120-622: The Incorporated Television Company ( ITC ), or ITC Entertainment as it was referred to in the United States, was a British company involved in production and distribution of television programmes. Television mogul Lew Grade set up the Incorporated Television Programme Company (ITP) with Prince Littler and Val Parnell in 1954. Originally designed to be a contractor for the UK's new ITV network,
240-565: A trouser-presser while his three sons (Grade and his younger brothers, Bernard (later Bernard Delfont ) and Leslie ) attended the Rochelle Street Elementary School near Shoreditch , where Yiddish was spoken by 90% of the pupils. For two years the Winogradskys lived in rented rooms at the north end of Brick Lane, before moving to the nearby Boundary Estate . At the age of 15, Grade became an agent for
360-745: A Dale (series 2)). A number of well-known actresses appeared as Saxon or Norman ladies, including Greta Gynt and Brenda de Banzie . A number of actors appeared in supporting roles in most episodes: in series 1 these included: Victor Woolf , Willoughby Gray , and John Longden , and for later series included: Paul Hansard , Morris Barry , Nigel Davenport , Kevin Stoney , Ronald Hines , and Max Faulkner , who also did stunt/double work. Frank Maher (later Patrick McGoohan 's stunt double) played many small non-speaking parts, and stuntman Terry Yorke, who doubled for Richard Greene, played many small roles throughout all four series. In Series 3, Paul Eddington played
480-515: A Robin Hood–type figure with lank hair and a dinosaur. A Minstrel song would then be sung at the beginning of each episode, over the episode title, providing a playful poetic synopsis in short prose of what could be expected to be seen. After the final fade to black a sequence featuring an actor playing the Minstrel would be shown as he sang these lyrics to the tune of " Early One Morning ": "We'll have
600-534: A budget of £10,000 an episode, of a series she wished to make called The Adventures of Robin Hood . She had already signed Richard Greene to the project as Robin Hood and been given the backing of US distribution company, Official Films Inc, who were confident of selling it to the US market. Grade was so impressed by her proposal that he agreed immediately to back the series, hoping to make large profits by selling programmes to
720-543: A clothing company, and shortly afterwards started his own business. In 1926, he was declared Charleston Champion of the World at a dancing competition at the Royal Albert Hall . Fred Astaire was one of the judges. Grade subsequently became a professional dancer going by the name Louis Grad; he changed this name to Lew Grade, which came from a Paris reporter's typing error that Grade liked and decided to keep. He
840-469: A complete list of ITC produced and distributed programmes. ITC had no studios of its own. Programmes were made in several facilities but most notably at ABPC 's Elstree film studios (not to be confused with ATV 's nearby Clarendon Road Studios , Borehamwood, which was a live/videotape facility, and now known as BBC Elstree). However, the MGM-British Studios complex at Borehamwood , and
960-510: A connection with Grade until Grade lost control of his companies in 1982. In the mid-1970s, Grade approached American puppeteer Jim Henson , who was in need of assistance for his latest television project. Henson wanted to create a new variety show starring his Muppet characters, but had been dismissed by American networks on account of his contributions to children's programmes such as Sesame Street (1969–present). CBS came close to agreeing to broadcast The Muppet Show , but only if it
1080-590: A consortium that included impresarios Val Parnell and Prince Littler, the Incorporated Television Programme Company (ITP), which soon changed its name to Incorporated Television Company (ITC; also known as ITC Entertainment), was formed. ITC's bid to the Independent Television Authority (ITA) was rejected on the grounds of its conflict of interest from its prominence and involvement in artist management. The Associated Broadcasting Development Company (ABD) had gained ITA approval for both
1200-569: A deal to co-produce more HBO-exclusive films (HBO would retain home video rights, while ITC took foreign and broadcast TV distribution rights). During 1988, The Bell Group, the owners of ITC were taken over by the Bond Corporation . Subsequently, the new owners started an asset-stripping programme. In November 1988 ITC Entertainment was bought by its management. In 1990, ITC abandoned television production and concentrated on low-budget feature films. TV production at ITC would not resume until
1320-469: A deal with producer David Gerber . Interscope would eventually return to common ownership with ITC following its acquisition by PolyGram. In addition to television programming, ITC also produced several films. In 1976, the company teamed up with General Cinema Corporation to form Associated General Films, and produced films including Voyage of the Damned , Capricorn One , and The Eagle Has Landed ;
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#17327935764231440-628: A decade before colour television existed in the UK), and ITC combined high production values with exotic locations and uses of variations on the same successful formula for the majority of its television output. Although most of the ITC series were produced in Britain, ITC often worked with Television Programs of America (TPA) and several series were filmed in America. Possibly the earliest ITC series produced in
1560-582: A different character in many episodes, before settling down to Will Scarlett. The series is set in the 12th century, during the reign of King Richard the Lionheart . Robin, Earl of Locksley, a Saxon nobleman, returns from the Crusades to find a Norman lord living in his ancestral home, Locksley Hall. He is forced to go to the Sheriff of Nottingham, who represents the law, seeking to reclaim his land. But
1680-525: A few exceptions: The Adventures of Robin Hood and the other swashbuckling adventure series of the late 1950s and early 1960s were released on DVD by Network, as was Strange Report . Many of the drama shows from the 1960s and 1970s have since been released by Network as limited edition box sets. In 2005, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the company, Network released a DVD box set entitled ITC 50 featuring episodes from eighteen different ITC productions. The Walt Disney Company has owned
1800-527: A fraction of its costs; Grade himself retired from active film production, commenting that it would have been cheaper to "lower the Atlantic." Cussler himself told People Weekly Magazine, "The film was so poor, it boggles the mind." After the films' failures, ITC and EMI agreed to sell AFD and the distribution rights to its library to Universal Pictures , though the AFD films which were then in post production at
