Some Other Will Scarlets

The Will Scarlet Gallery
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Will Scarlett was played by Maine Geary in the 1922 silent film 'Robin Hood' starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. The photos are coloured green because colour tinting was a common silent film technique. From left to right: Will Scarlett, Robin, Tuck and Little John. Scarlett, Robin, Tuck, Little John
Maine Geary as Will Scarlett Here is Will Scarlett from the Douglas Fairbanks silent movie again. This time he's spanking a Norman.
Patric Knowles played Will Scarlet alongside Errol Flynn in director Michael Curtiz’s famous 1938 film ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’ Patric Knowles and Errol Flynn in ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood
Patric Knowles and Errol Flynn Errol Flynn and Patric Knowles in 1938 portrayed Robin Hood and Will Scarlet in the traditional colours of lincoln green and scarlet.
Will Scarlet also seems to double up in this telling of the legend as Alan a Dale..... Patric Knowles as ‘Will Scarlet’ with a lute
John Abbott in 'The Bandit of Sherwood Forest' Whe Bandit of Sherwood Forest was a 1946 film starring Cornel Wilde as the son of Robin Hood. John Abbott (pictured left) played Will Scarlett of Robin Hood's band,

Disney's 1952 movie 'The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men' starred Richard Todd as Robin and featured all three incarnations of Will Scarlet (see my History of Will Scarlet); Scarlet, Scathelock and Stutely, as separate characters.

Anthony Forwood (right) cuts a dash in red as Will Scarlet

 Anthony Forwood as Will Scarlet
Bill Owen as Stutely Stutely was played by Bill Owen (left) in 'The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men', although he does not seem to have a first name. He cuts less of a dash than Scarlet, above......
And Michael Hordern played Scathelock (right), who also does not seem to have a first name. He is looking surly because the dinner guest is the Sheriff. Michael Hordern as Scathelock
Finally, here are all three Wills in the same frame - from left Scathelock (Hordern), Stutely (Owen) and Scarlet (Forwood) in red with the bow.

The Adventures of Robin Hood ran from 1955-60 on UK television. It starred Richard Greene (right of picture) as Robin. In this picture, taken from the episode 'Goodbye, Little John', Paul Eddington (left of picture) was the third actor to play Will Scarlett in the show. He later went on to find fame as the eponymous hero of 'Yes Minister'.

 Paul Eddington as Will Scarlet
uncredited actor as Will Scathelock The Richard Greene series 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' also featured a Will Scathelock and a Will Stutely (see my History of Will Scarlet). Will Scathelock (left of picture) appeared in the first two episodes of the series, "The Coming of Robin Hood" and "The Moneylender". He is an elderly, more traditional outlaw who is killed at the end of the second episode. The actor was uncredited. This picture of a bearded Will shaking hands with Robin is from the end of the first episode.
Will Stutely only appeared in the 6th episode of 'The Adventures of Robin Hood', entitled 'A Guest for the Gallows'. He is portrayed by Robert Desmond (left of picture, with Robin) as a young man who joins the band at the episode's end. This episode combines elements from the traditional Rescuing Will Stutely ballad and Robin Hood and the Butcher. Robert Desmond as Will Stutely
Sammy Davis Jr as 'Will' and Frank Sinatra as 'Robbo' in 'Robin and the 7 Hoods' Sammy Davis Jr (far left) starred as 'Will' in the 1964 reworking of the legend 'Robin and the Seven Hoods'. Frank Sinatra (left) was 'Robbo', with Dean Martin as Little John and Bing Crosby as Allen A Dale.
Robin and the Seven Hoods updated the story to the 1920s where Robbo runs a speakeasy and Will totes a gun.... Sammy Davis Jr as 'Will' in 'Robin and the 7 Hoods'
Douglas Mitchell as Will in Douglas Mitchell (far left of picture) strikes a pose as Will in his scarlet breeches in the minor British 1967 movie ‘A Challenge for Robin Hood’ starring Barrie Ingham as Robin (second from right).
Denholm Elliott as Will in ‘Robin and Marian’ In 1976 Richard Lester directed a melancholy version of the legend ‘Robin and Marian’ with Sean Connery as Robin and Denholm Elliott (left) as Will Scarlet. This story picks up the Robin Hood story twenty years after their heydey.
Will Scarlet and Friar Tuck have remained in Sherwood while Robin and Little John went off to the Crusades. Twenty years later, the band are reunited, but things aren’t the same. Denholm Elliott as Will in ‘Robin and Marian’ again
Christian Slater as Will in ‘Robin Hood’, Prince of Thieves

