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Sherwood Forester Issue 4 - April 2004 |
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Editorial comment
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Hello again and welcome to
our fourth issue of the Sherwood Forester.
If you cast your minds back to our second issue, we
reproduced an article from a US TV Guide published on the 7th July
1956, “The British Hopalong”. At that
time we were unable to include a copy of the photograph of Richard Greene on
his yacht in Southampton Water that accompanied the article. Our thanks go to Lucy Carpenter who has
obtained an original copy of the magazine and now with a little bit of
editorial licence we have included it as our cover image for this issue.
Also in this issue we include the third and final
part of Steve Winders’ ‘Childhood Heroes’.
Our thanks go to Steve for allowing us to reproduce the article in its
entirety; our hope is that you have all enjoyed it as much as we have.
Unfortunately due to external commitments, we have
been unable to include details of plans for the “50th Anniversary
Celebrations”. Sincere apologies,
however we will do our best to put the suggestions on the website shortly.
In this Issue |
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Anna’s thoughts on Steve
Winders' 'Childhood Heroes' article.
Here she looks at Part 2 in which he writes about our very own 'The
Adventures of Robin Hood'. |
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The third and final part
of Steve Winders’ ‘Childhood Heroes’ article. Here Steve examines Richard Greene’s final performance as Robin
Hood in the 1960 feature film ‘The Sword of Sherwood Forest’. |
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Lucy Carpenter starts a
series of episode reviews, which concentrates on the four episodes that
feature the Scottish Outlaw, Duncan of Stoneykirk. |
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Once again we take a look
at another article reproduced from a US TV Guide circa 1957. |
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Far from trivial, this
issue sees Ralph Cooper write about his collection of Marx playsets and figures
with accompanying images. |
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Letters
(Emails) To The Editors |
Unfortunately due to
external commitments we have been unable to include any letters (emails) this
time, please accept our sincere apologies but it will be back for our next
issue. |
A REPLY
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Or perhaps just an
opportunity to write about my favourite subject – the characters in “The
Adventures”, and, most importantly, the hero himself…
So what was Richard
Greene’s Robin really like? He was
variously described as “cheerful and resourceful” (by Jeffrey Richards in his
book “Swordsmen of the Screen”), and as “serious-minded and officer-like“ (by
Professor Stephen Knight, a leading Robin Hood expert). Perhaps the authors just happened to watch
different episodes? There is, of
course, some truth in these descriptions, but it is certainly not the whole
truth. As Steve said, Richard Greene’s
Robin was a returning soldier, like the real life heroes of the Second World
War; but at the same time he belonged among the characters of the costume
adventure tradition. Steve mentions
Greene’s “swashbuckling credentials” – his roles in the early 1950s Hollywood
films. There were several – not just
in “Captain Scarlett” and “Lorna Doone”, but also in “The Desert Hawk” (an
Oriental adventure), “The Black Castle”(a Gothic horror story), and the
romantic drama “Shadow of the Eagle”. And this (perhaps unlikely) character,
part-WW2 officer type, and part-swashbuckling hero, turned out to be very
successful, as we all know…
What about the “close
resemblance” between Richard Greene and Richard Todd? Both were good looking, with short dark hair – and that is, I
think, where the resemblance ended. Compared to Richard Todd, Richard Greene
was considerably taller, and strongly built.
And the “clean shaven, clean cut” image was not always there, either;
Richard Greene’s Robin frequently appeared - in disguise - with a beard and
moustache, and even unshaven in some early episodes. And while Todd was pleasant looking, Greene had true star quality
and a charismatic screen presence that made a lasting impression on the young
viewers.
I do not think that
Greene’s “portrayal of Robin Hood was quite close to Todd’s”. It is true that his Robin was “an experienced
and self assured character”, but also – a lot more complex one, and not just
because of the length of the series. Steve writes, “Surely it is not just a
coincidence that an older actor was cast as Robin”. I believe it is quite
possible that Richard Greene was offered the part despite his age, and not
because of it. “Master Robin”, just
returned from the Holy Land in the first episode, was probably meant to be a
few years younger than Richard Greene – most likely about thirty, at an age
when he could have both youthful vigour and wisdom of experience. Robin’s age
is not specifically mentioned in the film, but in the episode “The Elixir of
Youth” he is described as looking “not a day over thirty”. Only later in the
series, as the actors grew older, so did the characters, and some indirect
references to age and the passing of time were written into the story.
