The Release Dates Of Disney's Story Of Robin Hood

Filming began at Denham Studios, in Buckinghamshire, England on 30th April 1951.

The World Premier was in London on Thursday 13th March 1952. The film was given the title The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (RKO Radio Pictures Limited).

Duration 9 Reels 82 or 84 minutes.

USA
In New York on 26th June 1952 as The Story of Robin Hood (RKO RadioPictures)

France
13th August 1952

W. Germany
September 1952 as Robin Hood und seine tollkuhnen Gesellen

Denmark
3rd November 1952 as Robin Hood og hans lystige snende

Italy
6th November 1952 as La Storia di Robin Hood

Philippines
25th November 1952 as The Story of Robin Hood

Sweden
26th November 1952 as Robin Hood

Honk Kong
29th January 1953

Finland
27th February 1953 as Robin Hood ja iloiset veikot

Austria
August 1953 as Robin Hood und seine lustigen Gesellen

Japan
8th January 1955

Spain
as Los Arqueros del rey

Poland
as Opowiesc o Robin Hoodziei jego wesolych kimpanach

Portugal
as Robin dos Bosques, o Justicerio

A Hold-Up At Robin's Camp

(Walt Disney with Ken Annakin on the set of Robin Hood)


After ten weeks of shooting The Story of Robin Hood, the film crew were sitting around, one day, waiting for the Special Effects men to fix four whistling arrows onto wires ( to make them fly into Robin’s camp) and disgruntled at the fact that the pay cheques had been delayed. When all of a sudden, the lowest assistant camera man, John Alcott (who later won an Oscar for his photography on Greystoke) began to parody a phrase that had just been used in a scene by Anthony Forwood as Will Scarlet:

Off with your kirtles, and on with your rags

Robin’s gone up to the office to sort out a breach,

And teach those Yankee bags

They must pay up or get out of reach!

The whole crew roared with laughter and began to chant the verse in unison. At that very moment Walt Disney, who had been holidaying in England with his family, walked into the studio completely unannounced with a very puzzled look on his face. He headed straight for the director, Ken Annakin and asked, “Something wrong? Why aren’t you shooting?”

Completely stunned, Annakin rather nervously explained the situation and held his breath while Disney turned away and thought carefully. Then suddenly he broke into a wide grin, put his hand to his mouth and yelled out, “Okay, fellas, I’ll go rob the rich and pay the poor. But for Pete’s sake, keep this show rolling. I’d like to come back to the UK with another one next year!”

To Annakin’s relief, Disney then moved on to see the latest rushes with his favourite art director, Carmen Dillon.

© Clement of the Glen 2006-2007

Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem

One of the most memorable scenes in ‘The Story of Robin Hood’, is the fantastic view from the battlements of Nottingham Castle, as Richard the Lionheart’s Crusading knights ride off into the beautiful sunset, singing a Gregorian chant.

Walt Disney and the scouting crew visited ‘Notting-ham’, as he called it, in 1952. They called in at ‘Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, which has long been associated with Crusaders and is said to be one of the oldest pubs in Great Britain. The date on the exterior seventeenth century walls 1189, is the date of Richard the Lionheart’s accession to the English throne, but the tavern’s history starts long before then.

An original brew house can be linked to the site from the time of William the Conqueror (1066-1087). His construction engineer, William Peverill was instructed to build a motte and bailey castle on huge rocky red sandstone overlooking Nottingham in 1068. In the process, Peverill diverted the course of the River Leen to the foot of what is now known as Castle Rock as a moated defence and also as a valuable water supply for the future fortress.

But the water supply, in early times was often contaminated. The brewing process sterilised the water, making the drinking of ale, for a medieval citizen, a far safer alternative and the caves below the castle were an ideal location for this brewing environment. Today, you can still see in the ‘Trip’ rooms and cellars cut deep back into the castle rock, ventilating shafts climbing through the rock, a speaking tube bored through it and a chimney climbing through the rock forty seven feet above the chamber, all evidence of its brewing past.

Although there is very little surviving historical records from the middle ages, there is evidence that suggests that the area, which became known as Brewhouse Yard, was owned by the Knight’s of St. John of Jerusalem, The Knight Templars and the Priory of Lenton.

The word ‘Trip’ in the tavern’s name does not refer to a journey, but comes from the original ‘old English’ meaning of the word, to stop, during a journey-hence a break in the journey to the Holy Land. In fact the pub’s former name was ‘The Pilgrim,’ which brings us back to the link with the legend of the Crusaders and King Richard.

