The Bandit Of Sherwood Forest (1946)

William of Pembroke (Henry Daniell), regent to the child King (Maurice Tauzin), revokes the Magna Carta and usurps the throne of England. It falls to the son (Cornel Wilde) of Robin Hood (Russell Hicks) to save the day, much as his father did when Prince John usurped the throne from King Richard. This lively Technicolor adventure can't disguise its low budget and the film lacks the panache of the classic 1938 ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD. The film is credited to two directors, George Sherman and Henry Levin (WHERE THE BOYS ARE), so I'm not sure who's responsible for what but it's a congenial, modest entertainment with enough swashbuckling to please the most demanding of the genre's fans. Wilde cuts a fine swath as the young Robin but Anita Louise, though only 31, looks rather matronly as the lady in waiting who provides the romantic interest. The energetic score is by Hugo Friedhofer (who would go on to score his Oscar winning BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES the same year). With Jill Esmond (the first Mrs. Laurence Olivier) as the Queen, George Macready, Edgar Buchanan as Friar Tuck and Ian Wolfe.