The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955–1960) User Reviews

I loved this show when I was a kid

[carflo · 7/10 · 8 November 2003]

Of all the shows that I watched when I was a child, this is the one I liked the most. I loved the show - and I loved Richard Greene. He was remarkably good looking and charming. The Sheriff of Nottingham was a dastardly villain with no sense of humor. Robin and his merry band not only defeated the Sheriff in every show, they did it with grace and humor. Unlike most shows of the 50's, Marian did not just sit around in a long dress waiting to be rescued. She put on her tights and fought. I don't remember her using a sword very much, but she was an excellent archer. Looking back after over 40 years, I realize that the relationship between Robin and Marian was more that of pals than lovers as befitted a Saturday morning show for kids. Part of me would like to see it again, but another part me is afraid that it would lose some of it's golden glow. I feel sorry for the kids today. They get endless violent cartoon shows that are only created to sell merchandise. They will never thrill to

"Robin Hood, Robin Hood Riding through the glen, Robin Hood, Robin Hood With his band of men, Feared by the Bad Loved by good Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood."

Oh, Happy Day - 3 Episodes of Robin Hood on DVD for $1

[imxo · 9/10 · 19 March 2005]

The first episodes of the Robin Hood series are now 50 years old, and they hold up fantastically well. And to see the list of actors who were in the series is something to behold: Donald Pleasance, Nigel Davenport, Edward Mulhare, Paul Eddington, et al.

I suppose I was not the only young boy to be madly in love with Maid Marian, and even though it's going on 50 years now, I still remember being disappointed when Bernadette O' Farrell was replaced by Patricia Driscoll. In fact, I think it may have broken my heart. Now, however, I find that it's really Patricia Farrell that I prefer!

Anyway, just yesterday I happened to see a DVD containing 3 of the Robin Hood episodes on the shelves of the "world's largest retailer" for the non-Prince Johnly sum of one dollar. I've just watched them all, and they are wonderful. Spoiler: Good triumphs over evil.

An Adventure Series For All Ages; Well-Acted and Intelligently Written

[silverscreen888 · 8/10 · 27 September 2005]

"The Adventures of Robin Hood" was not a children's program, not even a young people's program.  Consider its credits, if you doubt my assessment. Its directors included Daniel Birt, Robert Day, Don Chaffey, Terry Bishop, Terence Fisher, Arthur Crabtree, Peter Maxwell, Ralph Smart and Bernard Knowles, many known for TV and feature film work. The writing corps included some blacklisted Hollywood film writers as well as highly-competent British scenarists including in their numbers Milton Schlesinger, Ring Lardner Jr., Ralph Smart, John Dyson, John Cousins, Arthur Behr, Raymond Bowers, Eric Heath, Anne Rodney, Leslie Poynter. Paul Symonds, Sidney Wells, Ian Lartain, Ian McLellan Hunter and C.D. Phillips. The story sets up an historically false but dramatically useful opposition--the Saxons of England championing the cause of the imprisoned honest King Richard Coeur de Lion, set against his usurping, nefarious brother Prince John, who is in league with their Norman overlords and crooked sheriffs (out only to steal land and wealth and ready to enslave the populace for a brass farthing).  The very fine continuing cast included handsome and able leading man Richard Greene, lovely Bernadette O'Farrell and later very good actress Patricia Driscoll as Maid Marian Fitzwalter; the splendid Shakespearean actor Alexander Gauge playing the definitive Friar Tuck, with Archie Duncan as Little John, Paul Eddington as Will Scarlet, Alan Wheatley as a marvelously subtle and villainous Sheriff of Nottingham, Victor Woolf as Derwent and Simone Lovell as the brave and helpful Maid Joan. Several fine actors played Prince John, including Donald Pleasance, Ian Hunter Robin's friend Sir Richard and Jill Esmond Queen Eleanor. Regular guests included Paul Eddington (doing double duty), Willoughby Gray, John Dearth, Arthur Skinner, Charles Stapley plus guest stars of the caliber of Edward Mulhare, and Leo McKern. Hannah Weinstein was executive producer, with the participation of Sidney Cole as line producer, Thelma Connell a associate and Richard Greene. Edwin Astley, Albert Elms and Sidney Keith Russell provided the music; Carl Sigman wrote the popular title song. The cinematography for the show, which ranged from hood to very good, was done by Gerald Gibbs, Ken Hodges and Michael Reed at various times. The production designer was Peter Proud, and the art directors Proud, John Blezard and Peter Mullins. Gabriel Toyne was in charge of duels and battles with Brenda Gardner in charge of wardrobe. So many people have happy memories of watching this show as young people, I believe they would be surprised how entertaining the and engrossing the show remain. The comedy was frequently very successful, the dialogue above average and the motivations of the characters extraordinarily clear. And, frequently, memorable. Because the show was about important matters to realists, the scenes deal with essentials; and this makes them more consistently interesting and rich than is usual in a television show. This is a much-loved television series, for many reasons; I was privileged to wait each week for its episodes when I was growing up. I have seen many since that time, and they are still enjoyable, as fiction and as good-spirited fun for discriminating viewers.

