Little John is a seemingly simple and kindly serf who is nastily humiliated by the foppish Earl of Bedford. Little John doesn't like it one bit and with one arm picks the Earl up and sets him on a high window ledge. Naturally, he has to flee and is soon befriended by a servant of the Blue Boar Inn. A few soldiers are at the Inn and realize that Little John is the runaway they're looking for and the Sargent in the group tells Little John that if he will bring them an outlaw from Sherwood Forest, he will get his freedom. Little John agrees. And then comes one of my favorite scenes in the series - the meeting of Robin Hood and Little John on the fallen tree bridge. When I was a very young child and at a family friend's, I picked up a book and was flipping through the pages when I came across a color plate illustration of this meeting between Robin and Little John. In my mind's eye, I can see the illustration still. I then read the story and am still fascinated by the legend of Robin Hood and it all started that long ago day. After the tussle on the bridge, Little John and Robin proceed to the Blue Boar, Robin suspecting it is a trap as indeed it is. Little John learns that he is being used and won't get freedom and now that knows Robin Hood is the better friend. Little John quickly dispatches the soldiers and becomes a member of the outlaw band. There is humor aplenty in this episode and Archie Duncan is quite convincing as the gentle giant.
3 Reviews
Dead or Alive
Prismark1029 June 2020
Man mountain Little John joins the Merry Men
John who is a serf humiliates the Earl Of Bedford after being made to show his muscles. Maybe a touch of homo eroticism on the part of Bedford who likes a big man.
Having run away from Bedford's castle he ends up in an inn. John gets an offer from some soldiers that he would gain his freedom for bringing any outlaws from Sherwood Forest who now have a price on their heads.
John agrees and on a bridge he has the famous encounter with Robin Hood.
John lures Robin into a trap but the soldiers have no intentions of giving John his freedom.
The fight on the bridge with Little John is very true to the Robin Hood stories that many children would have read.
John is portrayed here as kindly but also rather dense. Good job Robin has the brains who leaves clues behind so that the rest of the merry men are on his tail.
John who is a serf humiliates the Earl Of Bedford after being made to show his muscles. Maybe a touch of homo eroticism on the part of Bedford who likes a big man.
Having run away from Bedford's castle he ends up in an inn. John gets an offer from some soldiers that he would gain his freedom for bringing any outlaws from Sherwood Forest who now have a price on their heads.
John agrees and on a bridge he has the famous encounter with Robin Hood.
John lures Robin into a trap but the soldiers have no intentions of giving John his freedom.
The fight on the bridge with Little John is very true to the Robin Hood stories that many children would have read.
John is portrayed here as kindly but also rather dense. Good job Robin has the brains who leaves clues behind so that the rest of the merry men are on his tail.
'Little John' Learns Who The Good Guys Are
ccthemovieman-129 January 2010
In this third episode, we are introduced to someone who turns out to be someone who joins Robin Hood and his band of "outlaws" in Sherwood Forest: the seven-foot "Little John" (Archie Duncan).
John is somewhat dense-but-amiable guy who, like anyone else, just desires to live the life of a free man. The scoundrels who work for the dastardly sheriff of Nottingham offer him just that (freedom) if he'll capture and bring to them just one member of the outlaw gang. Sounds like a good deal to him....but it turns out to be a lot more than he bargained for, in a few areas. I won't say more, to spoil anything. This is a fun episode, I can say that.
This story was a good example of the intelligence of Robin Hood, who pulls a few clever stunts to get what he wants. It's very entertaining material. The title of the episode tells you how much of an outlaw Robin has become in such a short time. He is now wanted "dead or alive." We get another villain in here: the prissy Earl Of Bedford, played by John Rutland He's another guy who is instantly unlikable. I can see, even in just three episodes, the writers of this show had clear delineations of "good guys" and "bad guys." For example, in here we know "John" is a good guy, even if he doesn't appear so for awhile.
There is one quick scene, too, of "Marian," so I'm sure we'll see more of her soon.
John is somewhat dense-but-amiable guy who, like anyone else, just desires to live the life of a free man. The scoundrels who work for the dastardly sheriff of Nottingham offer him just that (freedom) if he'll capture and bring to them just one member of the outlaw gang. Sounds like a good deal to him....but it turns out to be a lot more than he bargained for, in a few areas. I won't say more, to spoil anything. This is a fun episode, I can say that.
This story was a good example of the intelligence of Robin Hood, who pulls a few clever stunts to get what he wants. It's very entertaining material. The title of the episode tells you how much of an outlaw Robin has become in such a short time. He is now wanted "dead or alive." We get another villain in here: the prissy Earl Of Bedford, played by John Rutland He's another guy who is instantly unlikable. I can see, even in just three episodes, the writers of this show had clear delineations of "good guys" and "bad guys." For example, in here we know "John" is a good guy, even if he doesn't appear so for awhile.
There is one quick scene, too, of "Marian," so I'm sure we'll see more of her soon.
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