1920-460: A group of soldiers to sing it. It's worth noting that this melody was whistled by Little John before his first meeting with Robin in the Hollywood feature film The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). The Merry Men perform the soul cake song in "The Thorkil Ghost", with Derwent singing a solo. " All Around My Hat (song) ", a song of nineteenth-century English origin, features very prominently in
2040-529: A human. While Robin Hood drags out the trial, Friar Tuck gets the cook drunk and switches geese. When the deception is revealed, the lord relents and pardons the goose. Two episodes, "Brother Battle" (#84) and "To Be a Student" (#90) emphasized the Catholic Church's struggle to educate commoners, and even the children of the Saxon serfs, despite laws forbidding the practice and in the face of opposition from
2160-423: A low profile, largely subsisting on made-for-television films and other projects, as well as the distribution of their back-catalog; the company also picked up television distribution rights to Kings Road Entertainment titles. In 1987, ITC and HBO signed an exclusive agreement for ITC to handle distribution of HBO's original films. Later that year, the partnership was expanded on further as the two companies struck
2280-533: A majority of the ITC Entertainment library were assumed from Lionsgate Home Entertainment (whose predecessor, Artisan Entertainment , had held rights to ITC's back catalogue since the early 1990s, and had been licensing ITC's TV output since the 1980s). American video distribution rights to ITC's feature film catalog were originally licensed to Magnetic Video in 1980, and that company's successors – 20th Century-Fox Video and CBS/Fox Video – retained
2400-568: A music publishing division with ATV Music and gained a half interest in Pye Records in 1959; later Pye became a wholly owned subsidiary. Grade was deputy managing director of ATV under Val Parnell until 1962, when he became managing director having contrived to have the board oust Parnell. Grade soon decided that the Midlands deserved its own regular soap opera as a rival to Coronation Street . Crossroads , much derided but ultimately
2520-482: A part of the transition from ATV to Central). The final blow came in the summer of 1982, when majority control of ACC was sold to Australian financier Robert Holmes à Court . Grade had thought Court to be a friend, and allowed him to purchase majority control of ACC; upon doing so, Court promptly performed a boardroom coup against Grade and fired many of ACC and ITC's staffers (even, as Grade sadly noted, his tea lady). Following Court's assumption of control, ITC kept
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#17327935764232640-571: A partnership with his brother Leslie (Lew and Leslie Grade Ltd., or the Grade Organisation). That year, the brothers travelled in the United States, where they developed their entertainment interests. His connections included, among others, Bob Hope and Judy Garland , who performed in Britain for the first time. The brothers became the main bookers of artists for the London Palladium in 1948, then managed by Val Parnell for
2760-468: A programme called The Adventures of Robin Hood . Weinstein proposed making the series for ITV and simultaneously marketing it in the United States through an American TV distribution company, Official Films . The series was a big success in both countries, running from 1955 until 1959 on CBS and ATV London. Grade realised the potential in overseas sales and colour television (the last 14 episodes of The Adventures of Sir Lancelot were filmed in colour
2880-468: A projection room for viewing daily film rushes and completed films. In 1956 a replica castle exterior, complete with drawbridge, was built in the grounds of the estate for filming of The Adventures of Sir Lancelot series (it features prominently in title sequence for the colour episodes). This was used predominantly for castle scenes in series 3 & 4 of Robin Hood, it first appears as Chateau Marmont in "The Bandit of Brittany" during series 2, in place of
3000-458: A series be retitled for syndication packaging if aired while first-run episodes of the series were still being shown on one of the three major networks. Alternative US end credit titles crediting the series as "A Hannah Weinstein Production for Sapphire Films Limited" (and for later episodes from 1958 "A Hannah Fisher Production") also exist. In the UK, at the time, sponsorship of programmes
3120-610: A series of partnerships and mergers. In 1982, he lost control of ACC to Robert Holmes à Court , who dismissed him and all his staff. Grade was brought in by American producer Norman Lear in June 1982 to head the London division of Embassy Communications International , to be involved in the production and distribution of films and television programmes. Subsequently, he became a producer of Andrew Lloyd Webber 's musical Starlight Express . After Coca-Cola had bought Embassy, he became
3240-476: A serious challenge to Granada's series in the ratings, began its initial quarter century run in November 1964. ITC's success continued and had many internationally successful TV series, leading Howard Thomas , managing director of ABC Weekend TV , to complain that Grade distributed programming for " Birmingham, Alabama , rather than Birmingham , England". These series included The Saint (1962–1969), which
3360-482: A song supposedly sung by the Baker's guild. The episode "The Minstrel" featured two songs, one wishing for the speedy return of King Richard, and one lampooning the sheriff of Nottingham. Carl Sigman wrote the words and music for the theme song, which was sung by Dick James . The song is still fondly remembered: Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Riding through the glen Robin Hood, Robin Hood, With his band of men Feared by
3480-518: A studio executive named "Lew Lord" in the first film. One domestic British film made by the ITC subsidiary Black Lion Films, The Long Good Friday (1980) was purchased and released by HandMade Films after Grade and his company had effectively disowned it for, in Grade's reputed opinion, seeming to be sympathetic to the IRA . Grade's backing of an expensive "all-star" flop was to prove decisive. Of Raise
3600-505: A traitor is in their midst. But the half-hour length episodes and broad-target market precluded any political criticism that went beyond the generalities of 19th century Robin Hood revival books. Whilst interiors were filmed at Nettlefold Studios , location shooting for the series took place on the nearby Wisley Common , Wisley , Surrey, and at the adjoining Foxwarren Park estate, near Cobham , owned by Hannah Weinstein. Horses used for filming were also stabled at Foxwarren House, which had
