The Flintstones Explained

Genre:Animated sitcom
Theme Music Composer:Hoyt Curtin[1]
Opentheme:"Rise and Shine" (instrumental) (first two seasons and the first two episodes of season 3)
"Meet the Flintstones" (remainder of the show's run)
Endtheme:"Rise and Shine" (instrumental) (first two seasons and the first two episodes of season 3)
"Meet the Flintstones" (remainder of the show's run)
"Open Up Your Heart (and Let the Sunshine In)" (two episodes in season 6)
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:6
Num Episodes:166 (list of episodes)
Runtime:25 minutes
Company:Hanna-Barbera Productions
Channel:ABC
Related:The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show
Cave Kids (spin-off)

The Flintstones is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the Rubbles. It was originally broadcast on ABC from September 30, 1960, to April 1, 1966, and was the first animated series with a prime-time slot on television.[2]

The show follows the lives of Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their pet dinosaur, Dino, and they later on have a baby girl named Pebbles. Barney and Betty Rubble are their neighbors and best friends, and later on adopt a super-strong baby boy named Bamm-Bamm and acquire a pet hopparoo (kangaroo) called Hoppy.

Producers William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, who had earned seven Academy Awards for Tom and Jerry, and their staff faced a challenge in developing a thirty-minute animated program with one storyline that fit the parameters of family-based domestic situation comedies of the era. After considering several settings and selecting the Stone Age, one of several inspirations was The Honeymooners, which was itself influenced by The Bickersons and Laurel and Hardy (Hanna considered it one of the finest comedies on television).

The enduring popularity of The Flintstones mainly comes from its juxtaposition of modern, everyday concerns with the Stone Age setting.[3] [4] Its animation required a balance of visual with verbal storytelling that the studio created and others imitated.[5]

The Flintstones was the most financially successful and longest-running network animated television series for three decades, until The Simpsons surpassed it in 1997.[6] In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Flintstones the second-greatest TV cartoon of all time, after The Simpsons.[7]

Overview

The show is set in a comical version of the Stone Age, with features and technologies that resemble mid-20th-century suburban United States. The plots deliberately resemble the sitcoms of the era, with the caveman Flintstone and Rubble families getting into minor conflicts characteristic of modern life.[8] The show is set in the Stone Age town of Bedrock (pop. 2,500), where dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures are portrayed as co-existing with cavemen, saber-toothed cats, and woolly mammoths.

Animation historian Christopher P. Lehman considers that the series partly draws its humor from anachronism, mainly the placing of a "modern" 20th-century society in prehistory which takes inspiration from the suburban sprawl developed in the first two decades of the postwar period. This society has modern home appliances which work by employing animals.[9] It also has automobiles, but they mostly do not resemble the cars of the 20th century, as they are large wooden and rock structures powered by people who run while inside them. This depiction varies according to the needs of the story; on some occasions, the cars appear to have engines, requiring ignition keys and some representation of gasoline. Fred might pull into a gas station and say, "Fill 'er up with Ethel", which is pumped through the trunk of a woolly mammoth marked "ETHEL". As well, the stone houses of this society are cookie-cutter homes positioned into neighborhoods typical of mid-20th-century American suburbs.[10]

Characters

The Flintstones

Relatives of the Flintstones

The Rubbles

Other characters

Over 100 other characters appeared throughout the series.[11] Below are those who have made more than one appearance:

Voice cast

Guest stars

Additional voice cast

Voice-actor details

Fred Flintstone physically resembles both the first voice actor who played him, Alan Reed, and Jackie Gleason, whose series, The Honeymooners, inspired The Flintstones.[12] The voice of Barney Rubble was provided by voice actor Mel Blanc, except for five episodes during the second season (the first, second, fifth, sixth, and ninth); Hanna-Barbera regular Daws Butler filled in and provided the voice of Barney while Blanc was incapacitated by a near-fatal car accident.[13] [14] Blanc was able to return to the series sooner than expected because a temporary recording studio for the cast was set up at his bedside.[15] Blanc's Barney voice varied from nasally to deep before the accident, as he and Barbera, who directed the sessions with Alan Dinehart, explored the right level in relation to comedy and other characters. Blanc uses both Barney voices in one of the earliest episodes, "The Prowler."

