A RETROSPECTIVE OF TV’S ROBIN OF SHERWOOD AS MICHAEL PRAED & JASON CONNERY DISCUSS THEIR TIES TO BRITAIN’S CULT PRINCE OF THIEVES

PART 2

Ask people to choose their favorite screen Robin Hood and a surprising number will cite either Michael Praed or Jason Connery - or even both. Praed and Connery, in succession, starred in the title role in ROBIN OF SHERWOOD. Created by Richard Carpenter and produced by Paul Knight, the English-made TV series is regarded by many viewers as the definitive dramatization of the Robin Hood legend.

ROBIN OF SHERWOOD ran 1984-1986 on HTV in the U.K., on Showtime (where it was called ROBIN HOOD) in the U.S. and eventually, all over the world, becoming one of the few Western shows to air in the then-Soviet Union. Praed played Robin of Loxley, a Saxon peasant chosen by the forest god Herne the Hunter to be Robin I' the Hood, champion of the dispossessed of England.

Judi Trott as Marion, Michael Praed as Robin in ROBIN OF SHERWOOD. (PHOTO COURTESY SPIRIT OF SHERWOOD.)

Robin is killed by the Sheriff of Nottingham's men in the last episode of the second season. In the third season opener, Connery's Robert of Huntingdon, an earl's son, is introduced as he surprises himself and the merry men by taking on the mantle of the Hooded Man.

The onscreen fellowship between the merry men in ROBIN was echoed in real life.

"When people talk about the buddy picture," Praed provides an example, "take THE STING. Aside from the fact that, in my opinion, it's one of the greatest screenplays ever written, one thing that's undeniable and palpable even is the genuine affection that Paul Newman and Robert Redford clearly had for each other. It's visceral. You actually feel this great friendship. When it works really well, it can only have dividends. We genuinely liked each other, and I think that shows."

Jason Connery as Robert of Huntingdon with Judi Trott as Marion. (PHOTO COURTESY SPIRIT OF SHERWOOD.)

During ROBIN's second season, Praed was offered the role of D'Artagnan in the New York production of THE THREE MUSKETEERS. Praed wrestled with the decision but, although he was having the time of his life on the series, ultimately decided that, as an English actor, he could not pass up the opportunity to star in a Broadway musical. While Praed found MUSKETEERS to be an enjoyable experience in of itself -- and he's remained friends with co-star Brent Spiner -- the show got bad reviews and closed quickly.

"I've never been a man to qualify what I've done in terms of success; the fact that something has been unsuccessful is not invalidation of the work," he says. "I left ROBIN to do this thing, knowing full well what the potential outcome could be, i.e., complete failure. Nevertheless, when it does fail, you can't but help feel slightly responsible. Other people, in fact, start questioning your judgment: 'Did you do the right thing here?' "

Jason Connery is just happy as Robert of Huntingdon in ROBIN OF SHERWOOD. (PHOTO COURTESY SPIRIT OF SHERWOOD.)

Praed went on to a year on his first American series, the night-time soap DYNASTY, but found it somewhat rough going as the uptight prince.

"I was well-cast in [PIRATES OF PENZANCE] and I think completely miscast in DYNASTY," he admits. "As an actor, I just felt I was playing the same scenes over and over and, 'There's nothing about this character that's terribly interesting.' I thought, 'I don't know what I'm doing.' Of course, it took awhile for me to admit that to myself, and I suppose at that point, I kind of needed a refresher course." Although he starred in several independent films during the next few years, Praed spent most of that period concentrating on songwriting before returning to acting full-time in 1991.

Meanwhile, Praed's exit from ROBIN heralded Connery's entrance.

Michael Praed, right, duels with a stuntman. (PHOTO COURTESY SPIRIT OF SHERWOOD.)

Connery says he had some initial trepidation about joining the obviously close-knit cast in ROBIN's third season: "It was a bit of a baptism by fire. [The other actors playing the outlaws] were all pretty boisterous and they'd all been together for [two years] and they all knew each other really well and I was sort of the new boy."

The off-screen dynamics actually aided Connery's performance, as his character, Robert of Huntingdon, begins in much the same situation with the outlaw band. He has happy memories of a sequence in which Robert and Ray Winstone's Will Scarlet bond by brawling. Scarlet breaks a jug over Robert's head in a shot that required multiple takes, when the pottery refused to shatter on cue.

