Robin Hood's Chair (Again)

Over the last few years, interest in my Disney's Story of Robin Hood Facebook page has been growing and there are now 41 members. One new member, Brian Varaday, has very kindly sent me another example of what has become known on this blog as Robin Hood's Chair.

The chair used in The Dark Avenger (1955)

Brian sent me a still from the movie The Dark Avenger (1955) which not only starred Errol Flynn, but also had many people involved in its production who would have been familiar with the chair when it was first used on the set of Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood at Denham Studios in 1951. Actors such as Peter Finch, Michael Hordern, Ewen Solon, crew members Guy Green, Alex Bryce and technical adviser Charles R. Beard had all previously worked on Robin Hood.

The original chair used in Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood (1952)

It was while watching the classic television series the Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1960) starring Richard Greene, that I noticed a familiar piece of furniture in the Sheriff of Nottingham's chamber. I was sure I had seen the highly decorated chair with its circular headrest and carved pineapples before.

                             

That chair in the Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1960)

I immediately paused the DVD and quickly grabbed my illustrated copy of Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men. I was correct! It was the same chair that had been designed by Carmen Dillon and her art department for Disney's live-action movie in 1951. Somehow it had found its way to Nettlefold Studios and the ground-breaking set of the black and white television series.

The chair used in TV's Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1960)

As a young lad, these two versions of the Robin Hood legend had a huge influence on me. So you can imagine my surprise when I recently found, what I believe to be that very same chair (over thirty years later) in another all-time favourite of mine Robin of Sherwood (1984-1986).

The chair used over 30 years later in Robin of Sherwood (1984-1986)

I made a few enquires about this remarkable coincidence and received this message from a member of the Britmovie forum:

“I think it’s quite normal for props and costumes and even whole sets to be used in other films over the years. Studios normally had their own prop stores and there are also several large independent prop hire companies around London that have been on the go for years. I remember visiting one in Acton many years ago while helping a friend find some props for a theatre production; it was like an Aladdin’s cave with the proprietor cheerfully pointing out what other famous plays some of the props had been used for in the past.”

And:

"I guess most of the props these days are located in private rental firms. In the old days before studios went four walls they contained huge prop departments on site. I know Pinewood had a massive prop dept so it’s not unusual for the same prop to pop up in many films and are now privately owned. I know when MGM Borehamwood closed they flogged a lot off in a huge auction and many went down the road to Elstree."

The Robin Hood Chair in The Men of Sherwood (1954)

A while ago another regular blog visitor kindly sent me stills of those chairs being used in another movie, The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954). This was the first of a trilogy of Robin Hood features made by Hammer Film productions and also their first colour movie. Recently some critics have described it as the possibly the worst sound film about the outlaw ever made! Although in my opinion, American actor Don Taylor gives a good performance as Robin Hood and Reginald Beckwith is an excellent Friar Tuck in this low budget romp.

The Men of Sherwood (with chairs designed by Carmen Dillon for Disney in 1951)

To read more about the work of art director Carmen Dillon, please click here.

If anybody reading this blog, knows of any other movies in which the props (particularly those chairs) from the Story of Robin Hood can be clearly seen (and if they still exist) please get in touch! 

Robin Hood's Camp in Sherwood Forest

Maid Marian with Friar Tuck and some of the outlaws.

A fortnight ago I posted a favourite still of mine from Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). It showed Maid Marian (Joan Rice) at the camp of Robin Hood surrounded by some of the outlaws. The image above was recently sent in by Neil and gives us another view of the scene, this time from a different angle. Looking at this picture, it is almost possible to feel the warmth of the camp fire and smell the cooking pot. This is yet another example of the artistry and fine attention to detail by the set designer, Carmen Dillon (1908-2000).

Carmen Dillon reveils a model of Nottingham Square for Robin Hood

Four years ago, Neil sent me the article Prejudice and Slacks from The Cinema Sudio (November 1951) in which reporter Catherine O'Brien looked at the immense amount of research and work Carmen Dillon did on the set of Robin Hood. On top of all this of course, we must consider the fact that at the time she was the only woman to succeed in becoming an Oscar winning director. She overcame a huge amount of prejudice during her career at a time when no one in the film business would take a female art director seriously.

