Ivanhoe (1958 TV series)

Plot

The series was set in England during the 12th century reign of King Richard the Lionheart, who had gone to fight in the Crusades and failed to return. In his absence, power had been taken by his younger brother, the ambitious and wicked Prince John, who sought to strip the people of their rights and land. The dashing and heroic knight Ivanhoe, with his father-and-son companions Gurth and Bart whom he had freed from servitude (from the evil Sir Maurice), attempted to right wrongs, secure justice, help those in need, and thwart John and his allies.

Making of the series

Swashbuckling adventures for a younger audience, such as The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel, The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, were a mainstay of ITV's programming in Britain in the mid-1950s. In December 1956, Columbia Pictures signed up Roger Moore, then working with limited success in Hollywood, to play the title role in an intended series for transmission in both America and the UK. The series was a co-production between Columbia subsidiary Screen Gems and British producer Sydney Box.

The budget was far more lavish than that of the Robin Hood series running at the time and filming started in early 1957, mostly at the Associated British Picture CorporationABPC Studios at Elstree and on location around Buckinghamshire in England, but with some shooting also taking place in California. The series premiered on ITV in January 1958, while filming continued to complete all 39 episodes through to June 1958. Although a pilot episode was filmed in colour, the series was shot in black and white. The executive producer was Peter Rogers, who shortly afterwards began producing the Carry On films. Guest stars on the series included Christopher Lee and John Schlesinger. Other supporting actors included Jon Pertwee, Paul Eddington, Leonard Sachs, Kenneth Cope, John Warner and Adrienne Corri.

Moore insisted on undertaking much of the stunt work himself, resulting in several injuries including three cracked ribs from a fight scene and being knocked unconscious when a battleaxe hit his helmeted skull. Moore later commented: "I felt a complete Charlie riding around in all that armour and damned stupid plumed helmet. I felt like a medieval fireman".

The series finished when Moore returned to Hollywood after Warner Brothers offered him a movie role in The Miracle (1959).

Broadcasting

The 39 episodes of the series were originally broadcast from 5 January 1958 to 4 January 1959, then were later repeated several times. The original air dates are in parentheses.

Availability

The series has not been released on DVD.

Title song

Each episode starts with the title song:

Each episode ends with the following song: