Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) movie poster

Timeline

Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
1964 · 123 mins · English
Directed by
Gordon Douglas
Starring
Dean Martin, Manuel Padilla Jr., Barry Kelley, Frank Sinatra, Peter Falk, Toni Basil

Set in Prohibition-era Chicago, bootlegger Robbo and his loyal cronies defy the greedy gangster Guy Gisborne by refusing to hand over a cut of their illegal earnings. After Guy murders mob boss Big Jim and takes over, his daughter Marian, convinced Robbo avenged her father, gives him a large sum. Robbo donates the money to an orphanage, cementing his reputation as a surprisingly compassionate hood.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (12)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Robin and the 7 Hoods
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964)

Where can you watch Robin and the 7 Hoods? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Philo, Amazon Video and Apple TV Store: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

Streaming availability powered by JustWatch

12 events in order · contains spoilers

Robin and the 7 Hoods Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Big Jim's birthday party and Gisborne's takeover

    During Big Jim Stevens's birthday celebration, he is shot by guests and his ambitious lieutenant Gisborne seizes control of the Chicago underworld. Gisborne imposes protection money on all other gangsters and proclaims 'All for One' as he consolidates power. The event triggers a new, deadly gangland power struggle.

    When
    Big Jim's birthday party (early in the story)
    Where
    Chicago
  2. Gang war erupts as Robbo and Gisborne clash

    With Jim dead and Gisborne in charge, a full-scale gang war erupts across the city. Robbo begins rebuilding his crew, recruiting Little John, Will, and others to challenge Gisborne's grip. The city becomes a battleground as both sides raid gambling joints and intimidate rivals.

    When
    Following the party
    Where
    Chicago
  3. Corrupt sheriff on Gisborne's payroll; a planned raid

    Gisborne secures the loyalty of Sheriff Octavius Glick, who helps him target Robbo's gambling hall. Robbo anticipates trouble and rigs his club to masquerade as a gospel mission for the night. The raid exposes the moral facade but solidifies Gisborne's grip.

    When
    Before the raid on Robbo's joint
    Where
    Chicago
  4. Marian arrives with a request for vengeance and power

    Big Jim's educated daughter Marian arrives in Chicago seeking Robbo's help to avenge her father's death, though the sheriff is blamed for the murder. Robbo refuses the plea, and Gisborne eliminates the sheriff, tightening his grip. Marian tries to win Robbo over with dinner and money, then seduction, hoping to recruit him to her side.

    When
    After Jim's death
    Where
    Chicago
  5. Robbo donates Marian's money to the orphanage

    Marian offers Robbo $50,000 and tries to buy his alliance, but he refuses the money and rejects her entreaties. She persists by pressing him to join forces to take over the town, but Robbo remains determined. The money she sent to Robbo’s club is finally donated to a boys' orphanage instead.

    When
    After the dinner
    Where
    Chicago
  6. Dale's public charity drive boosts Robbo's image

    Allen A. Dale, director of the city orphanage, leaks news of Robbo's supposed generosity to newspapers. The Robbo Foundation is born, funding soup kitchens, clinics, and shelters, and Robbo uses the image to win public support. Robbo and Little John coach Dale on how to maintain the Robin Hood façade.

    When
    Soon after the donation
    Where
    Chicago
  7. Robbo's joint is renamed as a 'mission' during a police raid

    Robbo reopens his club as a mission to moralize against vice, during which the police raid occurs. Gisborne and the sheriff burst in to find Robbo's men singing gospel and preaching temperance, shocking the authorities and exposing the performative nature of the 'charity' operation. The stunt helps Robbo maintain his public aura.

    When
    Raid during the new venture
    Where
    Chicago
  8. Robbo is framed for Glick's murder; trial and acquittal

    Gisborne and Potts frame Robbo for Sheriff Glick's murder, and he faces a criminal trial. The jury finds him not guilty, defying the accusations. During the victory, Robbo publicly thanks the city in a green suit as a celebrated 'hero' of Chicago.

    When
    Trial day
    Where
    Chicago
  9. Robbo discovers the charities have become a counterfeiting front

    Returning to his club, Robbo discovers that the charities have been turned into a counterfeiting operation, with the soup kitchen cans shipping fake bills. Little John moves into Marian's mansion, signaling Marian's ascendancy. Robbo confronts Marian and leaves, unwilling to be a front for her schemes.

    When
    After the acquittal
    Where
    Chicago
  10. Gisborne allies with Marian but is killed by Robbo

    Marian rekindles an alliance with Gisborne, but Gisborne proves no match for Robbo and is killed in the confrontation. Robbo consolidates power, while Marian accelerates her vendetta against him. The balance of Chicago's underworld tilts decisively toward Robbo.

    When
    Climactic confrontation
    Where
    Chicago
  11. Marian frames Robbo; Robbo and the gang become Santa Clauses

    Marian counterattacks by framing Robbo for the counterfeiting ring that she and Little John started, with Potts backing her. Robbo and his crew flee the city and are reduced to acting as Santa Clauses to solicit charitable donations.

