A Merry Christmas to everyone and welcome to a bumper edition of the 'Sherwood Forester'.  Our cover image comes from an American comic from the 1950's depicting Richard Greene in The Adventures of Robin Hood.  American comics are the subject of one of our articles in this issue.

Robin’s Comic Book Adventures

We are pleased to welcome Allen W. Wright to our pages, who takes a look at Robin Hood and North American comics. These days, North American comic books are dominated by superheroes. Yes, there are espionage comics, horror comics and some truly wonderful autobiographical comics. But for the most part, the long-underwear brigade rules the medium. This was not the case in the 1950s. Aside from Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, nearly all the prominent superheroes of the 1940s had retired. In their place, there were cowboy comics, romance comics, and more worryingly… horror and crime comics. These last two genres triggered a Senate investigation, purporting that comics caused juvenile delinquency. To avoid official action, the American comic book publishers instituted a voluntary code which drove a stake through crime and horror comic books and locked comics into telling infantile stories for decades to come. In some ways, this code led to the return of the morally upright superhero genre. But before the revival of the Flash in 1956 and the introduction of Spider-Man and his ilk in the 1960s, American publishers were still looking for the next big thing. And for that, they turned to television. What they saw was Richard Greene’s The Adventures of Robin Hood. Relatively safe, classic tales with a literary pedigree – this outlaw’s adventures seemed respectable. And more importantly, no one held the copyright on Robin Hood. Several publishers put out Robin Hood comics while Greene’s merry men were riding through the television glens. I prepared an academic paper for some conferences (one held at Nottingham) looking how Robin’s adventures had been cleaned up in a way acceptable to a code which forbade the celebration of criminal acts. Robin Hood Issue 52 One of the American publishers was Sussex/Magazine Enterprises, or ME as their cover logo declared. In November 1955 (the date in the comic, although it was likely published a few months earlier), ME put out Robin Hood issue 52. Issue 52? It was a common practice in those days to continue the numbering of discontinued comics. Not only did it make the new comic look like it had a proven track record, but it also meant avoiding paying extra costs to the post office. Issue 53 followed, and then came the more honestly numbered issue 3. As with most Robin Hood comics of the time, the ME Robin had short, dark hair and was clean-shaven. That brief description fits both Richard Greene and Richard Todd … and as one person said to me, Superman as well. Also, in keeping with most Robin Hood comics of the day, Robin did not dress solely in Lincoln green. His costume was supplemented by orange. (In comics from other publishers, Robin’s costume was largely red, yellow or orange.) The ME Robin’s origin would certainly be familiar to TV audiences. As with “The Coming of Robin Hood” episode, Robin returned from the Crusades to find his castle had been taken over by one of Prince John’s supporters. However, in the TV series, Robin was Robin of Locksley – a knight, at least according the song playing with the episode’s title. In the comics, Robin was Robert, the Earl of Huntingdon. (Robin was first called the Earl of Huntingdon or Huntington in two Elizabethan plays by Anthony Munday. He also holds that title in the 1922 Douglas Fairbanks movie.) I have republished the first Magazine Enterprises Robin Hood story on my website at http://www.boldoutlaw.com/rhbal/52poach.html.  Another story from issue 4 can be found at http://www.boldoutlaw.com/rhbal/sirrobin.html.  Frank Bolle drew these comics. In the 1950s, most comic books were anthologies containing more than one story. Issue 52 (the first issue) featured three Robin Hood stories, a comic book adventure of Sir Galant of the Round Table (whose name was perhaps a little too similar to that of the much better comic strip hero Prince Valiant) and a text piece called In the Days of Knights giving some educational material for the kids. Robin’s most common foes were Prince John, Sir Gui of Glamore (named Gui of Gomley in one story and liked a counterpart to the more familiar Guy of Gisborne), and Robert Murdach. Robert Murdach was for all intents and purposes the Sheriff of Nottingham. However, the comics didn’t often name him as such. Instead he was usually referred to by his full name. Ralph Murdach was the name of the sheriff in Henry Gilbert’s popular Robin Hood children’s novel, and Ralph Murdac was the name of a historical Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in the 1180s and 1190s. An interesting diversion, but what has this to do with Richard Greene? Well, with issue 6 (cover dated June 1957), the comic book underwent a title change. It was now called “The Adventures of Robin Hood” and proudly featured a colour photo-cover of “Richard Greene – Television’s Robin Hood”. The inside front cover had black-and-white photos of Greene – clad as a knight – swordfighting and of Bernadette O’Farrell’s Marian mending Archie Duncan’s costume.  