"The thing with Ray, that was great fun," he says. "We'd done two episodes before the first [in story order], but that was the one where [the other characters] all met me. Not that they had done anything to suggest that I wasn't before, but that was where I really began to feel like I was part of the gang."

Kicking back between takes since fighting can tire a Robin out. Robin's merry men include (left to right): Clive Mantle, Michael Praed, Ray Winstone and Mark Ryan. (PHOTO COURTESY SPIRIT OF SHERWOOD.)

It was sometimes a battle for Connery to look as though he was a member of the gang.

"Physically, [third season] looked very much like the series before, although they didn't have the continuity, because they had lots of different directors," he remembers. "They always wanted me to look really clean. It took me weeks of arguing to get any dirt on my face and they gave me that sort of Linda Evans hairstyle. It used to drive me mad, because everyone else looks like they've been shoveling shit uphill, so I'd get out and … " He mimes smearing dirt on his face.

The ROBIN regulars continued to socialize heartily together off-camera.

"I look back at it with rose-colored glasses," Connery muses. "We were known as the Merries, and we hung out, and we had a good time. A lot of the guest stars were really good fun. Ian Ogilvy, who's over here [in Los Angeles] now, he was very mature when he came on - he had a pipe and everything. We kept thinking, 'This guy looks like he needs to have a bit of fun.' So we said to him, 'Look, it's tea time - come down, they have great cakes.' We were out in the middle of a field at a big table. The caterers called themselves [by the acronym] First Unit Caterers Kitchen. They had these amazing cakes. I said to Ian, 'Does this cake smell off to you?' It's got great big cream coming out of it. He takes it, and of course, I go," Connery gestures pushing Ogilvy's éclair-laden hand into the actor's face. "And then it's off. Everybody's throwing the cakes. There was a mud fight as well, when it rained the next day. He had the best time - he still talks about it."

Flubbed takes were a source of general amusement.

Friar'ing can also be a tiring job, as Phil Rose, right, explains to Jason Connery. (PHOTO COURTESY SPIRIT OF SHERWOOD.)

"I remember one scene as being just a disaster," Connery laughs. "There were a lot of extras around me, and I had to describe some plan of how we were going to go into the castle. It was some really easy line, and I just couldn't get it right. All the extras are like, 'What's he doing?' "

Some of Connery's favorite onscreen moments involve the Robert/Marion romance.

"The scene [in 'The Time of the Wolf'] where I come back to Marion and she's waiting in the church and she thinks I'm dead and then she sees me - I enjoyed that because there was an emotional scene," he says. "Also, there's a scene [in 'Rutterkin'] - it was the middle of the summer and it was hot and there were piggy-back fights. Friar Tuck was carrying me. I see that episode, and most of the time, I'm rolling around the ground laughing."

The cast members of ROBIN OF SHERWOOD prove they can be merry. (PHOTO COURTESY SPIRIT OF SHERWOOD.)

Asked if there are any scenes he's especially proud of, Praed considers, then replies, "It's a tiny little thing [in 'The Witch of Elsdon'], when I had to listen to [a character who] was telling me what turned out to be bullshit. Ian sat me down and said, 'You know, actors often forget to listen when people are talking.' Somebody's on a cart, and they're just talking to me, and I'm just standing there listening, and I put into practice what Ian had said. I'm not actually doing anything. Maybe I like that because I realized how much I didn't know about the technique of filming, and this one tiny little door opened, and I thought, 'Right. Must remember.' "

Just another friendly day in the forest, with Michael Praed, left, and Robert Addie, right, as Guy of Gisburne. (PHOTO COURTESY SPIRIT OF SHERWOOD.)

There are conflicting theories as to why ROBIN OF SHERWOOD did not proceed beyond its third season. The collapse of primary funding entity Goldcrest Films seems to have been a major cause. Preparations had been made to continue: because Judi Trott, who played Marion, would only be intermittently available, her occasional absence in the planned fourth season had to be explained. Third season therefore ends as Marion enters a convent rather than risking marriage and widowhood a second time. Had the series gone forward for another year, Connery says he would have liked, "First of all, sorting out the Marion thing."

Praed says that had he stayed with the show, "It would have been intriguing to have an episode on the nature of violence, for example. How does that actually affect somebody [living as an outlaw]? I'm saying that now, but I'm older now. In those days, I never really thought about it. I thought, 'This is not my domain. This is somebody else's right, and somebody else's job.' Now I'm more interested in that."

