The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

(This blog post is part of the Fourth Annual Olivia de Havilland Blogathon hosted Phyllis Loves Movies and In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood)

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) remains one of the most popular films of all time. It was enormously successful upon its initial release, going onto become the fourth highest grossing film of 1938. It also received a good deal of critical acclaim. The Adventures of Robin Hood won three Oscars (for Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score) and was nominated for a fourth (Best Picture, which it lost to You Can't Take It With You). It has remained highly regarded to this day. It is one of the few movies to have a rating of 100% among critics at review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. To this day when many people picture Robin Hood and Maid Marian, it is Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland they see.

The Adventures of Robin Hood began with a memo from July 1935, from period costume consultant Dwight Franklin, who was then working on Captain Blood (1935), to Jack Warner. In the memo Mr. Franklin suggested that James Cagney should be cast as the lead in a "Robin Hood" movie. James Cagney had recently played Bottom, the Weaver, in Warner Bros.' all-star version of Shakespeare's A Midummer Night's Dream (which featured Olivia de Havilland as Hermia). In the memo Mr. Franklin also suggested casting other actors best known for playing gangsters as the Merry Men, including Ross Alexander, Hugh Herbert, Allen Jenkins, and Frank McHugh. 

As strange as this idea sounds today, Warner Bros. actually bought it. On the one hand, romantic adventure movies and period pieces had come back into fashion. It had only been in 1934 that MGM had released adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) and Treasure Island (1934) to great success. It was largely due to the success of those two movies that Warner Bros. began production on Captain Blood, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. On the other hand, James Cagney had been very vocal about wanting to play something other than gangsters. Originally a song and dance man, the success of The Public Enemy (1931) insured that he was cast consistently in similar roles. Playing Robin Hood would be a big change of pace.

It was then that Warner Bros. forged ahead with a Robin Hood movie. Producer Hal B. Wallis hired screenwriter Rowland Leigh, who had earlier written The Charge of the Light Brigade (1935), to write the script. James Cagney was set to play Robin Hood, while Guy Kibbee would play Friar Tuck. Unfortunately for Warner Bros., James Cagney was not happy with the studio. It was in late 1935 that he sued them for breach of contract. Suddenly, Warner Bros. was without its Robin Hood.

Fortunately,Warner Bros. was able to cast another actor as Robin Hood, namely Errol Flynn. Now given the success of both Captain Blood and The Charge of the Light Brigade (1937), one would think Errol Flynn's co-star in both movies, Olivia de Havilland, would have been cast as Marin from the moment Mr. Flynn had been cast. In fact, the production staff of The Adventures of Robin Hood wanted Miss de Havilland for the role. That having been said, Jack Warner decided Anita Louise should play Marian, and this would be confirmed by producer Hal B. Wallis in early September. This would change in mid-September when Olivia de Havilland was cast in the role. It was then that Olivia de Havilland would be Marian to Errol Flynn's Robin. Olivia de Havilland wasn't the only veteran of Captain Blood to be cast in the film. Basil Rathbone was cast as the villainous Sir Guy of Gisbourne

While Warner Bros. had its lead actors, the screenplay would take more work. Roland Leigh turned in the first draft in November 1936. Producer Hal B. Wallis found the script lacking and then assigned Norman Reilly Raine to rewrite it. Mr. Raine was then best known as the creator of "Tugboat Annie." Ultimately, Hal B. Wallis would be dissatisfied with Norman Reilly Raine's script, and brought Seton I. Miller to revise the screenplay yet again. Fortunately, Mr. Miller's revision would be found acceptable.

From the beginning The Adventures of Robin Hood was meant to be a blockbuster. To this end, in 1936, Jack Warner decided that the film would be shot in Technicolor. In fact, it would be Warner Bros.' first major colour film using the three-strip Technicolor process. Much of The Adventures of Robin Hood would be shot on location in California, with Bidwell Park in Chico, California standing in for Sherwood Forest. Ultimately, The Adventures of Robin Hood would cost an estimated $2 million, making its Warner Bros.' most expensive film to date.

Much as Warner Bros. had difficulty casting The Adventures of Robin Hood and getting a screenplay made, it also had problems with the film's original director. The film's first director, William Keighley, was very slow in shooting scenes. Eventually Hal B. Wallis sent second unit director H. Reeves Eason to Chico to pick up the pace on the production by shooting additional scenes. Unfortunately, by November 30 1927 William Keighley was a full 15 days behind the film's schedule. It was then that Michael Curtiz was brought onto The Adventures of Robin Hood. 

All of the problems Warner Bros. had in bringing The Adventures of Robin Hood to the screen proved to be worth it. It was clear from previews of the film in Pomona, California and later in Los Angeles and Hollywood, that audiences loved it. The Adventures of Robin Hood received overwhelmingly positive notices from critics. It also performed very well at the box office. It earned nearly $4 million at the box office and proved to the fourth highest grossing film of the year. Arguably, it is better remembered than the three films that out-grossed it in 1938 (Alexander's Ragtime Band, Test Pilot, and Boy's Town).

Seen today it is easy to understand why The Adventures of Robin Hood was a success. Decades before the advent of CGI, it features some of the most exciting scenes in cinema history, all shot in lush Technicolor. Erich Wolfgang Korngold's score is one of the greatest ever written and would have a lasting impact on movie scores to come, particularly John Williams's score for Star Wars (1977). Of course, much of the credit most go to the cast. Errol Flynn makes a fine Robin Hood, exuding the confidence and bluster necessary for the role. Olivia de Havilland makes Lady Marian more than a mere token love interest. Miss de Havilland's Marian is intelligent and independent and can more than hold her own with any man. Basil Rathbone shines as Guy of Gisbourne, one of the all time great screen villains The rest of the cast, from Alan Hale, Sr. as Little John to Claude Rains as Prince John all do wonderfully. It is hard picturing The Adventures of Robin Hood being as good as it is without this cast.

The Adventures of Robin Hood was a true summer blockbuster of its time. It was made for a big budget and did incredibly well at the box office. It was the 1930s equivalent of today's Marvel superhero movies, although there can be no doubt that it will be remembered better than any of them will be. There can be no doubt that 81 years from now it will still be considered one of the greatest action movies of all time.