The Adventures of Robin Hood
Episode 1: The Coming of Robin Hood
Introductory minstrel song: “Robin of Locksley, a knight bold and good; back from the Holy Wars, becomes Robin Hood!”
📷 Richard Greene as Robin Hood
Regular Cast
Sir Robin of Locksley – Richard Greene
The Sheriff of Nottingham – Alan Wheatley
Edgar – Alfie Bass
Guest Stars
Sir Roger de Lisle – Leo McKern
Original air date: 25 September 1955
Screenplay: Eric Heath on UK prints, Lawrence McClellan on US prints – both pseudonyms of Ring Lardner Jr. From what I’ve seen, the UK prints are far superior to the US prints – no idea why 🤷♀️
Director: Ralph Smart
Plot: After four years in the Holy Land, Sir Robin of Locksley Hall returns home to claim his inheritance. However, Sir Roger de Lisle has other ideas.
There is a serious, sombre tone to this story. The plot establishes Robin’s character as the Royal Forester and the Master of Locksley Hall. Spoiler (or maybe not) he’s destined to become an outlaw.
Leo McKern (pictured – Wikipedia) was an Australian actor who appeared in numerous film, stage and television roles. Among the most noted are A Man For All Seasons, The Prisoner and Rumpole of the Bailey. After a factory accident when aged 15, he was fitted with a glass eye. In 1997, he appeared in a party political broadcast for the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP).
The role of Sir Roger de Lisle was one of Leo McKern’s first on television. He played a villain, a man looking to steal from Robin Hood.
Standout scene: Robin is queuing to meet the Sheriff of Nottingham, to discuss his inheritance. When he’s invited to queue-jump, he protests. Quite rightly too – after all, this is England.
Sword fights – 1. Bow fights/bow skills – 1. (I will be keeping a running score).
🏹 🏹 🏹
Researching Maid Marian in my library, I went off on a tangent and discovered this image, The Marriage of Guinevere and King Arthur by Lancelot Speed. Don’t look for historical accuracy – in his notes, Lancelot explained that he based this image on the fashions of 1460.
The picture is the frontispiece of Sir James Knowles’ The Legends of King Arthur and his Knights, originally published in 1860. My copy is a ninth edition, published 1912.
Maid Marian – Fact or Fiction?
Maid Marian was not mentioned in the earliest Robin Hood ballads. She appears to have developed through the May Games festivities, commonly held around Whitsun. Some traditions regarded her as a shepherdess, while others gave her a noble background.
Writing c1500, Alexander Barclay referred to “some merry fytte of Maid Marian or else of Robin Hood”. She was also mentioned around this time in association with Friar Tuck.
In Anthony Munday’s 1598 play, The Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntingdon, Marian appeared as Matilda, Robin’s lawfully-wedded wife – she changed her name to Marian when she joined him in the forest. So, in fiction at least, we have a Marian based on a Matilda.
The Robin Hood stories are usually set during the reign of King Richard/Prince John or King John. In his play, Anthony Munday identified Maid Marian with the historical Matilda, daughter of Robert Fitzwalter, who had to flee England because of an attempt to assassinate King John in response to his unwanted advances towards Maid Marian.
Did Anthony Munday invent this background for Marian, or did he base his story on historical sources? I haven’t found conclusive evidence one way or the other, but in all these legends there tends to be a grain of truth somewhere.
🖼️ 17th century woodcut of Maid Marian
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