Judi Trott as Marion

One of the most influential versions of the Robin Hood legend in recent times was the hugely successful TV series Robin of Sherwood (1984-1986). This wonderfully mystical production was created by Richard ‘Kip’ Carpenter for Harlech Television and had Michael Praed as Robin of Loxley, Clive Mantle as Little John, Ray Winstone as Will Scarlet and Judi Trott (pictured above) as Marion of Leaford. Today it still has a huge following with an international fan base and an excellent website at http://www.robinofsherwood.org/

This stunning picture of Judi Trott as Marion, was sent in by Mike, who like me is a huge fan of the series. Judi was born in Plymouth, England in 1962 and trained as a ballet dancer before attending the London Studio Centre where she qualified as an actress. After appearing in several TV movies, including ‘Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story’ in 1982 she eventually beat Jenny Seagrove to the role of Marion of Leaford. This according to some sources was because the producers were impressed with her, ‘pre-Raphaelite beauty and her mane of red hair’!

Judi was very familiar with the Robin Hood legend and loved the film ‘Robin and Marian’ (1976) with Audrey Hepburn and Sean Connery (she later worked alongside Sean’s son Jason in the third series). But she confesses that she was never very good when it came to sword play and the production crew had to use clever angles to make it look good. She did enjoy the archery and impressed her instructor with her natural posture, which was partly due to her ballet training. But sometimes things did go wrong!

"They used to put plastic around the cameras so nobody would get hurt”, Judi said “although many of the arrows had rubber tips. But, they used to barricade themselves in when they knew I was going to be firing and arrow! Once, I went over the barrier. It was a beautiful shot - went miles! Some spark [electrician] was sitting in his generator some 200 yards away and suddenly felt a thud!. My arrow had gone straight through the bushes and hit the van! Fortunately, he was inside the van at the time."

Azul Maria

I always like to feature the talents of my regular visitors to this blog and this particular member of The Whistling Arrows has a special place in my heart, as she has helped me through some very rough times recently. Maria, who some will know as Azul Maria, visited this site a couple of years ago, when she translated a Spanish Robin Hood poster for me. She is a keen photographer and a lot of her stunning work can be seen here: http://www.fotolog.com/blue_mary/53222272.

Maria, or Montse as she is known on Facebook, also has her own interesting blog at http://tierradelasmildanzas.blogspot.com/, which often has a mixture of historical, musical and artistic features. She also has a love of the Robin Hood legend and hopes to visit England and in particular, Sherwood Forest very soon.

It must have been those artistic eyes of hers that noticed a blooper in the Whistle My Love sequence from Disney’s Story of Robin Hood. Something I had never seen before! But if you watch as Robin (Richard Todd) starts to carry Marian (Joan Rice) across the stream, the camera angle behind them shows Marian’s arms around Robin’s neck, but when it switches to the front Joan has her arm hanging down. This is now the second blooper discovered, thank you Maria!

 One of the many interesting pictures that Maria has taken is this image of a gigantic Ceiba. The tree is growing near Maria’s hometown of Tapachula in Mexico, in the backyard of someone’s house! She had to struggle through the undergrowth and extreme heat to be able to capture this amazing image. We don't get these in Sherwood Forest!

Picture Strip 15 : Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood

Part 15 of Laurence's fabulous picture strip of Walt Disney's original movie the Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). To see previous pages of the picture strip, please click on the label below.

If you want to learn more about the making of this wonderful film or the legend that inspired it, please click on the relevant subjects in the sidebar.

Norman Lindsay's Robin Hood

My interest in the legend of Robin Hood has led me down many paths over the years. I have a love of art and have a particular interest in illustrations of our outlaw hero. But I must confess I had never heard of the Australian artist Norman Lindsay, until I saw this beautiful etching called, ‘Robin Hood’ that he created in 1922 for a book of verse called Idyllia, by the poet Hugh McCrae. So I thought I would investigate the life of this multi-talented man.

Norman Lindsay (1879-1969), was a prolific artist, cartoonist, and writer. He came from a family that incredibly produced five artists of distinction.

