It hadn’t struck me as such,  but I have come to realise that even in these early days of Television, quite prominent actors appeared. Below we have Marius Goring who had a quite illustrious career behind him in films – and ahead of him too.

As for Richard Greene, he had been a quite big star in England and in Hollywood both before the War and early afterwards. He really struck lucky in the role of Robin Hood in the excellent ITV series that went very well indeed in the US as it did here.   It certainly put him right back at the top of the tree – he also played Robin Hood in a film spin off for Hammer Films in the 60s

Memories from 1956

Marius Goring as The Scarlet Pimpernel

Richard Greene and Robin Hood and Bernadette O Farrell as Maid Marian#

Going a bit further back in time to around 1952, I seem to remember an adaptation of H.G.Wells ‘The Wonderful Visit’ about an angel who is flying over Southern England, and mistaken for a bird is shot down – shot in the wing actually, so has to spend some time on Earth at a small village.

Kenneth Williams played the Angel and Barry Jones played the Vicar who nurses him back to health. It was broadcast on BBC Television in 1952.  I do vaguely remember this as a  very young boy – and remember it as being very good.

I have read since that critics raved about his performance in this Television play which no doubt went out live  in those days.  I wish a print had been kept but I doubt it now.

A later film was made of the story – it was a foreign film and I think I do have a VHS copy – must have a look at it