    When
    After the frame
    Where
    Chicago streets
  12. Final scene: Marian, Dale, and the Santas on the street

    Marian steps out of a car with her new partner, Alan A. Dale, who discreetly funds the Santas as they ring bells for charity. Robbo and his merry men watch from the sidewalk, resigned to a diminished, comedic status quo as Marian and Dale walk away together.

    When
    End
    Where
    Chicago street

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 09:24

Was this helpful?

Timeline questions answered

Robin and the 7 Hoods Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Marian think Robbo killed Guy Gisborne?

Marian wrongly believes Robbo avenged her father's murder. When she arrives in Chicago seeking vengeance for Big Jim's death, she blames the sheriff for the killing. Gisborne actually orchestrated the coup that killed Big Jim, but Marian never learns this truth. Robbo refuses her request for vengeance, yet she assumes he acted on her behalf anyway.

Foreshadowing: Marian arrives with a request for vengeance shortly after her father's death, setting up her mistaken assumption.

  • marian stevens
  • big jim
  • gisborne
  • killed
  • revenge
  • mistaken identity
Q2

How did Robbo become known as a Robin Hood figure?

Allen A. Dale, director of the city orphanage, leaknews of Robbo's donation to newspapers. When Marian sent $50,000 to Robbo's club, he redirected it to a boys' orphanage instead. Dale publicized this generosity, and Robbo seized the opportunity, building the Robbo Foundation with soup kitchens and clinics. He leaned into the Robin Hood persona to win public support against Gisborne.

Foreshadowing: Dale notifies newspapers about Robbo's charitable deeds, turning the gang's image into a Robin Hood legend.

  • robin hood
  • allen a dale
  • orphanage
  • public image
  • charity
  • reputation
Q3

What happened to the money Marian gave Robbo?

Marian offered Robbo $50,000 and tried to buy his alliance to take over Chicago together. Robbo refused both the money and her offer to join forces. Marian persisted by sending the funds to Robbo's under-repair gambling club, but Robbo donated the entire amount to a boys' orphanage instead, using it to launch his charitable public image.

Foreshadowing: Marian offers Robbo a fortune and invites him to dinner, hoping to lure him into allying with her.

  • marian
  • donation
  • orphanage
  • money
  • bribed
  • alliance
Q4

Why was Robbo framed for Sheriff Glick's murder?

Gisborne and his partner Potts orchestrated the frame-up to eliminate Robbo legally. After Robbo avoided a murder charge, Gisborne framed him for Sheriff Glick's murder, which Gisborne himself had arranged earlier. The trial ended with Robbo acquitted, and he celebrated publicly in a green suit, cementing his mythic status.

Foreshadowing: Gisborne wastes no time removing Sheriff Glick to cement his hold on the city.

  • sheriff click
  • murder
  • frame-up
  • trial
  • acquitted
  • gisborne
  • potts
Q5

How did the orphanage charity become a counterfeiting operation?

After Robbo's acquittal, Marian and Little John turned the Robbo Foundation into a counterfeiting front. The soup kitchen cans were used to ship fake bills across state lines. Robbo discovered this when he returned to his club and found the operation running. Little John had already moved into Marian's mansion, signaling her ascendancy in the criminal enterprise.

Foreshadowing: The orphanage angle is given a public-facing boost by Allen A. Dale, the director of the orphanage.

  • counterfeiting
  • charity
  • soup kitchen
  • fake bills
  • orphanage
  • marian
  • little john
Q6

Why does Marian keep switching between Robbo and Gisborne?

Marian seeks power and control over Chicago. She first approaches Robbo to avenge her father, then tries seducing him into an alliance. When Robbo walks away, she rekindles an alliance with Gisborne. After Robbo kills Gisborne, Marian frames Robbo for the counterfeiting scheme she helped create. Her primary motivation is holding power in Chicago, switching allies whenever one blocks her ambitions.

Foreshadowing: Marian proves she would rather run the town alongside Gisborne than see Robbo hold the reins.

  • marian
  • gisborne
  • alliance
  • power
  • switch sides
  • betrayal
Q7

What happens to Robbo and his men at the end of the movie?

After Marian frames Robbo for counterfeiting, mob outrage forces him and his crew to flee the city. They are reduced to working as Santa Clauses on city streets, soliciting charitable donations. In the final scene, Robbo and his merry men watch from the sidewalk as Marian and Dale walk away together, having assumed their former public roles.

Foreshadowing: Robbo and his men flee the city, their glamour fading.

  • santa claus
  • flee city
  • reduced
  • ending
  • marian
  • dale
  • homeless
Q8

Why does Little John move into Marian's mansion?

Little John moves into Marian's mansion after the charities become a counterfeiting operation. This signals Marian's ascendancy in the criminal enterprise and marks Little John's shift in loyalty away from Robbo. The move occurs shortly before Robbo discovers the counterfeit scheme and confronts Marian, leading to his decision to walk away.