One of my favourite TV shows

[rpurdy · 5 March 2005]

along with "Long John Silver". This was one my sisters and I never missed when I was a kid. Robin was brave and dashing and Maid Marion was beautiful. The evil Sheriff of Nottingham was a real meany and was well played. I also have a good memory of Friar Tuck and Little John. Kevin Costner's portrayal of Robin in "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" pales in comparison to Richard Greene's. The theme song is still firmly fixed in my memory, complete with those French horns. Lots of sword fights and daring escapes from the Sheriff's clutches made this a family favourite. I haven't seen any of the episodes since the early 60's but would dearly love to see them again.

A really inspiring series.

[eddstep · 10/10 · 4 June 2007]

Thankyou to the user, Carflo for their comment. It is very true. I remember well, watching Robin Hood as a child and it was so much loved, along with William Tell. It shaped my character for goodness and fair-play. Every episode is full of suspense and there is usually lots of action. There are so many life's lessons to be learned. To treat others as you would want to be treated. To treat all women with respect and the women to look up to good men. The kids today are really missing out and many of the programs on TV these days are only promoting violence and sex. No wonder we have so much crime. Bring back the good old Family values. Enjoy all the series, and show your kids!

Robin Hood BBC TV Series

[editor-787-575477 · 10/10 · 21 November 2014]

In 1957 a film director called Chris (Peter) Noble who knew my mother, asked if I wanted to be in the BBC Television series Robin Hood. The first day I arrived on the set in a kind of sack dress, that the under-financed prop department thought would make me look like a 14th Century village boy, I was a little scared. Richard Greene as Robin and Archie Duncan as Friar Tuck were really nice to all of the kids and I loved the adventure, until the director pointed to an enormous horse. Evidently the casting director had asked my mother if I could ride, obviously she said I was born in the saddle, even though I had never seen a horse except in cowboy movies. To make it worst there wasn't a proper saddle as we were meant to be village children in the Middle Ages.

"OK!" the second director shouted as I clung to the temperamental stallion. "All you horsemen…" OMG I thought, this monster is going to throw me in the first ditch.

"Gallop across that field as fast as you can, try to look scared as if you're running for your lives!" In my case that was absolutely true, I'll never know how I stayed on the beast, but at the end of the afternoon the director came over to me and said, "Well done son you acted truly terrified." I've never forgotten how to ride. I don't know if my childhood acting help me to be the author I am today, but I had a wonderful time.

great show

[oldballnchain · 10/10 · 26 May 2008]

The greatest tribute I can give to "The Adventures of Robin Hood" is to tell you that the re-runs of the show were aired weekdays from 7:30-8:00 am, my school-bus came at the bottom of the street at 7:55 am and i can only guess (aprox.75) the times that after i missed the buss, I had to walk the long 2 & 1/2 mile stretch to get to school cause i didn't want to miss the last 5 minutes of the show

I just got the 1st season and was wondering if anyone else notice the fact that the role of "Little John" was played by two different actors, Archie Duncan about 100 episodes and Rufus Cruikshank 20 episodes.

