Even before I started school I was
interested in how things worked. That's probably why I eventually
became an engineer. But it wasn't just how things were put together
that fired my imagination. I often wondered how things were created.
What was the spark that led to these things being invented?
It's the same with TV programmes and
feature films. I'm fascinated by the story behind the story. How does
a writer's idea get to the point where his words are being spoken on
screen? I want to learn about the process and bits of trivia that
occur in between those two endpoints. These days there are programmes
that give us behind-the-scenes insights into some of our most popular
series.
So, as promised in my last post, I'm
now going to share some facts about one of my favourite TV series.
Some of you might be old enough to
remember The Adventures Of Robin Hood. The one that starred Richard
Greene.
The programme was commissioned by Lew
Grade but was created by American writers who couldn't find work in
the US, having fallen foul of the McCarthy communist witch-hunts in
the 1950s. Because of their precarious position the writers could not
be granted artistic credit for the episodes they worked on.
Apart from film actor Richard Greene,
many other established and future stars appeared during the series.
The one I remember is Paul Eddington of The Good Life and Yes
Minister who played Will Scarlett if my memory serves me right.
You may also remember actress Patricia
Driscoll, who played Maid Marion. She was the presenter of the Watch
With Mother programme Picture Book.
The theme song was recorded as a
single and rose quite high in the UK charts. I think I still have a
copy somewhere in my loft. (On a 78rpm of course).
One episode of the 2006 BBC Robin Hood
series was entitled Lardner's ring as a tribute to Ring Lardner, one
of the original 1950s writers.
Does anyone else have memories of this
drama?