Reed was insistent on playing Fred in a relatively natural speaking voice, rather than a broad, "cartoony" style. Few animated short cartoons used this "straightforward" method, except for experimental studios like UPA and feature films with more realistic characters. The performances of Reed and the cast, combined with the writing, helped to ground the animated world of The Flintstones in a relatable reality. The dialogue style of The Flintstones set a precedent for acting in animation that continues to exist today, and is sometimes falsely attributed in modern animated productions as "revolutionary."[16]

In a 1986 Playboy interview, Gleason said Alan Reed had done voice-overs for Gleason in his early movies, and that he had considered suing Hanna-Barbera for copying The Honeymooners, but decided to let it pass.[17] According to Henry Corden, a voice actor and a friend of Gleason's, "Jackie's lawyers told him he could probably have The Flintstones pulled right off the air. But they also told him, 'Do you want to be known as the guy who yanked Fred Flintstone off the air? The guy who took away a show so many kids love and so many parents love, too?'"[18]

Henry Corden first spoke for Fred Flintstone on the 1965 record album Songs From Mary Poppins, then continued doing the voice for most other Flintstone records on the label.[19] Around the same time, Corden was providing Fred's singing voice in two films being produced at the studio: the 1966 special Alice in Wonderland, or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This? and the 1966 feature film The Man Called Flintstone. Corden assumed the role completely after Reed's death in 1977, starting with the TV special, A Flintstone Christmas.[20]

Since 2000, Jeff Bergman, James Arnold Taylor, and Scott Innes, who performs both Fred and Barney for Toshiba commercials, have performed the voice of Fred. Since Mel Blanc's death in 1989, Barney has been voiced by Jeff Bergman, Frank Welker, Scott Innes, and Kevin Michael Richardson. Various additional character voices were performed by Hal Smith, Allan Melvin, Janet Waldo, Daws Butler, and Howard Morris, among others.

Episodes

See main article: List of The Flintstones episodes.

Music

See main article: Meet the Flintstones. The opening and closing credits theme during the first two seasons was "Rise and Shine", a lively instrumental underscore accompanying Fred on his drive home from work. .[21] Starting in season three, episode three ("Barney the Invisible"), the opening and closing credits theme was "Meet the Flintstones". This version was recorded with a 22-piece big band conducted by composer Hoyt Curtin and performed by the Randy Van Horne Singers. The melody is derived from part of the 'B' section of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 17 Movement 2, composed in 1801/02.[22] "Meet the Flintstones" was later used in the first two seasons in syndication. The musical underscores were credited to Hoyt Curtin for the show's first five seasons; Ted Nichols took over in 1965 for the final season.[21] Many early episodes used the underscores composed for Top Cat and The Jetsons. Episodes of the last two seasons used the underscore of Jonny Quest for the more adventurous stories.

History and production

The idea of The Flintstones started after Hanna-Barbera produced The Huckleberry Hound Show and The Quick Draw McGraw Show, which were successful. However, they did not appeal to a wide audience like their previous theatrical cartoon series Tom and Jerry, which entertained both children and adults. Since children did not need their parents' supervision to watch television, Hanna-Barbera's programs became labeled "kids only". Hanna and Barbera wanted to recapture the adult audience with an animated situation comedy.[23]

Hanna and Barbera considered making the two families hillbillies, a theme which was later incorporated into two episodes, "The Bedrock Hillbillies" and "The Hatrocks and the Gruesomes", ancient Romans, an idea which was later developed into The Roman Holidays, pilgrims, and American Indians before deciding on a Stone Age setting. According to Barbera, they settled on the Stone Age because "you could take anything that was current, and convert it to stone-age".[24] Under the working title The Flagstones, a treatment was written by Harry Winkler. The family originally consisted of Fred, Wilma, and their son, Fred, Jr. A brief demonstration film was also created to sell the idea of a "modern stone-age family" to sponsors and the network.[25]

It was a difficult sell, and required eight weeks of daily presentations to networks and ad agencies.[8] June Foray and Hanna-Barbera regular Daws Butler voiced the characters for the demonstration film, but Foray was dropped without warning before production began; Foray was upset about the rejection and refused to work with Hanna-Barbera for many years afterward, despite Barbera's efforts to offer her other work.[26] Animator Kenneth Muse, who worked on the Tom and Jerry cartoons, also worked on the early seasons of The Flintstones.