As Steve says, Richard
Greene’s Robin is “a seasoned campaigner” – with the war experience behind him
that had left its mark, and made him the man he was. But “a father or favourite uncle figure”? Obviously, Steve presents a boy’s point of
view here... This (female) viewer remembers Robin as a chivalrous figure of a
champion and protector, who managed to be at the same time reassuring and
exciting, with a hint of mystery in his unknown past; a man of action and
feeling, strong, but sensitive - a true Romantic hero, in fact. Robin’s costume was probably significant -
the white shirt (rather impractical in the forest) is associated not just with
the swashbuckling aristocrats, but also - with Romantic poets, who followed the
greatest real life Romantic hero of them all, Lord Byron.
Richard Greene’s Robin was
a hero with intelligence, personal warmth and humour, and with what has been
described as “matinee idol good looks”. But, to me, he was also a character
with implied “hidden depths”, intensity of feelings, perhaps even emotional
vulnerability. Greene had a considerable acting experience beyond the costume
adventure genre. His Robin Hood
character developed in the course of the series into a timeless portrait of a
man of action and leader, always conscious of the pressures and
responsibilities of command, who makes mistakes and shows uncertainty, and,
occasionally, weariness.
I do not think that there is
any doubt about Robin’s social and intellectual superiority over his men. He sincerely believes in egalitarian ideals,
and is even described as “a traitor to his class”. But with his confidence, knowledge, eloquence, wit and charm, he
could not be anything else but a nobleman, with all the benefits of an upper
class background and education.
Of the band members, only
Will Scarlet could be considered Robin’s intellectual equal (that is, the
original Will Scarlet, as played by Ronald Howard; Paul Eddington’s performance
seemed to me less convincing). And, outside the band, Lady Marian and Friar
Tuck – Robin often turns to them for advice and support. Steve describes the
band members as “strong and able characters”; I would add, also well trained by
their leader, who did not just teach them fighting skills, but moral values,
and a certain standard of conduct.
I do not believe that
Little John behaved irrationally because the plot demanded it – irrationality was
part of his personality. He was a good fighter, but not very bright, and often
impulsive. But he did become a
dependable second-in-command in the end.
And I would never describe Friar Tuck as sanctimonious. He was a man of principle and a sincere Christian
believer, but with a wonderful sense of humour and irony, and some very human
weaknesses.
The Lady Marian character
certainly reflected the changes in the role of women after the Second World
War, but we must not forget that Marian, dressed as a page, fought Robin (and
almost defeated him) in one of the traditional ballads, long before the age of
women’s equality. The Sheriff was
secretly in love with Marian; that was why she was never suspected of consorting
with outlaws. And no matter how sensible
the Sheriff (and his schemes) appeared, he was always outwitted by Robin in the
end. The Deputy Sheriff was charming,
but also shrewd and merciless. He was
“the devil you don’t know,” probably a worse villain than the Sheriff, and a
more formidable opponent for Robin.
I wholeheartedly agree
with Steve’s assessment that the series conveyed a “combination of light
heartedness and deeper meaning”. It
also successfully switched between drama and comedy, often in one and the same
episode. As to Richard Greene’s
performance, I believe that he created the most complex, memorable,
interesting, and best acted Robin Hood character in all the film and TV
versions, before or since.
There will be no reply to
Part 3 of Steve’s article, simply because I could not find anything to disagree
with! Although I noticed that Steve did
not address the question why “Sword of Sherwood Forest” proved disappointing to
so many viewers; it would probably require a separate article. Perhaps we could try and answer that question
together? I would like to invite our
readers to share their opinions and observations on the subject of “Sword of Sherwood Forest - what went
wrong, and why?” (A. F).
CHILDHOOD HEROES : ROBIN HOOD - PART
THREE
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Steve Winders recalls the adventures of Robin Hood from
the films and television programmes of the 1950s. In this third and final part
he completes his exploration of the long running television series starring
Richard Greene and examines Greene’s final performance as Robin Hood in the
1960 feature film ‘Sword of Sherwood Forest’.