Lindsay was born in Creswick, Victoria in Australia and was the son of Irish surgeon Robert Charles William Alexander Lindsay and Jane Elizabeth Lindsay. Fifth of ten children, six boys and four girls, he is now widely regarded as one of Australia’s best loved and greatest artists. Producing a vast body of incredible work in different media, including pen drawing, etching, watercolour, oil and sculptures in concrete and bronze.

As a child he suffered ill health (a blood disorder) which prevented him pursuing energetic hobbies, so he spent his time learning to draw and paint.

Lindsay left home when he was sixteen to live with his brother in Melbourne. In 1901 he moved north to make his permanent home in the Blue Mountains, to the west of Sydney, in a stone cottage in landscaped grounds. He began working for the Australian journal the Bulletin as an artist, reviewer and contributor of essays and fiction. His association with the Bulletin lasted for over fifty years, almost until his death in 1969. Working for journal as an editorial cartoonist he was able to express his and the magazines political view in his art. But his paintings and drawings were often condemned by the establishment as immoral, and aroused much controversy for their overt sexuality. They were also distinctly politically incorrect and often disrespectful, but the frankness and vitality of his work was an expression of his own personality. One of his pen drawings, the Crucified Venus caused such a stir that it was removed from an art show, only to be returned later under threat of removing all the art by the President of the Society of Artist if it was not returned.

He subsequently led a bohemian life in Melbourne where he established his reputation. This period is reflected in his first novel, A Curate in Bohemia (1913). Lindsay was the main driving force behind Vision, a magazine edited by his son Jack Lindsay and Kenneth Slessor. Creative Effort (1920) and Madam Life's Lovers (1929) express his aesthetic credo.

Lindsay’s energy and creativity became legendary; he usually worked on multiple projects, in different mediums, at the same time. He often rose before dawn, completed a watercolor before having breakfast, worked on some etchings during the day, moved out to the garden to work on a concrete sculpture in the afternoon and finished chapters of his current novel after dinner.

For recreation, he would work on model ships, and he was very precise in his measurements and detail. He also made lead figures for his ships, decorated and carved pieces of furniture, built chairs, planters and Roman columns and even did the building of several additions to his home. He was also known for his lavish house parties.

Norman Lindsay married Kate Parkinson in Melbourne in 1900; they had three sons but were divorced in 1918. One son, Jack, went on to become a noted publisher and writer in England. He married Rose Soady, one of his long-time models, in 1920, and they had two daughters. One daughter, Helen, known as Honey, later took over the printmaking studio in the grounds of Springwood; and built a house around it.

Lindsay also created propaganda and recruitment posters that were commissioned by the Australian government during World War I.

His well-known children’s book, ‘The Magic Pudding,’ was produced in 1918. This classic is still in print, having been translated into four languages and published in three countries; it remains a popular book for children. Other work of literature was not received well. Many aroused protest for his revolutionary ideas and their sexual explicitness. Redheap (1930; US title Every Mother's Son), was banned in Australia until 1958, as was the first part of his trilogy which also included Saturdee (1933) and Halfway to Anywhere (1947); these novels, with their sexually vigorous young protagonists, comically depict small town life. Novels in similar vein include The Cautious Amorist (1932), also banned, and The Age of Consent (1938). Other works include Norman Lindsay's Book, No. I (1912) and Norman Lindsay's Book, No. II (1915), sketches and stories; and My Mask (1970), an autobiography.

Survived by his wife Rose (d.1984) Norman Lindsay died on 25 December 1969 at Mornington and was cremated.

Joan Rice and Richard Todd

I was thrilled to discover this very rare picture recently of Joan Rice (Maid Marian) and Richard Todd (Robin Hood). This was possibly taken during a break from the casting test of Walt Disney’s Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men at Elstree in March 1951.

Richard Todd described it as a ‘happy picture’ and in this photograph, we can see a good example of some of the fun they had making it!

Arnold Beauvais

A very big thank you to Laurence, who recently informed me that he had discovered that the illustrator behind some of the film memorabilia of Walt Disney’s Story of Robin Hood, including the beautiful jigsaw puzzles, that we have been admiring and books, (including his line drawings for the 1952 hardback edition of Collins’ 'Walt Disney’s Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men’) was Arnold Beauvais.

Neil said a while ago that, “It would be good to find some kind of biography of the man whose life spanned from Victorian times into the modern era”. Well thanks to Laurence, I managed to find some fascinating information......

