Ivanhoe (1958 TV series)
| Ivanhoe | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Roger Moore |
| Opening theme | Edwin Astley |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Herbert Smith Bernard Coote |
| Running time | 25 minutes (excluding commercials) |
| Production company(s) |
Screen Gems Sydney Box Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 5 January 1958 – 1959 |
Ivanhoe is a British television series first shown on ITV in 1958-59. The show features Roger Moore in his first starring role, as Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, in a series of adventures aimed at a children's audience. The characters were drawn loosely from Sir Walter Scott's 1819 novel.
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.
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.
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