Christian Slater played Will Scarlet in the Kevin Reynold’s movie “Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" [1991] which starred Kevin Costner as Robin.

Will turns out to be Robin’s half-brother in this movie. Ray Winstone's portrayal of the angry Will Scarlet appears to have had a lot of influence on this characterisation.

Owen Teale (left of picture) starred with Patrick Bergin as Robin in the other 1991 film "Robin Hood" directed by John Irvin. It lost out to "Prince of Thieves" and in the US it became a TV movie. Generally regarded as historically accurate (and muddy).

Owen Teale as Will in ‘Robin Hood’
Matthew Porretta as Will Scarlet in ‘Robin Hood: Men in Tights’ Matthew Porretta (later to become infamous as Robin Hood in ‘The New Adventures of Robin Hood’), played Will Scarlett O’Hara in Mel Brooks’ spoof movie ‘Robin Hood: Men in Tights’ [1993], with Cary Elwes as Robin.

Sir! I must protest! I am not a merry man!

Worf suffers the indignities of being dressed as Will Scarlet by the ‘playful’ entity Q, in a ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ episode from season four entitled "Qpid".

 Michael Dorn as Worf as Will Scarlet in Star Trek The Next Generation
Picard as Robin and Worf as Will Robin was of course played by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).
This is from ‘Rocket Robin Hood’, a late 1960s Canadian cartoon show. From left to right, Will Scarlet, Little John and Rocket Robin - 30th century descendants of Robin and crew.... Rocket Robin Hood
Back to Sherwood This is Phil Scarlet (played by Adam Frost) from a new series called ‘Back to Sherwood’. Robin’s great x 20-granddaughter, Robyn Hood, travels back to King John’s day and teams up with the Merry Men’s children to free Robin and Marian from an evil sorceress. One of the band is Will Scarlet’s son, Phil Scarlet. Phil is described as moody, superstitious, and a bit of a loner. The YTV website (now defunct) said that "the people in Sherwood believe Phil’s behaviour has to do with the fact that his father Will was ambushed one night by the Sheriff’s men and was never seen again."
nother story about Robin Hood's female descendents is 'Princess of Thieves', a Wonderful World of Disney TV film starring Keira Knightley as Gwyn the daughter of Robin and Marion. When evil Prince John captures Robin and his Merry Men, Gwyn has to come to the rescue. There is no Little John in this telling of the legend, and so Will Scarlett becomes the chief companion of Robin Hood. Crispin Letts (right) who plays Scarlett, has a wide range of British theatrical and TV credits. Crispin Letts as Will Scarlett in 'Princess of Thieves'
Harry Lloyd as Will Scarlett in Robin Hood

Tn the new BBC1 'Robin Hood' series, Will Scarlett is played by Harry Lloyd. His family have suffered from Guy of Gisborne's overlordship and as he is the son of Locksley's carpenter, he has natural construction skills with wood. He helps Robin develop the Saracen recurve bow.

With grateful thanks to Allen Wright for providing many of the above pictures.

Introduction Robin Hood Links
A History of Will Scarlet
Will Scarlet's Theme
Will Scarlet on film
Why he's Scarlet Now About Ray Winstone

Introduction | Why he’s Scarlet now | Will Scarlet’s Theme | History of Will Scarlet | Will Scarlet on film | Robin Hood Links | About Ray Winstone | Guestbook | email me