Q WHO played Robin Hood in the 1920s and 1930s films? - Christine Canning, Shildon.

AAt least five movies were made about Robin Hood before the 1920s. The first was a British film Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1908), the next came in 1912 with the American film Robin Hood, competing with a British film Robin Hood Outlawed.

In the American film, Robin competes with Guy of Gisburne for Maid Marian's favour, while in the British version he rescues the maid from an evil knight. In these early silent movies actors' names were not thought important and they remained anonymous. This did not change until the emergence of actress Mary Pickford in the 1920s.

The only silent movie about Robin Hood of any note was an eponymous American film of 1922. It was the most expensive film ever made at the time, costing almost $2m. It starred its producer Douglas Fairbanks Senior, who was of course the husband of Mary Pickford. Fairbanks' Robin Hood was completely eclipsed in 1938 by the release of the talking Technicolour movie The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn.

Every decade of the twentieth century has had its share of Robin Hood movies, although The Adventures of Robin Hood was the only one made in the 1930s. The 1940s fared slightly better with two Robin Hood movies: The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946) starring Cornel Wilde and The Prince of Thieves (1948) starring Jon Hall. Walt Disney's 1952 Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men starred Richard Todd and was less memorable than Disney's more famous cartoon version of 1973.

There have been a number of spoofs on the Robin Hood theme. They include the 1976 film Robin and Marian starring Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn. A 1991 British film Robin Hood starring Patrick Bergin attempted to portray a flawed Robin Hood but is largely forgotten as it was released in the same year as the American blockbuster Robin Hood Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner.

There have been a number of Robin Hood TV series, of which two are remembered for their theme tunes as much as their drama. The 1980s series Robin of Sherwood starred Michael Praed and later Jason Connery, and "Robin Hood, Robin Hood riding through the glen" played to the closing credits of the 1950s series The Adventures of Robin Hood.

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Published:20/01/2003