I’m developing a series about Maid Marian that will, naturally, also feature Robin Hood. My posts here will focus mainly on British productions of the legend, simply because I find them more interesting – I’m not a big fan of “Hollywood does medieval”.
My main focus in these posts will be on the 1955-59 British television series, The Adventures of Robin Hood. However, other productions will also feature.
Over twenty actresses have portrayed Maid Marian in film and on television.
Josée Richard (pictured) played Maid Marian in the 1953 BBC mini-series Robin Hood. She was married to broadcaster Robert Robinson for over fifty years.
Josée Richard, below, pictured in The Sketch in July 1953.
In 1953 Patrick Troughton starred as Robin Hood in a six-episode television series, the first television production of Robin Hood. The thirty minute episodes were transmitted live, and only eight minutes from the second episode, The Abbot of St. Mary’s, survived.
The cast included Josée Richard as Maid Marian, Wensley Pithey as Friar Tuck, Kenneth Mackintosh as Little John and David Kossoff as the Sheriff of Nottingham.
The Episodes:
- Gathering the Band (17 March 1953)
- The Abbot of St. Mary’s (24 March 1953)
- Who Is Robin? (31 March 1953)
- The Silver Arrow (7 April 1953)
- A King Comes to Greenwood (14 April 1953)
- The Secret (21 April 1953)
Richard Greene thought long and hard – for three months – before accepting the part of Robin Hood in the television series The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-59). An established screen and stage actor, he was aware of the risks of “stepping down” to make a television series. Had the scripts and production values been poor, the decision would have severely damaged his career. However, the scripts and production values were excellent, and Robin Hood became the defining role of his distinguished career.
Anticipated pattern of future blog posts: Marian and Robin – every six days, 1963 newspaper digests – every six days.
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Hannah Howe 