The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy |
Written by | Robert Kaufman |
Directed by | Ray Austin |
Starring | George Segal Morgan Fairchild Roddy McDowall Janet Suzman |
Music by | Stanley Myers |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers | Charles Fries Robert Kaufman |
Producer | Andrew Donally |
Production locations | Allington Castle, Maidstone, Kent, England Penshurst Place, Penshurst, Kent |
Cinematography | Jack Hildyard |
Editor | Bill Lenny |
Running time | 91 minutes |
Production company | Charles Fries Productions |
Original release | |
Network | CBS |
Release | May 22, 1984 |
The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1984 American made-for-television action comedy film directed by Ray Austin and starring George Segal, Morgan Fairchild, Roddy McDowall, Janet Suzman and Tom Baker. It is a parody of the Robin Hood story. [1]
In not-so-merry-old-England during the 13th Century, the neurotic Prince John (Roddy McDowell) sits on the throne, supported by his evil henchman, Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Tom Baker) and constantly ridiculed by his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Janet Suzman). While celebrating his birthday, the Prince becomes unhappy when he discovers his older brother, Richard, is not dead, as everyone thought, but being held for ransom in Austria. As Richard is the rightful King of England, this creates a problem for Prince John. However, Gisbourne openly suggests that they tax the Saxon peasants to raise the ransom, while secretly confiding in the Prince that the King will most likely die of pneumonia before the year is out and that they will keep the money.
The birthday revels are interrupted by Robin Hood (George Segal), disguised in drag and reciting an offensive poem. Not seeing through the disguise, Gisbourne demands she take them to Robin Hood's hideout in Sherwood Forest. That night, Eleanor convinces Maid Marian (Morgan Fairchild) to play up to Gisbourne's advances and use him to help Robin Hood.
When Prince John and Guy travel to Sherwood, they are ambushed by Robin Hood's Merry Men. They are stripped of their garments, their possessions and money stolen, then driven out of the forest. Will Scarlet (Robin Nedwell) frequently tries to make a song out of these events, but thankfully Robin stops him every time.
Eleanor and Marian sneak into the bandits' camp at night, disguised as two nuns, and hoping to enlist Robin's help in freeing King Richard. They are caught by Robin, who recognises them immediately, and the trio eat together and discuss plans. Robin and Marian realise they love each other.
Robin and his band begin travelling across the country to raise the ransom money but nothing goes right. They try robbing a bank only to find that they have won a prize as the hundredth customer and get distracted. When they finally rob the bank, they find it only has three coins and a pfennig. Times are hard for everyone, it seems. Eventually, Robin has to report back to Eleanor that England is broke. She advises him to get the money from Isaac of York (Kenneth Griffith), a Jewish moneylender.
In York, Robin stands out like a sore thumb amongst all the orthodox Jews. Isaac agrees to lend Robin the ransom money provided that, in return, the King gives the Jews their own country. Isaac suggests Palestine, although Miami would be his second choice. They settle on naming the new country after Isaac's father, Israel. Robin sneaks into the Prince's castle to tell Eleanor, who now insists he must raise an army. Robin then tries to seduce Marian, promising her they'll be wed once King Richard returns, but with little success.
The production visited Kent where they used The Barron’s Hall at Penshurst Place to double as King John’s Hall and the Cathedral. The exterior of Allington Castle doubles as King John’s castle and its hall as the Bank of Normandy. [2]
John J. O'Connor of The New York Times complained the film felt 'strained' and criticized the jokes and editing. [3]
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1938 American epic swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and written by Norman Reilly Raine and Seton I. Miller.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a 1991 American action adventure film based on the English folk tale of Robin Hood and loosely set in the 12th century. Directed by Kevin Reynolds and written by Pen Densham and John Watson, the film stars Kevin Costner as Robin Hood, Morgan Freeman as Azeem, Christian Slater as Will Scarlett, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Marian, and Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Sir Guy of Gisbourne is a character from the Robin Hood legends of English folklore. He first appears in "Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne", where he is an assassin who attempts to kill Robin Hood but is killed by him. In later depictions, he has become a romantic rival to Robin Hood for Maid Marian's love.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a 1993 adventure comedy film and a parody of the Robin Hood story. The film was produced and directed by Mel Brooks, co-written by Brooks, Evan Chandler, and J. David Shapiro based on a story by Chandler and Shapiro, and stars Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, and Dave Chappelle in his film debut. It includes frequent comedic references to previous Robin Hood films, particularly Prince of Thieves, and the 1938 Errol Flynn adaptation The Adventures of Robin Hood. Brooks himself had previously created the short-lived sitcom When Things Were Rotten in the mid-1970s, which also spoofed the Robin Hood legend.
