The Late,Great Lena Horne

Singer and actress Lena Horne passed yesterday at the age of 92.

Lena Horne was born in Brooklyn on June 30, 1917 to an upper middle class, family. Her parents separated when she was two. Until she was six she was raised by her paternal grandparents, after which her mother took her back. She was only 16 when her mother took her out of school to audition for the chorus at the Cotton Club in Harlem. It was only a year later she made her debut on Broadway in a small part in Dance of the Gods. It was in 1938 that she appeared in her first film, as the female lead in The Duke is Tops, a quickie musical for which she was never paid.

In 1938 she returned to Broadway in the musical revue Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1939. She had been performing at the Café Society, a nightclub in Manhattan, for some time when Felix Young hand picked her as the star of his new nightclub in Hollywood, the Trocadero. At the time Hollywood did not allow African Americans to live there, so Felix Young signed the rental contract for the house as if he planned to live there. While there were those in the neighbourhood who did not want Miss Horne to live there, she found a powerful champion in her neighbour from across the street, Humphrey Bogart. He let it be known to Miss Horne that if anyone bothered her to let him know.

Composer and arranger Roger Edens had been to the Café Society when Lena Horne was performing there, and went to see her at the Trocadero as well. He convinced Arthur Freed, the producer of many MGM musicals, to go to the nightclub to hear her sing. Mr. Freed insisted that Louis B. Mayer also listen to Miss Horne sing. In the end Miss Horne was signed to a seven year contract with MGM. She appeared in her first film for MGM, Panama Hattie, in 1942. Over the next few years she would appear in several of MGM's films. Miss Horne was the female lead in Cabin in the Sky (1943), Stormy Weather (1943), and  the musical short Boogie Woogie Dream (1944). She appeared in the films Thousands Cheer (1943), I Dood It (1943), Two Girls and a Sailor (1944), Ziegfield Follies (1945), Til the Clouds Roll By (1945), Words and Music (1948), Some of the Best (1949), and Duchess of Idaho (1950). At the same time she had a successful recording career. scoring  a hit with the single "Stormy Weather" and recording three albums in the Forties. Miss Horne also toured with the U.S.O.

Miss Horne's contract with MGM ended in 1950. While Miss Horne would only appear in one film throughout the Fifties (1956's Meet Me in Las Vegas), she appeared frequently on television. She made her television debut on The Colgate Comedy Hour in 1951 and went onto appear on Your Show of Shows, Music '55, The Frank Sinatra Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, What's My Line, and The Steve Allen Show. She also appeared in the musical Jamaica on Broadway in 1957. She performed at nightclubs in Hollywood, Las Vegas, and New York City. Miss Horne also recorded six albums.

The Sixties saw Miss Horne continue to perform at nightclubs, as well as appear on television. She appeared on such shows as The Dupont Show of the Week, Password, The Jack Paar Programme, The Judy Garland Show, The Perry Como Show, The Andy Williams Show, and Rowan and Martin's Laugh In. She recorded twelve albums. In 1969 she appeared in the film Death of a Gunfighter. In the Seventies she appeared on such shows as Sanford and Son, The Flip Wilson Show, The Bruce Forsyth Show, Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and The Tonight Show. On Broadway she appeared in her own show with Tony Bennett entitled Tony and Lena Sing in 1974. She recorded three more albums. She played Glinda the Good in The Wiz in 1978.

From the Eighties into the Naughts Miss Horne appeared in many awards shows, including ones for the Tony Awards, Essence Awards, and the Grammy Awards. She guest starred on The Cosby Show, Reading Rainbow, and A Different World. She was narrator and co-host for That's Entertainment III (1994). In 1981 she appeared on Broadway for the last time, in her own show entitled Lena Horne"The Lady and Her Music." She recorded six more albums.

Lena Horne was certainly a ground breaker. While she was not the first black actress ever signed to a movie studio, she might well have been the first black, female movie star. Indeed, it must be pointed out that Miss Horne had the very qualities that would make her a perfect movie star. Not only was she beautiful, but she was arguably one of the greatest singers of all time and a very good actress. It is unfortunate that most of the time MGM only allowed to sing one or two songs in a film, without allowing her to interact with the characters. She was also a tireless fighter for civil rights. During World War II, while touring with the USO, she refused to perform for segregated audiences. When the United States Army refused to integrate the audiences, she performed for African American soldiers and German POWs. Miss Horne took part in the March of Washington and worked alongside Eleanor Roosevelt to pass laws against lynching. She often spoke and performed on the part of the NAACP. Lena Horne was not simply a talented woman, but she was a very remarkable one as well.

The Late, Great Peter O'Donnell

Peter O'Donnell, creator of the comic strip Modesty Blaise and novelist, passed on 3 May at the age of 90. He had suffered from Parkinson's disease for many years and had recently had a stroke.

Peter O'Donnell was born in Lewisham, London on 11 April, 1920. His father, Bernard O'Donnell was  crime reporter and author. It was not unusual for young Peter to and his brother to wake up of a morning to find his father having a criminal over for breakfast. As a teenager he drew his own comic strips. He left school in the late 1930's and began his career as a professional writer at the age of 16.

During World War II he served in the British Army in the Royal Signals deployed in Persia. His unit was later assigned to Syria where he took part in the British 8th Army's campaign against Rommell. He later served in Italy and still later Greece.

Following the war Peter O'Donnell began to write comic strips for such newspapers as The Daily Mirror and The Daily Sketch. From 1953 to 1966 he was one of the writers on the British science fiction comic strip Garth (created by Steve Dowling, not Mr. O'Donnell as reported elsewhere). It was in 1954 that he created the comic strip Romeo Brown, about a private eye and ladies man, for The Daily Mirror. He wrote the strip until 1962. It was also in 1954 that Mr. O'Donnell created the comic strip Tug Transom, about a captain of a merchant ship. He wrote the strip until 1966. He also wrote the comic strip adaptation of Ian Fleming's Dr. No, which ran from 23 May, 1960 to 1 October, 1960.

It was in 1962 that the editor in charge of comic strips at The Daily Express, Bill Aitken, called Peter O' Donnell and asked him if he would create and write a comic strip for his newspaper. Mr. O'Donnell asked him what kind of comic strip he wanted and Mr. Aitken replied that he could write the kind of comic strip he wanted to. At the same time that Mr. O'Donnell had been writing about such strong, male heroes as Garth, Tug Transom, and Romeo Brown, he had also been doing work for women's magazines. He also remembered an encounter he had with a remarkable young woman when he had been serving in the Middle East during World War II. Mr. O'Donnell had then given thought to the idea of a woman who could do the same sort of heroics as these male characters. At the same time in the wake of  TV shows such as Danger Man and The Avengers and the movie Dr. No. Mr. O'Donnell then created Modesty Blaise, a young woman with a criminal background who would become involved in all sorts of intrigue. Her sidekick was Willie Garvin, her right hand man and confidant.

Unfortunately, after Peter O'Donnell had created Modesty Blaise, the whole project was cancelled. It would never appear in The Daily Express. Bill Aitken then offered the comic strip to The London Evening Standard. Fortunately, The London Evening Standard decided to publish the comic strip. It debuted on 13 May, 1963. Modesty Blaise was an immediate hit, so much so that it was not long after its debut that British Lion Films announced they would make a Modesty Blaise  movie written by Sidney Gilliat (who had written such screenplays as Hitchock's The Lady Vanishes). The movie never materialised. It was in 1966 that a very loose adaptation of Modesty Blaise, directed by Joseph Losey and starring Monica Vitti as Modesty and Terence Stamp as Willie was released. Even though Peter O'Donnell wrote a scenario for the film, the movie ultimately used none of it and actually owed very little to the strip.

Peter O'Donnell was use the scenario he had written for the movie as the basis for the first novel featuring the comic strip's characters, entitled Modesty Blaise. In all he would write eleven Modesty Blaise novels, the last being Dead Man's Handle, published in 1985. He also wrote several short stories featuring Modesty Blaise, which would be collected in two anthologies: Pieces of Modesty (1972) and Cobra Trap (1992). Mr. O'Donnell would start writing Gothic romance novels and adventure novels set in the Victorian Era using the pen name Madeline Brent. The first , Tregaron's Daughter, was published in 1971. The last, Golden Urchin, was published in 1986. In all, Mr. O'Donnell would write nine books as Brent.

In 1982 a pilot for a proposed Modesty Blaise TV series was made. The action was moved from London to Hollywood, while Blaise and Willie were made Americans. Ann Turkel played Modesty Blaise and Lewis Van Burgen as Willie. It was on 11 May, 2001 (Mr. O'Donnell's birthday) that Modesty Blaise ended its long run as Peter O'Donnell elected to retire. As the comic strip was still popular, many newspapers elected to reprint the comic strip. Regardless, Mr.O'Donnell asked that no one write sequels to Modesty Blaise. 

This did not mean that there would not be another film based on the comic strip. In 2002 Miramax produced a film based on Modesty Blaise, primarily to continue holding the film rights. The film, entitled My Name is Modesty, chronicled Modesty Blaise''s early years and starred Alexandria Staden as Modesty. Curiously, Willie Garvin does not appear, making it the only story about Modesty Blaise in any medium not to feature Willie. My Name is Modesty was never released to theatre, but was released to DVD in Europe in 2003 and in North America in 2004. Quentin Tarantino has expressed interest in a Modesty Blaise move and at one point Neil Gaiman was even set to adapt the 1967 Modesty Blaise novel I, Lucifer. Sadly, nothing ever came of it.

Very prolific, Peter O'Donnell also wrote six episodes of the TV series Take a Pair of Private Eyes in 1966, as well as the screen play for The Vengeance of She (1968).

I rather suspect that Peter O'Donnell was always been rather under appreciated by many during his lifetime. I do not think he was ever given credit for creating one of the most iconic characters of post-war Britain, Modesty Blaise. It is true that Mrs. Cathy Gale of The Avengers pre-dates Modesty, but she was among the earliest strong female heroes to appear in any medium. She has inspired many imitators over the years, and has had considerable influence on every female superspy to appear ever since.

It must be pointed out that while Mr. O'Donnell received few kudos for the Modesty Blaise novels, they are among the best pulp fiction and spy novels written in the late 20th Century. There are others of more fame than myself who agree with me on this. Novelist and critic Kingsley Amis actually sent Mr. O'Donnell a handwritten note thanking him for the Modesty Blaise novels. Quentin Tarantino has consistently expressed his admiration for the novels. Beyond the novels, it must be noted that the comic strip was among the best written adventure strips of all time. Indeed, between the storylines included in the comic strip and stories in comic books and the graphic novel published for DC Comics, there would be 99 Modesty Blaise storylines in all. In the end I think Peter O'Donnell will be remembered as more than the creator of  Modesty Blaise. I think he will be remembered as one of the best comic strip writers and best pulp writers of all time.

The Adventures of Robin Hood Revisited

With Ridley Scott's new movie Robin Hood coming out later this month, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit what was only the second television series about Robin Hood and the first to be seen in the United States. That series was The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Richard Greene as the famous outlaw, Alan Wheatley as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Archie Duncan as Little John, and Friar Tuck played by Alexander George. The series ran for five years, from 1955 to 1960.