Jason Connery as Robert Huntingdon. (PHOTO BY MARK RYAN, COURTESY SPIRIT OF SHERWOOD.)

Connery and Praed are both in projects currently appearing before the public.

Praed stars in the Victorian-era fantasy series THE SECRET ADVENTURES OF JULES VERNE, which just debuted on Canada's CBC network. VERNE is the first episodic drama to be shot in the HDTV format. Praed is enthusiastic not only about the technology and the scope of the $30 million show, but also his character, former spy Phileas Fogg.

"[The actors'] input was actively encouraged in terms of how our characters developed," he says. "I thought, 'I would really like to make this character flawed, so he's not an archetype.' I think that Phileas Fogg is really very rounded, because he's got these qualities which aren't particularly likable at times. Press the wrong buttons and he'll go nuts. He's slightly unhinged. He drinks too much, he cries - emotionally, there's a huge range that isn't typical with this kind of a character. And I really found that very attractive."

Connery can be seen on the big screen as a duplicitous tutor in SHANGHAI NOON with Jackie Chan.

As Robin of Loxely, Michael Praed gets to carry a sword and steal from the rich. (PHOTO COURTESY SPIRIT OF SHERWOOD)

"He's an amazing guy, incredible energy," Connery enthuses about the martial arts/comedy superstar. "He's the most known name in the world, because there's three billion Chinese people and all of them know him."

Connery is also now co-starring in the independent romantic triangle NICHOLAS, the first feature to be shot with the new 24 Progressive digital camera, developed by Lucasfilm for Sony.

Connery is sold on the format: "I've got to say in the next 10 years, I think it will replace film. On an indie film, you save 60 grand on stock and processing fees. It looks fantastic."

While both Connery and Praed are look ahead professionally, they are touched by the continued interest in ROBIN OF SHERWOOD. A decade-and-a-half after the series went off the air, there are annual conventions - Weekend in Sherwood in the U.S. and Silver Arrow in the U.K. - fan clubs, websites and Internet discussion lists. Additionally, ROBIN has just been re-released in its entirety on tape by Network Video.

Connery would prefer not to try to pinpoint why the show has had such a lasting impact.

"I hope it is a mystery, because I think anybody who thinks that they can bottle that knowledge are going to fall on their asses pretty quick," he says. "I'm so happy when concept movies where you get, 'Oh, well, we know that works and we know that works,' and they spend lots of money, and [the movies] just disappear. And then someone will come out with an original idea [that's a hit] and everyone will say, 'But that's never worked before!' So I hope nobody can say why."

However, Connery allows that sometimes imitation can be the sincerest form of flattery.

At a 1992 cast reunion, Michael Praed and Jason Connery get together to talk over old times about the Sherwood Forest. (PHOTO BY RICHARD CARPENTER, COURTESY SPIRIT OF SHERWOOD.)

"A compliment that I really took very highly was, I [met] Ron Howard," he recalls. "He said to me, 'You know, I took a lot of stuff from you.' I said, 'From me?' He said, 'Well, no, not from you, but from [ROBIN OF SHERWOOD], when we did WILLOW.' And a lot of that look in WILLOW, when I think about it, all the villagers and the bad teeth and the broken-down village was what I liked about ROBIN - it looked pretty earthy. It ages well. [If a show is] meant to be contemporary, five years down the line, it just looks old-fashioned. Whereas ROBIN is set in period, and therefore, it has a lifespan."

"It's quite difficult to date our Robin Hood," Praed concurs. "The fact that it was medieval helps, and the music by Clannad is such an inspired choice, because that really is timeless. I was really pleased with the look of it, the shadows and the smoke and the texture. I just thought the way it was shot - unlike lots of things, they really used light as an art form, and not just to expose the negative. And things that aren't immediately obvious. For example, [Sharp] got a feature film sound guy to do all the sound effects. And that sounds like, 'Yeah, so what?' The answer is, it sounds bloody good. I remember thinking, 'This actually looks new, sounds different.' "

As for ROBIN's continued following, Praed says, "I'm absolutely delighted. Obviously, it's not without precedent, but in my life it is, in my career. I'm really proud to have been a part of that production. And it does give me a good feeling. People still want to watch it - we did something right."