THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD AND THE ORIGINS OF THE TELEVISION SWASHBUCKLER.

This article explores the production and reception of the television series The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1960). It places the series in the contexts of telefilm production in Britain and the United States in the 1950s and examines the agency of key personnel including producer Hannah Weinstein, associate producer Sidney Cole and the involvement of numerous blacklisted American writers working under pseudonyms. The article argues that the politics of the series were influenced by these inputs, and examines selected episodes to show how the Robin Hood story was interpreted in the light of Cold War politics. It also shows how The Adventures of Robin Hood responded to the needs of audiences both in Britain and in America, where it was a significant popular success. It concludes with an assessment of the series' place in television history, marking the origin of the costume adventure series, or swashbuckler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]