Richard Todd as Robin Hood

I’m back posting now after a lovely holiday and would like to thank Mike for sending in a great colour publicity still of Richard Todd as Robin Hood from the Disney live-action movie.

Joan Rice meets Walt Disney

Because I will not be posting for a fortnight I have decided to leave you with my favourite publicity still from Disney’s Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952).

It is from my own collection and shows Walt Disney meeting Joan Rice (Maid Marian) with Richard Todd (Robin Hood) looking on. This must have been a breathtaking moment for the young actress, who had only recently worked as a waitress in a Lyons Corner House.

It is a Reuters image and on the back it has:

“In The Greenwood-

Master of fantasy Walt Disney meets Maid Marian (his newest star Joan Rice) and Robin Hood (Richard Todd) on location at Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire, for Disney’s all-live Technicolor production ‘Robin Hood.’

Disney visited both location and floor units of the film, which is produced by Perce Pearce at Denham Studios.

June 24th 1951 PAR 24808-1 (PNR-G)”

As always I would be pleased to read your comments about this picture or about anything else on this blog. Thank you for your continued input and support and I will be posting again soon.

Elspeth's Memories of Robin Hood

Elspeth with Richard Todd

I was thrilled last week to finally get the chance to talk with Elspeth Gill, daughter of Alex Bryce the second unit director on Walt Disney’s Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). Elspeth is a charming lady and we had quite a chat about those golden days. It was Neil who initially made contact with her last year and she shared with him some wonderful photographs taken behind the scenes, which can be seen here.

Alex Bryce second unit director with Richard Todd

At the age of sixteen, Elspeth had the enviable experience of watching the filming of Robin Hood at not only Burnham Beeches but also the huge sound stages at Denham Studios. During that period she was living in a house approximately four miles from the legendary studios. When Elspeth entered a fancy dress costume at that time, she was lucky enough to be allowed to borrow one of Richard Todd’s ‘Robin Hood’ costumes. She won the contest-of course!And afterwards rode her horse all the way to the Denham Studios. The security men on the gate were apparently pre-warned of her arrival!

Although it was over sixty years ago, she could vaguely remember meeting Walt Disney and described the Art Director, Carmen Dillon, as a formidable woman.  Richard Todd she said “was such a lovely, lovely, man.” He became a friend of the family and Elspeth had fond memories of Scottish dancing with him during the making of the later movie, Rob Roy.  Her father, she explained, loved making those live-action Disney movies.

James Hayter (Friar Tuck) and Richard Todd (Robin Hood)

During the filming of the scene in which Robin Hood meets Friar Tuck (James Hayter), Richard Todd asked Elspeth to keep hold of Barron, his Great Dane. Unfortunately Baron was a great deal stronger than Elspeth and she was dragged by the huge dog downwards towards the river!

Nottingham Town Square

Elspeth could also remember being somewhere high up during the filming of a scene in ‘Nottingham Town Square.’ But she kept feeling something hitting her body and when she looked around, she realised it was Peter Finch (Sheriff of Nottingham) throwing pebbles at her!

Peter Finch as the Sheriff of Nottingham

I hope to be able to talk to Elspeth again very soon, and capture some more of her  wonderful memories of those golden days!

  

Hobbehod - The Real Robin Hood?

Still the most tantalising discovery, in the search for a real Robin Hood, was the candidate first put forward by L. V. D. Owen of Nottingham University in 1936.  Owen had previously given consideration to Joseph Hunter’s theories about the Robert Hood of Wakefield, but suggested this historic figure as a contender for the inspiration behind the Geste.  He discovered in the government pipe rolls between the years 1225-1234 that the Sheriff of Yorkshire had accounted for the chattels of a Robert Hood fugitive. Also, under the year 1228 the outlaw’s name is written in its colloquial form as ‘Hobbehod.’

The merit of this identification, argued Owen, was that it allowed Robin to be active during the reigns of Richard I and John, and for him to become a legend by the date of Piers Plowman. Owen also noted that rioters in Yorkshire during the 1230’s, led by Sir Robert Thweng, protesting against foreign clergy, sold grain cheaply and gave some away for the benefit of the poor.

Below is a basic timeline of events that surround the discovery by Owen and the follow-up investigation by Dr David Crook, who also argued that this Robert Hood ‘was the only realistic candidate already in the field.’ Crook investigated further the career of Eustace of Lowdham, the Sheriff of Yorkshire at that time and also his pursuit of Robert of Wetherby.

1224:

Philip Marc, the notorious Sherriff of Nottingham is replaced by Ralph fitz Nicholas. Four months later on the 29^th April 1224 Marc’s deputy known as Eustace of Lowdham became Sheriff of Yorkshire.

1225:

12^th July: At Winchester the King and Justicar authorized a writ to the barons of the exchequer to allow the Sheriff of Yorkshire 40 shillings spent by him on the royal order, to hire sergeants to ‘seek and take and behead Robert of Wetherby, outlaw and evildoer of our land.’

