in England and was the perfect choice as the stand-in location for Sherwood Forest.

The wonderful ‘Caged Oak’ (pictured above) is remarkably similar to the gnarled tree used in a scene from the film, in which Red Gill shoots an arrow into the back of Robin Hood’s father. Could it be the same one? I am not sure. But I shall try and find out.

April 26th 2009

Horace Ward and Woodsy Lady have both kindly informed me that Walt Disney’s Story of Robin Hood will be available to purchase on DVD across the USA and Canada from 26th April 2009. Previously it was only available through the Disney Club.

This is taken from the Disney website that is advertising the release of the DVD at : http://disneydvd.disney.go.com/the-story-of-robin-hood.html#/?page=Rescue

“At last...the best of Sunday night TV is back! It's the legendary TV show popular with audiences for 29 years. The longest-running prime-time series in television history (1954-1983). The winner of numerous awards, including seven Emmys. It's THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY! This rousing tale of England's renowned rebel to the rich and patriot to the poor is brimming with Disney's storytelling magic. The whole family will love going bow-to-bow alongside Robin, Friar Tuck, Little John, and Maid Marian in this classic adventure full of gallantry, romance and adventure!”

The Disney website contains two clips from the movie and also five stills.

Sadly the DVD has no extras and is not available worldwide.

Denham Studios, June 16th 1951

This interesting magazine picture, was posted to me a while ago by Neil. It shows the cast in the studio filming one of the final scenes at Denham Studios of Disney’s Story of Robin Hood. King Richard has just made Robin Hood (Richard Todd) the Earl of Locksley and the Merrie Men look-on as Maid Marian (Joan Rice) embraces her future husband. Both Robin and Marian are out of the picture.

These last scenes were shot at Denham on June 16th 1951.

Neil says, “Just look at the set with the silver birch tree to the left of the enormous camera and note the camera on short distance 'rail' type lines for limited movement. Also the forest set behind them that doesn’t seem to have the depth to it that the film would indicate.”

Pictures like this give us a very rare glimpse of film production in the early 1950's. Thank you Neil.

Ivanhoe Postcard from 1906

Siegmund Hildesheimer & Co were originally based in Manchester during the mid 1800's. By 1881till the early 1900's they were also working from London, printing various types of greeting cards.

Some of their out-put was unusual and often unique, including this colourful postcard (1906)with illustrations of some of the characters from Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (1819).

The Wedding of Joan Rice and David Green

These beautiful pictures of the wedding of Joan Rice and David Green were very kindly sent to me by Horace Ward. Horace was a freelance photographer for the film industry during the 1950’s and these images form part of his remarkable collection.

Some of the photographs from over half a century ago have no negatives; others are gradually working loose from their glass plates. But thankfully Horace managed to carefully scan these and send them to me, along with some very important details:

Monday February 16th 1953:

Screen star, JOAN RICE and film salesman, DAVID GREEN, marry at Maidenhead Register Office.

The bride wore a silver gown of Brussels lace, a headdress of orange blossom and a flowing white veil. The reception was held in the Gables Lodge, just outside Maidenhead. Amongst the many guests was film star, RICHARD TODD.

“Looking back,” Horace says, “I suppose I grate crashed Joan’s wedding....perhaps good job I did-because we now have evidence.”

I would like to send out a very big thank you to Horace for taking the time and trouble of finding and restoring these pictures for me. All three images are strictly under copyright.

Was that gentleman in the first picture Joan’s father?

If you attended Joan’s wedding and would like to get in contact, please email me at: disneysrobin@googlemail.com.

For more information on Joan Rice, please click on the Label below.

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.