The origins of The Adventures of Robin Hood are tied to the history of television broadcasting in the United Kingdom. While in the United States, a model of radio and later television broadcasting developed in which broadcasting was privately owned and financed by the sale of advertisements or commercials. In the United Kingdom  a very different model of broadcasting developed, that of public television, whereby a broadcaster (the BBC, in the case of the United Kingdom) receives their funding from the public (in the case of the BBC, the annual television licence fee). When regularly scheduled television broadcasts began in Britain in 1947, like radio, they were public, with BBC the sole television broadcaster. It was as early as 1959 that  there were those in the British government who suggested that perhaps British television broadcasting would be better served if the BBC did not have a monopoly and private broadcasting should be allowed to exist. It was in 1951, when the BBC's licence was renewed, that modifications were made that would leave the back door open for commercial broadcasting. This would soon lead to what became nearly an outcry for the existence of private broadcasting in the United Kingdom.

It was then on 30 July, 1954 that the Television Act 1954 came into law. It was under this act that the Independent Television Authority was established, the agency which would oversee commercial television, from awarding franchises to insuring that the commercial networks operated in good taste. It was in 1955 that the United Kingdom's oldest commercial network, ITV was established. It began broadcasting on 22 September, 1955. Of course, the existence of commercial broadcasters meant that there would have to be companies to provide content for those broadcasters. It was in 1954 that entertainment mogul Lord Lew Grade founded the Incorporated Television Programme Company, soon renamed the Independent Television Company, but better known throughout its history by its initials ITC. Initially ITC made a bit for a franchise to the Independent Television Authority, but that bid was rejected as it was felt that the Grade family's considerable power within the entertainment industry (they owned everything from theatre interests to talent agencies) could create a monopoly. While ITC failed to win a franchise, it would play what may have been a much more important role in the history of British--producing television series.

Even after the passage of the Television Act 1954, there were many who expressed the concern that commercial broadcasting would lead to television franchises catering to the lowest common denominator, much in the way it was perceived the American networks did at the time. For many it was of utmost importance that all broadcasters maintain the high standards established by the BBC. While Lord Grade agreed with this, he also thought that they would have to create content that would not only be high in quality, but appeal to a broad cross section of the audience so as to better sell advertising. It was then that, while many in Parliament thought television should be filled with high quality dramas, Lord Lew Grade thought it should be filled with adventure series that could even be sold abroad.

Curiously, it would be an American who would deliver to Lord Lew Grade a show that would not only have high standards, but would also have enough action, adventure, and humour to not only sell adverts in Britain, but to succeed abroad. That American was Hannah Weinstein. A journalist and former reporter for the New York Herald Tribune who had been active in the campaigns of Franklin Roosevelt and Henry Wallace, her politics leaned decidedly to the left. It was because McCarthyism had made it unsafe for prominent liberals in the United States that she left her native United States in the early 1950's for England. It was there that she set up a television production company named Sapphire Films to produce series for British commercial television. Miss Weinstein had noted that British history had become very popular in both literature and film in the United States. She then thought that Sapphire Films should produce these sorts of shows. She had an idea to do a show about either King Arthur or Robin Hood.

Here it should be pointed out that  Miss Weinstein's idea for a Robin Hood series was hardly new. In fact, a show about the famous archer had already aired on British television. Patrick Troughton, who would one day play Dr. Who, starred as the outlaw in Robin Hood, a series which ran for six episodes on the BBC in 1953. Sadly, no episodes of the series are known to have survived. It would be up to Hannah Weinstein to create a series about the archer that would be remembered for ages.

At the time Hannah Weinstein had only a few contacts in England, but among them was entertainment mogul Lew Grade. Hannah Weinstein's idea for a new Robin Hood series fit in perfectly with Lord Grade's vision for British commercial television. It was an idea rooted in English history that could be done within high standards and yet at the same time have enough action, adventure, and humour to appeal to a mass audience. Lord Grade committed to buying 39 episodes of the series. The Adventures of Robin Hood would be an expensive show to produce, at about $14,000 in American currency at the time. Indeed, the series would cost nearly three fourths of ITC's budget for programmes. The sheer cost of the show made The Adventures of Robin Hood a very costly gamble. At the time commercial television was a total unknown in the United Kingdom and no one could know if any commercial show would make a profit, let alone even break even.

In need of a studio where the show could be shot, Hannah Weinstein found Nettlefold Studios in Walton-on-Thames. The studio had a long history in film, having been established in 1899. Among the films shot there had been were Michael Powell's Hotel Splendide (1932), early Hammer production The Mystery of Maria Celeste (1935), the classic 1951 version of A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim, and the 1952 version of The Pickwick Papers. The production sought to present a fairly accurate view of English life in the 1200's, with sets based on parchments from the British Museum and also on Harlech Castle, Farleigh Hungerford Castle, and Framlingham Castle. While much of the show was shot on a soundstage, it also involved some shooting on location. Scenes were shot at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, Bodiam Castle in Sussex, Allington Castle in Kent, and various other castles. For outdoor scenes, the production often used the English countryside, including sites in Kent and Surrey (it should not be surprising that first time viewers might recognise some of these locations, as they would late be used in shows ranging from The Avengers to Perfect Scoundrels).

Art director Peter Proud had served in the British Army in World War II as second in command of camouflage in the Middle East. He was even credited with the invention of a new system of concealed entrenchment. He put his skills to good work on The Adventures of Robin Hood.  While on the show he developed a new system for designing sets based on interchangeable modules. As even the most remote areas of England were not entirely free of the signs of modern civilisation, he also insured that while on location no modern highways, power lines, or other signs of the 20th century would accidentally appear on the show.