William Hanna was honest about the inspiration, saying, "At that time, The Honeymooners was the most popular show on the air, and for my bill, the funniest. The characters, I thought, were terrific. Now, that influenced greatly what we did with The Flintstones ... The Honeymooners was there, and we used that as a kind of basis for the concept." Joseph Barbera disavowed these claims in a separate interview, stating, "I don't remember mentioning The Honeymooners when I sold the show, but if people want to compare The Flintstones to The Honeymooners, then great. It's a total compliment. The Honeymooners was one of the greatest shows ever written."[27]

Jackie Gleason, creator of The Honeymooners, considered suing Hanna-Barbera Productions, but decided not to since he did not want to be known as "the guy who yanked Fred Flintstone off the air".[28] [29] Gleason was sued because The Honeymooners was similar to The Bickersons, as critics noted at the time, but the lawsuit served by Bickersons creator Philip Rapp was ultimately settled out of court.[30] Another influence was noted during Hanna-Barbera's tenure at MGM, where they were in a friendly competition with fellow cartoon director Tex Avery. In 1955, Avery directed a cartoon entitled The First Bad Man, narrated by cowboy legend Tex Ritter, which was about the rowdy antics of a bank robber in stone-age Dallas. Many sight gags from The First Bad Man antedated similar situations used by Hanna-Barbera in The Flintstones by many years. Therefore, students of American animation call The First Bad Man a progenitive seed of The Flintstones.

The concept was also antedated by the "Stone Age Cartoons", a series of 12 animated cartoons which Fleischer Studios released from January to September 1940. These cartoons show stone-age people doing modern things with primitive means, such as "Granite Hotel" including characters such as a newsboy, telephone operator, hotel clerk, and a spoof of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy.

Barbera explained that selling the show to a network and sponsors was not an easy task.

When the series entered production, the working title The Flagstones was changed, possibly to avoid confusion with the Flagstons, the main characters in the comic strip Hi and Lois.[31] After spending a brief period in development as The Gladstones (GLadstone being a Los Angeles telephone exchange at the time),[32] Hanna-Barbera settled upon The Flintstones, and the idea of the Flintstones having a child from the start was discarded, with Fred and Wilma starting out as a childless couple. However, some early Flintstones merchandise, such as a 1961 Little Golden Book, included "Fred Jr".[33]

Despite the animation and fantasy setting, the series was initially aimed at adult audiences. This was reflected in the comedy, which resembled the primetime sitcoms of the era, with family issues resolved at the end of each episode, as well as the inclusion of a laugh track. Hanna and Barbera hired many writers from live-action, including two of Jackie Gleason's writers, Herbert Finn and Sydney Zelinka, as well as relative newcomer Joanna Lee. However, they still used traditional animation writers, such as Warren Foster and Michael Maltese.

The Flintstones premiered on September 30, 1960, at 8:30 pm Eastern time, and quickly became a hit. It was the first American animated show to depict two people of the opposite sex (Fred and Wilma; Barney and Betty) sleeping together in one bed, although Fred and Wilma are sometimes depicted as sleeping in separate beds. The first live-action depiction of this in American TV history was in television's first sitcom: 1947's Mary Kay and Johnny.[34]

The first two seasons were co-sponsored by Winston cigarettes and the characters appeared in several black-and-white television commercials for Winston.[35] This was dictated by the custom, at that time, that the stars of a TV series often "pitched" their sponsor's product in an "integrated commercial" at the end of the episode.[36]

