The Adventures of Robin Hood (Warner Bros.) (1938)

E RROL FLYNN’ right hand was torn and bleeding; there was a deep cut on his left hand covered with flesh-colored tape, and his tights hid a bandage around a gash in his leg. The immaculate Basil Rathbone was hot and perspiring, his hair awry. A heavy gauntlet had protected his right hand from the blisters which had all but ruined Flynn’s, but on various parts of his anatomy, protected by his clothes, were nicks covered with bandages and plasters. For six days Flynn and Rathbone had been battling all over a corner of Nottingham Castle with heavy broadswords, in their roles of Robin Hood and Sir Guy of Gisbourne, intent on killing each other, while back of the camera sat their master, Michael ‘Curtiz, director, and picked flaws in every flick of their cleaving weapons. It probably is the most terrific hand-to-hand battle ever staged on the screen and Curtiz and studio executives expect it to be the big highlight of “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” the epic that opens at the Radio City Music Hall next Friday. The fight flashes on. the screen for a little less than five minutes in its completed form. Hour after hour, day after day, Curtiz kept the two at it, and to the credit of both Flynn and Rathbone, both gave every —ounce of strength and ability they had, frequently dropping their swords in sheer exhaustion and then renewing their battle with increasing fury as strength oozed back into their aching muscles. The combat starts on a circular stone stairway from which Sir Guy plunges to the ground when he misses a deadly lunge at Robin Hood. Then the two renew their battle on the floor of the castle. In a burst of maniacad fury, Sir Guy forces Robin back into a heavy torcher — weighing nearly 500 pounds — which upsets and half pins the outlaw to the floor. But before Gisbourne can get in a fatal thrust, he extricates himself and fights the villain toward a stone wall. There Sir Guy gains temporary advantage by upsetting a flaming floor torch on Sir Robin, and then when they battle furiously across a table, upsets that heavy article of furniture on his enemy. But Robin Hood, by superior agility and strength, manages to fight his way clear and finally with a terrific thrust pierces Sir Guy’s heart and sends his body plunging over and over into a deep well. Every movement of the fight was fought over and over in exact detail until Curtiz was certain that it couldn’t be improved on. The great torcher' was upset a dozen times before he was satisfied. Flynn: narrowly escaping serious injury on several occasions. .The table was upset time and again until finally there were no more tables that hadn’t been shattered, and then Curtiz was satisfied with that phase. After their six days of battling, and with the final shot given the official okay, Flynn and Rathbone walked off to their dressing rooms arm in arm. “T’ll pick you up at eight,” Flynn called to his erstwhile arch enemy. They were going to the prize fights at Hollywood Legion Stadium. “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” which has Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian, and such excellent supporting players as Claude Rains, Ian Hunter, Alan Hale, Eugene Pallette, Patric Knowles, Melville Cooper, Herbert Mundin and Una O’Connor, will open next Friday at the Radio City Music Hall. Arrows Rubber-Tipped To protect the members of “Robin Hood’s” band from themselves, Co-director William Keighley issued orders that all arrows carried during the making of scenes in which they are not actually used, should be rubber-tipped. Several members of the outlaws’ bold band had been cut and scratched by accidentally brushing against a quiver full of steel tipped arrows, before William Keighley issued his ultimatum. Mat 2A Ten Britons Head ‘Robin Hood’ Cast (Canada papers please copy) There are ten Britons in the twelve leading roles in “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” coming to the Radio City Music Hall, but. none of. them is anxious to go back to England and appear in films made there. In fact, the two featured leads in the story, Olivia de Havilland (Maid Marian) and Errol Flynn (Robin Hood), while known in this: country as English people, are regarded in Great Britain as Americans, their film careers having been wholly American. Even Herbert Mundin, floridfaced and ever jocose veteran of the British variety stage, who is playing Much, the Miller’s son, is without any current desire to “go home.” “T find I laugh at different things from what I did in the old country. Living in America changes one. Why, over there, they don’t even think that English brands of cigarettes are funny,” says the British comedians. Mat 1B SHERWOOD FOREST WAS BOYHOOD HOME OF PAT KNOWLES When a search was being made by for a technical expert.who knew what