Rogues of Sherwood Forest

Rogues of Sherwood Forest is a 1950 Technicolor adventure film from Columbia Pictures, directed by Gordon Douglas, and starring John Derek as Robin, the Earl of Huntingdon, the son of Robin Hood, Diana Lynn as Lady Marianne, and Alan Hale, Sr. in his third Robin Hood film role as Little John during a 28-year period; he had played the part opposite Douglas Fairbanks in 1922 and Errol Flynn in 1938, one of the longest periods over which a film actor played the same major character. It was also Hale's final film before his death. Rogues of Sherwood Forest was written by George Bruce and Ralph Gilbert Bettison. The supporting cast features George Macready as King John, Billy House as Friar Tuck and John Dehner in an early appearance as Sir Baldric, billed fourteenth in the cast list.

Rogues of Sherwood Forest
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gordon Douglas
Written by	George Bruce Ralph Gilbert Bettison
Produced by	Fred M. Packard
Starring	John Derek Diana Lynn George Macready Alan Hale, Sr.
Cinematography	Charles Lawton Jr.
Edited by	Gene Havlick
Music by	Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Heinz Roemheld Arthur Morton
Production company	Columbia Pictures
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	June 21, 1950 (1950-06-21)
Running time	79 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

In this take on history, evil King John resumes his old ways following the death of Richard the Lionheart. His plan is to retain his power by importing Continental mercenaries and paying them through his old ploy: oppressive taxation. King John first attempts to kill Robin, the son of longtime nemesis, Robin Hood. When Flemish knight Sir Baldric challenges Robin, the Earl of Huntingdon, to a joust, the King's henchmen fix a faulty protective cap to Sir Baldric's lance. Surviving the lance attack, Robin challenges Sir Baldric to joust without using protective devices, successfully impaling his opponent.

Having returned from the Crusades, Robin and Little John once again recruit the now aging Merrie Men, who wage a successful guerrilla-type war throughout the realm. They cleverly use intelligence provided by messages attached to Lady Marianne's carrier pigeons to aid them in their successful campaign to defeat King John.

Robin and the Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton are able to compel the defeated King John to seal Magna Carta, establishing the rights of all Englishmen.^[1]

Cast

• John Derek as Robin Hood
• Diana Lynn as Lady Marianne de Beaudray
• George Macready as King John
• Alan Hale, Sr. as Little John
• Paul Cavanagh as Sir Giles
• Lowell Gilmore as Count of Flanders
• Billy House as Friar Tuck
• Lester Matthews as Alan-a-Dale
• Billy Bevan as Will Scarlet (billed as William Bevan)
• Wilton Graff as Baron Fitzwalter
• Donald Randolph as Archbishop Stephen Langton
• John Goldsworthy as Clyde
• Lumsden Hare as Warwick
• John Dehner as Sir Baldric
• Olaf Hytten as Charcoal Burner (uncredited)

Production

The film was known as Swords of Sherwood Forrest.^[2] The movie was essentially a remake of The Bandit of Sherwood Forest and was John Derek's first lead.^[3]

Gig Young was the first choice to play the role of Prince John and was suspended by Columbia Pictures when he refused the part.^[4] The film was photographed in Technicolor, with location shooting being shot at Southern California's Corriganville Movie Ranch.^[5]

Critical reception

Leonard Maltin wrote: "Despite good production and fair cast, pretty limp".^[6] DVD Talk found it "a good programmer that makes a decent family film for a rainy Sunday afternoon, or anytime for classic film fans. Highly recommended".^[7]

See also

• List of films and television series featuring Robin Hood