Below is an excerpt from the article Prejudice and Slacks:

Carmen Dillon's set design of Robin Hood's camp

"One of the most important sets in the film is the Sherwood Forest camp where Robin Hood and his Merry Men live in outlawry, in their woodland hideout. Some weeks before the film, Carmen accompanied a research party including producer Perce Pearce, script writer Larry Watkin, and film star Richard Todd to Nottingham and returned laden with photographs of every relic of Robin Hood days, which would help her construct the original setting at Denham Studios."

Robin Hood's Caves in Nottingham

Larry Watkin, Richard Todd and some of Disney's research team.

"... the Robin Hood sets are sufficient to demonstrate the huge scale assignment tackled by Carmen Dillon on her latest appointment as art director and the great confidence placed in artistic talent by Walt Disney in the realisation of one of his most ambitious ventures."

(The Cinema Studio: November 1951) 

To learn more about the life and career of Carmen Dillon and to read the fascinating article Prejudice and Slacks please click here. There is also a lot more information on Disney's research party and their look at the incredible caves and sites associated with the Robin Hood legend under the tag 'Film Production' here.

Robin of Sherwood with Jules Frusher

In the days of the Lion spawned of the Devil's brood, the hooded man shall come to the forest. There he will meet Herne the Hunter, Lord of the Trees, and be his son and do his bidding. The Powers of Light and Darkness shall be strong within him. And the guilty shall tremble. (Prophecy of Gildas)

Michael Praed as Robin Hood

This is the second instalment of a look at my partner Jules Frusher's favourite television versions of the legend of Robin Hood. Two weeks ago I published her views on the recent BBC series Robin Hood (2006) starring Jonas Armstrong, Keith Allen and Richard Armitage. The  review can be seen here.

Jules made the interesting point that the BBC's Robin Hood episodes did not pretend to be in any way historically accurate, unlike the movie Braveheart for example. And although it was a radical change from the traditional telling of the ancient legend, Jules was sure the series would lead children to become interested in medieval history.

Jules Frusher is a published author and her most recent novel, The Devil To Pay is available here. She is also a historian and runs a website called Lady Despenser's Scribery in which she not only researches the life of Hugh Despenser, a 14th Century knight, but looks at every day life during that period. Her website is becoming very popular and well worth a visit.

Jules's second choice in her list of favourite interpretations of the Robin Hood legend, is the Robin of Sherwood  (1984-1986) television series, directed by Ian Sharp. Broadcast over 26 weeks, this series, made by HTV in association with Goldcrest, was without doubt the most successful and influential re-telling of the myth in more recent times. Richard (Kip) Carpenter (d.2012) and his writing partner Paul Knight, cleverly blended together elements of ancient pagan mysticism and folklore and created a gritty, realistic and hugely successful re-telling of the ancient legend for television. Carpenter had previously written and created another successful television series about a notorious outlaw, Dick Turpin for London Weekend Television back in 1978. 

Robin Hood and the outlaws of Sherwood Forest

Not only did Robin of Sherwood introduce the concept of the Green Man and the legend of Herne the Hunter, but this ground breaking series took the controversial decision to give the legend a pagan slant. Through the whole series there is continuous reference to the pagan beliefs of the opposite factions of  good and evil and the forces of light and darkness. Jules noted, that this helped  paganism become more accepted and not looked upon suspiciously as witchcraft.

The whole series was shot on film and almost entirely on location in the northeast and southwest of England, including Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland and Wookey Hole caves in Somerset. HTV West in Bristol was the production base.

Together, Jules and I watched the double length episode, Robin Hood and the Sorcerer Part 1 first aired on the 28th April 1984.

It was refreshing to hear once again the haunting sound of  Irish folk band Clannad as they sang the opening theme and incidental music. Later released on an album, the atmospheric soundtrack to this series, Legend, won a BAFTA for the group, for best television music in 1984.

