Richard Lewis kvetched to a new generation with Robin Hood: Men In Tights

Richard Lewis was always around in the early ’90s. Between guest spots on Letterman and the slew of stand-up specials and clips that ran on HBO and Comedy Central, one could find Richard Lewis pulling his hair out on stage at any time of the day. Known for a self-deprecating style that bordered on self-evisceration, Lewis never appeared particularly regal, except for one little role: Robin Hood: Men In Tights’ Prince John. For many children raised by television in the late ’80s and early ’90s, it was an introduction to Richard Lewis’ miserable world.

Men In Tights is minor Mel Brooks at best. Made as his film career was winding down—and before it ceased entirely with the release of Dracula: Dead And Loving It—1993’s Men In Tights was Brooks’ follow-up to Spaceballs, released six years prior. Tights was a hit, generating so-so reviews and a healthy box office. However, the feverish cult that surrounded Spaceballs never coalesced around Men In Tights. Still, sandwiched between a beloved classic and an infamous flop, Men In Tights occupies a space as the last good one of Brooks’ career.

While ostensibly spoofing Kevin Costner’s 1991 Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, Men In Tights is much more indebted to 1938’s The Adventures Of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn. Celebrating something old against something new was always Brooks’ stock-in-trade. To wit, Men In Tights’ ensemble blends up-and-coming comedians, like Dave Chappelle, with Johnny Carson’s couch luminaries Dom Delouise and Dick Van Patton. The results are mixed, but thanks to ceaseless cable re-airings, Men In Tights became a large part of the era’s television diet.

At the time of its release, Lewis was translating his stage act into more acting roles. Coming off a four-season run on the sitcom Anything But Love, he was cast as Prince John, the lead villain, in Men In Tights. Despite being royalty, Lewis’ signature neuroticism shines under the crown as he reduces Prince John to a sniveling, pathetic monarch. More than that, he’s very, very funny in the role.

Men In Tights didn’t require subtlety. That’s not Brooks’ bag. Luckily, Lewis wasn’t a particularly subtle actor. Instead, Prince John reacts as Lewis would to the frustrations of royal life. The incessant horns blaring, the stomping feet of armored knights, and the discovery that he has a mole draw out the frightened and frustrated comedic persona that Lewis was known for. Prince John’s unhappiness made him a worthwhile villain and a way to keep the stakes low for a kid-friendly version of Robin Hood. But it takes a comedian of great experience to sell the line, “Look at us, we went from royalty to recycling.”

For the film, Lewis was paired with the late Roger Rees, who gives an equally unsung and underrated performance as the Sheriff of Rottingham. When Robin of Loxley returns to Sherwood Forest with Prince John in his sights, the Sheriff has the enviable task of alerting Prince John, who hates bad news. So John suggests the Sheriff should attempt to give bad news in a good way, e.g., laughing through the bad news as if it were funny. The two played off each other beautifully, with Rees, a thespian whose career started on the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Company, giving a full-throated performance to Lewis, very much in comic-who-is-acting mode. But one can see why Brooks wanted Lewis. The slow simmer of his rage as the Sheriff informs him that the news “to be perfectly frank is bad” is felt with his eyes. After 20 years of stand-up, Lewis mastered connecting with an audience, communicating the slightest frustration with a grab of the hair or the wave of a hand. His exasperation as he stiffly cranes his neck sells his strained patience, as does the forced smirk he gives when Rees begins guffawing. In an extremely Mel Brooks scene, the pair reach a level of stupidity that could die on screen if its performers weren’t so skilled. However, Lewis ends on a slam dunk, delivering a soft, “Well, you blew it.”

Lewis’ Prince John would be one of his most significant film acting roles. Though he turned up in Leaving Las Vegas a few years later, Men In Tights was far more accessible for younger millennials still scoping out the comedic landscape. Men In Tights was our entry point for Richard Lewis, a comedian whose ubiquity throughout the ’90s continued into the 2000s with a 20-year stint on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Richard Lewis never had a major film career. He appeared in many movies and TV shows, primarily relegated to support and guest roles. Should we be that surprised that Mel Brooks, of all people, saw more for him? Probably not. But we’re grateful he did. For all the kvetching from Richard Lewis, it was always worth the noise.