Sherwood Forest looked like, to assist in the production of “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” — the epic drama that opens next Friday. at the Radio City Music Hall — no one thought to call upon Patric Knowles, handsome young leading man who plays the role of Will Scarlet. And Knowles, not knowing of their. difficulties, never told anyone for. several weeks, until accidentally he revealed that he spent most of his early boyhood in Nottingham and knew Sherwood Forest like a book, because he played Robin Hood with his young friends there nearly every day. It was too late then to take advantage of Knowles’ intimate knowledge as another expert had been employed and the company was already on location in a huge natural oak forest at. Chico, Calif. THEY MADE HISTORY AND LOVE—Errol Flynn as Robin Hood and Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in the production "The Adventures of Robin Hood" coming to Radio City Music Hall. Mat 2B STORY SYNOPSIS: (Not for Publication). In the year 1190 in England, Prince John (Claude Rains) is ruling the country and oppressing the Saxon elements, while his brother Richard is away at the Crusades. At a jousting tournament at Nottingham Castle, Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone) is defeated by Robin Hood (Errol Flynn), to the delight of Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland). Just then, word comes that King Richard has been captured by the Austrians and is being held for an immense ransom. Prince John exacts heavier taxes and pockets the money for himself. Robin Hood, a true patriot, becomes what technically is called an outlaw. He robs the rich and bestows one-third «x his takings upon the poor. He and his faithful and picturesque followers capture Sir Guy, Maid Marian, the Sheriff of Nottingham (Melville Cooper) and their entourage and take away from them a great amount of treasure they have stolen. Later Sir Guy lures him to a tournament at Nottingham Castle. As Maid Marian presents him with a golden arrow, signifying the championship, Robin is seized and condemned to hang. But he escapes, and going back to Sherwood Forest, he collects his band. They besiege Nottingham Castle and overthrow Prince John and his men. The true king, Richard the Lion-Hearted, gives his blessing as jolly old Friar Tuck unites Robin Hood and Maid Marian in marriage. Claude Rains Just Can’t Seem to Retire Claude Rains, premier villain of the movies, who plays Prince John in “The Adventures of Robin Hood” coming to the Radio City Musjc Hall, retires from the screen every time he finishes a picture. He loads up his family and hurries to his Pennsylvania farm to lead the -simple life, shouting loudly that this time it’s for good. “But before many weeks pass,” “I start getting fidgety and the first thing I know I’m back in Hollywood, eager to face the cameras again. I guess I’m something like an old firehorse — I’ll never get the thrill of action out of my bones no matter how much I may think that I’d like to retire and take it easy for good. Cameraman Makes Big Composite Photo One of the greatest composite photographs ever attempted is being compiled by Buddy Longworth, noted photographer. The subject is “The Adventures of Robin Hood” and 2100 “stills” from the film will be incorporated into the composite. This is the picture that comes next Friday to the Radio City Music Hall. . Other great composite photographs compiled by Longworth, author of the photographic book, “Hold Still, Hollywood,” were on “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” in which he used 500 photographs and in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” for which 540 still photographs were used. RATHBONE HAS MANY NARROW ESCAPES IN ROBIN HOOD’ Basil Rathbone, pre-eminent movie “meanie,” didn’t join the “Adventures of Robin Hood” company on loca tion at Chico, Calif., until he had made certain that all his insurance policies were in order. For Rathbone was in for a tough session in the production as Sir Guy of Gisbourne who had to do a lot of battling with Robin Hood and to lose every encounter. Here are some of the things that happen to Rathbone during the course of his “villainy” in the picture: He is knotked down by an arrow and only saved because of his armor. He is knocked from his horse while wearing full armor in a jousting match with Robin Hood. And finally, he fights a terrific duel with Errol Flynn, who plays Robin in the picture, and is laid low by a crack over the skull with a broadsword. As a veteran villain, however, Rathbone refused to be worried at the prospect of the punishment he was scheduled to take. The worst thing that happened to him was a very slight sword wound in-the foot. “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” with a huge cast of stars, is coming on Friday to the Radio City Music Hall.