Robin Hood

## Bio

**Robin Hood** is a semi-historical 12th Century figure, whose exploits were the basis of several tales beginning with "A Lytell Geste of Robyn Hode" in 1510 and reaching to modern literature and motion pictures. His true identity has never been revealed, but modern belief is that the story was based on the tale of Robert Fitztooth, the 12th Century Earl of Huntingdon, who had escaped his debts by retiring into a solitary existence in Sherwood Forest surrounded by his allies. Numerous versions of the character have been seen in film and literature.

Sung by Eddie Buchanan, it is revealed that the Sheriff of Nottingham (Henry McGee) has been robbing and stealing the wealth of the local people, and Robin Hood (Benny Hill) rises up to stop him. In return, the Sheriff wants him as his band, Little John (Jackie Wright), Friar Tuck (Bob Todd and Maid Marian (Jenny Lee-Wright in a wig) arrested. Robin goes through the woods shooting arrows at the Sheriff's knights (Eddie) and practicing his marksmanship. After going through a series of weak and brittle bows, he shoots down a duck, but the Friar Tuck's dog won't fetch it so he sends Little John after it. As he's off searching for it, Tuck tries giving Maid Marian flowers, but when she only gets the stems, she starts hitting him with them. When Little John returns, it turns out Robin has missed the duck entirely and has struck a fish in a pond on the way down.

Meanwhile, the Sheriff and his wife (Leanne Robinson), his wife, are sneaking home through the woods with a bag of gold coins covered by a knight (Eddie again). While the knight is off figuring out the directions, they sit and relax at the base of a tree. His wife hides the coins down the front of her dress. Discovering them, Robin tries to steal the bag of coins from her cleavage, but his sleeve somehow gets caught on Little John's fishing line dangling down from the tree. Little John then tries, but the feather in his hat rouses the Sheriff from his sleep, and he makes a run for it. Running from the knight, Little John is hidden by Friar Tuck under his robes, but his act of smoking a cigar underneath almost gives them both away.

Robin and Little John next plan a burglary of the Sheriff's home, using a rope and tackling hook to scale the side of the castle to get in through a window, but something stops them, and they try another way. Robin ends up answering a public request for a "strong young man" at the castle, and after being shown in by a chambermaid (Monika Ringwald), he reports to the Sheriff's wife to pose for her sculpture. Before posing, he kisses her hand (stealing her rings inside his mouth) but the minute he learns he will be a nude model, he becomes reluctant. He still goes through with it, and his ego inflates when he thinks she's sculpting a large phallus for him, but it quickly deflates as she starts whittling it down to make his ear. At that moment, the Sheriff enters the room and immediately recognizes him, but Robin accidentally gets backed on the wife's paint palette and flees the castle.

When another public notice goes up asking for a "refined lady" at the castle, Robin tries getting Little John to play the role, but he refuses, and Robin must go through with it. His disguise is better than planned. He gets hit on by a night (Eddie Buchanan) and the Sheriff even once pinches his butt. He also has to share one room with the other chamber maids (Monika Ringwald and Jenny Westbrook), and he just barely conceals his identity by dropping a candle and dumping a bowl of fruit. As they clean the mess, he hurriedly dreeses for bed and is in it when they finish.

The next day, Robin discovers the Sheriff admiring his stolen jewels and poisons his drink (bouncing the lethel pill twice off the table first). Shaking the poison off of his hand kills a plant, and after drinking it, the Sheriff turns stiff as a board. As the Sheriff's wife enters, the two struggle over the treasure, but Robin's disguise gets ripped off, and she recognizes him as the model from the other day. She hands over the chest to him, guiding him over to a settee and after kicking her husband's body aside, she pulls Robin down and starts vamping him.

Robin ends up marrying her and becoming the new Sheriff of Nottingham. When Friar Tuck and Little John come to celebrate, they happen to notice Robin robbing on their coin sacks. After having the knight chase them off, Robin returns to his new wife and celebrates.

## Trivia

* Benny and Bob also played Robin Hood and Little John in a quick change quickie on March 22, 1972.
* King John's Castle in the long shot is Brickendon Castle in Hertfordshire, England. It was also featured in the 1970s British children show "Catweazle." The Sherwood Forest scenes with Benny and his "Merry Men" were filmed at a separate location.
* Benny's gag of hiding under one's robes/skirts was also replayed in the Casanova sketch on March 23, 1977.
* The "squeaky shoes" bit is recreated in Super-Teech on January 5, 1983.
* The castle scenes were filmed on the grounds of Benny Hill's studio, a place Jon Jon Keefe reports was a former hospital. The camera was turned sideways so Benny and Jackie could look as if they were climbing the side of it. The exteriors also pop as the Hill Department Store, Scuttle Security and St. John Thomas Hospital among other sketches.
* "Rings in the mouth" also pops up as a gag in Little Things Mean A Lot on March 22, 1972.
* "Clothes over the Privacy Screen" is another oft-repeated gag also seen in the Casanova sketch in March 23, 1977, Time Is Running Out For Me with Susie Baker on April 21, 1976 among others.
* "Distracting the Roommates" is yet another oft-repeated gag; it also occurs in Love Will Find A Way in Top of the Tops among other sketches.
* After learning Robin's identity, Leanne Robinson smacks Benny on the head the same way Benny slaps Jackie Wright.
* Dave Allen also played Robin Hood several times in his series, usually playing Robin with a beard and as an inventor whose devices against his foes always failed.
* Although this is unconfirmed, this had to have been one of Henry McGee's favorite sketches in the series.

## Gallery

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