During the third season, Hanna and Barbera decided that Fred and Wilma should have a baby. Originally, Hanna and Barbera intended for the Flintstone family to have a boy, but the head of the marketing department convinced them to change it to a girl since "girl dolls sell a lot better than boy dolls".[23] Although most Flintstones episodes were stand-alone storylines, Hanna-Barbera created a story arc surrounding the birth of Pebbles. Beginning with the episode "The Surprise", aired midway through the third season, in which Wilma reveals her pregnancy to Fred, the arc continued through the time leading up to Pebbles's birth in the episode "Dress Rehearsal", and then continued with several episodes showing Fred and Wilma adjusting to parenthood. Around this time, Winston pulled out their sponsorship and Welch's grape juice and grape jellies became the primary sponsor, as the show's audience began to shift towards a younger demographic. The integrated commercials for Welch's products feature Pebbles asking for grape juice in her toddler dialect, and Fred explaining to Pebbles Welch's unique process for making the jelly, compared to the competition. Welch's also produced a line of grape jelly packaged in jars that were reusable as drinking glasses, with painted scenes featuring the Flintstones and other characters from the show. In Australia, the Nine Network ran a "Name the Flintstones' baby" competition during the 'pregnancy' episodes—few Australian viewers were expected to have a U.S. connection giving them information about past Flintstone episodes. An American won the contest and received an all-expenses-paid trip to tour Hanna-Barbera Studios. Another arc occurred in the fourth season, in which the Rubbles, depressed over being unable to have children of their own, adopt Bamm-Bamm. This made The Flintstones the first animated series to address the issue of infertility, though subtly. The 100th episode made but the 90th to air, "Little Bamm-Bamm Rubble", established how Bamm-Bamm was adopted. Nine episodes were produced before it, but aired afterward, which is why Bamm-Bamm was not seen again until episode 101, "Daddies Anonymous". However, Bamm-Bamm did appear in a teaser in episode 98, "Kleptomaniac Pebbles". Another story arc, occurring in the final season, centered on Fred and Barney's dealings with the Great Gazoo.

After Pebbles's birth, the audience demographic expanded and the series was marketed as a family series rather than the "adult" animated show of the earlier seasons. As a result of a wider number of yearly viewers, including children, and competition from TV's trend toward fantasy shows, the episodes varied from family comedy to fantasy/adventure, but still had stories about couple dynamics. The last original episode was broadcast on April 1, 1966.[37]

The first three seasons of The Flintstones aired Friday nights at 8:30 Eastern time on ABC, with the first two seasons in black-and-white. Beginning with the third season in 1962, ABC televised the Flintstones in color, one of the first programs in color to air on it.[38] Season four and part of season five aired Thursdays at 7:30, while the rest of the series aired Fridays at 7:30.

In the U.S., The Flintstones was part of NBC Saturday mornings from 1966 to 1970, with syndicated reruns offered to local stations until 1997, when E/I regulations and changing tastes in the industry led to the show's move to cable television. From the time of Ted Turner's purchase of Hanna-Barbera in 1991, TBS, TNT, and Cartoon Network aired the program. On April 1, 2000, the program moved to Boomerang, where it aired until March 6, 2017, but returned to the channel on July 30, 2018. Online, the series was made available on the In2TV service beginning in 2006, then the online version of Kids' WB until it was discontinued in 2015. As of 2017, full episodes are available in the U.S. on Boomerang's subscription video-on-demand service, with select clips made available on the official YouTube account tied to the revamped Kids' WB website. In 2019, MeTV acquired rerun rights to the series, returning the show to broadcast television for the first time in over 20 years.[39] The first 3 seasons of the series can currently be streamed on Max, a streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, while the complete series can be found on Tubi, a streaming service owned by Fox Corporation.

Reception

The night after The Flintstones premiered, Variety called it "a pen-and-ink disaster",[40] and the series was among many that debuted in a "vast wasteland" of a 1960–61 television season considered one of the worst in television history up to that point.[41] As late as the 1980s, highbrow critics derided the show's limited animation and derivative plots.[42] Animation historian Michael Barrier disliked the series, calling it a "dumb sitcom" and stated that "I can readily understand why someone who as a small child enjoyed, say, The Flintstones might regard that show fondly today. I have a lot more trouble understanding why anyone would try to defend anything about it on artistic grounds."[43]

Despite the mixed critical reviews following its premiere, The Flintstones has generally been considered a television classic and was rerun continuously for five decades after its end. In 1961, The Flintstones became the first animated series to be nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, but lost out to The Jack Benny Program. In January 2009, IGN named The Flintstones as the ninth-best in its "Top 100 Animated TV Shows".[44] The first season of the series received an approval rating of 100% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on nine reviews, with an average score of 6/10.[45] Common Sense Media gave the series a three out of five stars, saying: "Still a classic, but times have changed."[46] Currently, several authors consider The Flintstones as a cartoon linked to the golden age of American animation.[47] [48] [49]

Nielsen ratings

SeasonTime slot (ET)RankRating[50] [51] [52]
1960–61Friday at 8:30–9:00 pm1824.3
1961–622122.9 (Tied with The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis)
1962–633020.5
1963–64Thursday at 7:30–8:00 pm3319.7
1964–65Thursday at 7:30–8:00 pm (Episodes 1–14)
Friday at 7:30–8:00 pm (Episodes 15–26)		60no rating given, 29 share[53]
1965–66Friday at 7:30–8:00 pm70no rating given, 30.5 share[54]

Films and subsequent television series

Following the show's cancellation in 1966, a film based upon the series was created. The Man Called Flintstone was a musical spy caper that parodied James Bond and other secret agents. The movie was released to theaters on August 3, 1966, by Columbia Pictures.[55] It was released on DVD by Warner Home Video in Canada in March 2005 and in United States in December 2008.

The show was revived in the early 1970s with Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm having grown into teenagers, and several different series and made-for-TV movies (broadcast mainly on Saturday mornings, with a few shown in primetime), including a series depicting Fred and Barney as police officers, another depicting the characters as children, and yet others featuring Fred and Barney encountering Marvel Comics superhero The Thing and Al Capp's comic strip character The Shmoo—have appeared over the years. The original show also was adapted into a live-action film in 1994, and a prequel, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, which followed in 2000. Unlike its sister show The Jetsons (the two shows appeared in a made-for-TV crossover movie in 1987), the revival programs were not widely syndicated or rerun alongside the original series.

Television series

Original runs:

Compilation shows:

Theatrical animated feature

Television specials

Television films

Educational films

Live-action films

Direct-to-video films

Canceled Seth MacFarlane reboot

In 2011, it was announced Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane would be reviving The Flintstones for the Fox network, with the first episode airing in 2013.[58] After Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly read the pilot script and "liked it but didn't love it", MacFarlane chose to abandon work on the project rather than restarting it.[59] [60]

Concept art of the series was posted on background artist Andy Clark's website.[61]

Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs

See main article: Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs. Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs is an American animated web television series spin-off of The Flintstones that premiered in 2020, the first to feature them since they appeared in the 2002 series The Rubbles, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It was produced by Mark Marek and Marly Halpern-Graser.

Like Cave Kids, the show focuses on the lives of best friends Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble, who are joined by Dino for many adventures in the Stone Age. The show was scheduled to be released as a part of the Boomerang IPTV subscription service.[62] On August 19, 2021, it was announced the series would instead be released on HBO Max on September 30, 2021.[63] The series was set to first air on Teletoon as a regular television series in Canada in September 2019, but ended up airing in September 2020.[64] [65] The show started airing on February 3, 2020, on Boomerang UK.[66] [67]

Upcoming animated film

In 2014, it was announced that Warner Bros. was developing an animated film with Chris Henchy, Will Ferrell, and Adam McKay, to write the script for the project. Ferrell and McKay would also be executive producers. In 2018, it was confirmed that the project is still in development and produced by Warner Animation Group, at the time it was unknown if crew members would still be involved with the production.[68] On June 9, 2023, as part of the restructuring of Warner Animation Group, now called Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, it was announced that a new Flintstones movie titled Meet the Flintstones was in early development and is meant to be an origin story to the series. The movie will be written and directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who both previously directed Illumination's The Super Mario Bros. Movie.[69]

Canceled Bedrock series

In 2019, it was reported that a new Flintstones reboot series, directed to an adult audience, was in development by Elizabeth Banks and her production company Brownstone Productions.[70] In 2021, the series was now co-produced by Fox Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation along with Brownstone and received the title Bedrock. The series would have take place two decades after the original series with Fred Flintstone on the verge of retirement and a twenty-something Pebbles (voiced by Banks) trying to find her way in life as the Stone Age comes to an end and the Bronze Age arrives.[71] On March 10, 2023, it was reported the series would have also featured the voices of Stephen Root (Fred), Amy Sedaris (Wilma), Joe Lo Truglio (Barney), Nicole Byer (Betty) and Manny Jacinto (Bamm-Bamm). It was also reported that Fox had ordered a pilot presentation of the series which was written by Lindsay Kerns.[72] On July 17, 2024, it was reported that Fox chose to pass on the series.[73]

Theme parks

Three Flintstones-themed amusement parks have existed in the United States. One was Bedrock City in Custer, South Dakota. It closed in 2015 when the new owner Mike Tennyson and Warner Bros. could not come to an agreement over changes. It was too expensive for the repairs and changes that Warner Bros. wanted, having Tennyson closed it. The entire site was bulldozed in April 2019. The second one, near Williams, Arizona, was still open for the summer of 2019 but slated to close by 2020. It cost $5 per person to get in. Both parks had been in operation for decades.[74]

