Hooded Man Memories
In which I reflect on the amount of time I’ve spent over the years hanging out in Sherwood with a certain outlaw and his band of merry men.
On Wednesday evening I joined the crew at the Longbox Crusade podcast for the second of two consecutive guest appearances on their Saturday Matinee Theater series discussing the long-running Adventures of Robin Hood TV show that debuted in 1955.
One of the questions they ask the guests on the show is “What was your first memory of Robin Hood?” - And the truth is I didn’t know. The more I thought about it I began to realize that the Hooded Man in Lincoln green has always been a part of my life.
Growing up in the UK virtually every “adventure” book or comic I read had a Robin Hood story or two in them, and then there was that same TV show we discussed on the podcast. It finished its first run just after I was born. Still, it must have been in rotation as repeats when we got our family’s first TV set a few years later as its catchy theme tune was the first TV show theme I recognized and remembered, (and still occasionally hum to this day).
One version of Robin Hood I remember fondly was a Canadian-produced animated show that mixed Robin and Buck Rogers in Rocket Robin Hood. As none of my American friends ever seem to recognize it I guess it was only aired in Canada and the UK. It was a silly concept, but I found it great fun.
But it was my grandmother who really introduced me to the legacy of the cinematic Robin Hood. She loved old adventure movies, and the more swash being buckled the better. I would go around to her apartment on a Sunday afternoon and we’d watch whatever classic movie happened to be on TV. Thanks to her I first encountered Allan Quatermain, Johnny Weismuller’s Tarzan, Philip Marlowe, and many more cinematic heroes, including the full range of Robin Hood movies.
As a result, my favorite Robin Hood movie was and remains to this day, the classic 1938 epic The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn. Yes, it’s corny, the bright costumes and tights are a bit much to modern eyes, but there is no denying that it is in many ways the quintessential Robin Hood movie for our times as it provided the blueprint for everything else that followed.
Talking of favorites, I really enjoy the 1984 Robin of Sherwood TV show with its mix of the familiar Robin Hood tale and the more mystical aspects of British folklore by connecting Robin to the forest spirit of Herne the Hunter. Around the time this was airing, we lived in the Royal Forest of Dean which is a regular location for TV and movie productions that need a lot of green trees. We were lucky enough to get to visit one of the village sets for this show and felt like we’d really stepped back in time wandering between the huts and fire pits etc.
Also around this time, thanks to my wife’s job, we got to visit Nottingham on a fairly regular basis and enjoyed walking the ramparts of Nottingham castle, checking out the Robin Hood statue, and even going for an explore what remains of the much-diminished Sherwood Forest.
It’s a good thirty years since I was last in real Robin Hood territory, but he has remained a constant presence. I watch every new Hood movie release, and there’s always a Hood-related book or two on the shelves in our library.
In fact, I’m currently enjoying a very different take on the Robin Hood legend with the Nottingham comics series from Mad Cave. The story, by writer David Hazan and artist Shane Connery Volk, is told from the point of view of the beleaguered Sherriff of Nottingham as he searches for a serial killer who targets his tax collectors.
If you want to check out the Longbox Crusade crew’s discussions of the 1950s TV show, I believe the first of my two Robin Hood podcast episodes is scheduled to go live online next Wednesday, February 15th. So sling on your bow and quiver and come join us in the greenwood.
Other Stuff
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Brabazon Bits
I didn’t really add any new text to the Brabazon draft this week. The focus has been on pulling together more research sources about a speculative wartime bomber proposal from Bristol Aircraft that provided some of the base design ideas that were carried over to the Brabazon. I’m also starting to dig into the fate of Charlton village which was demolished to make way for the Brabazon runway extension.
One fun find this week was a photo I hadn’t seen before that shows the aircraft on the runway apron during engine testing. Seeing the crew climbing the ladder to the passenger door gives a nice sense of scale.
Pages and Screens
Movies Watched in 2023 - Rogues of Sherwood Forest
Keeping the Sherwood theme of the week, this movie popped up as a suggestion on YouTube as part of The History of Robin Hood channel while I was doing research for the podcast appearance, and thought it might be worth a watch.
This 1950 movie is something like a quasi-sequel to the classic Warner Bros. 1938 production “The Adventures of Robin Hood” that starred Errol Flynn.
It’s twelve years later and the second Earl of Huntingdon, the son of the original Robin Hood, returns from the crusades, and surprise, surprise ends up on the wrong side of King John and is declared an outlaw. He sets out to put his pa’s old band back together to thwart the King’s schemes. In the process, he reveals the King’s plans to various Barons who realize they need to take a stand against the King and establish a set of demands in a charter called the Magna Carta.
[A nice little note of continuity is that this is the third and last time that actor Alan Hale played Little John, reprising his role from both the 1922 Douglas Fairbanks and the 1938 Flynn movies.]
Podcast Procrastinations
Last week I mentioned that over on the On Her Majesty’s Secret Podcast network we had just recorded the latest edition of the Bond Music: Six of the Best show in which we took a look back at the 60th Anniversary “Sounds of 007” concert held at the Royal Albert Hall last October. Well, that show is now available online and you can give it a listen HERE.
I was honored to be asked to contribute to the Computer Resume podcast recently. The podcast has set itself the task of covering the whole of the live-action Star Trek in story chronological order. In the episode that went live this week I joined host Todd to discuss the first season Discovery episode "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not For The Lamb's Cry" - check it out HERE to see if you agree with my theory that this is the episode where Discovery becomes a Star Trek show.
Weekly Web Round-Up
This week at Batman On The Cover we headed into October 1967 starting with Detective Comics, Brave & The Bold, and World’s Finest titles from DC, plus reprint titles from Australia and Brazil.
I added a couple of items this week to the Aces Speedway blog on Tumblr, a place I post occasional photos, videos, etc about my favorite sports team - the Belle Vue Aces. The Aces are the oldest continuously run motorcycle speedway team in the world, based in Manchester, which my family has followed since the mid-1950s, and I was a regular attendee during the 1970s and 80s, and still follow from afar.
This one was of current Aces’ star Dan Bewley in action in California for the USA vs Rest of the World meeting earlier this week..
Well, this seems like a good spot to slide out of this week’s Rambles. As always thanks for joining me, and don’t forget to sign up for a FREE subscription so you don’t miss future updates.
See you next time.
Alan J. Porter