Talking Pictures is to air the classic Disney live-action movie The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men.
The film was first released in 1952 and was a collaboration between RKO and Walt Disney British Productions. Filmed in the UK, it told the legend of Robin Hood. It featured Richard Todd as the title character, and a supporting cast including Joan Rice, Peter Finch, James Hayter and James Robertson Justice among others. It was directed by English director Ken Annakin, who would later work on Sword and the Rose (1953), Third Man on the Mountain (1959) and Swiss Family Robinson (1960) for Disney.
This was the second of four UK films that Walt Disney made in the early 50s using British funds frozen during World War II. The other titles include Treasure Island (1950), The Sword and the Rose (1953) and Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1953). Some of these films shared a few cast members, such as Todd and Justice. Over two decades later, Disney would tell the story again via animation, in 1973’s Robin Hood starring Brian Bedford, Phil Harris and Peter Ustinov.
This is not the first time in which Talking Pictures has screened a classic Disney live-action movie on the channel. Films aired previously include The Cat From Outer Space (1978), The Black Hole (1979) and The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967). These re-showings have been really popular, with at least one of the titles trending on X during transmission. Shipwrecked, a latter-day Disney title from 1991, is also due to be screened on the channel on the 26th of May 2024.
The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men will air on Talking Pictures on the 25th of May at 3.35 pm. Please see their official website for details on further airings.
Talking Pictures TV is available free-to-air on Freeview and Freesat in the UK. Its channel allocation is 82 for Freeview and 306 for Freesat. It is also available on subscription platforms, channel 328 on Sky Digital and 445 on Virgin. The channel is dedicated to vintage film and television, often highlighting forgotten treasures and classics.
