Robin Hood Spotlight

Variations on a Legend

The Robin Hood legend has been going strong for over 600 years. The outlaw hero has been the star of ballads, poems, plays, novels, movies, comic books -- even a breakfast cereal. Not all of these have been great - some have been downright awful. All of them are a testament to the enduring popularity of Robin Hood - and all are worth mentioning. Well, nearly all. I'm not likely to do a column on the Prince of Thieves breakfast cereal.

When I have chance, I'll focus on a version of Robin's story -- good, bad or mediocre. Some entries will be on the best-known books and films. Other spotlights will shine a light on a more obscure interpretation.

Is there a great Robin Hood book, movie or TV show that you want to see celebrated? Or a real groaner that you'd love to see panned? Please e-mail me and let me know. I take requests.

Versions of the Robin Hood legend thriough the years

SECTIONS

NEW SPOTLIGHTS - The most recent spotlight reviews
NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES
FILM AND TELEVISION
PLAYS, BALLADS AND POEMS
ROBIN HOOD SCHOLARSHIP
MISCELLANEOUS
CLASSIC SPOTLIGHTS - A few highlights

NEW SPOTLIGHTS

OO-DE-LALLY: DISNEY ROBIN HOOD SPOTLIGHT - A special section that review both the 1973 Disney animated cartoon and the 1952 live-action film.
DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS IN ROBIN HOOD (1922) - The lavish film starring Douglas Fairbanks, he biggest male celebrity of the day
GREEN ARROW: BOLD ARCHER - A mult-page site looking at the DC Comics superhero first introduced in 1941. Special focus is placed on Oliver Queen's connections to Robin Hood

Novels and Short Stories

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (BANCROFT CLASSICS) - A Robin Hood children's book that I owned as a child
SANCTUARY - A ROBIN OF SHERWOOD ADVENTURE BY PAUL BIRCH - An audiobook based on the Robin of Sherwood TV series. Set at Christmas. Features Michael Praed, Nickolas Grace, Andy Secombe and narrated by Barnaby Eaton-Jones
ROBIN HOOD BY ANTONIA FRASER - Children's book by the well-known popular historian
THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD BY MAJOR CHARLES GILSON - A classic retelling of the Robin Hood legend for children
THE IVANHOE GAMBIT BY SIMON HAWKE - Time travel hijinks. Part of the Time Wars series
THE SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM BY RICHARD KLUGER - A historical novel with a positive portayal of Philip Mark, the sheriff in the reign of King John
FRIAR TUCK AND THE CHRISTMAS DEVIL BY STEVEN A. McKAY -A novella by the author of The Forest Lord series
THE OUTLAWS OF SHERWOOD BY ROBIN McKINLEY - A feminist revision of the legend by an award-winning fantasy author
THE FORESTWIFE BY THERESA TOMLINSON - First in a series of young adult novels starring Marian

Films and Television Shows

DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS IN ROBIN HOOD (1922) - The lavish film starring Douglas Fairbanks, he biggest male celebrity of the day
THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD STARRING ERROL FLYNN (1938) - The classic movie by which all other swashbuckling adventure films are judged
IVANHOE WITH RICHARD TAYLOR AND ELIZABETH TAYLOR (1952) - The film adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's popular novel. Features Robin Hood (Locksley) in a supporting role
THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD AND HIS MERRIE MEN WITH RICHARD TODD (1952) - The first Robin Hood movie from Walt Disney Productions, this one with fully live-action and a delight
THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD WITH RICHARD GREENE (1950s TV Series) - A multi-part look at a TV classic that was popular around the world
"THE CHRISTMAS GOOSE" - THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD EPISODE (1957) - A special look at the Christmas episode of the 1950s series
ROBIN AND THE 7 HOODS STARRING FRANK SINATRA (1964) - This comedy features the Rat Pack as 1920 Chicago gangsters. Sinatra's Robbo is taken for a Robin Hood figure
WOLFSHEAD: THE LEGEND OF ROBIN HOOD (1969 / 1973) - This failed TV pilot turned B-movie is one of the first to give Robin more realistic costuming. Set in Yorkshire, not Nottingham
DISNEY'S ROBIN HOOD WITH THE VOICE OF BRIAN BEDFORD (1973) - This classic cartoon is the most recognizable Robin Hood for generations of fans
ROBIN OF SHERWOOD (1980s TV Series) - This mystical take on the legend is one of the best and most influential versions of the Robin Hood tale ever done. It stars Michael Praed as Robin of Loxley and Jason Connery as Robert of Huntingdon
ROBIN OF SHERWOOD TIMELINE - A playful look at the contradictory dates in the 1980s TV series and how it maps to genuine medieval history
ROBIN HOOD -- PRINCE OF THIEVES WITH KEVIN COSTNER (1991) - In terms of box office, one of the most successful Robin Hood movies ever. The quality is more debatable.
PRINCESS OF THIEVES WITH KEIRA KNIGHTLEY (2001 TV Movie) - This film features Robin Hood's daughter Gwyn as she fights to gain her father's respect and to keep Prince John from seizing the throne
ROBIN HOOD WITH JONAS ARMSTRONG (2000s BBC TV Series) - This Tiger Aspect / BBC TV show was billed as "Robin Hood for the Playstation Generation"
AND GUEST-STARRING .... ROBIN HOOD - A Look at Robin Hood-themed episodes of Peabody's Improbable History, The Time Tunnel, Voyagers and Star Trek: The Next Generation

Plays, Ballads and Poems

A GEST OF ROBYN HODE - One of the earliest surviving Robin Hood ballads (composed in the late 1400s), the Gest has shaped much of the Robin Hood legend
ROBIN HOOD AND THE FRIAR and ROBIN HOOD AND THE POTTER - Two plays that were published in a 1560 edition of the Gest and represent the May Games tradition
THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD BY CLIVE ENDERSBY - This 1978 play first performed in Hamilton, Ontario might not be well-known but it helped inspire my love of the legend
A FANCYFULL HISTORIE OF THAT MOST NOTABLE & FAMEOUS OUTLAW ROBYN HOOD aka WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S ROBIN HOOD BY SCOTT LYNCH-GIDDINGS - The Bard of Avon never wrote a Robin Hood play, but this author imagines what a Shakespearean Robin Hood play would be like
ROBIN HOOD: THE MERRY FAMILY MUSICAL (ROSS PETTY PRODUCTIONS) - This looks at the original 1996 production (which became a 1997 TV special) and the 2002 production of a Christmas panto in Toronto's Elgin Theatre
ROBIN HOOD: THE LEGEND OF SHERWOOD BY ROBERT AKERS AND JEFF DOUGLAS MESSER - This play first performed in 2000 has become a North Carolina institution. Also inspired the sequel Robin Hood: The Quest for Justice
LIL' RED ROBIN HOOD (ROSS PETTY PRODUCTIONS) - This 2019 holiday pantomime looks at the crisis in education

Robin Hood Scholarship

THE FIRST ROBIN HOOD CONFERENCE (ROCHESTER, 1997) and ROBIN HOOD IN POPULAR CULTURE EDITED BY THOMAS HAHN - A look at the first of the biennial conferences for Robin Hood scholars and the proceedings volume that emerged from it
THE SECOND ROBIN HOOD CONFERENCE (NOTTINGHAM, 1999) - The Conference Programme for this scholarly event which conference caused controversy by a one sentence joke about Robin Hood being gay
THE THIRD ROBIN HOOD CONFERENCE (LONDON, ON 2001) - Preserving a modified version of the conference website
THE FOURTH ROBIN HOOD CONFERENCE (YORK, 2003) - A more detailed look at the conference including my paper on religious heroes and villains in the modern legend
ROBIN HOOD: GREEN LORD OF THE WILDWOOD BY JOHN MATTHEWS - This 1998 book looks at the mythic themes in the Robin Hood legend

Miscellaneous

GREEN ARROW - BOLD ARCHER - An in-depth look at the superhero from DC Comics first introduced in 1941. This explores the character's many connections to Robin Hood
ROBIN HOOD TALES (QUALITY COMICS AND DC COMICS) - This 1950s American comic book series shifted publishers and went from traditional tales to more improbable exploits
FRANK BELLAMY'S ROBIN HOOD - These 1950s British comics were serialized in Swift
GURPS: ROBIN HOOD - The Role-Playing Game supplement for GURPS features Robin Hood in the medieval period and several other settings

Would you like to learn more about Robin Hood? Check out these other sections of this website

ROBIN HOOD -- BOLD OUTLAW OF BARNSDALE AND SHERWOOD - The index page of a website with extensive resources covering the Robin Hood legend from its medieval beginnings to the present day
WOLFSHEAD THROUGH THE AGES: THE HISTORY OF ROBIN HOOD - Learn about the growth and development of the Robin Hood legend from the medieval ballads to the modern movies and TV shows
INTERVIEWS IN SHERWOOD - Original interviews with writers, actors and scholars behind the Robin Hood legend
BEGINNER'S GUIDE - Basic information about the Robin Hood legend as it exists in popular culture
ROBIN HOOD FAQ - The answers to your frequently asked questions about Robin Hood include links to further information
ROBIN HOOD TALES - Read Robin Hood ballads, poems, short stories and comic books

Robin Hood Spotlight

by Allen W. Wright

Variations on a Legend

SECTIONS

NEW SPOTLIGHTS

Novels and Short Stories

Films and Television Shows

Plays, Ballads and Poems

Robin Hood Scholarship

Miscellaneous

CLASSIC SPOTLIGHTS

A Gest of Robyn Hode

Robin Hood and the Friar

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) starring Errol Flynn

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1950s TV Series) starring Richard Greene)

Robin of Sherwood

Robin Hood Spotlight

by Allen W. Wright

Variations on a Legend

SECTIONS

NEW SPOTLIGHTS

Novels and Short Stories

Films and Television Shows

Plays, Ballads and Poems

Robin Hood Scholarship

Miscellaneous

CLASSIC SPOTLIGHTS

A Gest of Robyn Hode

Robin Hood and the Friar

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) starring Errol Flynn

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1950s TV Series) starring Richard Greene)

Robin of Sherwood

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