The story begins with Loxley village being attacked and razed to the ground by Norman soldiers searching for young Robin's father. Ailric (guardian of the silver arrow, a symbol of great power) is a Saxon and has openly rebelled against the tyrannical Norman rule. As the village burns, Ailric quickly takes Robin on horseback away from the soldiers to the safety of the home of Mathew the Miller. As the thunder booms overhead, Ailric  rides to a stone circle where he intends to hide the silver arrow, but the Sheriff of Nottingham (Nikolas Grace) and his cavalrymen are waiting for him. One by one the sheriff's men aim at Ailric and his body soon slumps to the ground covered in crossbow bolts. The Silver Arrow is now in the hands of the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Ailric of Loxley's last word are, "He's coming... the Hooded Man is coming!"

During the opening scenes of the destruction of Loxley village, Jules noted how the soldiers chain mail unfortunately looked more like sprayed fabric!

So, orphaned at an early age, Robin is secretly brought up by the village miller, alongside his younger foster-brother, Much (Peter Llewellyn Williams).

Fifteen years later, at Castle Belleme, the evil Simon De Belleme* is warned by his guardian - the possessed John Little - to beware the hooded one who will seek the arrow and that his master demands a sacrifice.

*A Robert de Belleme was exiled for sorcery and devil worship c.1300.

Robin (Michael Praed) discovers that Much has been hunting in the forest and killed a deer, breaking the Law of Venison - a crime punishable by the loss of a hand. They are both seen by Guy of Gisburne (Robert Addie d.2003) and his men and try to escape. But they are eventually captured and put into, what Jules described as a oubliette* at Nottingham Castle. This was a bottle-necked pit where prisoners were starved or driven to insanity.

*In 2006 an oubliette ('to forget,' in French) was discovered by archaeologists in the underground caves of the Galleries of Justice Museum in Nottingham.

Guy of Gisburne (Robert Addie 1960-2003)

The scene in the torture pit is excellent. As the light begins to clear we discover several oppressed men who have witnessed the cruelty of the Sheriff of Nottingham and eventually become the nucleus of Robin's band. It is also here that we are first introduced to one of the strongest personalities in the series, Will Scarlet, played by Ray Winstone.

But this Scarlet isn't the foppish personality we have seen in previous reincarnations. Carpenter wanted the characters to strike a cord with modern audiences and Winstone's portrayal is of a brash, angry and argumentative young man. Formerly known as Scathlock, he had witnessed the rape and murder of his wife in Loxley Village by drunken mercenaries. After being attacked she had been trampled to death by the men's horses. Scathlock was now Scarlet with hatred! 

'Hot headed' Will Scarlet, became immensely popular with fans of the series and Ray Winstone enjoyed the role describing him as the first football hooligan. Although when the series was dubbed into German, Winstone was very disappointed and said he sounded more like a 'psychotic mincer!' 
To read more about the legend of Will Scarlet please click here.

The Sheriff (Nikolas Grace) and his brother Abbot Hugo (Philip Jackson)

Back at Nottingham Castle, the sheriff and his brother, Abbot Hugo (Philip Jackson) of St. Mary's Abbey, argue over a flooded fishpond. But their attention is soon distracted by the arrival of Baron de Belleme as he is led through the castle gate by a possessed giant carrying a quarterstaff. In the castle grounds the beautiful Lady Marian (Judi Trott) is attending her bees* when she is warned of the arrival of the Baron by Brother Tuck (Phil Rose).

*This could be inspired by the poem Robin Hood: To A Friend by John Keats and his reference to 'Marian's wild bees'.

In the oubliete, Robin encourages the prisoners to try to escape. At first they are scared of becoming outlaws and being killed on sight. But Robin explains to them that there are parts of Sherwood Forest that the soldiers will not enter and it is there that they will find food and shelter. Scarlet agrees and says, he has nothing else to lose.

