The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Directors:

Michael Curtiz
William Keighley

Writers:

Norman Reilly Raine (original screenplay) and
Seton I. Miller (original screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

14 May 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

The Best Loved Bandit Of All Time!

Plot:

When Prince John and the Norman Lords begin oppressing the Saxon masses in King Richard's absence, a Saxon lord fights back as the outlaw leader of a rebel guerrilla army.

Plot Keywords:

Prince | Outlaw | Forest | Sherwood Forest | Usurper

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Errol Flynn	...	Robin Hood
Olivia de Havilland	...	Maid Marian
Basil Rathbone	...	Sir Guy of Gisbourne
Claude Rains	...	Prince John
Patric Knowles	...	Will Scarlett
Eugene Pallette	...	Friar Tuck
Alan Hale	...	Little John
Melville Cooper	...	High Sheriff of Nottingham
Ian Hunter	...	King Richard the Lion-Heart
Una O'Connor	...	Bess
Herbert Mundin	...	Much
Montagu Love	...	Bishop of the Black Canons
Leonard Willey	...	Sir Essex
Robert Noble	...	Sir Ralf
Kenneth Hunter	...	Sir Mortimer
Robert Warwick	...	Sir Geoffrey
Colin Kenny	...	Sir Baldwin
Lester Matthews	...	Sir Ivor
Harry Cording	...	Dickon Malbete
Howard Hill	...	Captain of Archers
Ivan F. Simpson	...	Proprietor of Kent Road Tavern (as Ivan Simpson)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lowden Adams	...	Old Crusader (uncredited)
Frank Baker	...	Turnkey (uncredited)
James Baker	...	Philip of Arras (uncredited)
Sidney Baron	...	Outlaw (uncredited)
Hal Baylor	...	Merry Man (uncredited)
Lionel Belmore	...	Humility Prim (uncredited)
Wilson Benge	...	Monk (uncredited)
Charles Bennett	...	Peddler at Tournament (uncredited)
Hal Brazeale	...	High Sheriff's Squire (uncredited)
George Bunny	...	Butcher (uncredited)
David Cavendish	...	Saxon Man (uncredited)
Phyllis Coghlan	...	Saxon Woman (uncredited)
D'Arcy Corrigan	...	Villager (uncredited)
Jack Deery	...	Richard's Knight (uncredited)
Nick De Ruiz	...	Executioner (uncredited)
Eddie Dew	...	Outlaw (uncredited)
Harold Entwistle	...	Tailor (uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Seneschal (uncredited)
Austin Fairman	...	Sir Nigel (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	...	Man-at-arms (uncredited)
Alec Harford	...	Outlaw (uncredited)
Ivo Henderson	...	Richard's Knight (uncredited)
Holmes Herbert	...	Archery Referee (uncredited)
Peter Hobbes	...	Outlaw (uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson	...	Norman Officer (uncredited)
Harold Howard	...	Beggar (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten	...	Outlaw (uncredited)
Charles Irwin	...	Saxon Man (uncredited)
Crauford Kent	...	Sir Norbett (uncredited)
Marten Lamont	...	Sir Guy's Squire (uncredited)
Connie Leon	...	Saxon Woman (uncredited)
Charles McNaughton	...	Crippen (uncredited)
Thomas R. Mills	...	Priest with Blacksmith (uncredited)
Leonard Mudie	...	Town Crier (uncredited)
Joseph North	...	Friar (uncredited)
Antonia Oland	...	Child (uncredited)
Paul Power	...	Richard's Knight (uncredited)
Jack Richardson	...	Serf (uncredited)
Dick Rich	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Gerald Rogers	...	Saxon Man (uncredited)
Janet Shaw	...	Humility's Daughter (uncredited)
Reginald Sheffield	...	Herald at Archery Tournament (uncredited)
Robert St. Angelo	...	Pierre de Caan (uncredited)
Ernie Stanton	...	Outlaw (uncredited)
Val Stanton	...	Outlaw (uncredited)
Robert R. Stephenson	...	Soldier (uncredited)
John Sutton	...	Richard's Knight (uncredited)
Cyril Thornton	...	Saxon Man (uncredited)
David Thursby	...	Archer at Tournament (uncredited)
Trigger	...	Lady Marian's Horse (uncredited)
Claude Wisberg	...	Blacksmith's Apprentice (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Curtiz
William Keighley