So ale was certainly available on the site of Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, back when Richard and his Crusaders were leaving for the Holy Land in December 1189. Amidst the carved rooms and gnarled beams in that ancient tavern, it is hard not to imagine the knights supping a final ale before setting off for the other side of their known world.

In the 1980’s when I stayed in Nottingham and visited the many sights of the old city, I read a lovely story that is connected to Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem. It stated that the herb Borage because of its beautiful pure blue flower, was often chosen by Old Masters to paint the Madonna’s robe. For courage, the flowers were floated in the jugs of ale given to the Crusaders at their departure for the Holy Land.

© Clement of the Glen 2006-2007

The Truest Rendering Of Merrie Old England

The picture shows Richard Todd, Lawrence Watkin (script writer), Perce Pearce (producer) and Dr Charles Beard (research advisor) during the planning stages of the film, ‘Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men,’ visiting Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, in Nottingham.

In March 1952 Walt Disney spent three days with Ken Annakin, visiting Sherwood Forest and looking over a number of castles in the Midlands. But Disney was disappointed to see that most of them were ruined by Cromwell’s cannons centuries ago. He liked perfection in the realisation of his dreams.

So after leaving Nottingham, he said to Carmen Dillon, the art director and Perce Pearce, “I want this movie to be the truest rendering of ‘merrie old England’ to date. But I think shooting up here on location is a sheer waste of money. Ken (Annakin) says he can find a forest of oaks, within five miles of the studio and your castle set Carmen, can be much more impressive and realistic than any of these ruins we’ve seen. Is there such a thing as a good matte painter in England?”

It was Carman who suggested Peter Ellenshaw, “he is a clever young painter,” he said, “and has the backing of his father-in-law, Poppa Day, who has been doing optical tricks and matte’s with Korda for many years.”

“Sounds good,” said Walt, “we’ll paint all the long shots of medieval Nottingham, the castle, Richard going to the Crusades etc etc on glass. They’ll be much more fun than the real thing.”

Poppa Day had passed on his knowledge to Peter Ellenshaw, he had taught him how to give depth to a painting, the illusion of movement in a glass shot and how to marry special effects with painted mattes. But it was Walt Disney himself who taught Ellenshaw the use of false perspective and the importance of atmosphere in a painting.

This resulted in Peter Ellenshaw painting twelve matte shots for the movie and later becoming the matte genius of the world. He eventually moved from London to Burbank and was given a life long contract by Walt Disney.

© Clement of the Glen 2006-2007

Ellenshaw's Matte Work

The Magic of Ellenshaw

Walt Disney with Peter Ellenshaw

Amongst the credits for Walt Disney’s ‘Story of Robin Hood’ is the name of Peter Ellenshaw, Matte Artist. So what is a Matte Artist?

Born in Britain in 1913 Peter Ellenshaw’s artistic talents were discovered by Percy Day, a pioneering visual effects

specialist and ingenious trick photographer. 'Poppa’ Day had learned his trade and magic from the great French illusionist George Melies. Poppa took Ellenshaw under his wing and guided him not only with his painting on canvas but also on glass, for creating matte background for film.

Matte paintings are usually paintings made on glass, fixed to the camera. There are certain holes left in the painting so the camera can see through the glass and into the set, thus creating the illusion that the set and the painting are one and the same.

After a brief period with MGM, Ellenshaw was noticed by an Art Director involved in the pre-planning stages of ‘Treasure Island’ for Walt Disney. So in 1947 Ellenshaw began a partnership with the Disney organisation that would last over thirty years. He painted twelve matte shots for Robin Hood and went on to create seventy-five for Disney’s ‘Sword and the Rose.’

Peter Ellenshaw has left us with a legacy of memorable images from those Live-action films. Apart from his work in ‘The Story of Robin Hood’, who can forget the beginning of Mary Poppins as the camera pans over London at dusk and then zooms onto Mary sitting on a cloud? The atmospheric image of the masts of the ships in the harbour, from '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ or even his earlier work, creating the Roman cities in ‘Spartacus’.

For his 102 different evocative mattes of Edwardian London in Disney’s groundbreaking ‘Mary Poppins,’ Ellenshaw won a well deserved Academy Award and Walt Disney became a close personal friend.