De Belleme is taken into the main hall* of Nottingham Castle and finally gets to see Marian. The Sheriff introduces her as the daughter of Sir Richard of the Lee, who was killed in Palestine and now ward of the Abbot Hugo. The Baron looks icily at Marian and explains that his wife had recently taken her own life and that she could take his place. This prompted a suspicious side-ways glance from both the sheriff and the abbot. But Marian looked bravely straight ahead and informed De Belleme that in the month she will become a novice at Kirklees Priory. Angrily the baron turned to the abbot accusing him of 'marrying her to God, so that her lands go to the church'.
The time is coming, he sneered, when you will beg for my help. Both of you. You will give her to me then, when the hooded man comes to the forest.

There is a stunned silence in the castle hall.

*In the hall of Nottingham Castle, the distinctive large decorated chair used by the sheriff appears to be the one originally seen in Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood (1952) and various other versions of the legend. See here. 

After the baron has gone, Abbot Hugo explains to his brother that De Belleme gets up to all sorts of naughtiness, devil worship and all that! The Sheriff answers him with, but to which devil? There are so many aren't there. And only one God, it hardly seems fair.

Robin Hood (Michael Praed) and Lady Marian (Judi Trott)

The prisoners manage to escape from the dungeon and Robin tells them to make their way to Sherwood. After a fight with some soldiers, the rest of the men get out through the castle gate, but Robin is too late and the portcullis is closed. So Robin makes his way along the battlements and into a castle tower where he finds himself inside Marian's bedchamber. They are instantly attracted to each other and Robin describes her like a May morning. She saves his life by not calling out* and as he turns to escape from the tower he lifts up his hood. Marian suddenly realises that he is the hooded man that De Belleme had described.

*Reminiscent of the classic Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland (1938).

 As Robin is making his way back to Sherwood Forest  he encounters Herne the Hunter for the first time. The woodland spirit explains to the outlaw that  the poor and dispossessed are all waiting for him.

Back in his castle Baron Simon De Belleme realises that the hooded man has returned to the forest, so he sends his possessed bodyguard, John Little off to Sherwood to hunt him down. In the forest, Robin encounters him on the traditional log over the river and a quarterstaff fight ensues. In the river, Robin eventually manages to knock the man out and free him of the Baron's hex by washing away the mark of a pentagram on his chest. This earns Robin the strangers friendship and upon hearing that his name is John Little of Hathersage, Robin Hood laughingly decides to call the giant Little John. 

The outlaws have now met up in Sherwood Forest and have decided to keep their heads down, do what they are told and go their separate ways. Robin revisits Herne the Hunter and asks him what he must do. Herne gives the outlaw a sword known as Albion, charged with the power of light and darkness. The woodland spirit then instructs Robin to string the bow and calls him Robin-I-The-Hood.

Now with a strong sense of purpose, Robin goes back to the outlaws and wakes them all up. Little John immediately asks if Robin has been possessed? He explains to the men that it is time that they all stopped sleeping. Since the Norman invasion they had had no voice, no justice and without it there would be no England. He tells them that it is time we fought back!

Meanwhile Marian is preparing to leave Nottingham Castle for Kirklees and asks Brother Tuck to look after her bees. Guy of Gisburne is to escort her and is instructed by the Sheriff of Nottingham to torture the miller on the way - to find out where the outlaws are hiding. Much the millers son witnesses Gisburne's burning of the mill and the death of his father (Robin's step-father) and rushes heartbroken back to the forest.

Robin swears revenge and ambushes Gisburne and his men along the forest road. Marian is led to safety by Much and Gisburne is stripped of his clothing, tied to his horse and told:
Tell the Sheriff of Nottingham that Robin Hood holds Sherwood, tell him Herne's Son has claimed his kingdom.

This was the end of the first episode of a two part special that introduced the main characters in the series. In the second instalment, Robin rescues Marian from the castle of the evil Simon De Belleme and it is here that we witness the first appearance of a new member of Robin's band for many centuries.

