The Prince of Thieves is a 1948 American adventure film; a loose adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' 1872 novel Le Prince des voleurs. Produced by Sam Katzman for Columbia Pictures, it was directed by Howard Bretherton and stars Jon Hall as Robin Hood and Patricia Morison as Lady Marian.
After fighting in the Crusades alongside Richard the Lionheart, Sir Allan Claire is returning home to marry his betrothed Lady Christabel. He and his sister Lady Marian Claire are saved from an assassin in Sherwood Forest by Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. Recognising a friend of King Richard, Robin informs them that Lady Christabel is to be married to Baron Tristan, the nephew of Prince John, against her will in the interest of politics and her father's fortune. The three team up to rescue the fair lady.
No connection (other than subject matter) to 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Tropes:
- Arranged Marriage: Lady Christabel is being forcibly wed to Baron Tristan to bring all of Nottinghamshire under Norman rule, enrich the coffers of Baron Tristan, and grant Sir Fitz-Alwin a family connection to Prince John.
- Bad Habits: Maude helps Robin escape from the keep by smuggling him Friar Tuck's habit to use as a disguise.
- Battering Ram: Sir Fitz-Alwin's men use a battering ram to break down the door of the Head household while Friar Tuck is desperately trying to barricade it.
- Brief Accent Imitation: Baron Tristan briefly impersonates Robin Hood's voice to lure Friar Tuck and the ladies into an ambush when the two groups encounter each other on the trail in the dark.
- Chairman of the Brawl: Robin and Will Scarlet hit several of Sir Fitz-Alwin's men over the head with stools when they storm the Head household.
- Cloth Fu: During the fight in the castle, Robin disables a group of Sir Fitz-Alwin's soldiers by ripping down a heavy tapestry and tossing it on top of them.
- Damsel in Distress: Lady Christabel and, to a lesser extent, Marian exist to be kidnapped and imprisoned by the villains so Robin and Sir Allan can rescue them.
- Dressing as the Enemy: After Robin is called on to surrender, Little John and Will Scarlet deliver him to the castle disguised as Fitz-Alwin's soldiers. This allows them to mingle with the castle troops during Robin's execution.
- Eek, a Mouse!!: Maude does this deliberately to switch Lady Christabel's note before the seneschal can read it. She screams that she has seen a mouse and leaps up on to her chair. While everyone is looking for the mouse, she switches the note for a harmless poem.
- From Dress to Dressing: Lady Christabel uses a strip from her blue gown to bind up the wound on Sir Allan's arm before the wedding.
- Hands-On Approach: Robin employs this while showing Marian how to shoot a bow. The scene ends with them kissing.
- Harp of Femininity: Beautiful Damsel in Distress Lady Christabel is introduced playing the harp while imprisoned in her room awaiting her Arranged Marriage.
- Hat Damage: While Robin is using the Hands-On Approach to teach Marian archery, an accidentally loosed arrow knocks the hat off Little John who us sleeping under a tree.
- Historical Character's Fictional Relative: Baron Tristan is the nephew of Prince John. From the way people talk he is not King Richard's nephew (or son), meaning he could only be a nephew of John's wife Isabella, Countess of Gloucester, who had three elder siblings.
- Holding the Floor: Friar Tuck starts telling a long joke about two knights and two maidens who want to get married to distract the castle guards while Robin and Allan sneak in. The scene cuts to Robin and Allan breaking in before cutting back to Friar Tuck and the Orphaned Punchline "...so they got married and the mothers-in-law lived happily ever after".
- In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It: The full onscreen title is Alexandre Dumas' The Prince of Thieves.
- Men of Sherwood: Robin Hood's Merry Men. Only Little John and Will Scarlet are named, but this large band of outlaws are essentially a commando force. They are able to storm a castle, and silently take out all of the soldiers guarding the village and size control without the Normans noticing until one of the slain guards falls of the roof, by which time it is too late
- Orphaned Punchline: Friar Tuck starts telling a joke about two knights and two maidens who want to get married to distract the castle guards while Robin and Allan sneak in. The scene cuts to Robin and Allan breaking in before cutting back to Friar Tuck and the punchline "...so they got married and the mothers-in-law lived happily ever after".
- Outdoor Bath Peeping: Baron Tristan, Sir Phillip and their men come across Marian and Maude bathing in a forest stream, resulting in Marian's capture.
- Shoot the Rope: When Robin is about to hanged, Little John hides under the scaffold and cuts the rope with a dagger when Robin drops through the trapdoor.
- Skinny Dipping: Marian and Maude go bathing naked in a very picturesque forest stream.
- Trojan Prisoner: After Robin is called on to surrender, Little John and Will Scarlet deliver him to the castle disguised as Fitz-Alwin's soldiers.
- Weaponized Headgear: While Maude is being forcibly kissed by one of the castle guards, Robin removes the man's helmet and uses it to knock him unconsciousness.
- Why Waste a Wedding?: At the end of the film, the intended double wedding between Baron Tristan and Lady Christabel and Sir Phillip and Lady Marian instead becomes a triple wedding between Sir Allan and Christabel, Robin and Marian, and Will Scarlet and Maude after Robin and Allan have killed the previous grooms.
- You Have Failed Me: When the bowman returns to Sir Fitz-Alwin and reports that the assassination failed and Sir Allan is still alive, Fitz-Alwin orders him taken outside and hanged as a warning to others.
