The Men of Sherwood Forest – 1954

A Hammer production released by Exclusive Films (UK) and Astor (USA)
Copyright MCMLIV by Exclusive Films Ltd.
RCA Sound Recording
Produced at Bray Studios, England
Eastman Colour by Denham Laboratories 77 mins
Storyline
Opening titles:- “1194 A.D. – England is a troubled land. King Richard the Lion Heart is a prisoner in Germany, with but half his ransom is paid. At home, his brother, Prince John, is intriguing to obtain the Crown himself. In the County of Nottingham Robin Hood and his outlaw band take toll from rich travellers – and it is a brave voyager indeed who ventures through Sherwood Forest.
Watch the film on Daily Motion
Crew
Function | Credited | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Credits |
Art Director | J. Elder Wills | 53 | 26 Apr 1900 | 1970 | 69 | 22 |
Assistant Director | Jack Causey | 40 | 1914 | 1977 | 63 | 6 |
Camera Operator | Len Harris | 37 | 19 May 1916 | 21 Feb 1995 | 78 | 52 |
Continuity | Renee Glynne | 27 | 3 Aug 1926 | Lving | 94 | 38 |
Costume Designer | Michael Whitaker | 35 | 1 Apr 1918 | 1 Aug 1977 | 59 | 1 |
Directed by | Val Guest | 42 | 11 Dec 1911 | 10 May 2006 | 94 | 29 |
Director of Photography | Walter Harvey BSc | 50 | 9 Feb 1903 | 1979 | 75 | 33 |
Editor | James Needs | 34 | 17 Oct 1919 | 2003 | 83 | 111 |
Hairdresser | Monica Hustler | 28 | 1926 | Lving | 95 | 18 |
Make-up | Phil Leakey | 45 | 4 May 1908 | 26 Nov 1992 | 84 | 48 |
Music Composed by | Doreen Carwithen | 31 | 15 Nov 1922 | 5 Jan 2003 | 80 | 3 |
Musical Director | John Hollingsworth | 37 | 20 Mar 1916 | 29 Dec 1963 | 47 | 36 |
Produced by | Michael Carreras | 26 | 21 Dec 1927 | 19 Apr 1994 | 66 | 83 |
Production Manager | Jimmy Sangster | 26 | 2 Dec 1927 | 19 Aug 2011 | 83 | 65 |
Screenplay by | Alan MacKinnon | 42 | 1912 | 1955 | 43 | 3 |
Sound Recording | Ken Cameron | 38 | 1 Dec 1915 | 8 Aug 2000 | 84 | 8 |
Sound Recording | Sid Wiles | 54 | 2 Feb 1899 | 1 Jul 1973 | 74 | 6 |
Wardrobe Mistress | Molly Arbuthnot | 45 | 19 Dec 1908 | 1 Nov 2001 | 92 | 48 |
Cast
Character | Actor | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Appearances |
Elvira | Vera Pearce | 58 | 27 May 1895 | 18 Jan 1966 | 70 | 1 |
Father David | Toke Townley | 41 | 6 Nov 1912 | 28 Sep 1984 | 71 | 2 |
Friar Tuck | Reginald Beckwith | 45 | 2 Nov 1908 | 26 Jun 1965 | 56 | 6 |
Gaoler | Bernard Bresslaw | 19 | 25 Feb 1934 | 11 Jun 1993 | 59 | 4 |
Hubert | Harold Lang | 30 | 1923 | 16 Nov 1970 | 47 | 8 |
Hugo | Wensley Pithey | 39 | 20 Jan 1914 | 10 Nov 1993 | 79 | 2 |
King Richard the Lion Heart | Patrick Holt | 41 | 31 Jan 1912 | 12 Oct 1993 | 81 | 3 |
Lady Alys | Eileen Moore | 21 | 1 Aug 1932 | Living | 88 | 1 |
Little John | Leslie Linder | 29 | 31 Aug 1924 | 16 Jan 2010 | 85 | 1 |
Robin Hood | Don Taylor | 33 | 13 Dec 1920 | 29 Dec 1998 | 78 | 1 |
Sheriff of Nottingham | Leonard Sachs | 44 | 26 Sep 1909 | 15 Jun 1990 | 80 | 2 |
Sir Guy Belton | David King-Wood | 40 | 12 Sep 1913 | 3 Sep 2003 | 89 | 4 |
Sir Nigel Saltire | Douglas Wilmer | 33 | 8 Jan 1920 | 31 Mar 2016 | 96 | 4 |
Walter | Ballard Berkeley | 49 | 6 Aug 1904 | 16 Jan 1988 | 83 | 2 |
Will Scarlet | John Van Eyssen | 31 | 19 Mar 1922 | 13 Nov 1995 | 73 | 4 |
Footnotes
Hammer’s first colour production visits territory they would return to on two more occasions – in “Sword of Sherwood Forest” (1960) and “A Challenge for Robin Hood” (1967).”.
Carry On” regular Bernard Bresslaw appears here in a small role. He later starred in Hammer’s 1959 Jekyll and Hyde comedy, “The Ugly Duckling” and in “Moon Zero Two” (1968).
John Hollingsworth remained as chief Musical Director at Hammer for the next nine years.
Eileen Moore was married to actor George Cole who appeared in Hammer’s “Don’t Panic Chaps” (1959), and “The Vampire Lovers” (1970).
Details were complied viewing the actual film.
Source of viewing copy – The Hammer Graveyard Collection