3720-550: A voice-over over the opening titles "Richard Greene in The Adventures of Robin Hood" and over the repeated sequence "presented by" followed by the names of two Johnson & Johnson products, images of which would appear over the shot of the arrow in the tree. A commercial featuring one of the products would then be shown, the Wildroot Cream-Oil sponsored episodes would then feature an animated commercial showing
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3840-452: A weapon that could destroy the world. In addition to the redistributive themes of a hero who robs from the rich and gives to the poor, many episodes in the programme's first two seasons included the threat that Robin and his band would be betrayed to the authorities by friends or loved ones, much as the blacklisted writers had been. For example, the third season story "The Angry Village" had paranoid villagers turn on each other when they think
3960-535: Is a British television series comprising 143 half-hour, black and white episodes broadcast weekly between 1955 and 1959 on ITV . It starred Richard Greene as the outlaw Robin Hood , and Alan Wheatley as his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham . The show followed the legendary character Robin Hood and his band of merry men in Sherwood Forest and the surrounding vicinity. While some episodes dramatised
4080-650: Is best known for being the company behind many successful British cult TV filmed series during the 1960s and 1970s, such as The Saint , Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) , Danger Man , The Baron , Gideon's Way , The Champions , The Prisoner , Thunderbirds , Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , Stingray , Joe 90 , Interpol Calling , Man in a Suitcase , Strange Report , Department S , The Persuaders! , Jason King , The Adventurer , The Protectors , Space 1999 , and Return of
4200-533: Is credited as writer of "The Coming of Robin Hood" on US prints, for the UK the pseudonym used is Eric Heath. After the blacklist collapsed, Lardner said that the series' format allowed him "plenty of opportunities to comment on issues and institutions in Eisenhower-era America"; presumably "A Tuck in Time" was such an episode, in which a twin of Friar Tuck arrives boasting of his willingness to sell
4320-470: Is fatally wounded in the second episode. Robin Hood's enemy in the series is the Sheriff of Nottingham who, with his cohorts, adherents of the tyrant, Prince John, schemes to capture the outlaw by any means possible. Lady Marian Fitzwalter ( Maid Marian ), a young noblewoman and Robin Hood's lover, keeps him informed of the Sheriff's whereabouts and intentions. Episodes are punctuated with manly deeds of derring-do, tense escapes and pursuits, princely tournaments,
4440-509: The Muppets franchise since 2004, including ITC productions The Muppet Show , The Muppet Movie , and The Great Muppet Caper , although Universal Pictures retains domestic theatrical rights to the latter two productions. The Jim Henson Company owns the ITC production The Dark Crystal as it had bought the film from the company after production had completed. While Universal retains both domestic and international theatrical rights to
4560-523: The ABC Television Network in the United States. This received positive reviews and seven Emmy Awards , including the title of 'Best Variety Series'. The action series The Protectors (1972–74) and The Persuaders! (1971–72), were not especially successful. Gerry Anderson moved to live action science fiction shows UFO (1969–71) and Space: 1999 (1975–77). After Space: 1999 , Anderson made no new series for ITC, but maintained
4680-601: The CBS program 60 Minutes , "I don't intend to retire until the year 2000." Grade died of heart failure aged 91 on 13 December 1998 in London. He was buried at the Liberal Jewish Cemetery in London's Willesden neighbourhood. BBC Radio 2 transmitted two one-hour tribute programmes on 24 and 25 December 2006 as a celebration of Grade's life and marking the centenary of his birth. The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series) The Adventures of Robin Hood
4800-736: The Incorporated Television Company (ITC; commonly known as ITC Entertainment) to distribute programmes, and following the success of The Adventures of Robin Hood decided to focus on bringing them to the American market. Grade had some success in this field with such series as Gerry Anderson 's many Supermarionation series such as Thunderbirds , Patrick McGoohan 's The Prisoner , and Jim Henson 's The Muppet Show . Later, Grade invested in feature film production, but several expensive box-office failures caused him to lose control of ITC, and ultimately resulted in
4920-615: The Moss Empires Group owned by the family of Prince Littler . The agency became the most successful in the UK and in 1967 it was acquired by EMI for $ 21 million with Grade and his two brothers joining the EMI board. In 1954, Grade was contacted by the manager of singer Jo Stafford , Mike Nidorf, who notified him of an advertisement in The Times inviting franchise bids for the new, commercial ITV network. Assembling
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5040-680: The Rank Organisation 's Pinewood and Shepperton Studios were also used. Ghost Squad was made at the Independent Artists Studio in Beaconsfield . Lew Grade Lew Grade, Baron Grade , OStJ (born Lev Winogradsky ; 25 December 1906 – 13 December 1998) was a Russian -born British media proprietor and impresario . Originally a dancer, and later a talent agent , Grade's interest in television production began in 1954 when he founded
5160-431: The 100 soldiers who manned the battlements of Nottingham Castle were miniature toy soldiers. In the US the original CBS syndication prints had a few variants to the original UK prints. After the brief title sequence the US prints would repeat this sequence but with "Brought to You By" and after the arrow strikes the tree the sponsor's name "Wildroot Cream-Oil" superimposed, "Johnson & Johnson" sponsored episodes had
5280-762: The Good: Ericson, Ericson, nipping through the wood...ole!" "Robin des Bois" was the theme recorded for the French TV market. Sung in French, it can be heard on the 3rd series episode "Farewell to Tuck" released by Network on DVD. The series was first broadcast in France as "Aventures dans la Foret de Sherwood" in 1965 on ORTF . Other countries to broadcast the series included Canada in 1955–1958 on CBOT, Toronto, and CKCO, Kitchener, Ontario; Australia in 1956–1961 on HSV7 (The Seven Network ); Finland in 1964 on NORDEEZE;
5400-726: The ITC and EMI films initially released by AFD. The AFD fiasco was just one blow against Grade's entertainment empire; Grade found himself essentially ejected from ITV following the 1980 franchise round, which stipulated that ACC needed to sell the majority of its shares in ATV and turn ATV Midlands into a new business, Central Independent Television ; the Independent Broadcasting Authority had previously criticized ATV's lack of commitment to their Midlands broadcast area, in favor of creating big-budget productions alongside ATV at their Elstree studios (which were sold as