Maid Marian is the heroine of the Robin Hood legend in English folklore, often taken to be his lover. She is not mentioned in the early, medieval versions of the legend, but was the subject of at least two plays by 1600. Her history and circumstances are obscure, but she commanded high respect in Robin’s circle for her courage and independence as well as her beauty and loyalty. For this reason, she is celebrated by feminist commentators as one of the early strong female characters in English literature.
Robin Hood is a 1922 silent adventure film starring Douglas Fairbanks and Wallace Beery. It was the first motion picture ever to have a Hollywood premiere, held at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre on October 18, 1922. The movie's full title, under which it was copyrighted, is Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood. It was one of the most expensive films of the 1920s, with a budget estimated at one million dollars. The film was a smash hit and generally received favorable reviews.
Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood is a graphic adventure game designed by Christy Marx and published by Sierra On-Line in 1991. It is the second and final part of the Conquests series, which begins with Conquests of Camelot: The Search for the Grail. It features VGA graphics and Sierra's standard icon-driven interface first seen in King's Quest V.
Robin Courteney Nedwell was an English actor, formally trained at Central School of Speech and Drama. He is best remembered for his role as Doctor Duncan Waring in the television comedy series Doctor in the House and its sequels including Doctor Down Under; although he was critically acclaimed for his performance in television series such as The Lovers, The Upchat Connection, The Climber and the ATV comedy-drama Shillingbury Tales. He also featured in several British films.
Will Scarlet is a prominent member of Robin Hood's Merry Men. He is present in the earliest ballads along with Little John and Much the Miller's Son.
Robin Hood is a Japanese anime series produced by Tatsunoko Production, and NHK. In this version, Robin and his allies are mostly pre-teens.
Ivanhoe is a 1952 British-American historical adventure epic film directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Pandro S. Berman for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was shot in Technicolor, with a cast featuring Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Emlyn Williams, Finlay Currie, and Felix Aylmer. The screenplay is written by Æneas MacKenzie, Marguerite Roberts, and Noel Langley, based on the 1819 historical novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott.
"Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow" is an English folk song, part of the Robin Hood canon. It features an archery competition for a golden arrow that has long appeared in Robin Hood tales, but it is the oldest recorded one where Robin's disguise prevents his detection.
Robin Hood is a 1991 British adventure film directed by John Irvin, executive produced by John McTiernan, and starring Patrick Bergin, Uma Thurman, Jürgen Prochnow, Jeroen Krabbé, and Edward Fox. Although originally intended for a theatrical release in the United States and South America, the film instead premiered on television, on the Fox network in those territories a month before the release of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. It was released in cinemas in several countries in Europe and elsewhere, including Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
The Merry Men are the group of outlaws who follow Robin Hood in English literature and folklore. The group appears in the earliest ballads about Robin Hood and remains popular in modern adaptations.
John of England has been portrayed many times in fiction, generally reflecting the overwhelmingly negative view of his reputation.
The Outlaws of Sherwood is a retelling of the legend of Robin Hood by Robin McKinley. In McKinley's afterword, she says, "The retellings through the centuries have echoed concurrent preoccupations." The story includes both the traditional Robin Hood characters — Little John, Much, Friar Tuck, Marian and Alan-a-dale — and characters of McKinley's own invention. Notably, three of the most important characters are women, all of whom escape marriage to prospective spouses chosen by their fathers.
The Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist in the legend of Robin Hood. He is generally depicted as an unjust tyrant who mistreats the local people of Nottinghamshire, subjecting them to unaffordable taxes. Robin Hood fights against him, stealing from the rich, and the Sheriff, in order to give to the poor; it is this characteristic for which Robin Hood is best known. The Sheriff is considered the archenemy of Robin Hood, as he is the most recurring enemy of the well-known outlaw.
Robin Hood is a fictional character appearing in media published by DC Comics, based on the legendary character of the same name. The character debuted in New Adventure Comics vol. 1 #23, and was created by Sven Elven.
Lady of the Forest: A Novel of Sherwood is a 1992 historical fiction novel by American author Jennifer Roberson. A re-telling of the Robin Hood legend from the perspective of twelve characters associated with the legend, the story centers around English noblewoman Lady Marian FitzWalter's encounters with Lord Robert of Locksley and his scheming rival the Sheriff of Nottingham amid the backdrop of Prince John's schemes – he aims to increase his own wealth and power at the expense of post-Conquest England and his brother, King Richard.