However, the comic book stories seemed unchanged – featuring foes from past issues. Returning villainess Morla le Fay kidnapped a strawberry blonde Marian in the first story, “Capture of Maid Marian”. Sir Galant got lost in the maze of Castle Hazard. Then, Robin aids a “Revolt of the Peasants”. Prince John has a sinister goatee and looks more like Alan Wheatley than the comic’s sheriff analogue. In this delightful tale, the cooks go on strike forcing Sir Gui to lower taxes. And finally “The Baby of Sherwood Forest” causes trouble for Robert Murdach. This sheriff-like bad guy was his usual clean-shaven, pudgy self. While Little John is not prominently featured in these stories, he is presumably the clean-shaven, curly-haired figure he was in previous issues.   Adventures of Robin Hood, issue 6 cover - the first R. Greene photo cover From "Doom is the Prize!", issue 7, page 3 The introduction of the Wheatley-looking sheriff Issue 7 (September 1957) also featured a Richard Greene photocover. The inside front cover had more photos of Richard Greene, Bernadette O’Farrell and Archie Duncan. But this time, the changes spread to the comics themselves. The first story is titled “Doom is the Prize”. Annoyed with the defeats of the previous six issues, Prince John fires Robert Murdach. Instead he hires the old Robert’s cousin, “Sir Robert Murdach” as the new Sheriff of Nottingham. (This time the comic used the actual title). This new Murdach was a blond, ex-Crusader and he bore much more than a passing resemblance to Alan Wheatley, the sheriff of the TV series. Robin Hood and the Archie Duncan like Little John from "Doom is the Prize!", issue 7 Murdach wasn’t the only character to get a face lift with this issue. Little John was now bulkier than he had been. This new Little John had straight, orange hair and a beard. He looked a lot like Archie Duncan. The comic book Robin always vaguely resembled Greene, and so any change there isn’t really apparent. Marian had still a blonde and hadn’t changed appearance from the previous issue. The new sheriff didn’t reappear in the issue, but there were further comic book stories.  Sir Galant paid a visit “The Deserted Castle” Robin Hood and the Duncan-like Little John told two very different stories of their encounter with Sir Gui in “The Strong Man and the Archer”. Finally, Robin Hood encounters “The Chinese Dragon” which is really a cannon from China. Robin uses the Chinese weapon to storm Prince John’s castle decades before Azeem brought gunpowder to Kevin Costner’s Sherwood. Issue 8 (November 1958) was the last issue in Magazine Enterprise’s The Adventures of Robin Hood series. The inside cover was full-page black-and-white photo of Bernadette O’Farrell in costume, autographed “Maid Marian”. Little John and the Sheriff (now referred to by his title rather than his proper name) still looked like their television counterparts, albeit with some changes in hair colour. Little John had blond hair, and the Sheriff had more appropriate charcoal-grey hair. In the first story, Robin becomes “The Human Arrow” as he launches himself on a giant arrow to rescue Prince John from a French ship. Yes, rescue Prince John. Somewhat uncharacteristically, Robin says “Prince John and I have disagreed on many things – but he still remains the liege lord of England in place of King Richard, who is away on the Crusades.” He qualifies this to Prince John in the concluding panel. “You are the king’s brother, sire. And our liege lord – at least where invaders are concerned.” From "Dare Me Not", issue 8 The Sheriff and Sir Gui of Glamore   An agent of Prince John deceives three returning Crusaders into attacking peasants and Robin Hood in “Three Who Came Back”. Ambushed while taking a bath, Robin fights the invaders in what appears to be swimming trunks. Sir Galant fights Danish invaders and “The Ghost Knight”. Finally, Robin has adventures that meet the friendly dares of Friar Tuck and Maid Marian, and a more devious dare by Sir Gui and the sheriff. Robin Hood did have some comic book adventures in Britain during the 1950s. Publishers such as World, Miller and Streamline/United Anglo-American reprinted the American Robin Hood comics of the 1950s. TV Heroes had a Robin Hood comic feature. Amalgamated Press published black-and-white Robin Hood stories in their Sun and Thriller Comics Library series. Amalgamated Press and Fleetway also published four Robin Hood annuals (1957-1960) with colour and black-and-white stories. The Amalgamated Press Robin Hood had reddish-blond hair and a goatee, quite different from his TV and American counterparts. From April to August 1959, Pearson’s TV Picture Stories apparently published three comic book adaptations of “The Adventures of Robin Hood” episodes. Those stories were “The Moneylender” (TVP, issue 8), “Friar Tuck” (TVP 13) and “Husband for Marion” (TVP 24). Some of the background information for my paper and this article came from "Seven Robins!" from the Nolan's Notebook column in the May 1998 issue of Comic Book Marketplace. It gave me a nudge in the right direction when I was first tracking down the old comics. I now own all of the Sussex/Magazine Enterprises issues. I have quite a few North American Robin Hood comics from the 1950s. I also own three of British annuals and one Thriller Comics Library issue. Allen W Wright Further pictures can be found at the following links: Little John from "Sir Robin Hood" in issue 4, not looking like Archie Duncan Adventures of Robin Hood, issue 6 interior cover Robert Murdach (sheriff) in his pre-Wheatley look in "Revolt of the Peasants" from issue 6 Adventures of Robin Hood, issue 7 cover Issue 7, interior cover Robin  Hood and a Duncanesque Little John from "The Strong Man and the Archer", also in issue 7 Adventures of Robin Hood, issue 8 cover Adventures of Robin Hood, issue 8 interior cover, Patricia Driscoll as Maid Marian