The
television series ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’, made by Sapphire Productions,
was first shown on British and American television in 1955. It was filmed at
the small Nettlefold Studios in Walton–On–Thames and in nearby woods!
The
first few episodes, which introduced the characters and set the scene, were
written and directed by Ralph Smart. He wrote and directed several other
episodes in the first two series before going on to produce another adventure
series called ‘The Buccaneers’ for Sapphire and then to work as executive
producer on ‘The Adventures of William Tell’ for I.T.C. and National Telefilm
Associates. Other writers included the American film writer Ring Lardner
Junior, who came to Britain to escape the notorious ‘Mc Carthy Witch Hunt’ in
the U.S.A. After his return to America, Lardner later won an Academy Award for
his screenplay for the film M.A.S.H. Another blacklisted American writer was
the British born Ian McClellan Hunter, who had emigrated to the U.S.A. as a
teenager. He had collaborated with Lardner on film screenplays in Hollywood and
he wrote episodes for ‘Robin Hood’ using the pseudonym ‘Samuel B. West.’
Remarkably,
the influence of disaffected American writers can be quite clearly recognised
in the stories from ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’. Obviously many stories
focused on freedom and repression as one might expect in a programme about
Robin Hood, but several were quite direct in attacking issues relating to
coercion and betrayal. In one episode, the Sheriff persuades a non-regular
member of Robin’s band to betray him in the public interest. As Robin Hood
fought against injustice for the poor of medieval England, so the television
series rejected intolerance in nineteen fifties America. Most young viewers
were no doubt blissfully unaware of the ‘Mc Carthy Witch Hunt’ in America, but
this did not affect their enjoyment of the episodes or their understanding of
the broader moral issues they posed.
The
series also provided useful experience for several British film directors.
Lindsay Anderson, who went on to direct ‘This Sporting Life’, ‘If ’ and ‘O
Lucky Man’, directed five episodes. Terence Fisher, who directed several of
Hammer’s best horror films, directed ten episodes in the first two series and
Don Chaffey who directed ‘Jason and The Argonauts’, directed six episodes.
Despite
its enormous popularity, the programme was produced on a low budget and it
often shows. Each episode was completed in four and a half days! Nevertheless
much ingenuity went into making the series and the pioneering work of
experienced art director Peter Proud is a good example of this. He devised a
new method of set construction which helped to save both time and money and has
consequently been widely copied ever since. In traditional film making, studio
technicians built huge sets and then lined the cameras up on them for each
sequence. To cut out delays and speed up production, Proud constructed large
items of scenery, such as a baronial fireplace, a staircase or a serf’s hut and
mounted them on wheels so that they could be quickly moved into position. Items
could be used over and over again, but differently arranged to become
completely different sets and the cameras didn’t need to be moved at all in
studio work!
Given
its enormous popularity, it is not surprising that the series spawned a huge
merchandising operation. I myself had a ‘Robin Hood’ outfit; a ‘Robin Hood’ bow
and arrows, with rubber suckers on the end; a ‘Robin Hood’ story book, with
pictures from the series and a whole band of small plastic toy soldier sized
figures of Robin and his merry men. The best of these were made by Britain’s
Toys in their ‘Herald Models’ range. Their Robin and Marian figures bore a
remarkable likeness to their television counterparts. I also had some Lone Star
toy figures of the merry men and some that were given free with ‘Kellogg’s
Sugar Smacks’, which I think were made by Crescent Toys. As Robin Hood is a
national hero and could not be copyrighted by Sapphire Films, much
merchandising was unlicensed, which explains why there was such a large number
of products and why several toy companies produced similar models.
A
memorable feature of ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’ was its famous title song.
Sung by Dick James over the end credits of each episode, the song became a Top
Twenty hit for both James and Gary Miller in January 1956. It was regularly
requested on the radio programme ‘Children’s Favourites’ for many years. I had
a ‘78’ copy of James’ version, which also featured ‘The Ballad of Davy
Crockett’.
Although
the series ended in 1958, new episodes were still being screened in many ITV
regions until the early sixties, as most of the ITV companies had not commenced
broadcasting until 1956 or later. Even this was not the end of Richard Greene’s
‘Robin Hood’ though. The series was regularly repeated throughout the sixties
in Britain and for much longer in many other countries. I remember that Granada
TV in the north of England showed it three times a week in the mid sixties.