A third park existed until the 1990s at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In Canada, Flintstone Park in Kelowna, British Columbia, opened in 1968 and closed in 1998; it was notable for the "Forty Foot Fred" billboard of Fred Flintstone which was a well-known Kelowna landmark.[75] [76] Another Flintstones park was located in Bridal Falls, British Columbia, which closed in 1990.[77] Calaway Park outside Calgary, Alberta, also opened with a Flintstones theme and many of the buildings today have a caveman-like design, though the park no longer licenses the characters. The Australia's Wonderland and Canada's Wonderland theme parks, both featured Flintstones characters in their Hanna-Barbera-themed children's sections from 1985 until the mid-1990s. Kings Island (near Cincinnati) and Kings Dominion (near Richmond, Virginia) had a Hanna-Barbera land, in which many Hanna-Barbera characters were featured, including the Flintstones, in the early 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. Bedrock is one of the themed lands in the indoor Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi park in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, mainly home to the Flintstones Bedrock River Adventure flume ride.

Live theater

A stage production opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in 1994 (the year the live-action film was released), developed by Universal and Hanna-Barbera Productions, at the Panasonic Theater, replacing the Star Trek show. The story consists of Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty heading for "Hollyrock". The show ran until January 2, 1997.

In popular culture

Miles Laboratories (now part of Bayer Corporation) and their One-A-Day vitamin brand was the alternate sponsor of the original Flintstones series during its first two seasons, and in the late 1960s, Miles introduced Flintstones Chewable Vitamins, fruit-flavored multivitamin tablets for children in the shape of the Flintstones characters, which are still currently being sold.[78]

The Simpsons referenced The Flintstones in several episodes. In the episode "Homer's Night Out", Homer's local convenience store clerk, Apu, remarks "You look familiar, sir. Are you on the television or something?", to which Homer replies "Sorry, buddy, you've got me confused with Fred Flintstone."[79] During the couch gag of the opening credits of the episode "Kamp Krusty", the Simpson family arrive home to find the Flintstone family already sitting on their couch.[80] The same couch gag was reused in syndicated episodes of "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show", when The Simpsons overtook The Flintstones as the longest-running animated series.[81] In "Lady Bouvier's Lover", Homer's boss, Mr. Burns, appears at the family's house and says "Why, it's Fred Flintstone (referring to Homer) and his lovely wife, Wilma! (Marge) Oh, and this must be little Pebbles! (Maggie) Mind if I come in? I brought chocolates." Homer responds by saying "Yabba-dabba-doo!"[82] The opening of "Marge vs. the Monorail" depicts Homer leaving work in a similar way to Fred Flintstone in the opening of The Flintstones, during which he sings his own version of the latter's opening theme only to slam into a chestnut tree.