As might be expected of someone who had fled the United States because of the rise of McCarhtyism, Hannah Weinstein hired writers blacklisted for alleged Communist ties in the United States. Ring Lardner Jr., who had written both Laura (1944) and Forever Amber (1947), was one of the Hollywood Ten, ten screenwriters who was called before the  House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947 to answer questions about Communist influence in the film industry and refused to answer any of the committee's questions. Not only was he found in contempt of Congress, fined $1000, and sentence to a year in prison, he also found himself blacklisted. Unable to find work in the United States, he moved to England. While working in the United States English screenwriter Ian McLellan Hunter had fronted for another one of the Hollywood Ten, Dalton Trumbo on Roman Holiday (1953). He soon found himself blacklisted and returned to England. In 1951 Waldo Salt, who had written The Philadelphia Story (1940),  refused to testify before HUAC and was blacklisted as a result. The blacklisted writers wrote using a variety of pseudonyms so that no one would know who was actually writing the show, lest, according to Mr. Lardner in his biography, "the network people in New York might ask to meet one of us for the prospect of other work."

From the beginning it had been decided that The Adventures of Robin Hood would be as historically accurate as a television show could possibly be at the time. It is for this reason that English historians were consulted in making this show. This would actually find its way in the plots of some of the episodes. Some episodes were based around English medieval law. "The Final Tax" involved peasants distressed by the heriot or the death duty under which a lord could seize the property of serfs who have died. "A Year and a Day" was based around the law under which a peasant who had escaped serfdom and lived in a city for a year and a day would become a free man. Other episodes drew upon instances from the old Robin Hood ballads. "Dead or Alive," the first season episode in which Little John is introduced, includes the famous quarterstaff battle between Robin and John which had originated in the ballad "Robin Hood and Little John." The first season episode "Maid Marion," in which the character of that name is introduced, Marian disguises herself as a boy much as she did in the ballad "Robin Hood and Maid Marian." "A Guest for the Gallows" blends the plots of two ballads together, as Robin disguises himself as a butcher (using elements from "Robin Hood and the Butcher") to save Will Stutely from the gallows (using part of the plot of "Robin Hood Rescuing Will Stutely").

Not only would The Adventures of Robin Hood involve top notch writers and one of the greatest set designers of all time (Peter Proud), but its production team would also include individuals who had already made the mark on British entertainment or soon would. While Hannah Weinstein served as the series' executive producer, Sidney Cole, who had produced films for Ealing Studios, served first as the show's associate producer and later producer. He would go onto produce Danger Man. Ralph Smart had written several British films since 1930 and began directing films in 1949. He would direct several episodes of The Adventures of Robin Hood, as well as write a few. Not only would he go onto write, direct, or produce several of Miss Weinstein's other series, he would also go onto create the Fifties British series The Invisible Man and the classic spy series Danger Man.

For the lead role of Robin of Locksley, better known as Robin Hood, actor Richard Greene was cast. Prior to World War II, Mr. Greene had actually been a matinee idol with a successful film career. He appeared as Henry Baskerville in Fox's classic 1939 adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervillles (the first movie feature Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson), and as Gareth Tyce in Stanley and Livingstone (1939). During the war Richard Greene distinguished himself with the 27th Lancers. Unfortunately, he would not see the same success in film following the war as he had before. Although he received good notices for his performance in Forever Amber (1949), he would soon found himself typecast in adventure films, which included Rogue's March (1953) and Captain Scarlett (1953). As a result Mr. Greene increasingly turned to the stage for work. Unfortunately this, coupled with a divorce, left him in dire financial straits. When offered the lead in The Adventures of Robin Hood, he took it. The series' success would insure his financial security until his death.

In the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham, actor Alan Wheatley was cast. Mr. Wheatley had been an industrial psychologist and later turned to acting on radio. In the Thirties he appeared in several early television productions, including Julius Caesar and The Tempest. Following the war he appeared in such films as Casesar and Cleopatra (1945) and Whispering Smith Hits London (1951). In 1951 he starred as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series of the same name. Actor Archie Duncan was cast in the role of Little John. He had appeared in such films as The Elusive Pimpernel (1950) and The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), and he had even a role in a Robin Hood film prior to The Adventures of Robin Hood. He played Red Gill in 1952's The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men. In television he had appeared as the legendary smith Weland in an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's "Weland's Sword" on the series Puck of Pook's Hill in 1951 and as Inspector Lestrade on the 1953-1954 series of Sherlock Holmes. For five episodes, after Archie Ducncan was recovering from he had sustained on the set while saving children from some falling scenery, the role of Little John was played by Rufus Cruickshank. For rescuing the children, Mr. Duncan received the Queen's medal for bravery.

Friar Tuck would be played by Alexander Gauge. Mr. Gauge had made his film debut in The Interrupted Journey in 1949 and went onto appear in such films as Mother Riley Meets the Vampire (1952), The Pickwick Papers (1952), Beau Brummell (1954), and The Hornet's Nest (1955). During the run of the series Maid Marian would be played by two actresses. The first was Bernadette O'Farrell, who played the role from 1955 to 1957. The young Irish actress had made her film debut in 1947's Captain Boycott and went onto appear in Lady Godiva Rides Again (1951) and The  Story of Gilvert and Sullivan (1953). She left The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1957, despite letters from viewers begging her not to do so. The role was taken over by another young Irish actress Patricia Driscoll, who would play the role until the series ended in 1960. Patrici Driscoll had appeared in the films Silent Witness (1954) and Timeslip (1955), and also had a recurring role on the series The Other Man in 1956. At the time in Britain she was perhaps best known as the presenter of Picture Book, a children's show, from 1955 to 1957.