Foreshadowing: Robbo discovers Little John living at Marian's mansion, and Marian proves she would rather run the town alongside Gisborne than see Robbo hold the reins.

  • little john
  • marian
  • mansion
  • moved in
  • betrayal
  • loyalty
Q9

What was the purpose of the raid on Robbo's club?

Robbo anticipates Gisborne's raid and transforms his gambling club into a fake gospel mission. When police arrive, they find Robbo's men singing hymns and preaching temperance. The stunt exposes the performative nature of Robbo's charity while helping him maintain his public aura. The crowd interprets it as a spiritual stand against vice, remembering it through the number 'Mr. Booze.'

Foreshadowing: Robbo has anticipated the move and has dressed the club as a mission, complete with hymnals and tambourines as the raid unfolds.

  • raid
  • police
  • mission
  • gospel
  • club
  • mr booze
  • sing
Q10

Why does Robbo walk away from Marian?

Robbo discovers that Marian has turned his charitable foundation into a counterfeit operation and that Little John now lives at her mansion. Contemptuous of her ambition and unwilling to serve as a front for her criminal schemes, Robbo chooses to leave. Little John reluctantly follows him out, abandoning Marian's rising power.

Foreshadowing: Robbo's contempt for Marian's ambition comes through in his decision to walk away, with Little John reluctantly following.

  • robbo
  • marian
  • walk away
  • left
  • confrontation
  • mansion
  • little john
Q11

What is the significance of the 'All for One' motto?

Gisborne proclaims 'All for One' after seizing power from Big Jim, using it as a cynical slogan to demand protection money from other gangsters. The motto becomes ironic as Gisborne acts purely for his own gain while maintaining a false veneer of loyalty. Robbo and his crew also adopt a loosely similar ethos of brotherhood, but the film contrasts genuine camaraderie with Gisborne's self-serving betrayal.

Foreshadowing: Gisborne imposes protection money on all other gangsters and proclaims 'All for One' as he consolidates power.

  • all for one
  • motto
  • gisborne
  • slogan
  • power
  • loyalty
  • betrayal
Q12

What is the relationship between Dale and Marian at the end?

In the final scene, Marian steps out of a car with Allen A. Dale, her new partner. Dale discreetly tips a fund for the Santas as they ring bells for charity. The two walk away together, having both assumed public-facing roles and abandoned their previous associations with Robbo. Their partnership suggests a continuation of the spectacle-over-substance theme that drives the film.

Foreshadowing: Marian steps from a car with Dale, who quietly tips a fund, while the two walk away together.

  • dale
  • marian
  • partner
  • ending
  • together
  • walk away
  • new alliance

Movie threads

More Movies Like Robin and the 7 Hoods, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Robin and the 7 Hoods tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies with charismatic antiheroes like Robin and the 7 Hoods

Likeable outlaws who bend the rules but ultimately do good. If you enjoyed the charming criminals in Robin and the 7 Hoods, you'll like these movies featuring likeable outlaws and antiheroes. Discover similar stories where charismatic rogues operate outside the law but have a heart of gold, blending crime with a surprising moral compass.

  • charismatic
  • irreverent
  • playful
  • glamorous
  • upbeat
  • satirical
  • Tone: light, charismatic, irreverent
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread typically involve a charismatic protagonist who exists on the wrong side of the law but is set against a more vicious, truly corrupt antagonist. Their journey involves using their cunning and charm to navigate a criminal world, often culminating in an act that reveals their underlying goodness and redeems them in the eyes of the audience.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here based on a shared focus on charismatic antihero protagonists. They share a light tone that forgives the characters' misdeeds, a steady pacing that allows for character-driven charm, and a central theme of performative morality where public image and genuine goodness amusingly intersect.

Musical spoof and parody movies similar to Robin and the 7 Hoods

Lighthearted films that humorously twist familiar stories with song and dance. Fans of the Robin Hood spoof and musical comedy in Robin and the 7 Hoods will enjoy these playful genre parodies. Find movies that humorously twist familiar stories with song and dance, offering a lighthearted, glamorous, and nostalgically entertaining experience similar to this film.

  • playful
  • satirical
  • musical
  • glamorous
  • upbeat
  • irreverent
  • Tone: playful, satirical, whimsical
  • Pacing: steady with musical breaks
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves taking a well-established story framework (like a gangster saga or a fairy tale) and recontextualizing it with anachronistic humor, musical interludes, and a satirical edge. The plot serves as a familiar backbone for comedic set-pieces and charismatic performances, with conflicts being resolved through wit and spectacle rather than genuine peril.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared approach of being lighthearted spoofs, often musicals, that parody genre conventions. They share a playful mood, a steady pacing interrupted by musical numbers, a light emotional weight, and a primary goal of delivering glamorous, upbeat entertainment through satire and song.

If you liked this

Movies Like Robin and the 7 Hoods

Similar movies to Robin and the 7 Hoods: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

Browse all movie summaries

Every angle

Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Robin and the 7 Hoods in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app