5520-478: The ITC television and film library from PolyGram/Seagram for £91 million, which reunited the programme library of ATV and Central Television and doubled the stock of its library division ( Carlton International ), giving it a total of 15,000 hours of programming. Carlton chairman Michael Green said: 'The ITC library is a jewel in the crown. We can now unite it with the other gems from Britain's film and television heritage in our excellent library.' In 2004, Carlton
5640-538: The London weekend and Midlands weekday contracts, but was undercapitalised; Grade's consortium joined with the ABD to form what became Associated Television (ATV). Reflecting his background in variety, Grade's favourite show and a success for the new company was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (1955–1967, 1973–1974), one of the most popular programmes on British television in its day. Grade did not avoid
5760-626: The Mysterons . ITC also funded Anderson-created programmes aimed at the adult market, including UFO and Space: 1999 . It was at ITC's request that Fanderson , "the Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society," was founded. Another ITC children's series was The Adventures of Rupert Bear , the first television outing for the Daily Express cartoon character. ITC (in partnership with the Italian company RAI )
5880-539: The Netherlands in 1965/66 on AVRO ; and Germany between 1971 and 1974 on ARD . First series episodes also exist with a variant downbeat instrumental end theme by Edwin Astley, which can be heard on the episode "The Highlander" released by Network DVD. Art director Peter Proud, an expert at wartime camouflage, hit on the idea of putting many props on wheels to facilitate quick set changes, since one 26-minute episode
6000-570: The Norman nobility. The writers created supporting characters who were likeable and occasionally resourceful. In "The Goldmaker's Return" (series 2), Robin Hood is away in France on a mission. Lady Marian, Little John and the other Merry Men carry the day without the star of the show ever showing his face. Most of the time, however, Robin is required to save the day single-handed, following the usual comment that "sending many men would be noticed, only one man going in alone will be overlooked", etc. Despite
6120-466: The Pink Panther franchise as a TV series, an option Edwards was not keen on, but he did work on developing scripts. Eventually, he persuaded Grade to finance the property as a feature film project with he and Peter Sellers waiving their fees in return for a profit-sharing arrangement. Both men's careers had not been prospering for a few years. Only Grade's second big budget feature, ITC produced
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#17327935764236240-526: The Saint . Some ATV videotaped productions, usually recorded at ATV Elstree Studios , were produced as 'international productions' and distributed overseas with ITC branding - these included The Muppet Show , Brian Clemens' Thriller and The Julie Andrews Hour , the latter of which was taped at ABC-TV studios in Hollywood. ITC got its start as a production company when former American producer Hannah Weinstein approached Lew Grade. Weinstein wanted to make
6360-472: The Scarlet Pimpernel , The Count of Monte Cristo . ITC continued to make and sell TV series to the US until the late 1970s, including The Saint and The Muppet Show . Many licensed products and knockoffs were sold, including books, jigsaw puzzles, iron-on patches, toy bows and arrows, a series of bubble gum cards, and more. The "Robin Hood" shoe brand sporting Richard Greene's likeness on
6480-404: The Sheriff invokes "the law of hue-and-cry", explaining that any man within hearing must drop his chores and help apprehend the felon. In "A Christmas Goose" (series 3), a boy's goose nips a lord's horse so the lord is thrown. The lord condemns the goose to death—for his Christmas dinner. But Robin Hood counters that under English common law, an accused animal is entitled to a fair trial, the same as
6600-406: The Sheriff, another Norman, sides with the usurper. Robin is tricked into signing a document fatal to his claim, but when the plot to then murder him goes wrong Robin ends up as a hunted man. In the forest he meets a peasant ( Alfie Bass ), who is due to have his hands mutilated for killing his lord's deer, but Robin rescues him. The hunter tells him of outlaws living free in the forest. When they meet
6720-578: The Titanic (1980), an adaptation of the novel by Clive Cussler , Grade himself observed that "It would have been cheaper to lower the Atlantic ". The film was panned by critics and, after costing $ 36 million, returned only $ 8 million in rentals. This film along with other expensive box office failures – including Saturn 3 (1980) and The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981) – marked
6840-552: The UK charts (78rpm single:R.4117/45rpm single:MSP6199), and by Pye Records as a 78rpm single by Gary Miller with Tony Osbourne orchestra and the Beryl Stott chorus (PYE N.15020) and reached number 10 on the UK charts . Versions by Frankie Laine (CBS Coronet), Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra (Capitol), Alan Dale (Coral), Joe Reisman 's orchestra and chorus (RCA Victor), and Ronnie Ronalde (Colombia) were also issued. These versions had extended lyrics, with five verses and
6960-434: The US was Fury , a Saturday morning live-action series, about a beloved ranch horse, which starred Peter Graves and ran on NBC in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 1963 Gerry Anderson 's Anderson-Provis (AP) Films became part of ACC and produced Fireball XL-5 , the hugely successful children's series Thunderbirds and, under its successor company Century 21 Television/Cinema Productions, Captain Scarlet and
7080-453: The United States. In 1962, AP Films became a subsidiary of ITC. Co-founded by Gerry Anderson , AP Films produced two marionette puppet (" Supermarionation ") series for children during the 1960s: Thunderbirds (1965–1966) and (as Century 21) Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967–1968). After a screening of the pilot for Thunderbirds (" Trapped in the Sky ", 1964), Grade insisted that
7200-472: The United States. It also distributed ATV material outside of the UK. From 1966 to 1982 it was a subsidiary of Associated Communications Corporation after the acquisition of ATV. The initials 'ITC' stood for two different things: Independent Television Corporation for sales to the Americas, and Incorporated Television Company for sales to the rest of the world. The American Independent Television Corporation
