Robin Hood: Men in Tights

Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Mel Brooks[1]
Screenplay by	Mel Brooks Evan Chandler J. David Shapiro
Story by	Evan Chandler J. David Shapiro
Produced by	Mel Brooks
Starring	Cary Elwes Richard Lewis Roger Rees Amy Yasbeck Dave Chappelle Isaac Hayes Tracey Ullman
Cinematography	Michael D. O'Shea
Edited by	Stephen E. Rivkin
Music by	Hummie Mann
Production companies	Brooksfilms Gaumont
Distributed by	20th Century Fox (North America) Gaumont Buena Vista International (France)[2]
Release dates	July 28, 1993 (1993-07-28) (United States) December 15, 1993 (1993-12-15) (France)
Running time	104 minutes[3]
Countries	United States France[2]
Language	English
Budget	$20 million
Box office	$72 million[4]

Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a 1993 adventure comedy film and a parody of the Robin Hood story. The film was produced and directed by Mel Brooks, co-written by Brooks, Evan Chandler, and J. David Shapiro based on a story by Chandler and Shapiro, and stars Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, and Dave Chappelle in his film debut. It includes frequent comedic references to previous Robin Hood films, particularly Prince of Thieves (upon which the plot is loosely structured), and the 1938 Errol Flynn adaptation The Adventures of Robin Hood. Brooks himself had previously created the short-lived sitcom When Things Were Rotten in the mid-1970s, which also spoofed the Robin Hood legend.

The film also features Brooks in a minor role – the first time he had appeared in one of his own films in which he does not receive top billing or play the lead role since Young Frankenstein. In addition to Brooks, it features Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise and Dick Van Patten (who had been a cast member on When Things Were Rotten) in minor roles as well as Rudy De Luca and Gene Wilder in cameos as party guests, the latter of whom was uncredited.^{[citation needed]}

Reflecting its spoof nature, while some character names (such as Robin of Loxley and Maid Marian) remain unchanged from the source material, other names are altered: Nottingham becomes "Rottingham" and one of the Merry Men is given the name Will Scarlet O'Hara, referencing the character from Gone with the Wind. Brooks, being Jewish, changed his cameo character from Friar Tuck to "Rabbi Tuckman."

Though the film received mixed reviews from critics, it was a box-office success,^[5] grossing $72 million on a $20 million budget.