When Things Were Rotten (1975)

Gags Galore
These episodes from Mel Brooks' short-lived 1975 television series are good, wacky fun. Brooks and his team present a gag-filled, often hilarious send-up of the Robin Hood legend, some two decades before the feature film, "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (which suffers by comparison with this series). Talented Dick Gautier is well cast as the dashing hero, while Dick Van Patten displays admirable comedic skills as the portly and always hungry Friar Tuck. Among the cast (many of whom will be recognizable to fans of 1970's television) are Sid Caesar as a French nobleman and Misty Rowe as a ditzy, sexy, and scheming Maid Marian. Watch for Dudley Moore's guest role, which includes a turn at the piano, as a visiting sheik who plans to wed Marian!

Overall, this is fun television -- complete with sight gags, nutty dialogue, over-the-top anachronisms, a silly theme song, and skillful comedic acting. For fans of Brooks, historical parody, and 1970's television, this is highly...

Man, How I Wanted to Love This
In the back of my mind, for DECADES, I have wondered why "When Things Were Rotten" was cancelled so quickly. As a kid, after all, I loved it. After buying this tape, though, I now know. Despite the wonderful site gags, the off-topic lines by characters directly to camera, the much-beloved comic geniuses who guest-starred, and despite the fact that it came from my hero Mel Brooks -- it's just a lot more stupid than funny. Even the theme song isn't as funny as I remembered it. And the sets look like a high school play. Oy!

So should you buy this? If you love Mel Brooks as I do, then yes you should. After all, there are a ton of funny gags and lines that even Richard Gautier's really poor delivery can't kill. The potential was here, but didn't really come to fruition until "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" many years later.

A disappointment? Yes. But some pain can only be exorcised by putting yourself through it.

10-Year Old Me thought this was Great
For this short-lived TV series (13 episodes, never repeated as far as I know) to have made such an impression that I would immediately BUY IT 38 years later is quite amazing. Let's see what was going on in 1975. I was 10. I was watching Saturday Night Live's first season, I had gotten into Monty Python when the local PBS station started showing Flying Circus around that time, I don't think I had seen Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein yet so I wouldn't have known who Mel Brooks was. I guess I knew the Robin Hood legend so I could see the potential for parody. So after viewing a few of these episodes again, I can say that this purchase is well worth it. The gags are low-brow but still funny. Comedy veterans Dick Gautier, Dick Van Patten, and Bernie Kopell are great. I had forgotten how cute and funny Misty Rowe is. And so far, there have been some great guest stars - Sid Caesar, Dudley Moore (I also had forgotten how much I liked him), and Steve Landesberg (pre-Barney...

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