Throughout its run The Adventures of Robin Hood would feature actors who would one day become famous. Among the best known actors to appear on the show was Donald Pleasance, one of the actors who played Prince John. He appeared in the role five times. Leo McKern, who would later gain fame as Number Two on The Prisoner and Rumpole of the Bailey, appeared in two episodes, including the pilot. Patrick Troughton, who had played Robin Hood in the previous BBC series and would gain fame as Dr. Who, appeared in eight episodes. Wilfrid Brambell, who would later gain fame as Albert Steptoe on Steptoe and Son and appear as Paul McCartney's grandfather in A Hard Day's Night, guest starred in two episodes. Peter Asher, who would go onto fame as part of singing duo Peter and Gordon, guest starred as young Prince Arthur in four episodes of the show. His sister, Jane Asher, who would find success as an actress and model in the Sixties and fame as Paul McCartney's girl friend, guest starred on four episodes. Edward Mulhare, who would later star in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, would appear in nine episodes of the show. 

The famous theme song was written by American composer Carl Sigman, perhaps best known for having co-written "Pennsylvania 6-5000" with Glenn Miller. The song was sung by Dick James, who would become more famous for founding Northern Songs Ltd. with John Lennon and Paul McCartney to publish The Beatles' songs. Dick James would hit #14 on the British singles charts with "Robin Hood" backed by another TV theme, "The Ballad of Davy Crockett." In 1956 Gary Miller released his own version which was an even bigger hit. It reached #10 on the British singles chart and spent 28 weeks in total on the chart.

The Adventures of Robin Hood would be one of the first shows ever produced for ITV specifically and for British commercial television in general. Curiously, the United Kingdom would not be the first place it was ever aired. On 22 September, 1955, the very day that commercial broadcasting began in Britain, The Adventures of Robin Hood  made its world debut in Canada at 6:00 PM Central Time on Toronto's CBC station, CBLT. British viewers would have to wait until 25 September, 1955 at 5:30 PM on Associated Television (ATV) in London. In the United States The Adventures of Robin Hood debuted on 26 September, 1957 at 7:30 PM Eastern Time/6:30 PM Central Time. In the United Kingdom new episodes would continue to air until 12 November, 1960. In the United States, CBS aired The Adventures of Robin Hood in primetime until 22 September, 1958. On 4 October, 1958 the series moved to Saturday mornings where both reruns and new episodes would be shown. It remained a part of the CBS Saturday morning line up until 26 September, 1959. Ever since the show ended in 1960, it has aired around the world in syndication. From 2008 into 2009 in Region 1, Mill Creek Entertainment released all four seasons of the series on DVD.

The Adventures of Robin Hood proved enormously popular on both sides of the Atlantic particularly with young boys. Not surprisingly, this would result in a good deal of merchandise. Louis Marx and Company produced a playset tied into The Adventures of Robin Hood, complete with plastic figures made to resemble the cast. In 1956 Bilt-Rite produced a jigsaw puzzle based on the show. As might expected, there were books published which tied in with the series. Rand McNally published an Elf  Book entitled The Adventures of Robin and His Merry Men based on the show. As the character Robin Hood was in the public domain even then, the late Fifties saw  a boom in collections of Robin Hood stories and even new editions of such classic works as The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle. British biographer and children's book writer Roger Lancelyn Green even wrote his own retelling of the Robin Hood legend entitled The Adventures of Robin Hood. In the United States there was a boom in Robin Hood comic books even before the series began. Magazine Enterprises would publish an Adventures of Robin Hood comic book, tied into the series, from 1955 to 1957.

While The Adventures of Robin Hood had a large following among young boys on both sides of the Pond, there can be little doubt many adults watched the series as well. The cast was largely composed of veterans actors from the stage and screen, and this was reflected in the quality of their performances. The series was directed by such skilled directors as Ralph Smart, Terence Fisher (who would direct many classics for Hamemr Films), Don Chaffey (who would go onto direct episodes of Danger Man, The Avengers, and The Prisoner), and Lindsay Anderson (who would become famous as the director of such films as If..., O Lucky Man,  and The Whales of August). Of course, arguably the series strong suit was its scripts. Written by writers blacklisted in the United States who had considerable resumes in film, The Adventures of Robin Hood was very intelligently written.

Indeed, many of the episodes of the series had a basis in the contemporary British and even American politics of the day. In the first episode, "The Coming of Robin Hood," Robin of Locksley returns home from the Crusades to find his lands and castle occupied by the villainous Rodger de Lisle (played by Leo McKern). After tying to get his property back, Robin finds himself an outlaw. The episode's plot reflected the poor treatment veterans returning from World War II sometimes received in Britain. Written by writers who were victims of McCarthyism themselves, many of the episodes centred were based around the Communist witch hunts which had taken place in the United States in the Fifties. Indeed, "The Alchemist" involved a woman who nearly fell victim to a literal witch hunt, accused of being a witch after her son had smelted gold from stolen plates.In "The Intruders" villagers turn against Robin Hood after they falsely believe he has robbed htem. In "The Inquisitor" a corrupt inquisitor pressures Tuck to confess his loyalty to Robin. In "Goodbye, Little John," the Sheriff of Nottingham's deputy (John Arnatt) offers Little John a deal in exchange for a pardon.

Other episodes would deal with other contemporary themes. Prejudice was explored in the episodes "The Wanderer" and "The York Treasure," in which Jewish refugees face hatred for their ethnicity and religion. "The Infidel," in which a Saracen is falsely accused of murder, also dealt with religious prejudice. "A Tuck in Time" features a deadly war machine from the East which Tuck's evil twin plots to sell to Prince John, which would decidedly turn things in favour of the Normans. Deadly war machines would be all too familiar to a populace living in the shadow of the atomic bomb. In "Brother Battle, " Robin Hood must help a monk who has consistently been punished for his attempts to teach commoners to read.

Ultimately The Adventures of Robin Hood would prove that British commercial television was capable of producing shows of the same high standards as the BBC. It would also prove to be the first British television series to meet with real success in the United States, as such it would have a lasting influence on both British and American broadcasting. In the short term the success of The Adventures of Robin Hood would lead Hannah Weinstein and Sapphire Films to produce similarly themed adventure shows, most of which would find their way across the Pond: The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, The Buccaneers (starring a young Robert Shaw), and Sword of Freedom. Other companies in both the UK and the U.S. would follow suit with their own similarly themed shows, such as Wiliam Tell, Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers, Tales of the Vikings, Ivanhoe (starring Roger More), Sir Francis Drake, and others.

In the long term, as the first real transatlantic hit, The Adventures of Robin Hood was probably responsible for the cycle of British adventures series that lasted from the Sixties into the Seventies. One of ITC's early attempts at  modern day adventure series, The Invisible Man from 1958, would find its way to the United States. Unfortunately it would not be the success of The Adventures of Robin Hood had been. ITC would produce more hits, some of which would be hugely successful on both sides of the Atlantic: Danger Man, The Saint, Man in a Suitcase, The Prisoner, The Champions and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).  Other companies would follow suit. Associated British Corporation (ABC) would produce such adventure series as The Avengers, The Protectors, and Callan. Even the BBC would produce its own adventure shows: Doctor Who and Adam Adamant Lives.  It can be argued that it was the success of The Adventures of Robin Hood which paved way for the many British adventure shows of the Sixties.

Arguably, it was also the fact that The Adventures of Robn Hood was a hit that paved the way for other British shows making their way across the Atlantic. The Adventures of Robin Hood proved that American audiences would watch a show produced in the United Kingdom and, what is more, that show could be a hit in America. In many respects it can be said that The Adventures of Robin Hood paved the way for Danger Man, The Avengers, The Saint, Are You Being Served, Keeping Up Appearances, Doctor Who, and every other British show which has aired on American television.

It even seems possible that The Adventures of Robin Hood may have had an impact on the modern day version of the Robin Hood legend. Robin Hood was portrayed as a returning crusader in Joachim H. Stocqueler's 1849 novel Maid Marian, The Forest Queen. The 1901 operetta Maid Marian by Reginald De Koven and Harry B. Smith also portrayed Robin Hood as being on a Crusade, albeit after his career as an outlaw in Sherwood Forest. Douglas Fairbanks' movie Robin Hood featured Robin as a returning crusader. Even after the highly successful Douglas Fairbanks film, however, it was a rare thing for Robin Hood to be portrayed as having returned from the Crusades. That is, until The Adventures of Robin Hood. The series begins as Robin of Loxley returns from the Crusades to find his property stolen. Since the TV series, Robin has been portrayed as a returning crusader in the 1991 movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Mel Brooks' 1993 parody Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and the 2006-2009 BBC series Robin Hood. While it is possible that Robin Hood having served in the Crusades was simply an idea whose time had come, it seems significant that The Adventures of Robin Hood did it prior to many other films and TV shows.

Since its original run ended in 1960, The Adventures of Robin Hood has been rerun endlessly around the world. In the early Naughts it was rerun on the Encore Action channel. Currently it is being shown on the small broadcast network RTV in the United States. In 2000 Marathon Music and Video released a set of 21 episodes on VHS. Several companies would release episodes of the series on DVD over the years. Alpha Video and Platinum Disc Corporation both released collections of episodes in 2004 and subsequent years. Starting in March 2008, Mill Creek Entertainment released the entire four seasons of the series, the fourth season set being released in 2009. They now have the complete run of the show available. Nearly fifty years after The Adventures of Robin Hood ended its run, it continues to draw viewers. This should not be surprising. It was not only a high quality series, but one that was historically ground breaking as well.

Actor Shay Duffin R.I.P.

Actor Shay Duffin passed on April 23 at the age of 79. The cause was complications from open heart surgery.

Shay Duffin was born on 26 February, 1931 in Dublin, Ireland. He started his career in entertainment, singing in Irish pubs. In the early Sixties he moved to Canada. There he was part of an all-Irish theatrical company for five years. He also recorded albums as an Irish folk singer. It was while he was hosting a revue that he began work on a one man show on Irish writer Brendan Behan. His performance in the show would win a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award in 1975.

Shay Duffin made his television debut in the telefilm Law and Order (not to be confused with the long running NBC series of the same name) in 1975. On television he would guest star on Switch, Dynasty, Cagney and Lacey, and Murder She Wrote. He was a regular on the short lived series City and had a recurring role on Due South. He appeared in several television movies over the years, including The Amazing Howard Hughes, Captains Courageous, Mary and Joseph: A Story of Faith, and J. Edgar Hoover.

Shay Duffin made his film debut in The White Buffalo in 1977. He would go onto appear in such films as Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, The Main Event, The Frisco Kid, Raging Bull, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Newsies, Leprechaun, Seabiscuit, and The Still Life (his final appearance on screen). His last work was as the voice of the Scylding Watch in the computer animated Beowulf.

The Late, Great Lynn Redgrave

Lynn Redgrave, star of stage and screen, passed yesterday at the ageo of 67. She had struggled with breast cancer for the past seven years.

