We all remember Joan Rice so well for playing Maid Marian in the 1952 Walt Disney Film

Her journey then, very quickly took her to Hollywood and then on to Fiji for ‘His Majesty O’Keefe’ – then just as quickly her promising film career was over. Sad news for many of us.

Richard Todd and Ken Annakin do not speak well of her as an actress but Walt Disney did like her and was determined to cast her – which he did and very successfully.

My own view is that these two were in a way guilty of verbal bullying of this very young girl – Joan was naive and at that time, maybe thinking she was not good enough, and she needed kind and gentle people around her. Richard Todd at that time would give her little kindness – that can be seen by his awful and cruel treatment of his first wife Catherine Grant Bogle.

There was a bit of snobbery involved here too. It has been speculated that Diana Dors was put forward for His Majesty O Keefe and it struck me that if she had been in a film with these two, she would not have stood for any bullying – Joan Rice lacked the self confidence that Diana had.

I have a feeling that in later life Joan was able to stand up for herself – I really hope so.

When making ‘The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men’ in the hot summer of 1951, Joan was only 20 years old.

Richard Todd and Ken Annakin were older and had been away in the forces- she deserved better that these two although in fairness to Ken Annakin, he did try to help her. I don’t think that Richard Todd did.

Joan in her flat in London

Washing up – we weren’t used to seeing film stars doing this !!

Keeping in shape – well she was already ‘in shape’ most of us would agree with that I think

Joan poses by the fireside

ABOVE – Joan Rice at the 1954 Film awards ceremony in London

ABOVE – Joan Rice and Shirley Abicair together at the time they were both in the film ‘One Good Turn’ with Norman Wisdom. These girls were very well known at the time, but now not really remembered at all, except by us film fans of the era.