Arnold Victor Beauvais was born in Catford on the 13th April 1886. He was the third child of the French artist Charles Henri Beauvais. His father, born in Marseille in 1864, was also a talented painter, who after training in Paris came to England in 1882 where he met and married an English girl, Anne Corfield. This happy union produced four sons and two daughters.

Arnold Beauvais commenced his art training in 1900. He worked in his father’s commercial studio, on lithographic and poster design, during the day and studied art in the evenings at the Bolt Court Art School in Fleet Street.

In 1903 Charles Beauvais left England and returned to his native France and opened a commercial studio in Marseille. Arnold Beauvais took this opportunity to further his art studies and spent sixteen months in Paris. He then rejoined his family in Marseille and started to work once again with his father.
 
Charles Beauvais died in 1911 and Arnold Beauvais took over the management of the studio for the next two years. In 1913 he returned to London, rented a Studio in Chancery Lane and produced Artwork for a wide range of clients – J. Lyons, R.K.O., Radio Pictures, Black & White Whisky, Warner Bros., Walt Disney Co., Younger’s Scotch Ales and many more- which meant drawing everything from Film Posters and Magazine illustrations to Press Adverts, Cartoons and Jigsaw puzzles.

The work for the film distributors included posters and general publicity for such famous films as, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Swiss Family Robinson, Up In Arms and all the subsequent Danny Kaye films, Snow White, Bambi, Treasure Island, Robin Hood, Alice in Wonderland, Hans Anderson, Peter Pan and a host of Walt Disney nature films. The success of this work inevitably led to the illustrations in the associated ‘book of the films’ produced by Collins of Glasgow.

His involvement with the film world commenced in the mid-thirties and lasted for two decades. During this period a highly successful series of caricatures were produced for the magazine – Film Weekly. These caricatures of film stars were produced by the then relatively untried ‘air brush’ technique. He also originated one of the most successful advertising campaigns produced before the Second World War. His series of ‘Where’s George?’ advertisements for Lyons created a tremendous interest at the time and are still remembered by people almost forty years later.

But Arnold Beauvais’s talents ranged far beyond the realms of art. His career as a free-lance commercial artist enabled him not only to paint for pleasure but also to devote time to his other main love – music. In fact his success as an n opera singer during the 1920’s eventually forced him to make a choice between a full- time career as an artist or a singer when he combined commitments became excessive.

As a singer he made his debut at the Old Vic playing the part of Fernando in Il Trovatore. The quality and range of his bass voice together with his acting ability led him to play the leading roles in many of the classic operatic standards such as: - The Magic Flute, Don Giovann, Rigoletto, Aida, Lohengrin, Faust, Carmen, and about a dozen other operas.

It was during this time with the Old Vic opera company that he designed the famous poster for the appeal fund to raise £30,000 to renovate the fabric of the building. During the 1930’s he taught at the Bolt Court Art School where he himself had studied, more than thirty years earlier.

In 1956 Arnold Beauvais reduced his commercial art commitments in order to devote more time to his oil paintings. He was made a Member of the London Sketch Club in 1929 and elected President in 1936 later he became Life President.


Arnold died in 1982.

Picture Strip 14 : Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood

Part 14 of Laurence's fabulous picture strip of Walt Disney's original movie the Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). To see previous pages of the picture strip, please click on the label below.

If you want to learn more about the making of this wonderful film or the legend that inspired it, please click on the relevant subjects in the sidebar.

Hacked Hotmail

I had my Hotmail account hacked into last night and many of my friends were sent spam using my name.So please delete any emails you have received from me recently. I would like to apologise for any inconvenience this might have caused. I have contacted Hotmail and scanned my computer for Malware and other nastiness! I have changed my security codes so hopefully this will be the end of it.

Robin Hood and Edward II

I have recently posted about the ground breaking discoveries of Joseph Hunter which were first published in his book ‘The Great Hero of the Ancient Minstrelsy of England, Robin Hood his Period etc. Investigated and Perhaps Ascertained’ in 1852. This generated a lot of interest, so below is a complete list of the entries to Robin Hood, the Valet of the King’s Chamber during the reign of Edward II (1307-1327).

