Walt Disney's Live-Action Robin Hood

Richard Todd as Robin.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) is one of the greatest films ever made--with its perfectly-cast characters, vivid color, fabulous sets, and iconic scenes (e.g., the archery contest, the climatic swordfight). Thus, it's surprising that Walt Disney chose to mount his own version of the Robin Hood legend just fourteen years later. And yet, what's even more surprising is that The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952) is a lively, diverting yarn with its own charms. To be sure, it will always be overshadowed by the Warner Bros. classic, but it still stands proudly on its own.

Joan Rice as Marian.

In this version, Robin (Richard Todd) and Marian (Joan Rice) are childhood sweethearts who are separated when King Richard leaves to fight in the Crusades. Marian is placed under the protection of the Queen Mother in London, while Robin and his father remain in Nottingham. When Robin's father refuses to support greedy Prince John and his handpicked sheriff (Peter Finch), he is murdered and his son becomes an outlaw. Robin soon forms his band of merry men, who live in the forest and rob from the rich noblemen and give the spoils to their overtaxed countrymen.

There are the requisite encounters with Little John (James Robertson Justice) and Friar Tuck (James Hayter) before Marian returns in time to get imprisoned by Prince John. That development, plus a scheme to steal King Richard's ransom money, sets up the climax in this fast-paced, 84-minute adventure.

Peter Finch as the sheriff.

The British cast impresses from top to bottom, with Richard Todd making a likable hero, Joan Rice sparkling as a sweet Marian, and an almost unrecognizable Peter Finch as Robin's worthy adversary. It's too bad the big duel between Robin and the Sheriff of Nottingham seems like an afterthought (though the latter's demise is memorably gruesome, especially for a Disney film). 

The same applies to the scenes with James Hayter as Friar Tuck and James Robertson Justice as Little John. The latter made a career out of playing bigger-than-life characters in films such as Doctor in the House, but he has little (pun intended) to do here. On the other hand, musician Elton Hayes gets some choice scenes as traveling minstrel Alan-a-Dale. One almost wonders if he was Danny Kaye's inspiration for his Giacomo in The Court Jester.

The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men was just Disney's second live-action film, following 1950's Treasure Island. Like that film, the production values are high, with scenes shot in the real Sherwood Forest blending effectively with set pieces filmed in Pinewood Studios. Really, though, Disney should restore some of its early live-action movies, as the once vibrant colors have faded on the even best quality prints.

Richard Todd appeared in two additional Disney pictures the following year: The Sword and the Rose and Rob Roy, The Highland Rogue. Both are fine escapist fare and co-star Justice and the always enchanting Glynis Johns. Nevertheless, they lack the strong narrative that comes with the Robin Hood legend. There's just something about watching the men and women of Sherwood Forest performing their derring-do.

Two Disney Rareties: Rob Roy and Emil

Richard Todd as Rob Roy.

Richard Todd made three British-filmed historical adventures for Walt Disney in the 1950s: The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (!952); The Sword and the Rose (1953); and Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1953). James Robertson Justice co-starred in all three and Glynis Johns, one of my favorite actresses, appeared in the last two. Our subject today, Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue, was loosely based on the life of Scottish folk hero Robert Roy MacGregor.

It opens with Rob Roy (Todd) leading an attack in the Highlands against the much larger army of King George I. Taken prisoner by the sympathetic Duke of Argyll (Justice), Rob Roy later escapes with the help of his comrades--and his mother. He marries his sweetheart Helen Mary (Johns), but is arrested again on his wedding night.

Glynis Johns as Helen Mary.

Having replaced Argyll, the despicable Duke of Montrose (Michael Gough) promises amnesty to all the Scotsmen except for the MacGregors. But if Montrose thinks he can keep Rob Roy as a prisoner, he is mistaken....

Colorful and passionate, Rob Roy is a likable tale of derring-do. Todd, in full beard, and Johns make an appealing pair and there are plenty of fights for action fans. Except for Kidnapped and The Fighting Prince of Donegal, Disney moved away from these costume pictures--and it's really a shame. Incidentally, the soldiers depicted in the film--to include the sweeping opening scene--were real-life Scottish warriors who had returned home from the Korean War.