Greene himself went on to play Robin in a feature film ‘The Sword of Sherwood
Forest’, made by Hammer Films in 1960. This was shot in Ireland and was
co-produced by Richard Greene and Sidney Cole. Cole had also worked as
associate producer on the TV series, which had been produced by Hannah
Weinstein.
The
film was directed by Terence Fisher, who was no stranger to Robin Hood, having
directed ten episodes of the first two television series. However the only
regular actor from the series to appear was Richard Greene. Little John was
played by Nigel Green, who had appeared as Fertog ‘the Bear’, a similar
character to Little John, in ‘The Adventures of William Tell’, one of the many
programmes which tried to emulate the success of ‘Robin Hood’. Friar Tuck was played by Niall Mac Ginnis and the
Sheriff of Nottingham by Peter Cushing. Other leading parts were played by
Oliver Reed, Richard Pasco, Edwin Richfield and Derren Nesbitt. The film told a
new tale of Robin Hood and not the whole story of his outlawry and subsequent
pardon by Richard the Lionheart, as the previous films had done. Robin was
still an outlaw at the conclusion of the film, just as he had been at the end
of each television episode and the way was obviously left open for further
films.
Filmed on a much larger budget than the
television programme, but a small budget as films go, ‘The Sword of Sherwood
Forest’ enjoyed limited success in the cinema. This was attributed by several
critics to a change of cast from the television series and this is probably
fair comment. The series was well served by a team of excellent actors, who
clearly enjoyed their work. Despite a fine performance as the Sheriff, Peter
Cushing was following too closely on the heels of Alan Wheatley, who had made
the part his own for four years and was still being seen regularly in the role
on television. To his credit, Cushing avoided playing the part as Wheatley had
done, even wearing a long dark wig to make his appearance quite different. In
real life the two actors bore a slight resemblance to each other.
Sarah
Branch, as a blonde glamorous Marian, much more in keeping with the ‘Hammer
Film’ style of leading lady, compared most unfavourably with Bernadette
O’Farrell and Patricia Driscoll, who had converted the character to an action
heroine and a popular role model for girls. Other actors did well, but they
were not the familiar faces who had come to be Little John and Friar Tuck for
so many viewers. The ‘real’ Robin Hood was there, but he was surrounded by
strangers. The lukewarm box office reception meant that no further films were
made with Richard Greene as Robin, although Hammer made another Robin Hood film
in 1968, with Barrie Ingham in the title role.
And
so the adventures of my boyhood version of Robin Hood came to an end. There
have been subsequent successful versions of course and I have probably seen
them all, but none carry the authority, conviction and sheer exuberance of the
Richard Todd and Richard Greene versions, which in my opinion captured the
optimistic spirit of Robin Hood better than any others. Thanks to these, the
1950s was the decade when Robin Hood enjoyed his greatest popularity in the
twentieth century.
Episode Review – The Highlander
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THE HIGHLANDER, HIGHLAND
FLING, THE BAGPIPPER, and
THE PARTING GUEST
The above episodes are a
four part series, which brings together the Scottish Outlaw Duncan of Stoneykirk
and our favorite English Outlaw Robin Hood. The combination of the two
“outlaws” makes for very entertaining viewing and an interesting contrast of
the English Outlaw and the Scottish Outlaw.
GUEST
STARS:
HUGH
MCDERMOTT – DUNCAN OF STONEYKIRK
WILLOGHBY
GRAY - OTTO
SCREENWRITER
– ERIC HEATH (RING LARDNER, JR)
DIRECTOR
– RALPH SMART
STRANGE
TALES ARE TOLD OF ROBIN HOOD,
BUT
THE STRANGEST ARE ALL OF THE LOT
WHEN HE MET WILD DUNCAN
A VERY CANNY SCOT
Robin, Little John and Friar
Tuck are talking over plans for an ambush of a delivery of wine when their
meeting is interrupted by the audacious appearance of Duncan of Stoneykirk, and
his brash announcement that they are too late for the ambush. He then proceeds
to show them the barrels of wine that he has already procured, quite to their
amazement. Friar Tuck admonishes Duncan
for listening to their secret plans; he tells him, “these are plans that we
could get hanged for”, to which Duncan retorts, “Who would hang anyone for robbing
an Englishman?” Thus commences the
introduction of Duncan of Stoneykirk, an “outlaw” none the likes of which Robin
or his men had ever seen.