7320-452: The attention of studio executives. The sponsored prints of the first five episodes of series one, screened by CBS in the US on its first run, had no writer credits on their end title sequences; writers were only credited on sponsored prints from episode 6 onward, only later non-sponsored US re-run prints of series one have writer credits for these episodes, some of which differ from writer credits on UK prints. As an example, Lawrence McClellan
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#17327935764237440-580: The bad, Loved by the good Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood He called the greatest archers to a tavern on the green They vowed to help the people of the king They handled all the trouble on the English country scene And still found plenty of time to sing [Chorus (1st paragraph) repeat] In 1956 the theme song was released on Parlophone records by Dick James with Stephen James and his chums and Ron Goodwin 's Orchestra and reached number 14 in
7560-537: The best possible picture quality, and had fade-outs where US commercials were intended to slot in (the series was sponsored in the US by Johnson & Johnson (baby products, Band-Aid) and Wildroot Cream-Oil . In Australia, the show aired on TCN9 in Sydney NSW and HSV7 Melbourne Victoria, actually being the first drama series broadcast by this station and CBC in Canada, and on CBS in the US. In France, RTF1 aired
7680-506: The chorus repeated six times. The sound effect at the start of the theme tune, of an arrow being fired into a tree, was produced by record producer Joe Meek , who was also the recording engineer on the Gary Miller version. This song was parodied many years later on the 1970s TV series Monty Python's Flying Circus , in their Dennis Moore sketch, which depicted a masked highwayman from the 18th century (intended to mimic in appearance
7800-544: The company failed to win a contract when the Independent Television Authority felt that doing so would give too much control in the entertainment business to the Grade family's companies (which included large talent agencies and theatre interests) although the ITA said that ITP were free to make their own programmes which they could sell to the new network companies. ITP put most of the production budget into producing one show, The Adventures of Robin Hood (ITV, 1955–59). However,
7920-447: The company forged a deal with producer David Gerber in 1993. In the meantime, it entered into a financing agreement with Interscope Communications to handle U.S. and foreign sales of its telemovies. In 1990, ITC briefly attempted to enter the lucrative American game show market, with a syndicated revival of Tic-Tac-Dough , which had previously run from 1978 to 1986 in syndication, alongside Barry & Enright Productions . However,
8040-538: The disestablishment of ATV after it lost its ITV franchise. Grade was born in Tokmak , Berdyansky Uyezd , Taurida Governorate , Russian Empire (now Ukraine ), to Isaak and Olga Winogradsky. In 1912, when Grade was five years old, his Jewish family escaped the pogroms by emigrating from Odessa , via Berlin to London and resettled on Brick Lane near Shoreditch in the East End of London . Isaak worked as
8160-441: The end of Grade's involvement in major film production. Despite this, several of the most critically acclaimed films produced by Grade were released after the failure of Raise the Titanic : these included On Golden Pond (1981) and Sophie's Choice (1982), both winners of Academy Awards , as well as The Dark Crystal (1982), which was Jim Henson's final project created in association with ITC. In 1980, Grade's standing in
8280-537: The end titles which are shown over the shot of the tree. This caption also appeared: "This film was flown to the USA via Pan American World Airways". The opening minstrel tunes were also sung to the tune of ' Early One Morning '. There were two sponsors of the CBS syndicated screenings, Wildroot Cream-Oil (a hair tonic company), and Johnson & Johnson (known in the UK and US for its baby powder). The commercials involved "within"
8400-522: The episodes appeared originally on all three Seasons broadcast at 7.30pm (eastern standard time) /6.30pm (central standard time) Monday nights on CBS (not series 4). Alternative title captions appear over the opening sequence on some US prints. Instead of "Richard Greene in The Adventures of Robin Hood" they state "Richard Greene plays Robin Hood – Adventures in Sherwood Forest". This practice occurred because of an FCC rule demanding that reruns of
8520-496: The episodes be lengthened to fill a one-hour slot. Unusually for children's television series , these colour programmes were generously budgeted for the time (Grade paid £22,000 per episode), and were successfully repeated internationally. In 1966, Grade's companies were re-organised again to form the Associated Communications Corporation (ACC). That year, The Sunday Times investigated
8640-455: The eventual film The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), while United Artists (UA), who had earlier rejected the project themselves, gained distribution rights and a 5% share of the profits. Distribution in other countries was undertaken by ITC. The Return of the Pink Panther was a commercially successful release. It also prompted Grade to move into the film industry, where he had success with Farewell My Lovely (1975). Other films of
8760-473: The film, its home video and television broadcast rights are licensed to Shout! Factory. ITC produced and distributed a wide range of content across both film and television, over several decades. ITC productions and distributions crossed many different genres – from historical adventure, to spy-fi and action, and later into both children's and adult science-fiction – as well as films covering many different subjects. The ITC Distributions page offers
8880-442: The first actor to portray Robin Hood on TV in a live BBC series ), Irene Handl , Nicholas Parsons , Sam Kydd , Desmond Llewelyn , Sid James , Joan Sims , Bernard Bresslaw , Leo McKern , Alfie Bass , Harry H. Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell ( Steptoe and Son ), Billie Whitelaw , Paul Eddington , Ronald Allen and Gordon Jackson . John Schlesinger appeared as an actor in three episodes as singing minstrels (Hale and Alan
9000-537: The head of a new venture, the Grade Company, in 1985, and was elected a vice-president of the Loews Group chain of cinemas in the United States. The Grade Company produced adaptations for television of works by novelist Dame Barbara Cartland ; he owned the rights to 450 of her romances. By the early to mid-1990s, Grade had returned to ITC to head the company one final time until his death in 1998. Grade
9120-421: The height of disco music, was released 20 June 1980, by which time disco's popularity had diminished and the form was experiencing a backlash from music listeners. The poorly reviewed film ultimately grossed $ 2 million on a $ 20 million budget. On 1 August 1980, the release of the poorly received Raise the Titanic! met with pre-release criticism from the novel's author, Clive Cussler , and recouped only