Made just over a decade later, Emil and the Detectives (1964) is a more traditional Walt Disney family film. It's based on a 1929 children's novel by Erich Kästner. Bryan Russell stars as Emil (we're shown it's pronounced a-mill), who sets off by bus to visit his aunt in Berlin. During the trip, a pickpocket steals an envelope of money intended for Emil's aunt. When Emil realizes the money has been stolen, he's too embarrassed to report the crime.

Gustav advises the younger Emil.

Fortunately, he runs into Gustav, an industrious lad of many professions--one of which turns out to be detective work.With Emil as a client, Gustav and his operatives track the pickpocket to a hotel where he meets with two other criminals--whom the boys call "the Skrinks." They quickly learn that the Skrinks are up to no good, but just what is it?

Two of the three Skrinks.

Released after Mary Poppins, Emil and the Detectives is an unusual Disney film in that it features a no-name cast (except for villain Walter Slezak). It did, however, play a major part in turning young Roger Mobley into a TV star. As the charismatic Gustav, Mobley is easily the most talented of the young cast in Emil and Walt Disney took notice. One year later, he cast Mobley in the lead role in "The Adventures of Gallegher," which aired on The Wonderful World of Color. This two-part mystery about an aspiring teenage newspaper reporter in the Old West was immensely popular and generated several sequels.

As for Emil and the Detectives, it's an enjoyable outing with some unexpected quirky touches. Slezak has a grand time as a cultured criminal who stops to have caviar and wine in the middle of executing a crime. The young actors acquit themselves well, too, especially Cindy Cassell as Emil's cousin Pony, who publishes her own column and wants a scoop in return for her silence.

Emil and the Detectives was not a hit and faded into obscurity quickly, although it was serialized in 1977 on The Mickey Mouse Club under the title The Three Skrinks.

Kästner's novel has been filmed multiple times. Many critics consider the 1931 German version, written by Billy Wilder, to be the best adaptation. Alas, I have not seen it.

Walt Disney's The Sword and the Rose

Mary Tudor, the younger sister of England's King Henry VIII, gets the Disney treatment in 1953's The Sword and the Rose. Glynis Johns stars as the spunky Princess Mary, who falls in love with Charles Brandon (Richard Todd), the dashing captain of the palace guards. When her romance with Brandon threatens the King's plan to marry her off to King Louis XII of France, Mary runs away to join Brandon on a voyage to America. Unfortunately, the young lovers are captured and a displeased Henry VIII accuses Brandon of high treason and imprisons him in the Tower of London. As Brandon awaits his execution, Mary must decide how to save the man she loves.

Richard Todd as Charles Brandon.

The Sword and the Rose was one of four Disney costume adventures produced in Great Britain in the 1950s. The others were Disney's first all live-action film Treasure Island (1950), The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952), and Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue (1953). The latter two films also starred The Sword and the Rose's Richard Todd and James Robertson Justice, while Glynis Johns reunited with her co-stars for Rob Roy. Walt Disney's decision to shoot the films in Great Britain was a financial one. British treasury restrictions prevented him from moving profits from his cartoons to the U.S. He used those funds to establish a British studio that produced live action films through the 1960s.

Johns "disguised" as a boy.

The Sword and the Rose's strongest virtue is its first-rate British cast. Johns is delightful as the mischievous Princess Mary, who knows just how to manipulate her royal brother to get what she wants. She also looks fetching when dressed as Brandon's page. Indeed, her performance and appearance in The Sword and the Rose surely led to her casting as another spunky heroine opposite Danny Kaye in 1955's comedy classic The Court Jester. As for Todd and Justice, they are well-suited to the kind of roles that made them famous: Todd as the swashbuckling hero and Justice as a blustery, but good-hearted, father figure. Michael Gough is also on hand as the de facto villain, a nobleman who wants to be more than friends with the lovely princess.

Robertson as King Henry VIII.

However, despite its acting pedigree, The Sword and the Rose lacks the flair of the decade's best swashbucklers. Until the climax, there's much more rose (an emphasis on Mary and Brandon's romance) than sword (any kind of derring do). Granted, the plot is partially constrained by historical events--though even there, The Sword and the Rose takes liberties. In real life, Brandon was a duke and not the captain of the palace guards; he had already been married two previous times and had two daughters. Plus, Michael Gough's Duke of Buckingham had no interest in Mary. 

The screenplay was based on Charles Major's 1898 novel When Knighthood Was in Flower and filmed previously in 1922 with Marion Davies as Mary Tudor. The Sword and the Rose was retitled When Knighthood Was in Flower when it was broadcast in 1956 in two parts on the Disneyland TV series (later known as Walt Disney Presents and other titles).