Lynn Redgrave was born on 8 March, 1943 in Marleybone, London. She was daughter of actors Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. She was literally part of an acting dynasty. Her grandfather was silent actor Roy Redgrave.Her brother was Colin Redgrave. Her sister was Vanessa Redgrave. She attended Queensgate School, but dropped out in 1959. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

 She made her professional acting debut in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Royal Court Theatre in 1962. She further appeared in Twelfth Night. She toured with Billy Liar and made her debut on the West End in The Tulip Tree. She made her movie debut in Tom Jones (1963). She made her television debut in a 1963 episode of Armchair Theatre.

Through her films Lynn Redgrave would become one of the faces of Swinging London. She was one of the leads in The Girl with Green Eyes (playing opposite Rita Tushingham) in 1964 before being cast as the lead in Georgy Girl (1966). In Georgy Girl Miss Redgrave played the title character, an ordinary girl who finds herself pursued by her father's middle aged boss (played by James Mason). She would appear in the film Smiashing Time (1967), once more playing opposite Rita Tushingham. She closed the Sixties by appearing in the films The Virgin Soldiers (1969) and The Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970). The Seventies saw her appear in such films as Every Little Crook and Nanny (1972), Every Thing You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972), The National Health (1973), The Happy Hooker (1975), The Big Bus (1976), and Sunday Lovers (1980). The Eighties into the Naughts would see her appear in such films as Morgan Stewart's Coming Home (1987), Getting It Right (1989), Midnight (1989), Shine (1996), Gods and Monsters (1998), Strike (1998), How to Kill Your Neighbour's Dog (2000),  Venus and Mars (2001), Peter Pan (2003), and The Jane Austen Book Club (2007).

In the Sixties Lynn Redgrave appeared on television in Armchair Theatre, Comedy Playhouse, and Love Story. The Seventies saw Miss Regrave appear on The BBC Play of the Month, Vienna 1900, Kojak, and the mini-series Centennial. She was one of the leads on the sitcom House Calls from 1979 to 1981. In 1982 she starred in the short lived series Teachers Only and Chicken Soup In the Eighties she guest starred on Hotel, Murder She Wrote, and Screen Two. Miss Redgrave also appeared in television productions of Antony and Cleopatra and The Bad Seed. In the Nineties Miss Redgrave in a television production of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, and on The Hallmark Hall of Fame. She was one of the stars of Rude Awakenings. In the Naughts she starred in the series Me, Eloise.

Lynn Redgrave appeared frequently on stage.In 1963 she was invited by Sir Laurence Olivier to join the National Company. Joining in 1963, she appeared in Hamlet, Andorra, and Hay Fever.  She made her debut on Broadway in Black Comedy/White Lies in 1967. Over the years she would appear on Broadway in a revival of Saint Joan (1977), Love Letter (1989), and The Constant Wife (2005). In all she would appear on Broadway stages over ten times. She wrote and performed a one woman show, Shakespeare for My Father in 1993. It had a successful run at the Theatre Royal in Haymarket and on Broadway as well. She went onto write the play The Mandrake's Root, and Nightingale.

There can be no doubt that Lynn Redgrave was an incredibly talented actress. After all, she had a successful career on stage, on film, and in television. Much of her success was due to the fact that she was a bit of a chameleon. She gained weight to play the dumpy, plain Georgy in Georgy Girl, but slimmed down to play the somewhat more glamourous Yvonne in Smashing Time. In Gods and Monsters she was virtually unrecognisable as James Whale's housekeeper Hanna. It seemed as if Miss Redgrave could play virtually anything. She was also a talented playwright, having written three fairly successful shows. Although sometimes overshadowed in the press by her more vocal siblings, Lynn Redgrave was never outshone by them in terms of talent.

The Late, Great Dorothy Provine

Dorothy Provine, the blonde and beautiful actress and comedienne who appeared frequently in movies and TV shows of the Sixties, passed on April 25 at the age of 75. The cause was emphysema.

Dorothy Provine was born on January 20, 1937 in Deadwood, South Dakota. Her father was a businessman based out of Seattle. Her mother was an interior decorator.She grew up in Washington. Even as a child Miss Provine showed a propensity for entertainment. With her younger sister she would dress in pillow sheets and dance the Charleston.Miss Provine majored in drama at the University of Washington.

It was after she won a prize in a quiz show on a local television station that Miss Provine dropped out of school and moved to Hollywood in 1957. Legend has it that it was only three days after she arrived there that she was cast in the lead role in The Bonnie Parker Story. The movie was released

Dorothy Provine studied acting at the University of Washington, but dropped out after she won a prize in a quiz show on a local television station. She moved to Hollywood in 1957, where according to legend she was cast in the lead role in The Bonnie Parker Story only three days after arrival. She made her televisoion debut a year before the release of the film in a 1957 episode of Man Without a Gun. For the next few years Miss Provine appeared in guest shots on television and a few  films. She had an uncredited role in Live Fast, Die Young (1959), and more substantial roles in Riot in Juvenile Prison (1959) and The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock (1959--the last appearance of Lou Costello on film). Miss Provine appeared frequently as a guest star on television shows, including The Millionaire, Lawman, Mike Hammer, Cimarron City, The Real McCoys, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Wagon Train, Colt .45, Sugarfoot, and Bronco.

