Robin Hood Makes Good is a 1939 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon short, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Dave Monahan.[2] The short was released on February 11, 1939.[3]
| Robin Hood Makes Good | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card | |
| Directed by | Charles M. Jones |
| Story by | Dave Monahan |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Starring | Bernice Hansen Margaret Hill-Talbot Mel Blanc[1] |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Bob McKimson[2] |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. The Vitaphone Corporation |
Release date |
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| Language | English |
Plot
editThree little squirrels, after reading a book about Robin Hood, decide to act out the part of the legendary medieval outlaw. The smallest of the three declares that he will be Robin Hood, prompting the middle squirrel to breathe down his neck and demand, "Who's gonna be Robin Hood?", prompting an intimidated reply of "You're gonna be Robin Hood!" In turn, the biggest squirrel bullies the middle one, "Who's gonna be Robin Hood?" "You're gonna be Robin Hood!".
That decided, the Robin Hood squirrel names the middle squirrel as Little John, leaving the grumbling smallest squirrel to play the unwanted role of the Sheriff of Nottingham. The small squirrel trudges off to await the inevitable song-and-dance attack of Robin Hood and Little John, while a fox, lurking on the side, sees them as his dinner and devises a ruse through which he pipes up, in a falsetto voice, claiming to be Robin's sweetheart Maid Marian in trouble. Robin and Little John follow the bait into the fox's cabin, whereupon the fox drops his pretense and his falsetto and hangs the two up by their breeches on the wall, declaring his intention to make a stew out of them.
The smallest squirrel, looking in from the outside of the cabin, devises a plan to save his friends. By means of voice imitations and sound effects, he makes the fox believe that hunters are after him. After he literally turns yellow and panics, in fear of his life, he runs away at maximum speed, beating the cabin door which accompanies him upright on his flight into fantasy. After being untied offscreen by the smallest squirrel, the two exit the cabin, only to be greeted by the latter, who asks them, "Who's gonna be Robin Hood?" with a grin.
Reception
editThe Film Daily (March 6, 1939) : Funny Squirrels: "The adventures of three squirrels who find a book all about the career of Robin Hood. So they decide to emulate the ancient hero, and merry outlaws of the woods start on adventure bent. A fox reads the book they have discarded, and starts taking advantage of their make-believe game. He lures the two older squirrels into a log cabin, locks them in and prepares to make a nice meal. The younger squirrel rescues them and as his reward insists on being Robin Hood".[4]
References
edit- ^ Scott, Keith (2022). Cartoon Voices from the Golden Age, 1930-70. BearManor Media. p. 34. ISBN 979-8-88771-010-5.
- ^ a b Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 84. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ "The Film Daily (Jan-Mar 1939)". The Film Daily. p. 481.