“Walt,” he said,” was the dominant figure in my life for all those years. He talked to me as a father would, I cherished our relationship.”
When Disney died in 1968, Ellenshaw said that, “making movies wasn’t the same any more. I ceased to be interested in film making.”

© Clement of the Glen 2006-2007

A 'Different' Robin Hood Film

From 'The Disney Films' By Leonard Maltin:

'Having formed RKO-Walt Disney British Productions Ltd and succeeded in filming a most creditable live-action feature, Walt Disney decided to continue making films in England, with Perce Pearce as his producer. They decided to continue in the action-adventure genre and chose Robin Hood.

This time out, in addition to using an all-British crew, Disney hired a British director as well, a young man who had made an impressive start at Rank studios with such films as 'Trio' and 'Quartet', Ken Annakin. At the time he joined the production, some prepatory work had already been done by Disney and Pearce with their cameraman Guy Green and art director, Carmen Dillon. As on 'Treasure Island' three seperate shooting units were established, one doing action work on exterior location and two doing interiors at Denham Studios. Disney spent part of the summer in England working closely with Annakin. The director recalls
"I remember talking about the original Errol Flynn 'Robin Hood' and I looked at it, just to get an idea what had been done before, because I never like to do anything twice. Walt didn't seem very worried about seeing the original and in fact I doubt he ever did. His approach is always that the film is a Disney picture and therefore, because of his attitudes and his approach, the picture is bound to be different from anything else made on that subject before."

That is exactly what happened of course, the Disney film adheres to the Robin Hood legend, yet it is a work unto itself. One is hard pressed to make comparisons between the Disney Robin Hood and earlier versions, not because one is better than another, but simply each one is different.
This is an extremely 'good looking' film as well. The locations are beautiful with lush green countrysides, the sets are truly formidable and realistic. The seemingly effortless pacing and knowing use of camera angles and cutting is doubly impressive when one considers certain background facts. For instance, Annakin has vivd memories of the difficulties in shooting Technicolor at that time.

"It was the very elaborate three-strip system with a very immobile camera. When you wanted to reload the camera in it's very heavy blimp, you had to have it lifted on chains and it took the first-class technicolor crew a minimum of eleven minutes to reload the camera. After every single shot the camera had to be opened and the gate had to be examined; the prism was the great thing because this was the light splitter which gave the registrations on the three strips. For this reason, if you were making a big picture like 'Robin Hood' you had to be very certain you were not wasting set-ups or wasting shots because it was a big industrial process every time to set up your camera"

The use of story boards was new to Annakin, "but it appealed to my logical brain very, very much" and prompted ingenious scenes such as the first meeting between Prince John and the Sheriff after King Richard has lefy, played on the balcony of the castle against a brilliant but ominous orange sky at sundown.
Time has been kind to the film, as so many inferior films in this genre have followed it: today it seems better than ever.

Disney's 'Robin Hood' strikes a happy medium, leaning heavily on strong characterisations but placing them against a colorful and sumptuous tableau that gives the film a fine period flavor.'

Full Cast

In credits order:

Richard Todd :- Robin Hood

Joan Rice:- Maid Marian

Peter Finch:- Sheriff of Nottingham

James Hayter:- Friar Tuck

James Robertson Justice:- Little John

Martita Hunt:- Queen Eleanor

Hubert Gregg:- Prince John

Bill Owen:- Stutely

Reginald Tate:- Hugh Fitzooth

Elton Hayes:- Alan A Dale

Anthony Eustrel:- Archbishop of Canterbury

Patrick Barr:- King Richard

Anthony Forwood:- Will Scarlet

Hal Osmond:- Midge the Miller

Michael Hordern:- Scathelok

Clement McCallin:- Earl of Huntingdon

Louise Hampton:- Tyb

Archie Duncan:- Red Gill

Rest of cast in alphabetical order:

