All posts filed under: The Adventures of Robin Hood

The Violent Deaths of Basil Rathbone

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Yes, you read that right — “deaths.” I’m not writing about the actual death of Basil Rathbone, but rather the many deaths of his characters on film and on the stage. On film, Basil met a violent death 23 times! He was run through by a sword in five films and fatally shot by a gun in six films. His deaths in the other twelve films occurred as a result of poison, stabbing, suffocating, falling, and a few other unfortunate incidents. We will take a closer look at these below. Here is the final duel in Captain Blood (1935), in which Errol Flynn skewers Levasseur (Rathbone): Errol Flynn also dispatched Rathbone (as Sir Guy of Gisbourne) in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938): In the 1935 film Romeo and Juliet, Rathbone played Tybalt, one of Juliet’s relatives. After Tybalt killed Mercutio in a duel, Romeo (Leslie Howard) challenged Tybalt to a duel and killed him: And then there is that wonderful duel in The Mark of Zorro (1940), where foppish Don Diego (Tyrone Power) reveals …

Robin Hood vs. Marco Polo

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I recently came across an article that was originally published in Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin on July 30, 1938.  David J. Hanna, the author of the article, compares and contrasts two films: The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Adventures of Marco Polo. Basil Rathbone, of course, played a major role in both of those films: Sir Guy of Gisbourne in Robin Hood and Ahmed the Saracen in Marco Polo. The article appears below. Enjoy! ROBIN HOOD vs MARCO POLO One of the greatest box office successes of the year, if not the greatest, is THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD. Throughout the country, reports from class and deluxe houses, from city neighborhoods and rural locations, from the cheapest action spots, tell conclusively that the Warner production is at or very near the top of the season’s grossers. THE ADVENTURES OF MARCO POLO, Sam Goldwyn’s contribution to the year’s adventure program, met with far less success. While neither Mr. Goldwyn nor most exhibitors apparently lost money on the film, it failed to hit the “big money” class. …

A Lesson in Three Sword Fights

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Change of tone from the whole “WW1 Mystery Letter” question – to which I’m sure we will be returning anon – to the simpler but still baffling question – even if you can’t get Basil Rathbone why do you replace him with Henry Daniell? In case you don’t follow the purport of the question, check this vid out. First you’ll see Flynn’s two epic encounters with RazzleDazzle (as someone called him in the comments today, and which I think is just perfect), in Captain Blood (1935) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938); and then you’ll see good ole’ Henry step in to take Baz’s place in The Sea Hawk (1940) (you can also watch the final two if you like,but they aren’t needed for the point and they will just show you a depressingly decaying Flynn speeding towards his early death). The Sword Fights of Errol Flynn from Russ McClay on Vimeo. So, did you watch the Sea Hawk fight? Painful isn’t it. Ok, there are big shadows and ok, there is table-tossing, but …

The Best Candids Ever II

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By popular demand (well, ok, one commenter suggested it, but I want to do it anyway so there), here is Episode II of The Best Candids Ever, and again it’s featuring the amazing Adventures of Robin Hood. This time it’s the Baz and Olivia de Havilland. It’s a natural pair with the first photo really as again, the personalities and relationships displayed by the subjects could almost be designed to undercut their personas (personae?) in the movie. They might look like Gisbourne and Maid Marian and be dressed like Gisbourne and Maid Marian – but wait a minute — WTF?… …This Marian is leaning and laughing and clearly flirting her ass off, the shameless hussy. And Gisbourne is obviously enjoying every minute of it. She’s just put her hand up to his face, and he – I’m feeling a little outraged here people – is kissing her palm! I think what we need to ask is – does Robin know this is going on? Shouldn’t somebody tell him!!!?

The Best Candids Ever…

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Thought I’d do an occasional series of the best candid photos I know of. And to kick off here’s one featuring not just one but two of my heroes – the Baz and the Flynn! What I love about this – in addition to the two lovely guys – is the way it’s captured a moment in their lives with a kind of documentary honesty that’s quite rare in Hollywood pics, even in candids, and the way the personalities of the three people are being so eloquently expressed. It’s a bit like one of those old master paintings of historical scenes where everyone is frozen in some attitude that tells the story of who they are and what they’re thinking. And what’s great is the way this story is almost the antithesis of anything you’d expect from their screen roles in the movie they’re in the midst of making. Flynn/Robin Hood, the action hero, is caught, not in his Lincoln Green, but formally dressed in chainmail, his face unguarded and almost shy. Rathbone/Gisborne, the villainous …