| 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 |
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Running time | 79 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Rogues of Sherwood Forest is a 1950Technicoloradventure film fromColumbia Pictures, directed byGordon Douglas, and starringJohn Derek as Robin, theEarl of Huntingdon, the son ofRobin Hood,Diana Lynn as Lady Marianne, andAlan Hale, Sr. in his third Robin Hood film role asLittle John during a 28-year period; he had played the part oppositeDouglas Fairbanks in 1922 andErrol 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 featuresGeorge Macready asKing John,Billy House asFriar Tuck andJohn Dehner in an early appearance as Sir Baldric, billed fourteenth in the cast list.
In this take on history, evilKing John resumes his old ways following the death ofRichard 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 the son of longtime nemesis, Robin Hood. When aFlemish knight challenges Robin, the Earl of Huntingdon, to ajoust, the King's henchmen fix a faulty protective cap to the knight'slance. Surviving the lance attack, he challenges the Flemish Knight to joust without using protective devices, successfully impaling his opponent.
Having returned from the Crusades, Robin and Little John once again recruit the now agingMerrie Men, who wage a successful guerrilla-type war throughout the realm. They cleverly use intelligence provided by messages attached to Lady Marianne'scarrier pigeons to aid them in their successful campaign to defeat King John.
Robin and theArchbishop of Canterbury are able to compel the defeated King John tosealMagna Carta, establishing the rights of all Englishmen.[1]
The film was known asSwords of Sherwood Forrest.[2] The movie was essentially a remake ofThe Bandit of Sherwood Forest and was 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 inTechnicolor, withlocation shooting being shot at Southern California'sCorriganville Movie Ranch.[5]
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]