Writing credits
Norman Reilly Raine		(original screenplay) and
Seton I. Miller		(original screenplay)
Rowland Leigh		contributor to treatment (uncredited)

Produced by
Henry Blanke	....	associate producer (uncredited)
Hal B. Wallis	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Jack L. Warner	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Cinematography by
Tony Gaudio		(photography by)
Sol Polito		(photography by)

Film Editing by
Ralph Dawson

Casting by
Rufus Le Maire		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Carl Jules Weyl

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist
Ward Hamilton	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Irma Kusely	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Al Alleborn	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lee Katz	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Jack Sullivan	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Gene Allen	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Pat Patterson	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
C.A. Riggs	....	sound
Gerald W. Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Charles David Forrest	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Elmer Haglund	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Nathan Levinson	....	recording director (uncredited)

Stunts
Frank Baker	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Bruggeman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Albert Cavens	....	assistant stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Albert Cavens	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Cavens	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Fred Cavens	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Graham	....	staircase fall stunt double: Basil Rathbone (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	....	stunts (uncredited)
Howard Hill	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Kennedy	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bert LeBaron	....	stunts (uncredited)
Post Park	....	staircase fall stunt double: Errol Flynn (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ernie Stanton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chad Trower	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Buster Wiles	....	stunt double: Errol Flynn (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
W. Howard Greene	....	technicolor photography
Charles P. Boyle	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
A. Clark	....	second assistant camera: Technicolor (uncredited)
William Classen	....	key grip (uncredited)
Wilfred M. Cline	....	camera operator: Technicolor (uncredited)
Allen M. Davey	....	associate director of photography: Technicolor (uncredited)
Frank Evans	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Elmer Fryer	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Al Green	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Carl E. Guthrie	....	first assistant camera: Technicolor (uncredited)
Glen Harris	....	grip (uncredited)
Stuart Higgs	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Vic Johnson	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Mac Julian	....	still photographer: second unit (uncredited)
J. Henry Kruse	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Lloyd MacLean	....	assistant still photographer (uncredited)
William V. Skall	....	camera operator: Technicolor (uncredited)
Claude Swanner	....	best boy (uncredited)
Homer Van Pelt	....	still photographer: second unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Elmer Ellsworth	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)
Ida Greenfield	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)
Rydo Loshak	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Rudi Fair	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestral arranger
R.H. Bassett	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Milan Roder	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
Morgan Padelford	....	associate technicolor color director
Irving Rapper	....	dialogue director
Louis Van der Ecker	....	technical advisor (as Louis Van Den Ecker)
Fred Applegate	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Colin Campbell	....	dialogue director: second unit (uncredited)
Fred Cavens	....	fencing master (uncredited)
B. Reeves Eason	....	director: archery tournament scene (uncredited)
S. Charles Einfeld	....	press representative (uncredited)
Howard Hill	....	archery instructor (uncredited)
Rowland Leigh	....	screenplay construction contributor (uncredited)
Major	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Flora Pan	....	script supervisor: second unit (uncredited)
Irva Mae Ross	....	script supervisor: second unit (uncredited)
Sears	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Mary Elizabeth Tilson	....	stand-in (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (presents) (A First National Picture)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1938) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1948) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Sociedade Importadora de Filmes (SIF) (1940) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Dominant Pictures Corporation (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release) (b&w)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• GP Museum Soft (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
• First Trading (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• PSG (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (1988) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. Television (????) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Robin Hood (Australia) (TV title)
Las aventuras de Robin Hood (Argentina) (Venezuela) [es]
As Aventuras de Robin Hood (Brazil) [pt]
As Aventuras de Robin dos Bosques (Portugal) [pt]
Die Abenteuer des Robin Hood (West Germany) [de]
Harpatkaotav Shel Robin Hood (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
La leggenda di Robin Hood (Italy) [it]
Les aventures de Robin des Bois (France) [fr]
O roben ton Dason (Greece) [el]
Przygody Robin Hooda (Poland) [pl]
Robin Hood (Denmark) [da]
Robin Hood (Italy) [it]
Robin Hood kalandjai (Hungary) [hu]
Robin Hood, König der Vagabunden (West Germany) [de]
Robin Hoodin seikkailut (Finland) [fi]
Robin Hoods äventyr (Sweden) [sv]
Robin Hoods Abenteuer (Austria) [de]
Robin de los bosques (Spain) [es]
Vatan kurtaran aslan (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated PG for adventure violence.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG (DVD rating) | USA:Approved (original rating) (PCA #3790) | Portugal:M/6 | Canada:G (video rating) | West Germany:6 (nf) | Germany:6 (video rating) | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) (2003) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | New Zealand:G (single DVD) | New Zealand:PG (2 dvd set) | Sweden:Btl (uncut) (1969) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-16 (1938) | Ireland:G | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Sweden:Btl (cut) (1938) | UK:U | USA:PG (re-rating) (2003)