Included is an account discovered by Sir James Holt in the 1980’s, which was in a fragment of a day-book of the chamber, for the period 14th April to 7th July 1323. Under ultra-violet light it reveals that this Robin Hood was already in Edward’s service before he visited Nottingham in November 1323. This discovery by Holt partly dismantles the coincidence of detail between the ballad and historical fact that Joseph Hunter based his book on, but interest still remains amongst modern day historians. After Edward II's execution of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, in 1322, the earl's supporters committed wide-spread acts of vengeance, including the pillaging of the king's deer in the royal forests, as in the ballad ‘ A Gest of Robyn Hode’ (C.1500) Edward II himself travelled to the area to investigate these disturbances.

In the Geste, ‘comly’ King Edward hearing of the death of the Sheriff and that his deer in his forest have been killed, visits Sherwood disguised as an abbot. Eventually Robin recognises the king and asks for mercy for himself and his followers. But the king will only grant them a pardon on condition that they leave the forest and come to court:

"Yes, for God," than sayd our kynge,
"And therto sent I me,
With that thou leve the grene wode,
And all thy company,

"And come home, syr, to my courte,
And there dwell with me."
"I make myn avowe to God," sayd Robyn,
"And ryght so shall it be.

"I wyll come to your courte,
Your servyse for to se,
And brynge with me of my men
Seven score and thre."

Edward II's Chamber Accounts

A day book surviving from the Royal Chamber between 14th April to 7th July 1323 mentions on 27th June a Robyn Hode received wages as porter of the king’s chamber from 5th till 18th June. In the fragment of the Account book, £6 is paid out to thirty four, including Robyn Hod, Simon Hod, Wat Cowherd and Robin Dyer.

In P.R.O. E101/380/4 there are payments of 3d a day starting on the 25th April 1324 to ‘Henri Lawe, Colle de Ashruge, Will de Shene, Joh. Petimari, Grete Hobbe, Litell Colle, Joh. Edrich, Robyn Hod, Simon Hod, Robert Trasshe.......... (And nineteen others).’

On May 17th 1324: ‘ To Robert Hod and thirty one other porters for wages from the 22nd April to May 12th , less five days for Robert Hod when he was absent.’

On June 10th 1324: ‘To Robyn Hod twenty seven days wage less one day absence deducted for absence.’

On June 30th 1324: 'Twenty Six porters received their wages but Robyn Hod received nothing.'

On July 22nd 1324: ‘To Robert Hood and six other valets being with the king at Fulham by his command from the 9th day of June arrears of wages at 3d a day for twenty one day’s pay.'

August 21st 1324: ‘Robin Hod had eight days pay deducted for non-attendance.'

October 6th 1324: ‘Robyn Hod received full pay.'

October 21st 1324: No pay to Robyn Hod, absent altogether.

From October 21st to November 24th 1324 the Clerk of the Chamber paid Robyn Hod for 35 days, but deducted seven days because of absence.

November 22nd 1324: ‘To Robyn Hod formerly one of the porters, because he can no longer work, five shillings as a gift by commandment.'

In the ‘Geste’ Robin has spent all his money on entertaining and on gifts to knights and squires. Only two of his men, Little John and Scathelock, are left with him. Robin longs to go back to the greenwood, and begs leave of the king to go on a pilgrimage to a little chapel in Barnsdale that he had built:

Robyn sawe yonge men shote
Full ferre upon a day;
"Alas!" than sayd good Robyn,
"My welthe is went away."

"Somtyme I was an archere good,
A styffe and eke a stronge;
I was comted the best archere
That was in mery Englonde."

"Alas!" then sayd good Robyn,
"Alas and well a woo!
Yf I dwele lenger with the kynge,
Sorowe wyll me sloo."

"I made a chapell in Bernysdale,
That semely is to se,
It is of Mary Magdaleyne,
And thereto wolde I be".

We know now that this Robert Hood/Robin Hood was already in the King’s service before his visit to Nottingham; perhaps he was given the five shillings because he was too old and sick to work. But whatever way you look at it, this is indeed a remarkable coincidence between ballad and historical fact. What do you think?

I would like to thank Kathryn Warner for the use of her picture of Edward II’s Chamber Journal of 1322. She has a fantastic blog dedicated to this much maligned king at http://edwardthesecond.blogspot.com/ 

Edward II may have met the Robin Hood!