The Bandit of Sherwood Forest is a 1946 American Technicolor adventure film directed by Henry Levin & George Sherman and starring Cornel Wilde, Anita Louise, Jill Esmond and Edgar Buchanan.
Plot Robin Hood's son (Cornel Wilde) returns to save Magna Carta, flirt with Lady Catherine (Anita Louise) and protect a boy king.
Cast Anita Louise as Lady Catherine Maitland Jill Esmond as the Queen Mother Edgar Buchanan as Friar Tuck Cornel Wilde as Robert of Nottingham Henry Daniell as the Regent, William of Pembroke George Macready as Fitz-Herbert Russell Hicks as Robin Hood, Earl of Huntingdon John Abbott as Will Scarlet Lloyd Corrigan as the Sheriff of Nottingham Eva Moore as Mother Meg Ray Teal as Little John Leslie Denison as Allan-A-Dale Ian Wolfe as Lord Mortimer Maurice Tauzin as The King Miles Mander as Lord Warrick Mark Roberts as Robin Hood's Man Harry Cording as Prioress Guard (uncredited) Harry Wilson as Outlaw (uncredited)
Production The film is based on a 1941 novel, Son of Robin Hood by Paul Castleton."Latest books received" (July 6, 1941). New York Times In 1941, Don "Red" Barry was attached to star in a serial called The Son of Robin Hood but it was not made.Schallert, E. (October 23, 1941). "20th signs Laughtons to play married pair" Los Angeles Times
Producer Clifford Sanforth said he got the idea to make the film when his little son saw The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and asked his father whether Robin Hood had a son. Sanforth tracked down and bought the film rights to the novel.Frank Daugherty (June 1, 1945). "'Bandit of Sherwood Forest' to tell of Robin Hood, Jr." The Christian Science Monitor In April 1944 Sanforth had intention to make a series of films about the son of Robin Hood for Republic Pictures starring archer Howard Hill.Schallert, E. (April 29, 1944). "Mother Cabrini deal centering on Rainer" Los Angeles Times
In early 1945 the project moved to Columbia Pictures where Sanforth was to produce with Leonard Picker.(March 9, 1945). "SCREEN NEWS" New York Times MGM objected to the title The Son of Robin Hood claiming they had the rights to use the words "Robin Hood" as they had bought screen rights to an operetta of that name by Reginald de Koven. This resulted in Columbia deciding to use the title The Bandit of Sherwood Forest.Fred, S. H. (April 15, 1945). "Hollywood on the Clefs" New York Times
The casting of Cornel Wilde and Anita Louise was announced in March 1945 and filming began in April.(March 19, 1945). "Screen News" New York Times
The film featured the first cinematic use of helicopter-mounted cameras used, during the scene of the storming of the castle.
Reception Critical reception Variety wrote: "There is considerable ineptness in writing, production and direction but it still stands up as okay escapist film fare for the not-too-critical. There is a concentration of chases and 'they-went-thata-way' flavor about the doings that hints at the western feature training of producers and directors. Wilde is properly swashbuckling as the hero, and probably had himself a time enacting the dare-and-do". The New York Times wrote: "Cornel Wilde is dashing and flashes a toothsome smile as the virtuous "bandit" of Sherwood and Anita Louise is beautiful, though perhaps a bit more coquettish than a maiden fair should be. All the rest, including Russel Hicks as the elder Robert, pitch into their roles with picturesque extravagance. The Bandit of Sherwood Forest is the kind of entertainment that makes one wish one could be a boy again—if only for an hour and a half".
Box office The film was a sizable box office hit. It earned over $3 million in the US and was the 14th most popular film of the year in France in 1948.
Legacy The sets built for the film were reused in the Three Stooges shorts Squareheads of the Round Table, Fiddlers Three, and The Hot Scots, and again for the 1948 film The Prince of Thieves.
See also List of films and television series featuring Robin Hood
References
External links The Bandit of Sherwood Forest at TCMDB The Bandit of Sherwood Forest at IMDb Review of film at Variety