Robin is bemused by his
uninvited guest, and when Marian arrives for a visit Robin is concerned for her
safety and wants her to leave before Duncan sees her; unfortunately, Duncan has
already spotted the “Fair Lassie” and is eager for an introduction. Marian, upset by what she perceives as a
cool welcome from Robin, and perhaps feeling a little neglected, is flattered
by Duncan’s attention. She is intrigued
by his stories of the Highlands and Highland women; all the while Robin is
curious of Duncan’s true intentions, and is becoming concerned with his obvious
attraction to Marian. When Duncan asks Marian if she likes to hunt, and she
eagerly says yes, they make plans for the next morning to go hunting for
boar. Robin tries to put a stop to the
plans, insisting it is too dangerous for Marian, and a little power struggle ensues. Marian may still be feeling hurt by what she
perceives as a not so friendly greeting from Robin, she isn’t understanding his
true concern for her safety, and agrees to go hunting with Duncan as a way of
making Robin jealous. Duncan declares
that she is a “Fine Scottish Lass except for an accident in geography.” He has been sizing up the situation for his
own advantage; he knows of Robin’s reputation, his strengths, his leadership
qualities, but perhaps what Duncan is really looking for is Robin’s
weakness. He realizes that Robin’s weakness
is Marian and he will use this weakness to distract Robin so that he will get
what he really came to Sherwood Forest in search of.
“It takes an outlaw to
meet an outlaw”, that is Duncan’s explanation to Robin when asked why he is
really in Sherwood Forest. Robin’s
innate ability to discern between honesty and falsehoods gives him reason to be
suspicious of the Scottish Outlaw’s pretence for wanting to meet Robin and
solicit him and his men to come to the Highlands to help Duncan and his
“outlaws” fight the unjust King William the Lion, who has turned on his people
and is now allying himself with Prince John.
Robin announces to him that “my men and I are not for hire”.
Duncan’s plan to lure
Robin away from the camp worked, he knew that Robin would come out to find
Marian and that he would trap him and get what he really came after. Robin would never let his guard down, his
ability to size up situations and predict danger has always made him the strong
leader that he is, but the “weakness” that Duncan knew, Robin’s love and
concern for Marian, made him the target of Duncan’s trickery. Duncan underestimated Robin’s ability and
when Robin was able to free himself and get back to camp, he found Duncan in
the storage cave retrieving what he had come to Sherwood Forest in search of –
the Dalgar Dirk. Confronted by Robin
and his men Duncan explained his fierce loyalty to the people of the Highlands
and his desire to take back the Dalgar Dirk – a sword, which Robin and his men
had managed to “take possession of”.
Duncan tells how King William of Scotland had sent the sword as a gift
to Prince John and how the courier had been waylaid in Sherwood Forest and it
never made its way to Prince John.
Duncan explains the history and symbolism of the Dalgar Dirk and the
importance of how it could “decide the history of Scotland”. Our chivalrous outlaw returns the sword to
Duncan, only after he had closely examined the handle and discovered inside the
handle were eight black pearls. Robin takes his share of the pearls and Duncan
leaves Sherwood Forest amicably.
Duncan of Stoneykirk is
loud, overbearing, and abrasive but underneath all these harsh judgements you
get the distinct feeling, which I’m sure that Robin sensed, that for all his
faults, he had a very deep loyalty to his fellow “Highlander Outlaws”. And Robin respected this loyalty – Duncan
was fighting the same battle in Scotland that Robin and his men were fighting
in England, there was a definite kinship.
As with all the episodes there is always the message of hope, respect
and loyalty.
Eric Heath (Ring Lardner,
Jr) created a very entertaining character in the form of Duncan of Stoneykirk,
so much so that he was brought back for three more episodes – so the Story of
Duncan of Stoneykirk, the Wild Scotsman shall be continued…
In the next instalment
entitled “Highland Fling”, Robin makes a journey to Scotland and we shall see
how he fares in Duncan’s territory.
Lucy
Carpenter
A Bull’s-Eye for Robin Hood! |
An
early article reproduced from the Chicago Daily TV Week, 1st
December 1956.
