The Bandit of Sherwood Forest
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
George Sherman
Anita Louise
Jill Esmond
Edgar Buchanan
Cornel Wilde
Henry Daniell
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In 1216, when William of Pembroke, the Lord Regent of England, threatens the rights of the people to rule and tax themselves as granted in the Magna Carta, the Earl of Huntington, who years earlier had assumed the mantle of Robin Hood to protect the kingdom from corrupt Prince John, reassembles the band of men that fought at his side and summons his son, Robert of Nottingham. When the Earl openly opposes the Regent's plan to abolish the Magna Carta, the Regent banishes him from England. Before leaving the castle, the Earl warns the Queen Mother that her son, the boy King, is in danger and tells her that he has sent for Robert to protect them. The Earl then returns to Sherwood Forest to lead his men as Robin Hood. When Robin and his men begin to openly defy the Regent, the Regent decides to depose the boy and ascend to the throne himself. After the Regent orders the King locked away in a tower, Catherine Maitland, the Queen's lady-in- waiting, proposes to the Queen that they turn to Robin Hood for help. That night, the two women steal out of the castle dressed as scullery maids. The next morning, Robert finds them hiding in the forest, and thinking that they are lowly maids, takes them to Mother Meg's hut. Upon leaving the hut, Robert is confronted by Friar Tuck, Allan-a-Dale and Little John, members of his father's band. After Robin introduces Robert as his son, they all return to Mother Meg's. There, Robin recognizes the Queen Mother and pledges to free England. Robin then dispatches Allan to infiltrate the castle and learn the Regent's plans. From the shadows, Allan listens as the Regent plots to push the King to his death from the tower window the following night. When Allan reports back, Robert decides to pose as the Prioress of Buxton to gain access to the castle, knowing that the drawbridge would be lowered for the Prioress. Catherine, who has fallen in love with Robert, insists on posing as the Prioress herself, and he agrees to let her accompany him. The next day, as Robert's men wait outside, Catherine, dressed as the ailing Prioress, and Robert, posing as her companion, ride through the castle gates. Inside, as Robert outlines to Catherine and Allan his plan to shoot an arrow attached to a rope into the King's tower, Lord Fitz-Herbert, one of the Regent's allies, discovers that the real Prioress is resting at a nearby inn and hurries to warn the Regent. Just as Robert's arrow lands inside the tower window and the King scrambles down the rope, Fitz-Herbert arrives and the Regent orders his men to shoot the King. With the help of Robert's men, the King escapes, but Robert, Allan and Catherine are captured. After convening a meeting of the barons, the Regent accuses Robert and his friends of abducting the King and orders them hung. When Robert demands a trial by combat instead and reveals that he is the son of Robin Hood, the Regent accepts his challenge, but deprives him of food and water for three days prior to the duel. On the night of the duel, Robin and his men surround the castle and overpower the guards. As Robert outduels the Regent, the Regent calls for his men to intervene, but they are helpless against Robin's band. After Robert defeats the Regent, the King returns to his throne. The King then knights Robert and commands him to marry Catherine.
Cast
Anita Louise
Jill Esmond
Edgar Buchanan
Cornel Wilde
Henry Daniell
George Macready
Russell Hicks
John Abbott
Lloyd Corrigan
Eva Moore
Ray Teal
Leslie Denison
Ian Wolfe
Maurice Tauzin
Mauritz Hugo
Philip Van Zandt
Robert Williams
Harry Cording
Ralph Dunn
Dick Curtis
Nelson Leigh
George Eldredge
Robert Scott
Ross Hunter
Ferdinand Munier
Dan Stowell
Lane Chandler
Holmes Herbert
Jimmy Lloyd
Charles Mcnaughton
Cy Malis
Lloyd Ford
George Hoagland
Frank Ellis
Bob Ryan
John Rice
Alfred Allegro
Gene Stutenroth
Ted Allan
Crew
Fayte Browne
Clay Campbell
Paul A. Castleton
Francisco C. Cugat
Lambert Day
Richard Fantl
Hugo Friedhofer
Tony Gaudio
Stephen Goossón
Howard H. Hill
Thelma Hoover
Helen Hunt
Natalie Kalmus
Melvin Levy
Juanita Lopez
Jean Louis
Wilbur Mcgaugh
George B. Meehan
William Mull
Wilfrid H. Pettitt
Wilfrid H. Pettitt
Leonard S. Picker
Clifford Sanforth
Oscar Saul
George Sklar
William Snyder
Edward M. Spitz
Rudolph Sternad
M. W. Stoloff
Edwin L. Wetzel
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to an April 1945 New York Times news item, Columbia was forced to change the title of this film from The Son of Robin Hood to The Bandit of Sherwood Forest when M-G-M protested that they owned the rights to the name Robin Hood. An April 1945 Hollywood Reporter news item noted that a specially designed helicopter with camera mounts in the cockpit was employed to film the scene in which Robin's men seize the castle. This was one of the first uses of a helicopter in filming. For information about other films based on Robin Hood, see The Adventures of Robin Hood in AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.0021.