John Brooking:- Merrie Man

Ivan Craig:- Merrie Man

David Davies:- Forester

John French:- Merrie Man

Richard Graydon:- Merrie Man

Geoffrey Lumsden:- Merrie Man

John Martin:- Merrie Man

Larry Mooney:- Merrie Man

Nigel Neilson:- Merrie Man

Charles Perry:- Merrie Man

Ewen Solon:- Merrie Man

Julian Somers:- Posse Leader

John Stamp:- Merrie Man

Jack Taylor:- Merrie Man

Bill Travers:- Posse Man

In The Studio With Ken Annakin

Behind The Camera

First Unit

Director:- Ken Annakin

Unit Manager:- Frank Sherwin Green

Director of Photography:- Guy Green

Camera Operative:- Dave Harcourt

Technicolor Technician:- Ian Craig

Asst. Technicolor Technician:- John Tiley

Clappers:- Derrick Whitehurst

1st. Assistant Director:- Peter Bolton

2nd. Assistant Director:- Peter Manley

3rd Assistant Director:- Kip Gowan

Continuity:- Joan Davis

Sound Mixer:- C.C. Stevens

Boom Operator:- Fred Ryan

Sound Camera:- K Rawkins

Floor Props:- Jim Herald

Floor Electrician:- Maurice Gillet

Floor Stills:- Frank Bellingham

Production Secretary:- Teresa Bolland

Second Unit

Director:- Alex Bryce

Unit Manager:- Anthony Nelson-Keys

Cinematographer:- Geoffrey Unsworth

Camera Operator:- Bob Walker

Technicolor Technician:- Robert Kindred

Asst. Technicolor Technician:- Michael Brandt

1st. Asst. Director:- Basil Keys

2nd. Asst. Director:- Len Lee

3rd Asst. Director:- Chris Sutton

Boom Operator:- George Paternoster

Continuity:- Connie Newton

Clapper Loader:- Ken Nicholson

Asst. Wardrobe:- Fred Gayton

Hairdresser:- A Baber

Floor Props:- Ernie Quick

Floor Stills:- George Ward

Production Secretary:- Kathleen Hosgood

Screenplay:- Lawrence Edward Watkin

Producer:- Perce Pearce

Executive Producer:- Walt Disney

Editor:- Gordon Pilkington

Asst. Editor:- Ann Coates

2nd Asst. Editor:- Deveril Goodman

2nd Asst. Editor:- Leslie Hodgson

2nd Asst. Editor:- Terry Poulton

Casting Director:-Maude Spector

Casting Asst.:- John Owen

Art Director:- Carmen Dillon

Asst. Art Director:- Arthur Lawson

Asst. Art Director:- Jack Stevens

Costume Design:- Michael Whittaker

Wardrobe Supervisor:- Yvonne Caffin

Wardrobe Master:- Goff Price

Wardrobe Mistress:- Mrs Gilbert

Wardrobe Assistant:- Betty Simms

Wardrobe Assistant:- Roy Lemon

Period Advisor:- Charles R. Beard

Makeup Supervisor:- Geoffrey Rodway

Makeup Artist:- Trevor Crole-Rees

Makeup Artist:- Stuart Freeborn

Makeup Artist:- Eddie Knight

Makeup Artist:- A. L. Lawrence

Makeup Artist:- Robert Alexander

Makeup Artist:- Molly Schneiderman

Production Manager:- Douglas Peirce

Chief Draughtsman:- Ernest Archer

Sketch Artist:- Ivor Beddos

Sketch Artist:- Stephen Grimes

Asst. Draughtsman:- John Box

Asst. Draughtsman:- Roy Dorman

Asst. Draughtsman:- Don Picton

Junior Draughtsman:- Peter Lamont

Junior Draughtsman:- Richard Frigg

Sound Editor:- Wyn Ryder

Dubbing Mixer:- Peter Davies

Boom Operator:- Basil Fenton-Smith

Sound Editor:- Winston Ryder

Matte Artist:- Peter Ellenshaw

Matte Effect Technician:- Alan Hulme

Matte Effect Technician:- Peter Hall

Scenic Artist:- Robert Dawe

Set Dresser:- Harry White

Technicolor Colour Consultant:- Joan Bridge

Conductor: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra:- Muir Mathieson

Clapper Loader:- John Alcott

Assembly Cutter:- Anne V. Coates

Assistant Camera:- Peter Hall

Focus Puller:- Alan Hume

Still Photographer:- Ian Jeayes

Still Photographer:- George Courtney Ward

Hair Dressing Supervisor:- Vivienne Walker

Hairdresser:- Joyce Wood

Hairdresser:- Joan White

Hairdresser:- Alf Beeber

Hairdresser:- Gordon Bond

Hairdresser:- Ann Fordyce

Hairdresser:- Pearl Tipaldi

Construction Manager:- Gus Walker

Property Master:- Bill Mason

Production Buyer:- Jim Baker

Production Publicist:- Catherine O’ Brien

Production Publicist:- Joan R. Davis

Producers Secretary:- Denise Carey

Casting Secretary:- Pat Bull

Publicity Secretary:- Nita Oswin

Ballads:- Elton Hayes

Ballads:- Clifton Parker

Ballads:- George Wyle

Ballads and Lyricist:- Eddie Pola

Ballads and Lyricist:- Lawrence Edward Watkin

Denham Studios

I was blissfully unaware as I sat in my local ABC cinema in the 1970’s, watching Disney’s live action version of ‘Robin Hood’, that the studios in which this wonderful film was made were being demolished.

