Robin Hood Makes Good
Encyclopedia
Robin Hood Makes Good is a Merrie Melodies
color cartoon short, directed by Chuck Jones
and written by Dave Monahan, and released by Warner Bros.
on February 11, 1939.
), 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 rich old villain. The "villain" then trudges off to await the inevitable song-and-dance attack of Robin Hood and Little John, while a fox
(Mel Blanc
), 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 from reality. Thus rescued, the two exit the cabin, only to be greeted by the smallest squirrel, who asks them with a grin, "Who's gonna be Robin Hood?"
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
color cartoon short, directed by Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
and written by Dave Monahan, and released by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
on February 11, 1939.
Plot
Three little squirrels (all voiced by Bernice HansenBernice Hansen
Bernice Hansen was a voice artist who did a number of female character voices for Warner Bros. cartoons in the 1930s and early-1940s...
), after reading a book about Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
, 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
Little John
Little John was a legendary fellow outlaw of Robin Hood, and was said to be Robin's chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men.-Folklore:He appears in the earliest recorded Robin Hood ballads and stories...
, leaving the grumbling smallest squirrel to play the unwanted role of the rich old villain. The "villain" then trudges off to await the inevitable song-and-dance attack of Robin Hood and Little John, while a fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
(Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
), lurking on the side, sees them as his dinner, and devises a ruse through which he pipes up, in a falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
voice, claiming to be Robin's sweetheart Maid Marian
Maid Marian
Maid Marian is the wife of the legendary English outlaw Robin Hood. Stemming from another, older tradition, she became associated with Robin Hood only in the 16th century.-History:The earliest medieval Robin Hood stories gave him no female companion...
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 from reality. Thus rescued, the two exit the cabin, only to be greeted by the smallest squirrel, who asks them with a grin, "Who's gonna be Robin Hood?"