Five years before "Airplane" changed the nature of comedy in the movies, "When Things were Rotten" presented the same anarchic, rapid-fire ambiance on the small screen.From the then-fertile mind of Mel Brooks, this Robin Hood spoof came at a time when television comedy was 1) presented before a live audience, which meant that it was stagy, limited, and had tired laughs from an audience that had already seen several takes of the same lines and possibly an argument about them; and 2) was geared more to advocacy serio-comedy in realistic situations.The creative 60s, which had comedy shows with genii, witches, and monsters, with settings on desert islands, western forts, and even World War II POW camps, had given way to mundane settings with scripts, from the mid to late 70s, that were nothing more than insults piled upon each other.Enter Brooks, co-creator of a successful "Get Smart." It sounded like a good idea: take the Robin Hood legend, the tropes of which everyone knows, give it a good cast, a few plots to act as skeleton on which to place jokes, and pile the jokes on. If you do enough jokes in a short enough space of time some of which are bound to get laughs. Oh, and the sillier, the better. And anachronisms are more joke fodder.Somehow, it misfired. The cast seemed pretty good on paper. Dick Gautier as Robin, Bernie Kopell as Alan-a-dale, Dick van Patten as Friar Tuck, and Misty Rowe -- best known from her skimpy costumes on "Hee Haw" -- as Maid Marion. Rowe is letter-perfect and Gautier was a good choice. But the usually reliable van Patten and Kopell don't seem to have their typical way with lines.For the other actors, Henry Polic II is a good sheriff. Young Ron Rifkin is not good as King John (was this before Brooks met Ron Carey?) In a dual role, as a supporter of the Sheriff and a twin brother in Robin's band, Richard Dimitri is every bit as annoying as Stephen Stucker later became in "Airplane!" only without once being funny in either role (unlike Stucker, who was funny once). David Sabin is Little John in a role that cries out for a Paul L. Smith.The generally dreary proceedings are brightened by the occasional guest shot. A few years before becoming a star in "10" Dudley Moore was particularly amusing in his episode. And he knew how to deliver a line without mugging.Unfortunately, some jokes that might have been amusing in 1975 simply don't translate well in a new century. In one episode Rowe thinks she has a vial of poison but every time she opens it, it says, "Perfume!" This is a take-off from an old Parkay commercial where someone opens its lid and the Parkay tub says "Butter!" So much for topical humor.Of course, there are a few great areas, like Rowe's cleavage, if you enjoy that sort of thing. And Gautier's gung-ho Robin. But the disappointments, such as Kopell's strangely lackluster showing, outnumber the successes. And that's too bad. "When Things were Rotten" was just the show television needed in the dead zone of 1975's comedy landscape. Perhaps that's why supposedly "serious" shows like "Charlie's Angels" and "The Rockford Files" more successfully filled the comedy void, even if they weren't laugh-a-minute.

I really thought that I was the only one who remembered this comedy, especially the theme song. Every so often I would sing it for someone to see if they remembered the show, with no luck. This was one of the funnier sitcoms on in the mid-seventies, and a bit before it's time, I think. There were a lot of sexual innuendos that today wouldn't even warrant a second thought, much less a gasp. (I had rather progressive parents who didn't really find anything wrong in letting me watch it.).The program was written by Mel Brooks; that should give you a good idea what the show was really like; full of pratfalls and slapstick, as Robin Hood(Dick Gauthier, who couldn't have been a better choice: Just handsome enough.)tried to get away from the sheriff of Nottingham. Each cast member had his or her own style and they were great.It was an ensemble cast,and they all played off each other perfectly "So when other legends are forgotten, we'll remember back when things were rotten....Hurray for Robin Hood!"

Apparently many of you out there were 12, as I was, when this show was on (according to all of your reviews!). I remember loving this show, as it was funny, witty and stupid all at the same time. Meaning, it was typical Mel Brooks. When I ask people if they ever saw it, they look at me with confusion, but I watched every episode as a kid. Dick Gautier was my favorite actor on the show, but they were all perfect in their roles. Who could forget a pre-Love Boat Bernie Kopell or the terrific Dick Van Patten? The visual jokes were the best, and the word-play made you think (and what kid didn't like being quicker on the uptake than their parents?). I would most definitely recommend this show to anyone who likes Mel Brooks, and also hope that TV Land decides to air this great '70s gem.I would love to be able to purchase all the episodes on DVD, in their complete form. Hey Mel, how about it??

"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.