Nasir (Mark Ryan) is a Saracen that protects the Baron de Belleme and was originally scripted to be killed during the final battle scenes. But the writer, Richard Carpenter was so impressed and inspired by Ryan's swordplay that he re-wrote the script so that Nasir  joins the outlaws. This idea seems to have caught-on with later productions and we get Robin with a Moorish companion (Morgan Freeman) in Robin Hood :Prince of Thieves (1991) and Djaq, the Saracen girl in the BBC's Robin Hood (2006).

Robin meets Herne the Hunter

Jules thought that this series was the biggest influence on the legend for decades and I totally agree with her. The writer, Richard Carpenter wanted the past to come alive and be significant for the present and his adaption of those ancient tales certainly did that. Not only did Robin of Sherwood introduce a whole new audience to the medieval legend, but also to the renewed spirit of paganism.

To read about other TV and Film versions of the legend of Robin Hood please click on the links.

Readers of this blog voted Michael Praed their all-time favourite Robin Hood in a poll a few years ago! To see all the contenders and all the results, please click here.

Nothing is ever forgotten.

What did you think of the series?

Maid Marian visits Robin Hood's camp.

This is one of my favourite stills from Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). In this beautifully arranged scene in the outlaws camp, Maid Marian (Joan Rice) explains to Robin Hood (Richard Todd) how Prince John lies to the Queen about raising money for the king's ransom.

To see more images from this wonderful movie, please click here.

Pictures of Joan Rice

Joan Rice in His Majesty O'Keefe

As it is St. Valentine’s Day here in England today (Friday), I thought it would be a nice idea to post a couple of pictures of this web site’s favorite pin-up girl. It is, of course our Joan Rice (1930-1997), the heartthrob of many red-blooded males during the 1950’s. This site is dedicated to her memory and contains much of her life-story here.

The image above was kindly sent in by Christian and is taken of Joan in the lavish Warner Brothers production His Majesty O’Keefe (1954). Sadly, this film, with Burt Lancaster, would be the pinnacle of Joan’s very short rise to stardom. Why she faded from popularity with Hollywood remains a mystery. But her memory lives on in the pages of this web site.

Joan’s big break in the movie world came when Walt Disney chose her personally to play the part of Maid Marian in his second live-action film, the Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952).

Joan Rice at the Premiere of Robin Hood

The picture of Joan (above) was taken at the premiere of the Story of Robin Hood at the Leicester Square Theater on March 13th, 1952. In the audience were many distinguished guests and celebrities, including the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor of Nottingham who presented a gift to Joan.

Other guests included Claudette Colbert, Donald Peers, Petula Clark, Herbert Wilcox and Anna Neagle. It was announced from the stage that the advertising in the programme alone, had produced over £13,000 and all the money raised went to The National Advertising Benevolent Fund.

Also appearing on the stage that Thursday night was Elton Hayes, dressed in his Alan-a-Dale costume, who delighted the audience with one of the songs from the film, which was adapted for the occasion (even with a playful dig at the films critics). The premier was ended with a finely staged observance of the National Anthem with trumpeters beneath the Royal Coat of Arms and illuminated letters ER.

There is a great deal more information about the movie premiere of the Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men here.

Jonas Armstrong's Robin Hood with Jules Frusher

Many versions of the Robin Hood legend have been created for the cinema and small screen. This blog has featured many of them and was created not only to celebrate a classic 1950's film about the outlaw, but also to show the evolution of the myth. So now that I am beginning a new life with a new partner, I was very keen to know her views on the continuous re-telling of the ancient folk-tales.

Jules Frusher

 

Jules Frusher is not only a published author, but a historical researcher into fourteenth century England. She runs a very popular website called Lady Despenser's Scribery, which I thoroughly recommend and can be seen here. In the future, we intend to investigate many aspects of the medieval period together.

I was somewhat surprised to find out that it was two television series that Jules eventually picked out.  She could not decide on a favourite between the recent BBC series of Robin Hood  (Tiger Aspect Productions) and Harlech Television's much-loved Robin of Sherwood . So, on a cold winters evening recently, we sat down together with a glass of Bailey's and watched an episode of each.

