He is a relatively late addition to the legend; he first appeared in a seventeenth century broadside ballad, Child Ballad 138, "Robin Hood and Allen a Dale", and unlike many of the characters thus associated, managed to adhere to the legend. In this tale, Robin rescues Alan's sweetheart from an unwanted marriage to an old knight. They stop the bishop from proceeding with the ceremony, and Little John, dressed in the bishop's robes, marries Alan to his bride.
Another variant appears in which the hero is not Alan but Will Scarlet, but Alan has taken over the role entirely.
Howard Pyle uses this tale in his book The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, but changes several details. He gives Alan's sweetheart the name Ellen, and introduces Friar Tuck into the story; Tuck is sought as the only priest who will perform the wedding in defiance of the bishop, and therefore, this tale is combined with that of Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar.
He plays a prominent role in some later plays, children's novels, films, and television shows.
Modern incarnations
- Alan-a-Dale is the musical narrator of Disney's 1973 animated Robin Hood film. He is depicted as a lute-playing rooster voiced by country singer Roger Miller and played the role of both narrator and minor ally to Robin Hood and Little John.
- He is played by Elton Hayes in the 1952 film The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men.
- Alan A ‘Dale was the subject of a comic song performed on Dudley Moore and Peter Cook's show, Not Only But Also in 1965.
- He was played by Peter Hutchinson in the 1984 British television series Robin of Sherwood, appearing in the fifth episode, entitled "Alan A Dale". In this version, Alan's sweetheart is named Mildred and is to be married to the Sheriff of Nottingham. Friar Tuck marries Alan and Mildred.
- LeVar Burton's character Geordi LaForge was cast as Alan-a-Dale in a Robin Hood fantasy episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- He is played by Joe Armstrong in the 2006 BBC production of Robin Hood; Here he is portrayed as an expert pickpocket and a compulsive liar with a sarcastic nature and no musical ability. After being captured by Gisborne he sells him information. After Robin finds out that he has turned traitor, Allan goes to work for Gisborne. He tries to help keep Gisborne away from Marian and has admitted (at the same time as Will Scarlet) that he "likes" Djaq, the Saracen girl in the gang. In the final episode, Allan returns to the band of outlaws and tries to help them defeat the Sheriff of Nottingham.
References
External links
- Robin Hood and Allen a Dale
- Robin Hood and Allen-a-Dale, the ballad about him along with additional information
- Allan A Dale character guide (on the official BBC site for the series), BBC Online, 2006
- Guide to the 1984 Alan A Dale episode, Richard Carpenter
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Last updated on Monday May 12, 2008 at 07:15:31 PDT (GMT -0700)
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