When Things Were Rotten

This was a funny show, and I have fond memories or watching it. It was off the air before most of the people I knew had even seen it, although I do recall some schoolyard conversations about the show. Would love to see the show again to see if it is as funny as I recall. This may have been my first experience of realizing that good material doesn't mean the show will be popular. Police Squad died a similar death a few years later. Interesting that both shows later spawned successful movies. Maybe this kind of "stupid" humour is too smart for TV, or maybe it just reaches their expectations more clearly. Because there were a ton of unfunny comedies in that era that lasted much longer ...

I only give it an 8 because I don't recall too much, I mean, it's been a LONG time since I've seen it and I fully DO recall loving this show. I was lucky enough to catch an episode on, I believe YouTube a year or so ago and it brought back great memories. What lead me to YouTube was, after all the years that passed, I still recalled almost the entire theme song so, knowing you can find almost anything imaginable there, I went to see if it was there and if I had the lyrics right. I was about 95% right. If I recalled the theme, it had to have been a great show. Seeing that one episode confirmed it.

It sadly was a classic example of idiotic TV executives who have no right being in those positions, making a decision that is just plain stupid. It should have run at LEAST a full season, if not several. It just never had time to grow and hit it's stride, and that is a damn shame.

"When Things Were Rotten" was the brainchild of comic genius Mel Brooks. He dared to ask, what if the Legend of Robin Hood was overblown hype, and that all of the people involved were nothing more than buffoons? The result was a uproariously funny and engaging program, in which the great legend of Sherwood Forest went slapstick.

The show was brilliantly cast, with each player an expert in comedy. Dick Gautier, who worked with Mel on NBC's "Get Smart" as Hymie The Robot, knew a great deal about timing and was perfect as the leader of this merry band. He was matched in nit-wit by Henry Polic II, who portrayed the equally dunderheaded Sheriff of Nottingham, and a young Ron Rifkin (eventually of "Alias") played the likewise dubious Prince John. Add in Dick Van Patten, Bernie Kopell (another "Smart" vet), and the former Hee-Haw Honey turned Maid Marian, Misty Rowe with her buxom talents and you had a well-rounded group.

The production values for the program were very high, with costumes and sets that looked lavish and the show was shot on film, making it appear as exquisite as any Errol Flynn feature. And the sight gags were hilarious, and should not be described here... they are "sight gags," after all! Years later, Brooks returned to the Robin Hood legend with his film "Men In Tights," but he avoided a lot of the stuff that was used in this production, and that was a disappointment. All he needed to do was to take all of the elements of the series and distill the various episodes into one great movie! What we got was a watered down version that couldn't come close to the laughs this program offered.

Perhaps the reason for the show's demise was either in the subject matter or the competition... Robin Hood might have sounded dull and uninteresting to some viewers and those that would have been willing to look possibly wanted an adventure series, not a schlocky comedy. Also, the program aired opposite NBC's powerhouse drama "Little House On The Prairie," and CBS's variety series "Tony Orlando & Dawn," so perhaps people didn't tune away from these programs to try it. They don't know what they missed.

I live in hope that some day the complete series will arrive on DVD.

I don't know if the proper question is "Why do I remember this short-lived series so well, when nobody else has even HEARD of it?" or "With the writing & acting talent behind it, why didn't When Things Were Rotten make it big?"

With Mel Brooks creating & writing the series and some of the top comedic directors of the 1970s behind the camera, it was a hilarious spoof of the Robin Hood legend. All I have seen of the show as an adult are three episodes on video, with guests Sid Ceasar, Dudley Moore and John Byner. These episodes, though, are as funny as I remember them being as a 12 & 13-year old.

Start with the theme song. This is one of the classic 1960s-70s TV themes... "They laughed, they loved, they fought, they drank, they JUMPED a lot of FENCES... stole from the rich, gave to the poor -- except what they kept for EXPENSES!" :o)

What about the cast? Well, Dick Van Patten (Friar Tuck) and Bernie Kopell need no introduction. Dick Gautier, who played Robin Hood, never quite made the big time. He did turn in good work as the robot Hymie on "Get Smart," though, and is solid as the straight man for countless bafoons in Sherwood Forest. Misty Rowe is an absolute sexkitten and quite funny at the same time, as the airheaded Maid Marian. Richard Dimitri, Hnry Polic, II and David Sabin are also great -- as are the guest stars.

If you ever get a chance to rent or buy the video (or if Nick-at-Nite or one of the other cable channels comes to its senses & begins running these for the first time since 1975), be sure & give it a view! It's Mel Brooks humor at its best!

I too cannot understand why this series has not been re-run. I was only about six when I used to watch it on Saturday afternoons with my mum who absolutely loved the show. I would love to see it again, this time round at 31 I might get more out of it!