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6 Degrees Entertainment

'The Adventures of Robin Hood - Complete Series'
(Richard Greene, Arichie Duncan, Alexander Gauge, et al / 11-DVD + Digital / NR / 2019 / Mill Creek Entertainment)

Overview: Richard Greene stars as the valiant swashbuckler Robin Hood who, with his band of Merry Men living in the shelter of Sherwood Forest, embarks on a quest to steal from the rich and give to the poor.

Robin, Little John and the rest of the Merry Men fight their foes all while hoping for the return of their beloved King Richard to rule once again!

'The Adventures of Robin Hood - The Complete Series' features all four season, and all 143 episodes of this lavishly produced television series, just released via Mill Creek Entertainment as a wonderful 11-Disc DVD + Digital Box-Set.

DVD Verdict: For the record, 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' was not a children's program, not even a young people's program, to be quite honest.

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 was Will Scarlet, Alan Wheatley was a marvelously subtle and villainous Sheriff of Nottingham, Victor Woolf was Derwent and Simone Lovell was 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 (in fact, doing double duty through the series), 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 and Carl Sigman wrote the popular title song.

The cinematography for the show, which ranged from good to extremely wonderful was done by Gerald Gibbs, Ken Hodges and Michael Reed at various times. The comedy was frequently very successful, the dialogue above average and the motivations of the characters extraordinarily clear; and frequently memorable.

There are some nice visuals of castles and yes you'll need to suspend disbelief as you watch some of the shots of the ramparts move as the outlaws' break in and out of assorted castles. Nonetheless, still withstand the test of time and a 1950's per episode budget.

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 and I was privileged to wait each week for its episodes when I was growing up. I have seen many since that time and again now having binge watched this entire beautiful box-set and trust me when I say that they are still enjoyable; as fiction and as good-spirited fun for discriminating viewers, of course! This is a Full Screen Presentation (4:3) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

www.MillCreekEnt.com





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