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I am grateful to Barry Marsh for much of the following information.
Doctor Syn (1937)
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Russell Thorndike sold the rights to "Doctor Syn" to London Films for only £20. His son Dan has often stated that it was his father's worst mistake. The London Films production of "Doctor Syn", starring George Arliss and Margaret Lockwood, is based on the original novel. It is a faithful adaptation in all but the ending.
The following description is taken from the UK video, released in 1995. The year is 1800, and the small Kent coastal town of Dymchurch is besieged by government revenue officers, hunting contraband and smugglers. On the surface, Dymchurch is a respectable law abiding community, but in reality the Vicar Dr. Syn is the leader of a smuggling cartel, and the parishioners his followers. In a series of bizarre twists the many secrets held by Dr. Syn are uncovered, as is the secret behind the legend of the infamous pirate Captain Clegg. Other links
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 US video of "Doctor Syn" featuring George Arliss |
Dr Syn, Alias The Scarecrow (1962)
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In 1960 Walt Disney Productions acquired the film rights to William Buchanan's novel Christopher Syn and to the character name of Doctor Syn. Robert Westerby's screenplay for the Disney adaptation retains Thorndike's ideas but keeps some of Buchanan's character names. Thorndike's Squire Cobtree becomes Sir Thomas Banks, who has not two daughters but a son called John. Buchanan's Squire was called Banks, though he had a daughter called Jenny.
The film starred Patrick McGoohan and was originally made as three one-hour episodes for American TV's "Disney Hour". Much of it was filmed on Romney Marsh, with Old Romney church doubling for Dymchurch. In fact, Disney paid for the restoration of the church. Other exteriors were filmed in and around Rye, at Camber Sands and Camber Castle. In the UK it was released into the cinema as part of a double bill with the cartoon "Sword in the Stone" in 1963. The running time was 94 minutes, for which savage cuts were made to the original. Viewed in its original 3 hour version the story has much more coherence and is actually a good adaptation of The Further Adventures of Doctor Syn. One of the best parts is the capture of the Press Gang, which, sadly, was cut from the UK cinema version. The video is no longer available. It is the cinema version with another 3 minutes cut. The American video, with the same cuts, was retitled "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh". Copies and memorabilia are sometimes obtainable via ebay. A novelization of the film by Vic Crume was published in 1975. The story is also retold in a Gold Key comic book. Other links
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 Video of "Dr Syn, Alias The Scarecrow" |
Captain Clegg (1962)
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While the Disney screenplay was being written, it was discovered that Hammer Films (UK) were undertaking a re-make of the 1937 London Films Doctor Syn. Hammer had bought out London Films and so acquired the rights which Thorndike had sold for £20.
Anthony Nelson Keys had almost finished the re-make, with Peter Cushing as Syn, when Disney brought out an injunction against Hammer, claiming that they owned the Syn name. Keys got round this by substituting the name Blyss (note the retention of the letter "y"). If you study Cushing's lips carefully, you can see that the word "Blyss" has been dubbed over "Syn" on the original soundtrack. Also, the title of the film became "Captain Clegg". This changed to "Night Creatures" in 1970. No other characters' names were altered. Russell Thorndike's name does not appear on the credits. While Peter Cushing was filming "Captain Clegg" he made notes for his own adaptation of a Doctor Syn story, provisionally titled "Waiting Revenge", but this never materialised. He makes an ideal Syn/Blyss. His home was in Deal, only a few miles up the coast from Dymchurch, and Kent stories interested him. Memorabilia is sometimes obtainable via ebay. Other links
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 US poster for "Night Creatures" featuring Peter Cushing and Patrick Allen By permission of Hammer Film Posters |
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