The first version we put in the DVD player was the BBC's version of Robin Hood, first shown in Britain on October 7th 2006. The 45 minute episodes were created from the ancient tales by Dominic Minghella and Foz Allen and co-funded by BBC American cable television. Some of the elements of the legend were radically changed, including Robin Hood's (Jonas Armstrong) use of what appears a Saracen bow, instead of the traditional English longbow. This became a hot topic of the time and still is a popular post on this blog. It can be seen here. 

Jonas Armstrong with that bow

Jules was keen to watch Walkabout (Episode10), written by Dominic Minghella from series 2 of the BBC series, first shown in 2007. The story starts with Sheriff  Vaisey (Keith Allen) having a nightmare about Robin Hood and the missing Pact which holds the names of all the knights planning to overthrow King Richard in favour of his brother, Prince John. The Sheriff's troubled night sends him sleep walking straight into the depths of Sherwood Forest! Unfortunately it is the very day that Prince John's special envoy Sir Jasper arrives at Nottingham Castle to receive the Sheriff's seal and check all is well. Guy of Gisborne immediately sets up a search for the Sheriff, but to no avail. As soon as Sir Jasper realises that Vaisey is missing, he menacingly warns that if he is not found by sunset, Prince John's army will raize Nottingham to the ground. Come sunset-no Nottingham!

In this BBC series, Jules found it interesting that Robin Hood as a character (played by Jonas Armstrong) was eclipsed by Richard Armitage's Guy of Gisborne. She thought Armitage's portrayal of an arrogant knight very believable. Even if he did have to wear what became known as Guy-liner- make-up around his eyes to make him look more menacing! 

Richard Armitage as Gisborne

With Nottingham under danger of total destruction both Guy of Gisborne and Lady Marian (Lucy Griffiths) beg Sir Jasper to save the town. But it soon becomes apparent that if Nottingham was demolished Sir Jasper's cousin would get the contract to rebuild it (this is a subtle reference to the controversy surrounding  construction contracts given to companies after the Iraq War).

Sir Jasper informs Guy that because of his status as a Black Knight he is allowed to flee the town with any family he might have. So seizing his opportunity, Guy asks Marian to marry him before sundown. Interestingly she doesn't turn him down, but says that she will not abandon Nottingham. So Guy tells her that if she is going to stay and die in Nottingham he will perish at her side. Jules could not believe she turned him down!

Lucy Griffiths as Marian and Jonas Armstrong as Robin Hood

Marian eventually persuades Gisborne to hire the help of Robin Hood to track down the Sheriff. So the outlaw is given permission to enter the castle. Meanwhile, in the heart of Sherwood Forest, the Sheriff has come across a poor family intent on stealing from Robin Hood. So the Sheriff joins up with them disguised as a blind beggar- realising that this might be a way to get into Robin's camp and get his hands on the secret Pact.

As sunset draws closer, the townsfolk arm themselves. On the horizon Prince John's army approach the town. Little John in the mean time had taken pity on the poor folk he had come across in the forest and unwittingly taken them to the outlaws camp. Gleefully the beggars ransack the camp and with sheer delight Sheriff Vassey manages to get his hands on the secret Pact. But Robin and Much arrive just in time to prevent the Sheriff leaving the outlaws hideaway and escort him back to Nottingham Castle.

The town is saved. Sheriff Vaisey angrily castigates Sir Jasper and the army turn away from Nottingham. Then, in a state of bewilderment and excitement the Sheriff describes to Gisborne how he had managed to discover the camp of the outlaws and rescue the secret pact. But when he looks for it amongst his clothing he realises in horror that Robin had taken it back during his capture.

Along with Armitage's moody Gisborne, Jules particularly liked Keith Allen's portrayal of the Sheriff of Nottingham. She recalled an incident during the filming of Series 1 in which Allen lost a tooth filming a fight sequence with Armitage as Gisborne. This became a running gag in the series and was written into the script. Scenes were then created in which Sheriff Vaisey grotesquely took teeth from skulls and inserted them in the gap. An American reporter of the time described Keith Allen's performance as very camp, in the Alan Rickman tradition of sardonic villains.

Lucy Griffiths as Marian and Keith Allen as the Sheriff

Jules final thoughts on the episode and the series as a whole, was that as far as historical accuracy was concerned, the BBC's Robin Hood was no worse than any of the others. She particularly liked the Romanesque architecture of the castle used in the series and felt that the style of the theme music was a nod towards the old Robin Hood movie themes of the past. The weakest character in the series she thought, was the Saracen girl known as Djaq played by Anjali Jay.

Very special thanks to Jules Frusher for her opinions on this episode. I would like to know if my readers have any thoughts they would like to share about this particular series by the BBC?

Jules will review her other favourite, Robin of Sherwood soon. In the meantime, if you are interested in the type of ale Robin and his men would have got merry with, bread they would have eaten, or how the poor made pottage, click here.

A Day To Remember

Lavinia with Richard Todd and Peter Green

How many readers of this blog would have liked to have swapped places with these two children? A while ago I posted an article on The Boys' and Girls' Cinema Clubs Annual from my collection. It featured an article on two youngsters, Lavinia Bailey (as she was then!) and Peter Green who were lucky enough to spend a day at Denham Studios, in Buckinghamshire, during the filming of Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men in 1951.

Since then Lavinia has been in touch via the Disney's Story of Robin Hood Facebook site with the image taken of her with Richard Todd (Robin Hood) and Peter Green. It caused quite a lot of interest. I asked Lavinia about her memories of that special day and she replied:

"Yes, I still remember the day at Denham Studios very well after all those years. It was very exciting to meet Richard Todd, Joan Rice, Peter Finch, Hubert Gregg and James Hayter. I have their autographs somewhere and will try and dig them out!"

I hope Lavinia will share some more of her memories of that special day soon.

Patrick Barr (1908-1985)

 

 

 

Above is another example of Laurence's fabulous autograph collection of actors and actresses that appeared in Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). This time we have Patrick Barr, resplendent as Richard the Lionheart in the live-action movie, preparing to depart for the Holy Land.

 

Like Hubert Gregg who played Prince John, Barr resurrected his role as Richard the Lionheart in two episodes of the classic TV series the Adventures of Robin Hood. In a unique cross-over between the silver screen and television  he appeared again as King Richard, this time alongside Richard Greene in two episodes; Secret Mission (1956) and Richard the Lion-Heart (1956) .

Patrick (or Pat, as he was sometimes called) was born in Akola, India on 13th February 1908 and had his first brush with the legendary outlaw when he first appeared on the silver screen in 1932 as a torturer in the black and white short, The Merry Men of Sherwood.
During the 1930’s Patrick was very often cast as dependable, trustworthy characters and after six years of military service during WWII he continued to bring those qualities to his roles in a very long career in film and television.

To read more about the life and career of Pat Barr please click here.

 



Perce Pearce (1899-1955)

This blog was created not just to celebrate a classic movie, but also to learn more about the people that made it and the legend that inspired it. Over the years I like to think that with the help of my readers we have gone some way to achieving that. Of course there is still more to investigate. One of the people that remained a mystery for a while was Perce Pearce (1899-1955). He was chosen by Walt Disney to supervise and produce his early film productions in England, including Treasure Island, The Sword and the Rose, Rob Roy and of course, the Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952). But to my amazement, when I first started this web site, it was almost impossible to find a biography about the man who had worked alongside Uncle Walt.

Perce Pearce

But gradually, as I made enquiries, information began to filter through. Here are a couple that helped me discover the man in the shadows:

"During the course of our lives, people often walk in, stay for awhile and then are gone from our lives. Sometimes we think of them and wonder what ever happened to so-and-so??

I was fortunate to have some wonderfully notable people in my life…some who came, stayed a bit, and then were gone as well as others that stayed. However, they all made an indelible impression on me, my life and interests. Now is my time to recognize and honor them!

One such man was Percival Pearce—“Perce” to his friends; and I actually never met the man…but I know his story and I remember the things he did for me.