Filming Locations:

Alhambra, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Despite his flamboyant performance as Robin Hood, Errol Flynn privately professed that he found the role a boring one.

Goofs:

Continuity: There is a scene where a Norman knight is accosting a young lady and he is shot in the back with an arrow (which also douses a candle). If you look closely at the Knight's back, you can see 2 holes in his tunic which appear to have been made by arrow shots in previous takes.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Town Crier announcing capture of Richard: News has come from Vienna: "Leopold of Austria has seized King Richard on his return from the Crusades. Our king is being held prisoner. Nothing further is known. His Highness Prince John will make further public pronouncement tomorrow."

Movie Connections:

Featured in Cineastes en acció (2005)

Errol Flynn VS Basil Rathbone, Round 2 I think

The other early romanticism take on the Robin Hood legend, aside from the silent Douglas Fairbanks version. This one puts famed Hollywood hell raiser pirate Errol Flynn in the title role of Robin Hood. As would be expected of that scoundrel/scallywag Flynn's famous devil-may-care-heroics, the Flynn Robin Hood outrightly refuses to support Prince John when he commits what Robin views as treachery - trying to get himself made king and abusing the land and the people in what may or may not be the aftermath of his older brother King Ricahrd the Lion-Hearted's death while battling in the crusades. After nearly getting killed by John and Gisbourne's men, Robin goes on the run, with Will Scarlet and along the way acquiring Much, Little John, a cantankerous Friar Tuck, and a whole army of merry men in tights. From there, he becomes the great outlaw we all know and love, fighting Gisbourne, the bumbling Sheriff and Prince John anyway which way he can and sweeps that adorable sweetie pie Maid Marion off her feet.

Sure the costumes may look fake today and the film itself overly colorful, but it's still a fun time. Sure Errol Flynn doesn't have a well articulated British accent either, but at least he doesn't sound like he's from the heart land of America. Flynn is certainly a lot quicker on his feet than Kevin Costner was, which comes in handy when you're in a duel to the death. Basil Rathbone is a fairly menacing Gisbourne, smarter than the Robert Addie or Michael Wincott versions (he looks kind of like Christopher Lee), and Olivia de Havilland is a very pretty Marion without being overly sexual and slutty about it (as was the case with many leading ladies back then). Out of the versions I've seen this is probably the only one where the Sheriff is an idiot and Gisbourne is the real menace (Gisbourne died early in the Kevin Costner verison of Robin Hood, and on TV's "Robin of Sherwood" he was just this weird neurotic guy, and I'm afraid I don't remember the Patrick Bergin version of Robin Hood very well).

There are least five big action sequences here, namely Robin's two escapes from Nottingham, an ambush in Sherwood Forest and the climax between Robin's & King Richard's men at Nottingham castle. Naturally, there is a duel to the death that features shadows on the wall going at it while the actors are off screen. Good stuff, especially for the children.