9240-477: The interconnected nature of the companies controlled by Grade and his two brothers, Bernard Delfont and Leslie Grade. Their firms, effectively amounting to a "cartel", were agents for most of the major talents in acting as well as entertainment and controlled theatres in both London and the rest of the UK and ATV was a major provider of televised entertainment. The following year, ATV lost its London franchise to what would become London Weekend Television (LWT); at
9360-500: The interior heel lasted long after the series stopped production. Magazine Enterprises featured Richard Greene photos on three Robin Hood comic books. Robin and Marian made the cover of TV Guide in the Week of 12–18 May 1956. In Region 1, Mill Creek Entertainment has released all 4 seasons on DVD. They have also released a complete series set featuring all 143 episodes of the series. Alpha Video has released 22 single volume collections of
9480-623: The jazz group Quintette du Hot Club de France . Following the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, Grade became involved in arranging entertainment for soldiers in Harrogate , and later joined the British Army . He was discharged after two years when an old problem with swelling of the knees , which had earlier ended his dancing career, recurred. In 1945, the arrangement with Collins having been terminated, Grade formed
9600-455: The lucrative American market. In the UK, the series premiered on ATV London, on Sunday 25 September 1955. ATV Midlands began the series on Friday 17 February 1956, with a staggered start across other regions from 1956 to 1961 as the ITV regional stations came on-air for the first time in the UK. The US premiere was on Monday 26 September 1955 by CBS . The series was shot on 35mm film to provide
9720-401: The mass media industry was damaged by two events: the poor reception for Raise the Titanic , and a decision that, effective from 1 January 1982 ATV Midlands would be permitted to keep its licence only on the condition that it terminate its association with Grade and ITC (ultimately leading to its re-branding as Central Television ). Grade resigned his position in the company while it underwent
9840-444: The merry time again with Robin and his Merry Men and the folk who'll bring him to you then now beg a word with you", followed by a commercial for the next week's sponsor before the end titles would be shown (Wildroot Cream Oil and Johnson & Johnson sponsored alternate episodes), the end credits start with the opening sequence, with Sandy Becker mentioning the sponsor's name again, and the sponsor's product appearing on screen through
9960-482: The other end of the cultural spectrum and in 1958 Sir Kenneth Clark began to talk about the history of art on television. Meanwhile, Grade committed the funds for what would become the first trans-Atlantic success of the ITP subsidiary: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955–1960), commissioned by UK-based American producer Hannah Weinstein . ITC became a wholly owned ATV subsidiary in 1957, That same year ATV established
10080-629: The other sites used through the series were Bodiam Castle in East Sussex , Leith Hill near Dorking , Framlingham Castle in Suffolk, Newark Priory near Ripley, Castle Mill in Dorking, and Newark Mill. Each episode in the first two series started with a country scene of faux everyday life in Olde England, during which an introductory poem in rhymed cadence was intoned in voice-over, to
10200-407: The outlaws, Robin drops his title and asks to just be called Robin. As he is hooded, they call him Robin of the Hood. He is thus forced into the life of an outlaw, dwelling in Sherwood Forest with a band of men who right the wrongs committed by the rich and powerful Normans against the poor and defenceless Saxons. He is given the name Robin Hood by the outlaw band's original leader, Will Scatlock, who
10320-659: The partnership ended the following year. Other films produced by ITC include The Boys from Brazil , The Return of the Pink Panther , The Last Unicorn , and a number of Jim Henson Company productions: The Dark Crystal and the first two Muppet films, The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper . Initially, ITC productions were licensed out to other US studios for release until 1979, when ITC partnered with another UK-based production company, Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment , to create Associated Film Distribution , which would release films produced by each company, as well as pick-ups from other production companies. In 1979,
10440-592: The period made with Grade's involvement include the co-releases The Boys From Brazil (1978) with 20th Century Fox and Movie Movie (also 1978) with Warner Bros . He was a producer on the Ingmar Bergman films Autumn Sonata (1978) and From the Life of the Marionettes (1980). Grade was executive producer of The Muppet Movie (1979) and The Great Muppet Caper (1981); Orson Welles portrayed
10560-473: The plot of the episode "The Prisoner". It is claimed to be a favourite song of the crusading King Richard and is continually sung by the king's courier who has been secretly imprisoned in Prince John's dungeon. The tune is so charismatic that a dungeon jailer sings it while drinking at a tavern and is overheard by Robin Hood, thus alerting Robin to the courier's fate. The episode "The Haunted Mill" features
10680-548: The real life highwayman Dick Turpin ) stealing lupins (parodied as "... He steals from the poor, Gives to the rich, Stupid bitch!"). It's also played at every Nottingham Forest home match. The song, the titles, and the whole show were also parodied in the Hancock's Half Hour television episode "Ericson the Viking" in 1958, where Sid James talks Hancock into appearing in an on-the-cheap historical drama, "Ericson, Ericson, Ericson
10800-475: The renaming, ITC attempted to branch out more into series and the lucrative first-run syndication market. In 1990, ITC placed Marble Arch up for sale amid financial losses; it was ultimately sold to Interscope Communications , a film and television production company who assumed Marble Arch's former duties in exchange for ITC's handling of distribution and co-financing of Interscope projects. The company did not return to first-run television production until 1993, via
10920-699: The rights for several years afterwards; video rights were licensed to J2 Communications beginning in 1988 (under the ITC Home Video branding). This came to an end following a legal dispute between ITC and J2 over the rights to the National Lampoon IP then-owned by J2, which ITC had attempted to auction off without J2's knowledge or consent. As for ITC's television output, Carlton (and later Granada and now ITV) released some of these shows on DVD both in Europe and North America. There were however
