For those who may be unfamiliar with The Adventures of Robin Hood, it was set in England at the time King Richard the Lionheart was away on the Crusades and Prince John was ruling in his stead. It centred on the legendary outlaw Robin Hood (Richard Greene) and his band of merry men as they opposed the machinations of the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Wheatley) in Sherwood Forest and the surrounding area. Although it was not the first British television show to air in the United States, it was the first to be a major hit there, paving the way for Danger Man, The Avengers, The Saint, and many others to come. It debuted in the United Kingdom on September 25 1955. In the United States it aired on CBS and debuted on September 26 1955. The Adventures of Robin Hood proved incredibly successful, inspiring such similar series as The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, The Buccaneers, and The Adventures of William Tell. It also produced a great deal of merchandise on both sides of the Pond. Ultimately, it ran for four seasons and has persisted as a syndicated rerun ever since.
Throughout the series, the Sheriff of Nottingham was often acting on the orders of Prince John, but Prince John would not appear until the final episode of the first season. In "The Prisoner" a rumour has spread that King Richard has died in the Crusades. Taking advantage of the rumour, Prince John imprisons a courier who has arrived with news that Richard is alive, and then sets to have himself crowned King of England. Fortunately, Robin Hood gets wind of the plot. In the episode Prince John makes for a sharp contrast to the Sheriff of Nottingham. Although scheming and villainous, Prince John is a coward at heart and would rather hide than face Robin in combat.
Not only was Prince John on The Adventures of Robin Hood dishonestly and cowardly, he also apparently lacks other morals as well. In the second season episode "Isabella," John plots to set his current wife, Princess Avice (Helen Cherry), aside and marry the French princess Isabella (Zena Walker). John's hope is that once he does so, the French king will recognize him as the rightful King of England. Fortunately, Princess Avice alerts Robin Hood to the plot.
What might have been Prince John's most sinister plot occurs later in the second season. In "Ambush" Prince John plots for Prince Arthur (Peter Asher, later of Peter & Gordon fame), the son of Prince John and King Richard's brother Geoffrey whom Richard had designated as the heir to the throne, to die in an "accident." As might be expected, Robin Hood learns of the plot and takes action to protect the young prince. Here I have to point out that historically Arthur I, Duke of Brittany, was indeed the son of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, and King Richard the Lionheart did appoint him as his heir apparent. What eventually happened to Duke Arthur remains a mystery to this day, but there are historians who think Prince John had a hand in it.
Donald Pleasence appeared one final time as Prince John on The Adventures of Robin Hood in the third season episode "Marian's Prize." In "Marian's Prize," while the Sheriff of Nottingham is away, Prince John is in Nottingham and arranges for an archery contest in order to trap Robin Hood. As it turns out, Robin Hood and Little John (Archie Duncan) are off on a hunting trip. The merry men then set up their own archery contest, to see which of their number should compete in Prince John's contest in Robin's stead. They let Marian (Patricia Driscoll) compete in their contest and, as it turns out, she is the best archer among them. She then competes in Prince John's archery contest disguised as a boy. "Marian's Prize" differs a bit from the earlier episodes featuring Prince John, which play out almost like medieval spy dramas. "Marian's Prize" is a bit more straight forward and, in fact, the episode could have easily been done with the Sheriff of Nottingham as the villain.
Donald Pleasence was not the only actor to play Prince John on The Adventures of Robin Hood. Hubert Gregg played Prince John in two third season episodes. He had earlier played the character in the 1952 movie The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men. Brian Haines played Prince John in a single, third season episode. While others played the role on the show, it was Donald Pleasance who originated the role and he was the one who played it the most.
Aside from his guest appearances as Prince John, Donald Pleasence also made one other guest appearance on The Adventures of Robin Hood. In "A Village Wooing," Robin and the merry men seek to help Wat Longfellow (Leslie Phillips), win the hand of the Widow Winifred (Betty Impey). Unfortunately for Wat, Bailiff Baldwin, played by Donald Pleasance, also has his eye on the widow. Baliliff Baldwin is a very different character from Prince John. Although a stickler for the rules and more than a bit superstitious and a little underhanded, Baldwin was not evil in the way John was.
Donald Pleasence did an extraordinary job of playing Prince John, and it is easy to see how he would later become a movie star. He is barely recognizable as John, having a full head of hair and a beard. Of course, once Donald Pleasence as Prince John speaks in any given episode of The Adventures of Robin Hood, it is no mistaking him for anyone but Donald Pleasence. To Prince John, Donald Pleasence brought just the right amount of knavery, conceit, and cowardice. Prince John lacks the Sheriff of Nottingham's bravery, but he more than makes up for it in the depths to which he will stoop to get the throne. While both Hubert Gregg and Brian Haines made for acceptable Prince Johns, neither of them were as good as Donald Pleasence. If Donald Pleasence excelled in playing such villains as Blofeld in You Only Live Twice and Himmler in The Eagle Has Landed (1976), it is perhaps because he got plenty of practice on The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Fab post Terence - I had heard of this series but never knew that Donald Pleasence was in it. Thanks for bringing this to our blogathon.
ReplyDeleteI was not aware of this series until I read your wonderful post. Donald Pleasance was one of our most prolific actors, and this role looks like a change of pace from his usual devilish and dastardly characters! Will look for it!
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Hi Terence! I remember watching this series when I was a kid, but of course I had no idea who Donald Pleasence was at the time. I can just picture him as the deceitful, yet cowardly Prince John. It's great that Robin Hood helped open up the US market to all those great UK shows we know and love. What intrigues me is that Prince John went through 3 actors, and Pleasence came back as yet another character, in the space of a few seasons. In today's social media environment, that would definitely be noticed. :)
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