Screenplay:   Leon Griffiths Director:       Anthony Squire Cast:              Brian Rawlinson – Martin                               Maureen Davis – Alice Dale                     Terry Yorke – John Dale                     John Arnatt - Deputy Sheriff                     Paul Eddington - Will Scarlet                     (“Scarlett” in the credits)   A stranger claims to be a member of Robin Hood’s band.  He robs the poor, takes Friar Tuck’s alms money, and fatally wounds John Dale, a tenant on Lady Marian’s estate.  Robin and Will go to investigate.  The stranger turns out to be Martin, who saved Robin’s life seven years before, during the crusade.  He is a wanted man, and is seeking refuge in Sherwood.  And he is present when Friar Tuck and Lady Marian visit the outlaw camp.  Robin has a dilemma: he cannot accept Martin (“we’ve got no room for criminals”, he tells him), but he cannot refuse; not only because he owes Martin his life, but also - because Martin would reveal to the Sheriff that Marian and Friar Tuck are friends of the outlaws.  So he decides to let Martin take part in one raid, hoping that the Sheriff’s men see him with the band - “As soon as the Sheriff thinks that he’s a member of the band, he won’t believe a word he says”. Martin breaks away, and goes raiding on his own.  But the Deputy Sheriff soon disarms him, and has him at his mercy.  He says, as he aims an arrow at Martin,  “I don’t think there’s any point in my taking you back for trial.  I think I’ll just enter in the records that you were killed trying to escape”.  Robin intervenes, demanding that the Sheriff let Martin go free, and he does, because his men are outnumbered by the outlaws.  Robin points out to Martin that his debt is now paid in full – he saved his life from the Sheriff.  He orders Martin to leave Sherwood, but Martin refuses.  Robin proposes a duel with one arrow each.  He shoots an arrow into the ground, and tells Martin to do the same. “You run to your arrow, I run to mine.  The first one to get to an arrow has the advantage.  Then we shoot to kill”.  But Martin does not play by the rules - he shoots his arrow into a tree.  It is stuck firmly, and Robin cannot remove it.  He decides on a desperate course of action – to shoot Martin’s arrow back at him.  He watches Martin’s line of shot closely, and then turns sideways, letting Martin shoot the arrow into his left arm.  He then manages to pull the arrow out and, with almost superhuman effort, aims and shoots Martin through the heart.  *** “The Debt” is possibly the most dramatic episode in the series.  There is little humour here – everything is done in earnest.  Tension can be felt from the very beginning, when, in the opening scene, Friar Tuck is the target of Martin’s warning shot (and his sarcastic taunts).  Martin is a most intriguing villain - and a very dangerous one. Robin truly “meets his match” here – it is “The Adventures” equivalent of the violent story of Guy of Guisbourne in the traditional ballad. Martin is a ghost from Robin’s past. The debt is a personal matter between them; the men are excluded – and so are we.  We may think that we know Robin Hood well, but there are many things we do not know about Robin of Locksley… Martin is ruthless, unscrupulous, selfish, and cynical.  He seems restless, nervous.  Is he a veteran, unsettled by the war experience, or is he evil beyond redemption?  Seven years before Martin saved Robin’s life, but the circumstances are never explained.  They seem to know each other well, but were they ever friends?  Would a friend demand payment of such a debt – life for life?   Both Robin and Martin are intelligent and good looking, both are skilled warriors with adventurous spirit - but with very different moral values. We sense the mounting tension and the hostility between them.  And we have the opportunity to watch some superb acting, both by Richard Greene and Brian Rawlinson. During the final duel Martin shouted: “Your last chance, Robin; run, and I’ll let you off.  But you’ll owe me your life again”.  Robin could not accept that; it would leave his debt unpaid, and would mean danger for Marian and Friar Tuck.  Robin had seconds to decide on a solution; he chose a very risky one – and shocking to watch. It would take an expert archer – and a remarkable man - for such a plan to succeed.  First he had to judge the angle of Martin’s shot correctly; even a slight error could be fatal.  Then he had to remove the arrow quickly, and shoot accurately, despite the agonising pain.  Was it a desperate gamble, or did he know from his battle experience what he could do?  Was his endurance tested to the limit before, all those years ago in the Holy Land?   There was a look of disbelief and horror on Martin’s face, before he fell… “I want to get back to camp”, said Robin to Will in the closing scene.  And he said it with such weariness… I could not help thinking that this “adventure” was almost too much, even for a man like Robin of Locksley. (A.F.)