Doctor in the House: Reviews of All Seven Films

Richard Gordon's semi-autobiographical Doctor novels provided the basis for this seven film series that started with 1954's Doctor in the House. The films were immensely popular in Great Britain and spawned several TV series, the best-known being the 1969-70 Doctor in the House (with some episodes written by Monty Python members John Cleese and Graham Chapman). All seven films were produced by Betty E. Box and directed by Ralph Thomas. Dirk Bogarde starred in four of them, while James Robertson Justice appeared in every film. Below are capsule reviews of each movie:

Simon (Dirk Bogarde) goes on a date.

Doctor in the House (1954) - This introductory film focuses on the exploits of four medical students at St. Swithin's Hospital in London. Amid the pursuit of nurses and various pranks, they spend a little time actually studying medicine. The most promising of the four is Simon Sparrow (Bogarde), who becomes romantically involved with a young nurse (Muriel Pavlow). The bane of each student at St. Swithin's is Sir Lancelot Spratt (Justice) the loud, quick-tempered--but very respected--chief of surgery. With Kenneth More also getting significant screen time, Doctor in the House is an ensemble piece composed of short episodes. While there are some amusing scenes, others fall flat and the end result is a mixed bag. Still, it's obvious that Bogarde is a star in the making.

Bardot and Bogarde.

Doctor at Sea (1955) - To avoid the amorous advances of his landlord's daughter, Simon Sparrow (Bogarde) signs onto a cargo ship as its medical officer. He fits right in with the other officers, who are all highly interested in the opposite sex--except for the gruff Captain Hogg (James Robertson Justice). Hogg is a nautical version of Sir Lancelot and that's not a bad thing, especially since it provides Justice with a larger role. The amusing voyage gets better when the ship takes aboard two passengers played by Brenda de Banzie (Hobson's Choice) and Brigitte Bardot. The former is a perfect foil for Justice while the latter--who has never looked lovelier--pairs up nice with Bogarde. It's one of the best films in the series.

Shirley Eaton and Bogarde.

Doctor at Large (1957) - The third film ignores Doctor at Sea, serving as a direct sequel to Doctor in the House. In addition to Bogarde and Justice, Muriel Pavlow and Donald Sinden reprise their roles from the first film (Shirley Eaton also returns from the first film, but in a different role). When Simon is passed over for a surgeon position at St. Swithin's, he expands his experience by taking jobs with a country doctor, a physician who specializes in wealthy clientele, and a penny-pinching doctor with an unchaste wife. This entry starts slowly, but builds to a pleasant conclusion that implies a happily-ever-after for Simon. My only complaint is that Sir Lancelot is limited to a few brief appearances.

Leslie Phillips and Michael Craig.

Doctor in Love (1960) - The first entry without Dirk Bogarde introduces Leslie Phillips as Dr. Tony Burke and Michael Craig as Dr. Richard Hare (as in Burke and Hare, the murderers who provided corpses to an Edinburgh physician). Tony flirts with practically every female in sight while Richard moons over a nurse who apparently jilted him for another guy. His mood picks up considerably, though, when he meets an attractive female physician. Meanwhile, Sir Lancelot barks at everyone in sight--except his wife. In the film's funniest scene, he walks into a strip club thinking it's a medical conference. Doctor in Love is a modestly amusing outing, but Bogarde is missed and there's still not enough of Lancelot Spratt.

James Robertson Justice as Sir
Lancelot Spratt.

Doctor in Distress (1963) - The best of the Doctor movies finds both Simon and Sir Lancelot coping with love troubles. Simon gets involved with a model (Samantha Eggar) who wants to become a film star. Meanwhile, Sir Lancelot, after claiming himself immune to the opposite sex, falls for a physical therapist while recovering from a slipped disk. Much of the humor is derived from Sir Lancelot's attempts to: lose weight; ensure that his beloved isn't seeing another man; and propose marriage. James Robertson Justice has his most screen time to date and that's a very good thing. One minor distraction is that this entry ignores events from the previous films. For example, Spratt was married in Doctor in Love and Simon had proposed marriage to Joy in Doctor at Large. Also, sadly, this was the last of Dirk Bogarde's appearances in the series.

Justice makes this entry watchable.