Perce Pearce came from an old Waukegan family; his father had been an early mayor of the city and his sister was my mother’s dear friend. She owned Pearce’s Book Store on the corner of Gennessee and Washington Streets. From her every Christmas there came a wonderful Caldicott award-winning book or several of them and lots of advice on what books I should be reading!

Her brother was Perce and was an extremely talented artist, drawing cartoons to entertain his friends as a young boy. He always had a drawing pad close by and would draw a story on each sheet and would paste each picture in one of the windows of their 3 story house. Confident of his talent he decided in the early 1920’s to head for Hollywood to see where his talents would lead.

On the pier at Santa Monica, he happened to meet another young artist, also from the Chicago area, a man by the name of Walt who showed him some of the ideas he had to draw a mouse and all of his adventures. He convinced Perce to work with him, and, of course…you guessed it; it was Walt Disney.

Disney was just full of ideas to do storyboards and animation and create more characters that children could love and relate to. By the time he arrived in Hollywood in 1923, he had already made an animated featurette entitled “Alice’s Comedy” which debuted in New York City.

Walt was the brains of the operation—and the heart—while his brother Roy (who lived in California) helped supply the initial financing. With the ideas popping up rapidly, he relied greatly upon Perce to help to carry them out. As a result, there came the animated full-length movie “Snow White” in 1937, and “Bambi” in 1942; “So Dear to My Heart” in 1949. Perce was the director in charge of production and often the writer who helped create the characters and stories.

So……what does this have to do with me?? Every year, from 1948 through 1955, I received 8 movie tickets personally signed by Walt himself and Perce, along with a letter hoping that I would enjoy these movies! I always had young friends who wanted the pleasure of coming to a “movie party”! The movies returned to theaters every few years and always there were free tickets and a letter from Walt and Perce inviting me to attend with my young friends!
 

Perce Pearce and Richard Todd promoting 'Robin Hood'

Later, in 1950, Perce Pearce was sent to England to make the first live action movies for Disney….”Treasure Island”; to be followed by “Rob Roy” and “The Story of Robin Hood” and “The Sword and the Rose”. Each of these was produced by Disney and directed by Perce Pearce. Nevertheless, each year after that I received the customary 8 movie tickets with a warm letter from Walt and Perce, hoping that I would enjoy these movies with my young friends! I believe I even tried by this time to send a thank you note….but I think it was addressed to Mr. Mickey Mouse and therefore, I am not sure it ever got there!

When Perce was scheduled to return to California, the Bank of England told him that the money he earned in England would have to stay in England. So he settled there in a country estate and lived the rest of his life there.

The man that I never met who was so kind to me still remains somewhat of a mystery. Even “google” cannot shed much light on his life, other than his many accomplishments with Disney—although there are over 1,000 entries under his name.

So here’s to Percival Pearce, and to his many achievements! His sister and the Pearce family in Waukegan have all died, but their many kindnesses will remain with me in my memory.”

Judith Talcott Rogers

Perce Pearce's Obit

"I've been looking on the Internet for any mention of my Dad's family who all seem to have worked on (or watched as a child) the filming of Robin Hood, Treasure Island and many other films made at Denham. I'll have to double check with Dad but I'm sure that my Grandmother worked as some kind of housekeeper to Perce Pearce while he was there (they lived nearby). Dad always said she met Walt Disney and now it seems she did!! Wow this is amazing! My maiden name is Owen. I'm looking for the Denham archives to see if I can find any mention of my uncles Will, Eddie and Ralph. My Dad (Allan) was too young but watched the filming and my Grandfather I think is listed as Ned he worked on the props. Dad has so many stories about that time. Everyone loved Perce Pearce."

Kath Owen

Many thanks to all those who have sent in information.There are now over 11 posts about Perce Pearce on this blog, including many pictures of him taken during the production of the Story of Robin Hood. To see the pages please click here. Also our regular contributor Neil, has an excellent web site Films of the Fifties and has recently featured an article on Pearce here.

If you have any information about the making of Walt Disney's Story of Robin Hood or the stars that appeared in it, please get in touch.