It was in 1959 that Dorothy Provine was cast in her first television series, as the female lead in The Alaskans. Set in Alaska in the 1890s, she played Rocky Shaw, a singer who was friends with fortune hunters Silky Harris (Roger Moore) and Reno McKee (Jeff York). Besides being Miss Provine's first series, the show was also notable for Roger Moore's first role on an American television series. The Alaskans would only last a year and thirty two episodes. Miss Provine would not be out of work for long, asa she would be cast in what could be her most famous role in a television series. In 1960 Miss Provine was cast in the role of flapper and singer at the Charleston Club, Pinky Pinkham, in the series The Roaring 20's. The show centred on reporters for the fictional New York Record Scott Norris (Rex Reason), Pat Garrison (Donald May), and Duke Williams (John Denher) as they investigated crime in New York City in the Twenties. The series met with some success, lasting two years.

Dorothy Provine would go on to make several guest appearances on television shows throughout the Sixties. Among the shows she on which she guest starred were The Red Skelton Show, 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, The Gallant Men, The Garry Moore Show, Dr. Kildare, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Dean Martin Show, The Danny Thomas Hour, The F.B.I., and Love, American Style. in 1962, with the cancellation of The Roaring 20's, Warner Brothers wanted to cast her in the series The Perils of Pauline. Reportedly, Miss Provine  refused to do the series, asking that she be cast in a movie instead. The series never emerged. She appeared in Bob Hope's Christmas shows for the troops multiple times during the decade. In 1963 she appeared with George Burns in Las Vegas as his partner in his nightclub act.

Throughout the Sixties Dorothy Provine also appeared in high profile roles in major motion pictures.In 1963 she played Ethel Merman's daughter and Milton Berle's wife (even though she was young enough to be his daughter...) in the epic comedy It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. That same year she appeared in the moive Wall of Noise. In 1964 she starred as Jack Lemmon's wife in the movie Good Neighbour Sam. Miss Provine co-starred with Jack Lemmon once more in Black Edwards' film The Great Race in 1965. That same year she appeared as Hayley Mills' older sister in That Darn Cat. In 1967 she played the romantic interest in the caper comedy Who's Minding the Mint. In 1968 she appeared in her last film, as the romantic interest in the comedy Never a Dull Moment.

In 1969 Dorothy Provine married director Robert Day. Their first son was born later that year. Happy in her married life, Miss Provine retired from acting. After 1970, she would appear only twice more on screen, in episodes of Police Story and Police Woman.

In the early Sixties there was no shortage of leggy blondes in Hollywood, yet Dorothy Provine made an impression as few would. In 1961 Rick Du Brow of UPI called her "TV's 'It Girl." Time magazine attributed Miss Provine with keeping the series The Roaring 20's  afloat. It was not simply that Dorothy Provine was beautiful, but she was also a fine actress and comedienne. She was both intelligent and funny, with nearly perfect timing for comedy. As Emmeline in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World she held her own against both Milton Berle and Ethel Merman. In The Great Race she shined as bright as Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Miss Provine was such an actress that she could adapt to nearly any setting. Over the years she played in television shows and movies set in Alaska during the Gold Rush, New York in the 1920's, the Great Auto Race of 1908, several Westerns, and, of course, 1960's America. She could also play a wide variety of roles, from bank robber Bonnie Parker to Milton Berle's strong willed wife Emmeline to Hayley Mills' big sister to a number of romantic interests, and she did all of them well. The reason Dorothy Provine was so much in demand in the Sixties is quite simply that she had enormous talent, something for which she will long be remembered.

Screnwriter Furio Scarpelli Passed On

Italian screenwriter Furio Scarpelli, who co-wrote such films as Hercules and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly with Agenore Incrocci, passed on Wednesday at the age of 90.

Furio Scarpelli was born on 16 December, 1919 in Rome. The son of a journalist, Mr. Scarpelli enjoyed writing and drawing as a child. During World War II he had a career as an illustrator. It was during this period that he met Agenore Incrocci (better known simply as Age). It was in 1949 that Messrs. Scarpelli and Incrocci wrote their first screenplay, as one of several screenwriters on Vivere a sbafo. It was that same year that they wrote their first comedy for comedian Totò, Totò le Moko. In all, Mr. Scarpelli would twenty five movies for Totò. In addition to Totò's comedies, the two also wrote such films as A fil di spada (At Sword's Edge), Racconti romani (Roman Tales), I soliti ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street), and Il bigamo (The Bigamist). In 1958 they wrote on their first screenplay for a film which would see a good deal of success in the United States, La fatiche de Ercole, released in America as Hercules.

In the Sixties Messrs. Scarpelli and Incrocci wrote screenplays for such films as The Best of Enemies, I compagni (The Organiser), one of the segments in Le stregne (The Witches), and Casanova '70. They were nominated for the Oscar for Best Writing, Story, and Screeplay Written Dirctly for the Screen for both I compagni and Casanova '70. Their best known work from the Sixties, however, would be possibly the most famous spaghetti Western of all time, Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly).

During the Seventies Mr. Scarpelli wrote screenplays for such films as C'eravamo tanto amati (Those Were the Years, also known as We All Loved Each Other So Much), Romanzo popolare, and Signore e signori, buonanotte (Good Night, Ladies and Gentlemen). Mr. Scarpelli ended his partnership with Mr. Incrocci in the Eighties, but he woul go go onto write such films as La Famiglia (The Family), Briganti, Il postino, La cena (The Dinner), and N (lo e Napoleone). His last screenplay was Christine Cristina, released in 2009.

Furio Scarpelli was arguably one of the most talented writers in any language. Indeed, while he was best known for his comedies, Mr. Scarpelli was a versatile writer who could work in nearly any genre. Over the years he wrote a sword and sandal epic (Hercules), a spaghetti Western (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly), swashbucklers (At Sword's Edge), and  other genres. What is more, Mr. Scarpelli could wrote all of these genres well. Most screenwriters work in only one or two genres, but such was Furio Scarpelli's talent that he could work in several.