''Son of the Guardsman'' is an American

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

released in 1946 by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

. It was the 31st of the 57 serials produced by that studio. ''Son of the Guardsman'' is a rare serial with a period setting, in this case 12th century

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The serial is largely based on the

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

legends, to the extent of including outlaws from

Sherwood Forest Sherwood Forest is a royal forest in Nottinghamshire, England, famous because of its historic association with the legend of Robin Hood. The area has been wooded since the end of the Last Glacial Period (as attested by pollen sampling cor ...

, but it does not include or reference Robin Hood himself. The serial was produced by the notoriously cheap

Sam Katzman Sam Katzman (July 7, 1901 – August 4, 1973) was an American film producer and director. Katzman produced low-budget genre films, including serials, which had disproportionately high returns for the studios and his financial backers. E ...

and directed by

Derwin Abrahams Derwin Abrahams (1903–1974) was an American film director. He directed four serials in the 1940s for Columbia Pictures, including ''Hop Harrigan'', ''Chick Carter, Detective'', ''Tex Granger'', and ''Son of the Guardsman'', followed by ''The Gr ...

Bob Shaw Robert Shaw (31 December 1931 – 11 February 1996) was a science fiction writer and fan from Northern Ireland, noted for his originality and wit. He won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 1979 and 1980. His short story "Light of Other Days" ...

starred as the heroic noble-turned-outlaw David Trent with Charles King as his villainous uncle Sir Edgar Bullard.

Plot

Set in the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended around AD 150 ...

, Sir Edgar Bullard conspires to conquer England. In doing so, he kidnaps the daughter of his rival, Lord Markham. This causes his nephew, David Trent, to turn against him and join the outlaws in

, who are led by Allan Hawk. Meanwhile, the outlaws of the forest support Prince Richard as the rightful ruler of England, who has been

usurped A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it as ...

by the

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

Lord Hampton.

Cast

as David Trent,

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

turned outlaw * Daun Kennedy as Lady Louise Markham, daughter of Lord Markham *

Robert 'Buzz' Henry Robert Dee Henry (September 4, 1931 – September 30, 1971) was an American actor and stuntman. He starred in the 1946 serial film ''Hop Harrigan'', in which he played Jackie Nolan. Life and career Henry was born in Colorado, where his moth ...

as "Roger Mowbry", really Prince Richard in disguise * Jim Diehl as Allan Hawk, leader of the Sherwood Forest outlaws *

Hugh Prosser Hugh Prosser (March 2, 1907 – November 8, 1952) was a Hollywood actor who appeared in over 90 films between 1936 and 1953. A native of Illinois, Prosser was a versatile supporting performer particularly adept at playing unscrupulous villa ...

as Red Robert *

Leonard Penn Leonard Penn (13 November 1907 – 20 May 1975) was an American film, television and theatre actor. Early life and education Penn was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, to parents Marcus Penn and Eva Monson. He majored in drama at Columbia U ...

as Mark Crowell *

Jock Mahoney Jacques Joseph O'Mahoney (February 7, 1919 – December 14, 1989), known professionally as Jock Mahoney, was an American actor and stuntman. He starred in two Action/Adventure television series, ''The Range Rider'' and ''Yancy Derringer''. He ...

as Captain Kenley * Charles King as Sir Edgar Bullard, David Trent's evil uncle *

John Merton John Merton (born Myrtland F. LaVarre; February 18, 1901 – September 19, 1959) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1927 and 1959, mostly as a villain. He was the brother of filmmaker André de la Varre a ...

as Lord Hampton, the evil regent

Production

''Son of the Guardsman'' is based on the

legends, although it does not include Robin Hood, just the period and

setting. The serial was made to use costumes and sets left over from

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

s, amortising the costs of all the productions involved.

Costume drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...

serials were rare productions for any producer. The serial's subtle was "Gallant Fighter of the Greenwood."

Stunts

Chapter titles

# Outlaws of Sherwood Forest # Perils of the Forest # Blazing Barrier # The Siege of Bullard Hall # A Dagger in the Dark # A Fight for Freedom # Trial by Torture # Mark Crowell's Treachery # Crushed to Earth # A Throne at Stake # Double Danger # The Secret of the Treasure # Into the Depths # The Lost Heritage # Free Men Triumph _Source:

References

External links

* * {{Robin Hood 1946 films 1946 adventure films American black-and-white films Columbia Pictures film serials 1940s English-language films Films set in the 12th century Films set in Nottinghamshire American adventure films Films with screenplays by Harry L. Fraser Films with screenplays by George H. Plympton Films directed by Derwin Abrahams 1940s American films