11040-670: The same time, however, ATV's Midlands franchise was expanded to run throughout the week from July 1968. Through ATV Music, Grade acquired Northern Songs , gaining control of the Lennon–McCartney song catalogue. Foreign sales remained strong for a time (valued at $ 30 million in 1970) and the ACC received the Queen's Awards for Export in both 1967 and 1969. Some of the 1970s distributions performed poorly: these included The Julie Andrews Hour (1972–73), which aired for only one season on
11160-471: The screen in 1976 and ensuring its success; it ran until 1981. Grade's other accomplishments in television included the mini-series Jesus of Nazareth (1977), which was successfully sold to the American market and secured a record-breaking $ 12 million in revenue. Several years in preparation, the deal with the Italian broadcaster RAI and director Franco Zeffirelli had been announced three years previously. Grade approached Blake Edwards to revive
11280-441: The series by producers Philip May & Joseph Shields, through editing and computer-colourizing parts of the various episodes, though not necessarily in chronological order. These were as follows: Sidney Cole and Richard Greene produced the feature film Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960), for Hammer Film Productions (in association with Yeoman Films), directed by Terence Fisher , written by Alan Hackney, director of photography
11400-637: The series, featuring various episodes. In Region 2, Network DVD has released all 4 seasons on DVD in the UK. Three DVD boxsets of the series have also been released in Germany by KNM Home Entertainment as "Die Abenteuer Von Robin Hood" with German-language soundtracks in 2009. In the early 1990s, in the wake of the Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves , three movie-length compilation features (approx. 90 min. each) were created from
11520-476: The series. For instance, in one episode, "The Challenge", the plot (as such) finished halfway through the show, and the remainder became a comedy as the hapless Richard of the Lea and his wife worried whilst their larder and wine cellar were emptied, during a siege, by Robin, Little John, and Tuck eating and dancing all the day and night. A total of 143 episodes were filmed in four series. The Adventures of Robin Hood
11640-475: The show from 1965 to 1969 and RTF2 from 1969 to 1972. In Italy, Rai 1 aired the show from 1959 to 1964 and Rai 2 from 1965 to 1967. In Malaysia, RTM aired the show from late 1974 to early 1978. In the Philippines, ABS-CBN aired the show from 1963 to 1967, RBS (now GMA Network) from 1967 to 1972. In Indonesia, TVRI aired the show during the 1970s. In Romania, TVR aired the show from 1966 to 1980. In Poland aired
11760-680: The show in the late 1960s/early 1970s, in a popular programme for young people (each episode of the weekly programme "Ekran z bratkiem" ended with the broadcast of one episode of the series). The programme continues to air in the United Kingdom on the Talking Pictures TV channel, shown regularly on Saturday mornings and on Sunday afternoons. Actors appearing in the series who later became better-known included: Lionel Jeffries , Leslie Phillips , Jane Asher , Anne Reid , Edward Mulhare , Patrick Troughton (who in 1953 had been
11880-642: The show was off the air by March 1991, mainly due to a glut of syndicated game show offerings during the 1990–91 season, as well as several changes in gameplay which were criticized, as was host Patrick Wayne . In 1995, PolyGram purchased the company for $ 156 million. with Grade once again returning to ITC to act as a consultant until his death in December 1998. In 1997, it was absorbed into PolyGram Television . On 10 December 1998, Universal Studios' parent, Seagram purchased PolyGram for $ 10.2 billion. In early January 1999, Carlton Communications bought
12000-431: The simplistic plotting required by the 26-minute format, the writing was both professional in its handling of situations, and pointed in its dialogue. Anachronisms abounded: the lipsticked girl with modern hairdo in the "Friar Tuck" episode, for instance; wine cups for each occupant at a table in "Checkmate", when that only became the practice hundreds of years later; the 20th century school implements in "Brother Battle";
12120-477: The sponsor "now begs a word with you". " Sumer Is Icumen In ", an English ballad actually sung in the 12th century, is featured throughout the series. At times it is heard as background music at parties. In "The Betrothal", Sir Richard's son plays it on his flute while his betrothed sings it. In the episode "Carlotta", Little John sings it to his sweetheart. In "The Path of True Love", Marian sings it to stall Sir Charles. In one of its most prominent uses, Robin forces
12240-733: The standing castle and village set on the backlot at Nettlefold studios used in series 1 & most of series 2. As well as this, establishing shots and short film sequences were also shot at various medieval buildings in the UK including: Allington Castle in Kent, this was used to establish Fitzwalter Castle, Marian's home in the series, Painshill Park , near Cobham, Saltwood Castle in Hythe , and Pencoed Castle near Magor in Monmouthshire. Three Northumberland sites were used: Alnwick Castle , Lindisfarne Castle , and Warkworth Castle . Some of
12360-534: The subsidiary Black Lion Films was founded in the manner of Euston Films (owned by Thames Television ), but its best remembered production, The Long Good Friday , was sold on to HandMade Films . In the summer of 1980, two films released by AFD within six weeks of each other helped lead to the distribution company's dissolution. Can't Stop the Music , designed to be a showcase for the Village People at
12480-400: The thundering hoof-beats of powerful steeds, the clattering of flashing swords, and the whizzing of fatally placed arrows. In "A Year and A Day" (series 2), a refugee peasant explains that, under English law, a peasant who escapes serfdom and lives in a city for "a year and a day" is a free man, provided the man lives openly, not in hiding. When Robin Hood helps the peasant move about the city,
12600-443: The time were still ultimately released by AFD, to handle the release of the remaining pictures still in production at the time of the sale, beginning with The Legend of the Lone Ranger , and including On Golden Pond , Sophie's Choice , The Dark Crystal , and The Great Muppet Caper . As of this writing. the various copyrights have reverted to their respective owners, but Universal still maintains theatrical rights to most of
12720-429: The traditional Robin Hood tales, most were original dramas created by the show's writers and producers. The programme was produced by Sapphire Films Ltd for ITC Entertainment , filmed at Nettlefold Studios with some location work, and was the first of many pre-filmed shows commissioned by Lew Grade . In 1954, Grade was approached by American producer Hannah Weinstein to finance a series of 39 half-hour episodes, at