From the following years account we learn that a further 28 shillings were spent on the operation, and the leader of the sergeants was a man called William the Vintner.

On the 25^th July Robert de Lexington held assizes at York as head of the Royal Justices to hear pleas of ‘novel disseisin’ and ‘mort de ancestor’. When the penalties were put in charge at the Exchequer they included:

“Iden vicecomes debet xxxij.s.et.vjd. de catallis Roberti Hod fugitivi.” [PR Henry III p.274]

“32 shillings and sixpence in the matter of the chattels of Robert Hood fugitive.”

Unfortunately Lexington’s plea roll, which would have given detail of the offence he was accused of has not survived.

On the 27^th November, when Eustace of Lowdham accounted for his shire at the Exchequer, as he had done so often for Philip Marc, he claimed 2 shillings ‘for a chain to hang Robert of Wetherby.’

Nothing is further known of Robert of Wetherby but the purchase of the chain seems to imply that he was no ordinary criminal and hung up and put on display.

1227:

Every Michaelmas the clerks of the Exchequer recorded the sums of money paid into the Royal Treasury by the sheriffs. The name Robert Hood appears in the Yorkshire account in nine successive pipe rolls from 1226 -1234, six times as Robert Hod and once in 1229 as Robert Hood. But also in 1227 and 1228 in its colloquial form as ‘Hobbehod.’

The name ‘Hobbehod’ could be a variant outlaw name to be associated with the recurring figure ‘Hobbe the Robber’ mentioned in PiersPlowman and also the contemporary ‘John Ball Letters’ of the 1381 Peasants Revolt. Its mythological connotations bring us to Robin Goodfellow and Hobgoblins and it has also been suggested that the fugitive might have rode a small horse-a hobby. But it is more likely the scribe used the Middle-English ‘Hob’ as another form of Robert/Robin.

Written in the margin is evidence to show that the debt was due from the Liberty of St. Peter York. St. Peter is inserted in the margin of the roll next to his name and again in 1234 when the name is preceded by a cross. So in effect the fugitive was a tenant of the Archbishop of York or in some way a subject of his jurisdiction. Hood’s chattels were therefore claimed and eventually granted to the Archbishop.

1232: Eustace of Lowdham becomes Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

1227 /1232: Eustace of Lowdham was justice of the gaol delivery for Nottingham.

From all this we have two men sharing the same Christian name, both subjects of the Archbishop of York, hunted in those summer days in Yorkshire possible around Barnsdale in  1225. Pursued by someone who as a former ‘working Sheriff of Nottingham’ could have been known by that title by the people of Yorkshire.

                                                  Barnsdale in Yorkshire

Dr David Crook says that it is ‘conceivable’ that Robert of Wetherby and Robert Hood were one and the same man. ‘Wetherby had been outlawed by July, possibly before, whereas Robert Hood was described merely as a fugitive; that would usually be taken to mean that he was a subject who had fled, but the confiscation of his chattels could have been noted at a time when he had not yet been outlawed.’

The fact that Eustace of Lowdham had been clerk and ‘working’ Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire’ from 1217 till 1224 under the hated sheriff, Philip Marc, could explain the links with Nottingham and Sherwood. Eustace had been an established man of property and man of affairs in his native village of Lowdham, near Sherwood, in Nottinghamshire during the reign of King John.

I am not convinced that Wetherby and Robert Hood were one and the same person. But this is as close as we have come so far in search of an historical outlaw, who fits the early Yorkshire locations mentioned in the ballad, The Geste of Robyn Hode. This Robert Hood owed money to St. Peter’s York which would explain the ballad hero’s hostility to the established church in that area. Some writers have suggested that Robert Hood/Hobbehod might have followed Eustace from Yorkshire to Nottingham to pursue a vendetta against a Sheriff who had seized his property. This would certainly explain the conundrum over the two locations used in the ballads.

Professor J.C. Holt, the leading authority on research into the outlaw, describes Hobbehod as ‘the only possible original of Robin Hood so far discovered, who is known to have been an outlaw.’ What do you think?

Robin Hood Flour: The Miller's Ransom

Robin Hood Flour was founded in 1900 by Donald Mclean in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, in western Canada. In 1909 the mill was taken over by Francis Atherton Bean of Minneapolis and within two years it was producing over 1,600 barrels of flour a day. Using the green and red ‘archer’ emblem as a sign of good value and respectability, Robin Hood Flour and its recipes have remained popular for over a century.

A while ago I posted about Robin Hood Flour and their promotion of the live action Disney film The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). Below are the first five pages of the very rare Robin Hood Flour Comic that was produced as part of the campaign. These pages were very kindly sent in by Laurence.

Laurence commented on how the artist has remained quite faithful to the costumes in the film and I was also impressed by the quality of the artwork.

There are more pages to come!

Richard Todd & Joan Rice

To celebrate the most romantic day of the year, Valentine’s Day, I have posted one of my favourite stills from Walt Disney’s Story of Robin Hood (1952). Above is Richard Todd as Robin Hood and Joan Rice as Maid Marian in a passionate pose to promote the live-action movie. I think you will agree that it’s quite a steamy shot for a Disney film!

To see many other promotional stills from Disney’s Robin Hood, just click on Picture Gallery.

The Production Unit in Nottinghamshire

I was thrilled to discover this press picture (above) for sale on Ebay recently. It is a very rare image of Walt Disney’s legendary producer Perce Pearce (1899-1955) and Richard Todd (1919-2009) practising a quarter-staff fight during their fact-finding trip to Nottinghamshire before the filming of the Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men.

Below is an extract from the magazine Photoplay dated June 1951 about the trip:

“When Walt Disney first announced that he was to make ‘Robin Hood’ he received a letter from the Sheriff of Nottingham inviting him to visit the City Library and inspect the collection of over a thousand books of ‘Robin Hood’ lore. Walt Disney replied that he himself would be unable to go to England until the film actually went before the cameras, but that he would extend the kind invitation to Richard Todd and his production unit under the supervision of producer Perce Pearce.

When Richard Todd and the production unit visited Nottingham this spring [1951], they were received by the Lord Mayor, the Sheriff and other civic dignitaries and were afforded every possible local facility to retrace the footsteps of the famous outlaw.

Richard Todd absorbed a mine of information which gave him a penetrating insight into the character of Robin Hood when he came to portray his historic counterpart. The production unit, too, covered many miles of Robin Hood country, to ensure that local settings reproduced at Denham Studios under the supervision of Art Director Carmen Dillon, should maintain the highest degree of authenticity.”

Some of the places that the production crew visited included Nottingham City Library, Nottingham Castle, Newstead Abbey, Edwinstowe, Sherwood Forest including Robin Hood’s Larder (now gone) and the Major Oak, Ollerton, Creswell Crags, Nottingham’s Caves, the Salutation Inn and the Trip to Jerusalem Inn.

Walt Disney’s production crew included producer Perce Pearce, script writer Lawrence Watkin, historical advisor Dr. Charles Beard and art director Carmen Dillon.



Sunset Over Sherwood Forest

Peter Ellenshaw worked on over 30 films for Walt Disney. His beautiful matte paintings created the fantasy worlds that were essential in the days before computer special effects. On Disney’s Story of Robin Hood he painted twelve matte shots-and one image in particular always stands out for me. It is the final shot in which Alan a Dale walks into the sunset playing his lute.

On my last visit to Sherwood Forest I was determined to see if I could emulate that particular image. So I waited patiently by the entrance to the Visitor Centre-camera ready. Below is my attempt at capturing that special moment in the film as the sun sets over the woodland.

Sherwood is a magical place, full of legend, natural beauty and well worth a visit. Once stepping along the winding paths, listening to the birdsong and visiting the sun dappled glades it is very easy to be transported back to the world of Robin Hood.

Below are some more pictures I have taken during my visits to what has become known as England’s heart of oak-Sherwood Forest.

Trees struck by lightening

A forest glade

Sunrise in Sherwood

 

If you would like to see more of my pictures, please visit Tony's Tripod.

Picture Show & Film Pictorial April 12th 1952

Geoff Waite has recently been in touch and very kindly sent in information from the magazine Picture Show & Film Pictorial dated April 12^th 1952. This article shows fascinating details of the promotion of Walt Disney’s Story of Robin Hood and how it was received by critics after its release.

He says:

“I recently acquired a copy of the weekly magazine Picture Show & Film Pictorial for April 12 1952 which included a review of the new Disney Robin Hood film and featured Richard Todd and Joan Rice on the front cover.”

“The new releases were allocated three stars for Excellent, two for Very Good and one for Good. You will see that Robin Hood received two stars i.e. Very Good along with the James Stewart release Where the River Bends and that no three stars were awarded that week. Even Doris Day and Gordon MacRae in Starlift only succeeded in gaining one star.”

Geoff continues:

“The film is described as ‘delightful entertainment’ and that ‘Richard Todd is a lively, youthful Robin, and newcomer Joan Rice is a pretty, tomboyish Maid Marian’.

One of the advertisements featured in that particular issue of Picture Show was obviously influenced somewhat by the publicity surrounding the new Disney film although there is no mention of either Disney or Robin Hood.”

I expect some of you have recognised a very young Roger Moore in the advert that Geoff mentiones above. He of course went on to play Ivanhoe, The Saint and James Bond in his long career.  So a very big thank you to Geoff for sending me this wonderful information and giving us all an insight into how the movie was received at the time.

To read many other reviews of Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men please click here.