Doctor in Clover (aka Carnaby, M.D.) (1966) - Leslie Phillips returns to the series as a different character--in name only, since his chief activity is still ogling the female hospital staff. Sir Lancelot picks up Gaston Grimsdyke (Phillips) after the latter departs from his job as a prison physician. It's never clear why Sir Lancelot wants the unimpressive Grimsdyke working at St. Swithin's. The plot (which is even more episodic than usual) focuses principally on Grimsdyke's efforts to look and act younger to woo a pretty physical therapist. Phillips is a talented comedian and Justice's Dr. Spratt is always a joy. However, Dirk Bogarde is sorely missed in this weak outing. There's no one to ground the comedic antics, so Doctor in Clover evolves quickly to a broad, mildly amusing farce.

Leslie Phillips and friend.

Doctor in Trouble (1970) - The final film in the series has Leslie Phillips (as Tony Burke this time) sneaking aboard an ocean liner to propose to his would-be girlfriend. Naturally, the ship leaves port with Tony aboard and much of the film's hijinks revolve around him trying to avoid being caught as a stowaway. James Robertson Justice has a brief cameo in one of the opening scenes. Tony's adversary is played by Robert Morley as the ship's captain--who happens to be Sir Lancelot's brother. The comedy is a little cruder this time out (though tame by today's standards). Despite some laughs, it's the weakest of the Doctor entries. Still, it's fun to spot some familiar faces in the supporting cast, such as: Monty Python member Graham Chapman as a gay fashion photographer; Yutte Stensgaard (Hammer's Lust for a Vampire) as one of the models; and Pink Panther series semi-regular Graham Stark as a steward (reminding me very much of Peter Sellers).

Seven Things to Know About James Robertson Justice

1. James Robertson Justice's most famous role was as Dr. Lancelot Spratt, the blustery chief surgeon at St. Swithin's Hospital in the British Doctor movies. He first appeared as Spratt in 1954's Doctor in the House, with Dirk Bogarde playing handsome medical student Simon Sparrow. Justice played Spratt in five sequels that starred either Bogarde or Leslie Phillips.As the film series progressed, Spratt evolved from a supporting character to co-lead in entries like Doctor in Distress (1963).

2. Although Lancelot Spratt did not appear in the second Doctor film, Doctor at Sea, Justice still returned opposite Dirk Bogarde. In this outing, Justice played Captain Wentworth Hogg, who ran a cargo ship...very much like Dr. Spratt ran St. Swithin's. Young physician Simon Sparrow didn't seem to mind--he was too busy romancing Brigitte Bardot!

3. When he was 17, Justice played for the Beckenham Rugby Club during the 1924-25 season. One of his teammates was Johnnie Craddock, who became famous working alongside his wife Fanny, a celebrity cook. Justice later worked briefly as a journalist at Reuters--as did James Bond author Ian Fleming. Many years later, Justice appeared in the 1968 adaptation of Fleming's children novel Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang.

4. James Robertson Justice co-starred with Gregory Peck in four movies: Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951); David and Bathsheba (1951); Moby Dick (1956); and The Guns of Navarone (1961). In Moby Dick, he played Captain Boomer, who lost an arm to the white whale pursued by Peck's Captain Ahab.

5. He co-starred with Richard Todd in three movies produced by Walt Disney in the early 1950s. He played Little John to Todd's Robin in The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952). He and Todd then re-teamed for The Sword and the Rose and Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue. Both pictures were made in 1953 and also featured the delightful Glynis Johns.

6. Although Justice claimed he was born in Wigtown or Skye Island, Scotland, most sources list South London as his birth place. Regardless, he embraced his Scottish heritage and was Rector of the University of Edinburgh for two three-year terms in 1957 and 1963. The Rector heads the university's highest governing body and is elected by the students and staff. Other famous people to hold the Rector office at the University of Edinburgh are Winston Churchill and Alastair Sim.

7. Justice was married twice. His son, James, died in 1949 at the age of four in a drowning accident. He met actress Irena von Meyendorff, a real-life Baroness, while making The Ambassadress in 1961. They became lovers, later appeared together in Mayerling (1968), and were wed three days before Justice died in 1975 from complications from a stroke.

This post is part of the What a Character! Blogathon hosted by Once Upon a Screen, Paula's Cinema Club, and Outspoken & Freckled. Click here for the full schedule of posts that celebrate cinema's great character actors.