Many thanks Nerd for answering the orginal question. I've not seen the Fairbanks movie (shame on me) and knew nothing about the De Koven light operas. So i'm fascinated to learn that this particular notion goes back so much further that 1976.

As for "historical accuracy" -- what's the point? In spite of much searching by a lot of people, there is absolutely no evidence for an actual outlaw called "Robert Hode" or anything similar. There were (probably) actual outlaws reknowned for archery skills, but somehow their stories accreted on to Robin Hood tales and their names got mislaid. Looking for the "real Robin Hood" is like looking for an agricultural murder victim named John Barleycorn.

Doug