Location - Bodiam Castle, near Robertsbridge, East Sussex

If you have spotted it in any other episodes, please let us know!

Bodiam is a late medieval castle; it was built in 1385, so it could not have been there at the end of the 12^th century.  But there was a Saxon hall on the site before the Norman Conquest.  After the Conquest it passed to the Bodeham family, who strengthened and expanded it.  In the 14^th century the manor house was owned by Sir Edward Dalyngrygge.  He was given a royal licence to fortify it against possible invasion from France during the Hundred Years War, but decided to build a new stone castle instead.  The French invasion never took place, but Bodiam castle was besieged by Richard III in 1484.  Later, during the English Civil War, it fell to an assault by the Parliamentary forces.  The castle was left to deteriorate for several centuries, until it was acquired by the Marquis of Curzon in 1917.  Curzon began a process of restoration, and Bodiam Castle passed to the National Trust on his death in 1925. (A.F.)

Marian: In “The Coming of Robin Hood” we were introduced to Robin of Locksley, a brave, kind and honourable knight returning from the Crusades, weary from what he saw and experienced in war, saddened by the death of his father, and only wanting to return to his home and resume the life he once knew.  Sadly, it was not to be - the evil powers of the Sheriff stripped him of everything and forced him to retreat to the forest to take up the life of an outlaw.  In “The Coming” we learned about the man that Robin of Locksley was, and now, in “The Moneylender”, we are going to see the man he was forced to become – Robin Hood.  Are they one and the same?

Will Scatlock is the leader of the outlaws – is he really a leader?  They seem like a band of misfits who only want to rob for their own needs; their only cause is survival.  The camp seemed a bit chaotic, the leader seemed more like a dictator, not one of the band – he would shout out his orders, not wanting suggestions, especially not from the new member, who made him feel uneasy.  He knew this new recruit was no ordinary outlaw.

