The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954)

The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954)

U.S. One Sheet Poster

The Men of Sherwood Forest, directed by Val Guest, is just what it sounds like:  a Robin Hood film.  Don Taylor plays Robin Hood, Eileen Moore is Lady Alys, and Reginald Beckwith is Friar Tuck.  All you really need to know is that the plot involves Robin Hood and his merry men trying to save King Richard from ambush as he returns to retake the throne after having been held prisoner in Germany.

The real claim to fame of this film is that it was the first production to be shot in color by the legendary Hammer Film Productions.  The color cinematography is good, and the cast performs admirably in this modestly budgeted production.  Eileen Moore is quite lovely, but Beckwith as Friar Tuck steals the show, as he constantly escapes perilous situations through gambling schemes.  This type of film is not really my cup of tea, but it is a reasonably entertaining diversion that doesn't overstay its welcome with a brisk 74-minute running time.

IMDB does not list this film as a credit for Jocelyn, so why are we discussing it on a Jocelyn Lane blog?  I decided to watch the film, because the entry for Jocelyn on wikipedia has it as an entry on her filmography.  Though she is not credited, and I have seen no other source to confirm it, Jocelyn does indeed appear to have made an uncredited appearance in the film (in a very small role, though with a line or two) at age 17.  This actress certainly has a strong resemblance to her, anyway.

Here is a link to a photo that is purportedly of Jocelyn on the set of the film:

Jackie Lane on the set

If any of you can confirm whether or not this is Jocelyn, I would love to hear from you.

Shot in England in the late spring and summer of 1954, the film was released in England in November of that year and in the U.S. in 1956.  I do not know how it fared at the box office.

The only indications that I have seen of a home video release are a Greek DVD and a German DVD:

Here is some promotional material (courtesy of emovieposter where indicated by its watermark), starting with the U.S. half sheet and insert posters (the one sheet poster is shown above) (Note: I have not yet found any stills or other material showing Jocelyn):

Some U.S. stills:

A U.S. pressbook:

British lobby cards:

An Argentinian poster:

An Australian poster:

A Danish poster:

A Yugoslavian poster: