The Bandit of Sherwood Forest *** (1945, Cornel Wilde, Anita Louise, Edgar Buchanan, Jill Esmond, Henry Daniell, George Macready) – Classic Movie Review 5125

Cornel Wilde stars in directors George Sherman and Henry Levin’s 1945 American swashbuckling adventure movie as Robin Hood (Russell Hicks)’s little-known son Robert of Nottingham. Robert romps through Sherwood Forest to stop the wicked Prince Regent (Henry Daniell), William of Pembroke, who is trying to usurp the throne from the English boy King and has locked him in the guarded castle.

Anita Louise plays the beautiful heroine, Lady Catherine Maitland, and Jill Esmond plays The Queen Mother. Robert has to help out the two women, who are fleeing the Regent, and try to free the King.

Fruity, scene-stealing performances from Daniell, Edgar Buchanan as Friar Tuck, John Abbott as Will Scarlet, Lloyd Corrigan as the Sheriff Robert of Nottingham, Ray Teal as Little John and George Macready as Fitz-Herbert and Holmes Herbert jolly up the pretty-looking but routine adventures.

Also in the cast are Leslie Denison as Allan-A-Dale, Eva Moore, Maurice R Tauzin as The King, Ian Wolfe as Lord Mortimer, Lane Chandler, Ben Corbett, Harry Cording, Dick Curtis, Ralph Dunn, George Eldredge, Holmes Herbert, Mauritz Hugo, Ross Hunter, Nelson Leigh, Jimmy Lloyd, Miles Mander as Lord Warrick, Francis McDonald, Ferdinand Munier, Gene Roth, Robert E Scott, Dan Stowell, Philip Van Zandt and Robert Williams.

Columbia Pictures’ production values are high in an attractive Technicolor movie, handsomely shot by Tony Gaudio, William E Snyder and George B Meehan Jr, with smart-looking production designs by Stephen Goosson and Rudolph Sternad.

British audiences probably will not greatly appreciate the American attempts at ye olde Englishe.

Melvin Levy writes the screenplay based on the novel The Son of Robin Hood by Paul A Castleton and the screen story by Paul A Castleton and  Wilfrid H Pettit.

The other Columbia Pictures’ Robin Hood films are: The Prince of Thieves (1948), Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950) and Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5125

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