If
there’s a success formula for TV, “The Adventures of Robin Hood” has found
it. A British import with a relatively unknown
cast, the series reaped high ratings when it was premiered last year and is
still drubbing its opposition.
It
is slotted early [6:30 pm Mondays, channel 2] to attract the kids, but it has
scored just as heavily with adults. Not
only that, its 12th century English hero is also thrilling viewers
in Australia, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Japan.
How come?
For
one thing, “Robin Hood” is an accurate and colourful slice of medieval
life. Researchers have scoured
libraries and museums to make sure that the costumes and scenery are
authentic. The actors are carefully
trained to wear their costumes as though they were born to them, to wield
awkward weapons with ease and to perform effortlessly the athletic feats required
by the script.
Even
the extras are coached in swordsmanship by Gabriel Toyne, an expert on medieval
arms and armor and one of the few Englishmen to earn the title, “Maitre
d’Armes”.
Richard
Greene, who plays Robin, is able to combine the timeless qualities of a
legendary hero with the intimate details of everyday life. Now in his mid-thirties, he draws on three
decades of stage experience. He got his
first part, a walk-on, when he was three years old and learned his craft in the
tough school of the touring repertory company.
The
script writers, realising that audiences soon tire of familiar faces, have
cleverly rationed the appearances of supporting actors. Maid Marian [Bernadette O’Farrell], for
example turns up frequently, but does not appear in every episode. Ian Hunter, who plays her uncle, hardly has
a chance to wear out his welcome.
Authenticity,
credibility, and humanity – this, then, is the “Robin Hood” formula. And judging from the multitude of contented
viewers, it’s a rousing success.
(Our thanks go to Elaine Brulinski who did the research to unearth this article, and to Lucy Carpenter who provided the image from her personal collection)
Trivia – Marx Playsets and Figures |
Louis Marx & Co. Inc. manufactured
all sorts of playsets and plastic figures back in the 1950's. Those of you that
are of that vintage will remember well the plastic toy soldiers, plastic
farmyard animals, plastic zoo animals, plastic cowboys and indians etc etc -
the list is endless. Without doubt Louis Marx was the largest manufacturer of
these playsets and was based in the USA.
Among the multitude of playsets, one of the most popular was the
"Robin Hood Set" consisting of a tin castle, and plastic accessories
including a full set of Merry Men and the Sheriff's Men.
In 1955 Louis Marx
commissioned two sets of Robin Hood figures which included the 5 character
figures of Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Friar Tuck, Little John and the Sheriff of
Nottingham. One set was in 60 mm and the other in 54 mm. At the same time he
commissioned a second set of 60mm character figures which was licensed by
Official Films Inc, the owners of the TV series. These figures were reasonable
likenesses of Richard Greene, Bernadette O'Farrell, Alexander Gauge, Archie
Duncan and Alan Wheatley. The two 60mm
sets sold were virtually identical except for the five character figures and
the printing on the box. It would
appear that to save paying license fees or whatever, not many of the Richard
Greene sets were produced in preference to the less costly generic sets.
The TV series plastic
figures were much more detailed and considered by many to be among the best, if
not "the" best, produced by Marx.
So due to the high quality and lack of quantity, the Richard Greene TV
series figures are now highly prized by Marx collectors. To-day you would expect to pay in excess of
$ US 100 each for the TV series character figures; the last Maid Marian to sell
on ebay went for over $ US 200. They are most certainly increasing in value all
the time.
A box, which is just plain
old brown cardboard with green print and depicting a stylised drawing of
Richard Greene's face, is worth in the vicinity of $ US 200 - yes, empty. This makes a full set (castle, men, accessories
and box) worth in excess of $ US 1,000. A long way above the original price in
1956 of about $ 6 or $ 7.
Interestingly, on the base of the Robin Hood figure are the words
“Portrayed by Richard Green " - they made a great life-like plastic figure
but couldn't spell his name properly!
A good source of
information in regard to the Robin Hood Marx Playsets is contained in the Dec.,
1994 edition - No. 34 - of the magazine " Plastic Figure and Playset
Collector "
Ralph Cooper
That’s all folks
|
Our next issue is out on
the 30th June 2004. If you
have any items of interest you wish included in the magazine please do not
hesitate to contact us at trhas@hotmail.com.
Anna and Mike