Outstanding

Absolutely Great!

[morningglorysewing · 10/10 · 17 July 2017]

We LOVE this TV series! We have the whole DVD set and we watch it over and over! We will watch several episodes in a row and we watch, what adds up to, the complete series 5-6 times over in a year. NOT exaggerating! We have had it for for 5 years and we are not yet tired of watching Robin Hood! The only thing that we did not like is that it did not go on longer!

Quite good

[dieseldemon85 · 7/10 · 19 March 2021]

I bought this series as a 4DVD set, the only version I have seen was Mel Brooks. It really is good, plays like a teleplay. The acting is good, contains a bit of humour. It also has a few actors from the classic era of James Bond.

terrific entertainment

[grnhair2001 · 9/10 · 15 August 2009]

For adults and children both, this series has plenty to offer. There's the charming and hunky Richard Greene, doing a fine job of acting, the wonderful supporting portrayals, a good deal of wit in the scripts (often written by blacklisted writers), and several good laughs.

The most surprising thing, to me, was that women characters get better treatment than most 50's entertainments gave us. Marian isn't a damsel in distress. She's a spy, a horsewoman, wields both sword and bow. I wouldn't hesitate to show a daughter of mine this show.

I've never seen a version of this story I like better, and there is no Robin Hood I like better than Greene.

McCarthy-era significant; 1953 or 1955?

[cityslickerfarmhand · 7/10 · 1 December 2010]

News, BBC , co, UK (slash)2 (slash)hi (slash)uk_news (slash)magazine (slash)5378872.stm Around a year ago (mid to late 2009) in Walmart's $5 DVD bin was a "thick" DVD case (suggesting more than one disc, I THINK 32 episodes(?)) of The Adventures of Robin Hood, case notes saying from 1950s TV. I didn't recall the program personally. I thought maybe was the year(s) family TV "broken" 1951-1953 or so -- likely only a 69c tube, but TV left facing the wall for SOME time including early Micky Mouse Club years. But since I DIDN'T recall the program, left it lie. Nearly a year later I heard a BBC program addressing a Robin Hood TV program, the first UK-produced show on American TV, which hired as writers many Hollywood writers blacklisted because of the McCarthy era "Commie hunts." AHH! "Historical significance" could be interesting to add to DVD collection. But NOW no longer in Walmart at ALL, and online sites list as "out of production" or such. Yet Nov.'10 found an extra-thick case "all 143 episodes" among Cracker Barrel restaurant "memorabilia" DVDs; $19.95. But unsure whether this WAS "the" Robin Hood, I postponed purchase. STILL unsure, IMDb lists both IM database title 0047706 (1955~1960; 143 episodes) AND IM Db title 0423726/ (1953) -- ALSO UK produced, and to MY thinking, more the time-period **I** recall for HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) hearings on TV. News, BBC , co, UK (slash)2 (slash)hi (slash)uk_news (slash)magazine (slash)5378872.stm speaks of the Robin Hood and Hannah Weinstein as producer (thus apparently referring to the 1955~1960 version). I'm still unsure "which is which," but silverscreen888 detailed review/remembrance at IM database title 0047706 user comments with reference to Maid Marian's archery skills tweaked a memory; maybe I DO recall a bit of the 143-episode version. A trip back to Cracker Barrel to get their Mill Creek multi-disc edition is in order.

The best Robin Hood ever made!!!!

[archershood · 10/10 · 10 March 2019]

Even though this TV series is almost 65 years old and mostly in black and white with the exception of three movies created in the 90s from parts of the of the show, This is the best Robin Hood I've ever seen and I have seen more Robin Hood movies and TV shows then I figure most people will ever even have the opportunity or wish to see and I look forward to seeing even more in the future

This Robin Hood staring Richard Greene, Bernadette O'Farrell and just the right supporting cast is awesome. This is the longest running Robin Hood series ever as well as the first British television series to ever have success in America and was beloved by millions in the 50s and ever since.

The Best Loved Show

[FitzjamesHorse · 4 November 2004]

Certainly the best loved show of my childhood.

The series was shown in its entirety on a UK cable station early 1990s.

As well as the regular cast there was a repertory company of 6 character actors including Paul Eddington who appeared as different people in different shows. Eddington for example was the regular Will Scarlett but would also turn up as goody or baddie. Victor Wolfe (derwent, one of Robins band) regularly turned up as usually an old man in various episodes. I don't think children in the year 2004 would be so easily convinced. Confusingly there were two Maid Marions and two Little Johns during the course of the series. The writers wrote under nom de plumes (they were blacklisted in Hollywood). Richard Greene retired to Ireland to breed champion horses. By a very strange coincidence his great-niece Hazel Greene became the first Irishwoman to represent Ireland in Olympic Archery (strange but true)

Entertaining

[stephensims53 · 8/10 · 31 October 2014]

After Errol Flynn, Richard Greene was the actor I mostly associated with the legend of Robin Hood. I was born and bought up very close to Sherwood Forest and when I was a lad we visited the forest on numerous occasions, I still live close by and I travel by the Major Oak at least once a every month to visit my children. I was bought up in the late 50s/60s when TV was in it infancy and the Adventures of Robin Hood was a must see every week (We only had 2 TV channels in the UK) LOL My only complaint is in the Richard Greene series (WHY)did they use the same actors to play multiple parts "Sometimes in the same episode" (WHY) Wasn't there enough good British actors in the UK.

I still watch and enjoy the repeats on the FILMON TV internet site

The best tv show ever made

[Hayden-86055 · 10/10 · 27 May 2020]

This isn't just the best Robin Hood tv series, this is the single best tv show ever made. If you haven't seen it you're honestly missing out, each of the 143 episodes is unique and has its own little story, with an easy to follow but fun plot. Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian and, of course, Robin Hood are all played to perfection, with a sinister Sheriff of Nottingham (played by the excellent Alan Wheatley).

Marian in this also joined in the fun and adventures, instead of sitting around being useless, and the banter between her and Robin is good fun and witty.

10/10: Genuinely fantastic, without needing sex, drugs or gore and violence to do so!

Apsolutely amazing!

[StormBaron · 10/10 · 23 February 2019]

Perfect series, will never be topped ever. Each episode is its own little story, no "next week" it's all just solid fun with good messages.

Bloody fantastic!

10/10.

It's running now on ROKU TV - 147 Shows

[brunetta-40296 · 10/10 · 13 February 2021]

I'm watching it right now on ROKU. It started with the very first program when Robin came back from the Crusades. I've watched him meeting Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marion, and the rest. The Theme Song wasn't on the first couple of shows. But as soon as it was added, I remembered it and was able to sing with it!

All around fun

[cricket-79712 · 8/10 · 29 March 2021]

The show has a great sense of humor. Good amounts of fun cons that outlaws would do. It portrays robin as an intellectual that uses his fighting abilities only as a last resort. They do a good job of introducing each of robins merry men in their own episode. Good sets. Good use of music to set tones. Average to great acting overall but it is a TV show.

Overall, being a black and white old school, a millennial like me loves this show.

i liked it

[disdressed12 · 8/10 · 17 August 2008]

i really liked this TV show of Robin Hood.the acting is quite good,the stories are good,and the episodes are very well paced,not too fast,and not too slow.plus,as far as i can tell,this is a show the whole family can enjoy.it's not really violent.the fight scenes are more hokey than anything.but i mean that in a good way.it works in this case.plus i think it has a good moral,although it doesn't hit you over the head with it.each episode is a fun 25 minutes or so.apart from this,the only other Robin Hood i have seen is the 1938 film with Errol Flynn,which i also liked.Richard Greene plays the title character,and seems pretty natural in the role,in my opinion.the supporting players are also very good.all in all, a well done series.