Will was suspicious of Robin’s intentions – telling him that they are only trying to stay alive, not to right wrongs.  He seemed envious of Robin’s skills and challenged him to “take a lesson from the master”. Will was no match for Robin’s skills – when Will accused him of possibly being a spy and not wanting to do his share, Robin and Edgar set out on Robin’s first robbery.  The wonderful humour that is always introduced in the series – when the moneylender was coming along and Edgar told Robin who he was; I loved Robin’s remark, “Tell me the worst about him so I can commit my first robbery with an easy conscience”.

You could not help but fall in love with this man - handsome, brave and kind.  This man, who fought alongside the King, could fight alongside outlaws with the same ease.  He truly represented all that was good – he proved to Will and the outlaws that they needed the villagers on their side if they were to keep the Sheriff and his men at bay.  He was an honourable outlaw – when returning money to the villagers he said, “These are strange times, when the Sheriff protects those who steal, and brands as thieves those who return the stolen goods.”

It’s an interesting scene when Herbert of Doncaster the moneylender returns - minus his boots - and tells the Sheriff about being robbed; he tells him Robin isn’t the usual outlaw.  The look of alarm on the Sheriff’s face when he hears the name – and when one of his men remarks, “He’s nobody’s fool, he’s a trained soldier, one of the finest archers in England”, the Sheriff says, “Tell me something I don’t already know!”

Will in his haste for more gains sets out on a robbery of wine, which Robin suspects of being a trap.  Robin’s suspicions were correct and in the ensuing battle Will Scatlock is mortally wounded.  Upon dying he says to Robin, “Take my place – you’re the man they’ll remember – follow Robin – Robin Hood.”  It’s a very emotional scene at the end, when Robin picks up Will’s sword and says, “A brave man’s sword should not outlive him.”  And he passionately breaks the sword against a stone and tenderly lays the broken sword on Will’s body.

Robin emerges the true leader that he is.  After losing everything he could have become a bitter and disillusioned man, but he chose to take the cause of justice – to help those who needed his help.  He was a brilliant leader who thought no more of himself than he did of his men.

Interesting side note, the actor who played the moneylender was Leo McKern – the same actor who played Sir Roger De Lisle in “The Coming” episode; I guess they started “recycling” actors very early.

Suzette: I thought Robin looked very moody I the opening scenes of “The Moneylender”, and you could see that he didn’t fit in – he still looked aristocratic, despite the yeoman’s (?) costume…

I like the second part of  “The Moneylender” – the battle.  I think Richard Greene had the opportunity to make use of his army training there; have you noticed how he went from a standing to a lying down position in one practised movement, the way soldiers do?  I don’t know why, but I always see those scenes in my mind’s eye with rifles, instead of bows and arrows.  And the scene where Hawkins and family are looking at the ruins of their house – it reminds me of photographs from the Blitz.

It’s very true what Marian said about the camp being chaotic.  But Robin soon organised them!  Not only did they have military training (“crawling like a snake” – where was it?  “Queen Eleanor”?), but everyone always had work to do!  Very much like the army.  (By the way, I’ve read that King Richard’s army during the Third Crusade was very well organised, and very professional, compared to other armies in those days).  In later episodes you see how well everything worked in the camp; they had a routine, and Robin only gave them very brief instructions – they knew what to do.  (He is a very good organiser, apart from being a great warrior – just like his mentor King Richard).

I’ve read quite a few Robin Hood stories, and I think ours has the best explanation how he got the name.  In “The Coming” Edgar said, “the man with the hood”, and then in “The “Moneylender” Will said, “Robin… Hood”, probably because that was all he could manage to say.

Do you remember the scene after they burned Hawkins’ house down, when the outlaws come out of the cellar?  Just before they go off the screen to the left, you can see Robin is coughing, because of the smoke.  Little things like that always make me wonder – was it in the script?  Or did Richard Greene improvise it?  Or perhaps it was accidental – he really was coughing because of the smoke created on the set, and they just decided to leave it in?  I don’t know why this sort of thing should matter, but it intrigues me!

Lady of Locksley: As a child I didn’t realise that Robin wasn’t always their leader.  I didn’t realise that he had been a soldier in the Crusades, so it has been very nice watching the episodes in their original order.