After the Second World War some of the money made by American film companies had been frozen by the British Government, this encouraged the big production companies from America to return to English studios like Denham. Disney’s ‘Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men,’ had given the studios a life-line, but sadly, this was the last main feature to be produced at that massive complex.

Denham is located just north of Uxbridge at junction 1 of the M40. It was Hungarian impresario, Alexander Korda (1893-1956) capitalising on his record breaking box office success with ‘The Private Life of Henry VIII’ (1933) and 'The Scarlet Pimpernel’ (1934) who managed to get the funding to build the studios. This movie had earned the first ever Oscar for a British film star, Charles Laughton and a sixteen picture deal for Korda. Who managed to secure funding from the Prudential Assurance Company to underwrite future productions and finance his dream of building his own British film studios.

So Korda purchased a country house and estate at Denham in Buckinghamshire for £15.000 and decided to build a 165 acre complex. The massive Studios were created by Jake Okey, who had previously created the Fist National and Paramount Studios.

Building work started in late summer of 1935. The River Colne was diverted, to make an elegant pond, which later housed a gift of white swans, given to Korda by Winston Churchill. The stables of the original house were converted to cutting rooms and the site had built, its own electricity generating station and a complete Technicolor laboratory. Its 2,000 employees were instructed by Korda to produce movies of 'prestige, pomp, magic and madness’. To do this they had at their disposal, seven sound stages with a floor area of 120,000 square feet, a massive water tank, many large workshops for scenery construction, restaurants and even a train service from London.

But it wasn’t long before Korda noticed a design fault.
The problem was, that the site was too big. The stages were too far away from the workshops.

But completion of Britain's largest film-making facility was in May 1936 and some noted films started to roll off the production line:

Southern Roses
The Ghost Goes West
Rembrandt
Things To Come
The Man Who Could Work Miracles
Knight Without Armour
A Yank at Oxford
South Riding


Korda established his own catalogue of contracted actors including Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon (whom he married in 1939) Wendy Barrie, Robert Donat, Maurice Evans and Vivian Leigh. But his worst fears became reality as the design layout came under serious criticism and film projects started to dry up. Combined with this, came the infamous film companies crash of 1937. So Prudential stepped in and offered Denham Studios as a going concern to Charles Boot and J. Arthur Rank. Korda’s control of his ‘dream factory’ was effectively taken off his hands as Denham merged with Pinewood. Rank later used Denham chiefly for his Two Cities productions. Some of Britain's most memorable films continued to be made there:

Goodbye Mr Chips
Thief of Baghdad
In Which We Serve
Green for Danger
Black Narcissus
49th Parallel
Red Shoes
The Happy Breed
Blythe Spirit
Henry V
The Life And Death of Colonel Blimp
Brief Encounter

But Denham’s production costs remained far higher than Pinewood.
Pinewood studios were far more compact, grouped around a central construction area, unlike the long walkways between departments at Denham. So after World War II the massive sound stages gradually became neglected.

Technology was also advancing as equipment became lighter and more portable, and the huge studios used in the 30’s and 40’s were no longer needed. J. Arthur Rank was also having serious financial problems and he had more floor space than he could possibly use, so was eager to rid himself of this financial burden. So the Denham offices became the home of Rank Xerox and the only film making tenant was Anvil Films, who used the cutting rooms.

Meanwhile, Alexander Korda, received a knighthood from George VI and continued to have movie success with such films as:

The Third Man
Breaking the Sound Barrier
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Anna Karenina

The National Film Finance Board invested some tax payers cash into the studios but the axe was ready to fall and in 1952 Disney’s ‘Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men’ was the last major feature film to be made there.

Aged 63 Alexander Korda died of a massive heart attack four years later. The site of the studios was eventually sold to a developer in 1970 and the whole area was flattened to build an industrial park. Sadly nothing now remains of Korda’s ‘prestige, pomp and madness’.

© Clement of the Glen 2006-2007

Plan of Denham Studios