Robin Hood television series

[scott_fs · 2 February 2005]

I loved this as a kid as well. Although it was black and white it didn't matter, only added to the whole. Especially when as an adult,looking back. Richard Greene was the ultimate English dashing hero and Bernadette O'Farrell was gorgeous! I can't remember all of the cast and certainly not Paul Eddington, that was a surprise, but they were all great. The actor playing The Sheriff of Nottingham was marvellously villainous. I would love to see it re-run just to see whether kids of today would still find it as exhilarating as we did then with that marvellous opening shot (literally!) of the arrow being loosed by Robin with the sound turned all the way up! Ripping stuff! Scott Farrell Strichen

Better With Age

[poordogabone-1 · 10/10 · 5 June 2007]

Wow! I watched this series as a kid (I'm 55+ now) and had nothing but fond memories, so I jumped at the chance to get the series on DVD. Everything I loved intuitively as a child is there, and there are layers in the stories that I can now appreciate as an adult. The series was an amazingly sophisticated piece of writing, acting, and production. There was wonderful political subtext (after all, the best blacklisted American writers were putting the scripts together) about the McCarthy witch hunts, the dangers of developing super-weapons, tolerance and appreciation of people from other cultures, and amazing feminism (my childhood heroes were Marian and Annie Oakley; couldn't identify with the June Cleavers and Margaret Andersons at all).

And as for Richard Greene: He's still my definitive Robin. And I might add, no one before or since could match Alexander Gauge's Tuck.

Surprising on many levels

[jttbot · 10/10 · 3 October 2022]

The show is remarkably fun with a lot of good actors from England, which gives it a fresh perspective, such as the Hue and Cry, Murage tax, etc. It accurately represents old English customs like suffering imprisonment for gaining an education without sanction. But it compares well to the actors of the 1939 American film. Richard Greene - Sir Henry Baskerville from the US Sherlock Homes movie - is quite good as Robin Hood. Alexander Guage is wonderful as Friar Tuck. Two maid Marians are lovely and talented. There are excellent episodes my favorite being "The Black Five." Ian Hunter - who played Richard the Lionhearted in the Errol Flynn movie - plays Sir Richard of the Lea, a somewhat bumbling but likeable person. There are some continuity gaps like Robin and his men meet Richard returned from the continent, who then reappears in another episode under the same name "Peregrinas," but they don't recognize the king.

I bought the series on DVD from a resell store having never seen the show before. I figured if 10% of the 140 episodes were good, it would be worth the $3. Only 10% are lame, the other 90% are good or great. If you can find the series on DVD - buy it.

Fantastic catching up with greatness

[irvsnet · 10/10 · 28 August 2021]

Wonderful historical series. Well done.

Many well known stars of British tv.

Wonderful Series

[Rainey-Dawn · 8/10 · 16 December 2021]

This is a wonderful TV series. I have a Mill Creek copy of the show and it's worth the price to watch. If you happen to find a copy of this series and enjoy Robin Hood then you might want to invest - this is a worth while series.

8.5/10.

Love it!!

[SanteeFats · 9/10 · 20 September 2014]

I love this series!! I have every episode. Yes it is very old school. No sex, just implied teasing. No gore like now days, yes men get killed but there is not the blood and guts that is seen currently, there are no visceral images or scenes. Personally I preferred the first Maid Marion, Bernadette O'Farrell over the second one but that is just because I thought she was very pretty. The plots were not super complex but every episode was entertaining and usually had a lesson in it. The acting was really basic but good, which is to be expected from the time this series was filmed. The actor playing the sheriff, Alan Wheatley, is excellent as the bad guy. He has the demeanor, the facial hair, and the face to play a nasty man. There are some discrepancies with the legends but hey it is a fantasy any way right? I just really enjoy watching this series. 10/1/14- I just finished the entire series and I was very disappointed. King Richard did not return, the outlaws were still outlaws, etc. It seems as if they ended the series before they thought it would end, no closure.