12840-409: The tune of the English folksong " Early One Morning ", which derives from a much later period than that in which the series is set. Each poem was a humorous summary vignette of what could be expected in the episode. In the first-run CBS-sponsored screenings in the US, an actor portraying the Minstrel would use the same melody before the final fade to black before the end credits, letting viewers know that
12960-454: The use of Guineas from the 1700s as coinage; written tavern signs when most people were illiterate; and a "bard" in "The Challenge" episode who sings a song to the late 17th-century tune of " Lillibullero " in 12th-century England. All this is typical of every series of historical fiction, but the show's producers pointed with pride to their accuracy, courtesy of hired consultants. There was an element of self-parody at times, that sat uneasily on
13080-776: The winner of one of the contracts, the Associated Broadcasting Development Company, had insufficient funds to start broadcasting, so the ITP owners were brought into the consortium—now renamed the Associated Broadcasting Company (ABC)—and Lew Grade came to dominate it. In 1957, now known as Incorporated Television Company (ITC), the company became a subsidiary of Associated Television (ATV)—the name ABC had adopted after threats of legal action from fellow ITV company Associated British Cinemas (Television) Ltd —and produced its own programmes for ATV and for syndication in
13200-403: Was Ken Hodges, and the film editor was Lee Doig, all TV series alumni. Richard Greene starred as Robin Hood with Peter Cushing as the Sheriff of Nottingham; blonde-haired Sarah Branch played Maid Marian with Nigel Green as Little John, Jack Gwillim as Archbishop Hubert Walter , and Richard Pasco as Edward, Earl of Newark. Oliver Reed also had a small role. It was filmed in colour and in
13320-685: Was a member of the Founding Council of the Rothermere American Institute at the University of Oxford . In 1969, Grade was knighted . He was created a life peer (as Baron Grade of Elstree in the County of Hertfordshire) on 22 June 1976. He reportedly chose Elstree as his territorial designation because ATV's main studios were based there. In 1978, Grade, then aged 71, told interviewer Mike Wallace on
13440-718: Was acquired by Granada plc (which then renamed itself ITV plc ). ITV Studios continues to release ITC's original output through television and Internet-streaming repeats, books and DVD and Blu-ray releases. Today, the underlying rights are generally owned by ITV Studios Global Entertainment via ITV plc and its respective predecessors, although in most cases Shout! Factory now holds full worldwide distribution rights (with US theatrical distribution handled by Shout!'s Westchester Films division, passed on from former distributors Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Park Circus ). In turn, Shout!'s video distribution rights in North America to
13560-689: Was also behind Franco Zeffirelli 's Biblical mini-series Jesus of Nazareth , Moses the Lawgiver , and the Gregory Peck television film The Scarlet and the Black . In 1978, ITC launched a subsidiary, Marble Arch Productions , for American-produced programmes, which in 1982 was renamed to ITC Productions. Outside of telefilms and mini-series, Marble Arch only ever produced two sitcoms, Maggie , which ABC aired from 1981 to 1982 and The Two of Us , which aired on CBS, also that same season. After
13680-536: Was during a syndicated block of its programming. After watching one of Henson's pilots and recalling a special made in one of his studios, Grade allowed Henson to realise his project in Britain (the series was recorded at the ATV Elstree Studios , later bought by the BBC, primarily used for EastEnders ) and distributed internationally by ITC. Grade's action was instrumental in bringing The Muppet Show to
13800-455: Was formed in 1958 as a joint venture with Jack Wrather . In September 1958 it purchased Television Programs of America (TPA) for $ 11,350,000. Wrather sold his shares to Lew Grade at the end of the decade. The large foreign sales achieved by ITC during the British government's export drives of the 1960s and 1970s led to ACC receiving the Queen's Award for Export on numerous occasions. ITC
13920-644: Was not allowed and each episode had one commercial break in the middle. The series was an immediate hit on both sides of the Atlantic , drawing 32,000,000 viewers per week. Sapphire films were commissioned to make four other series by Lew Grade: The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956/57, broadcast by NBC on Monday nights at 8.00 pm), The Buccaneers (1956/57, broadcast by CBS on Saturday nights at 7.30 pm), Sword of Freedom (1957/58), and The Four Just Men (1958/59). The success of these inspired other historic drama series from ITC like The Adventures of William Tell , Sir Francis Drake , The Adventures of
14040-435: Was produced by Hannah Weinstein , who had left-wing political views. The series was explicitly created by Weinstein to enable the commissioning of scripts by blacklisted American writers. Among these were Ring Lardner Jr. , Waldo Salt , Robert Lees , and Adrian Scott . Howard Koch , who was also blacklisted, served for a while as the series' script editor . The blacklisted writers were credited under pseudonyms, to avoid
14160-492: Was shot every four and a half days. The show boasted "140 set pieces (baronial fireplaces, staircases, stone walls, entrance halls, and the like)". There was some outdoor location filming, mainly involving horse-riding doubles and stuntmen, and without dialogue recording. Sets were designed from parchments and sketches from the British Museum , and modelled on the castles of Harlech , Farleigh , and Framlingham . Some of
14280-526: Was signed as a dancer by Joe Collins (father of Jackie and Joan Collins ) in 1931. Decades later, the octogenarian Lord Grade once danced the Charleston at a party Arthur Ochs Sulzberger gave in New York. Around 1934, Grade went into partnership with Joe Collins and became a talent agent in their company Collins & Grade. Among their earliest clients were the harmonica player Larry Adler and
14400-543: Was sold to over 80 countries, and two featuring Patrick McGoohan : Danger Man (1960–1968) and The Prisoner (1967–1968). The series, exclusively thrillers, were normally used as summer replacements for American-made programmes until the mid-1960s. While many of Grade's series used American actors in lead roles ( The Baron and Man in a Suitcase , for example) it was those series which used an exclusively British cast, such as The Saint (and The Avengers , made by another ITV contractor), which were more successful in
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