He really changed the outlaw’s whole way of life, and I suppose their reason for staying in the forest rather than fleeing far away.  They became the friends and helpers of the local people and the poor old Sheriff must have hated it!  He not only had Robin, the best archer in England, as an enemy, he also realised that Robin now had allies.  He must have thought and hoped that Robin would admit defeat and leave the area.

I too liked the scene where Robin broke the sword, but I do hope that swords were much stronger than that in reality.  He showed his leadership and compassion very well in that scene.

Robin was always playful with Edgar, almost using him as a foil between himself and the other outlaws at first.  I enjoyed his laid-back attitude and when he played the joker with the moneylender, telling him he was a collector of acorns when they fell out of his boot.

I wonder if the recycling of actors had anything to do with contracts for that show.  Recently in the USA a series called “Nero Wolf” did exactly the same.  Actors played different parts each week, and even now it worked.

Marian: Robin of Locksley was a nobleman, a brave knight but most important of all, a kind and caring person.  He would have made a wonderful lord of the manor - you could see the way Martha and Tom in “The Coming” loved him.  He was quickly disillusioned by what he discovered when he returned from the Crusades.  He had almost an innocent quality about him when Tom warned him about Sir Roger and his people: “They’ll kill you, unless you kill them first”.  He looked disbelieving when he asked, “Who’d want to kill me?”

My feelings are that Robin of Locksley and Robin Hood were one.  When he was forced to retreat to Sherwood Forest, he reflected on all that had happened to him – the four years of fighting in the Crusades, and instead of a welcome home greeting upon returning from war, his home and lands were stripped from him and he was falsely accused of murder.  How much unjust treatment can one person endure?  The true character of the man could be seen by his taking up the cause not only to clear his name, but also to help his fellow man.  He wasn’t looking for personal gain - he was seeking a better life for everyone.  He was a hero and champion and his fellow outlaws recognised the leadership qualities in the man.  And Will Scatlock recognised them, felt threatened by them, but then came to terms with them.  Unfortunately, Will didn’t live long enough to really know this remarkable person.  I know the credit for the episodes has to be given to the creative group of writers who brought Robin Hood to life, but I personally don’t think the series would have been as successful as it was  - and we wouldn’t be here celebrating him – if it had not been for Richard Greene.   Every time I watch him there is something new to discover about his abilities. 

Elsbeth: I liked Will, and I got the impression Robin did, too.  Mostly I thought this episode was about Robin, who had just lost everything he had, coming to realise that the outlaws weren’t really that awful and were mostly the victims of injustice.  So he resigned himself to becoming a thief and found out he could do it with class, by righting some of the wrongs he saw around him.  Marian said it really well when she said that he fought with a King but could walk with regular men.  But I thought in this episode he was just finding that out about himself, and just becoming that person.  He probably didn’t have much opportunity in the past.

I see Robin differently than the way everyone summed it up in the first episode.  I think he came from money and had a comfortable childhood and a sort of easy life up until this time, and this was really his first taste of injustice.

One thing that is really surprising in this episode is the humour, after seeing the first episode, which seemed very serious.  It was almost like watching a different program!  I sort of prefer the show with those funny touches added, like when the sentry shot the arrow with dark feathers and everyone ran for cover except Edgar.  Another funny scene was when the moneylender was walking through town barefoot and everyone was laughing.  Leo McKern seemed like a good sport in this episode, compared to how awful he was in the first.

Lady of Locksley: My feelings about Robin of Locksley and Robin Hood - yes, I do think he was the same person.  I’m sure that the Crusades must have made a real man of him as war does to anyone, but I think his character was unchanged.  As you mentioned, Marian, the gatekeeper and his wife obviously thought highly of him, and he had kind regard for them.

What kind of an archer and swordsman was he before he left for the Crusades, I wonder?  Did King Richard choose him for his skills or because of his position in “society”?

Suzette: I think he was an excellent archer and swordsman even then, because his father taught him everything.  His father was the King’s Chief Forester, so they went hunting often.  I imagine Robin was very close to his father…. And I also think he would have been a wonderful lord of the manor, just like his father was (there’s something about that in “The Path of True Love”).  I imagine a scene from “the future”, where Robin is teaching his own son all the things a knight should know…