On September 30, 2010, Google temporarily replaced the logo on its search page with a custom graphic celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Flintstones first TV broadcast.[83]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Reel Life/Film & Video File: Music Helped 'Flintstones' on Way to Fame: In 1960, Hoyt Curtin created the lively theme for the Stone Age family. The show's producers say it may be the most frequently broadcast song on TV. Los Angeles Times. June 2, 1994. November 10, 2010. Pancho. Doll. December 6, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101206161536/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-06-02/news/vl-64779_1_hoyt-curtin. live.
  2. Book: Woolery, George W.. Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946–1981. 1983. Scarecrow Press. 0-8108-1557-5. March 14, 2020. 103–108.
  3. CD liner notes: Saturday Mornings: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, 1995 MCA Records
  4. News: Flintstones, The – Season 1 Review. TVShowsOnDVD.com. August 25, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101126142316/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/reviews/Flintstones-Season-1/3383. November 26, 2010. mdy-all.
  5. Book: Hanna, William . A cast of friends . 1996 . Taylor Pub . Tom Ito . 0-87833-916-7 . Dallas, Tex. . 33358355 . August 26, 2022 . May 25, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240525222525/https://search.worldcat.org/title/33358355 . live .
  6. Web site: "Excavating Bedrock: Reminiscences of 'The Flintstones,'" Hogan's Alley #9, 2000 . January 16, 2013 . January 29, 2023 . January 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230129232659/https://www.hoganmag.com/blog/excavating-bedrock-reminiscences-of-the-flintstones . live .
  7. Web site: TV Guide Magazine's 60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time. Rich. Sands. September 24, 2013. TVGuide.com. April 16, 2020. February 5, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140205014411/https://www.tvguide.com/News/Greatest-Cartoons-TV-Guide-Magazine-1071203.aspx. live.
  8. Book: Sennett . Ted . The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity . 1989 . Studio . 978-0670829781 . 2 June 2020 . 80–81.
  9. News: The Flintstones' 50th anniversary: 10 wackiest Bedrock inventions. Daily Telegraph . September 30, 2010. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8034759/The-Flintstones-50th-anniversary-10-wackiest-Bedrock-inventions.html . January 11, 2022 . subscription . live. October 1, 2010. London. Heidi. Blake.
  10. Lehman (2007), p. 25
  11. Romanek, Broc. "List of Flintstones Characters" . Thecorporatecounsel.net, accessed March 31, 2011
  12. News: In The Flintstones, Hanna-Barbera found a shameless rip-off that worked. The A.V. Club. May 12, 2014. VanDerWerff. Emily. October 6, 2019. August 13, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170813121314/http://www.avclub.com/article/flintstones-hanna-barbera-found-shameless-rip-work-204382. live.
  13. Web site: Mel Blanc had to record Barney Rubble lines from a hospital bed after a terrible car wreck. 2020-02-28. 2021-11-09. MeTV. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110000346/https://metv.com/stories/mel-blanc-had-to-record-barney-rubble-lines-from-bed-after-a-terrible-car-wreck. live.
  14. News: How a Car Crash Nearly Killed the Voice of Bugs Bunny. DiManna. Daniel. 2020-11-20. 2021-11-09. The Newswheel. May 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240525222526/https://thenewswheel.com/how-a-car-crash-nearly-killed-the-voice-of-bugs-bunny/. live.
  15. News: How Being Bugs Bunny Saved Mel Blanc's Life After A Near-Fatal Accident. 2017-08-29. 2021-11-09. Throwback. November 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211109235010/https://www.throwbacks.com/how-being-bugs-bunny-saved-mel-blancs-life-after-a-near-fatal-accident/. live.
  16. Book: Reed, Alan . Yabba dabba doo : or never a star : the Alan Reed story . 2009 . Ben Ohmart . 978-1-59393-313-5 . Albany, GA . 298264275 . October 1, 2022 . May 25, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240525222529/https://search.worldcat.org/title/298264275 . live .
  17. Web site: Jackie Gleason – Playboy Interview – Life History. Zehme. Bill (interviewer). August 1986. July 25, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090827152540/http://www.playboy.com/articles/jackie-gleason-1986-interview/index.html?page=2. August 27, 2009.
  18. Book: Brooks, Marla. The American family on television: A chronology of 121 shows, 1948–2004. 2005. McFarland & Co.. 978-0-7864-2074-2. 54 .
  19. Web site: Saving Mr. Flintstone . 2022-10-01 . cartoonresearch.com . August 5, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200805225101/https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/saving-mr-flintstone/ . live .
  20. "A Flintstone Christmas". www.bcdb.com, April 12, 2012
  21. News: REEL LIFE / FILM & VIDEO FILE : Music Helped 'Flintstones' on Way to Fame : In 1960, Hoyt Curtin created the lively theme for the Stone Age family. The show's producers say it may be the most frequently broadcast song on TV.. Los Angeles Times. June 2, 1994. November 10, 2010. Pancho. Doll. July 9, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200709123212/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-02-vl-64779-story.html. live.
  22. Web site: Rechmann in Recital. iTunes. October 1, 2010. November 10, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121110074807/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rechtman-in-recital-beethoven/id339484252. live.
  23. The Flintstones, season 2 DVD documentary
  24. Leonard Maltin interviews Joseph Barbera, 1997
  25. Book: Barbera, Joseph. My Life in "Toons": From Flatbush to Bedrock in Under a Century. 1994. Turner Publishing. Atlanta, GA. 1-57036-042-1. registration.
  26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkyVaT8afYY Voiceover legend June Foray discusses The Flintstones pilot
  27. Web site: The Flintstones Frequently Asked Questions List. July 20, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101003081501/http://www.topthat.net/webrock/faq/faq13.htm. October 3, 2010. mdy-all.
  28. Web site: The Flintstones Frequently Asked Questions List (item 13). November 25, 2006. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101003081501/http://www.topthat.net/webrock/faq/faq13.htm. October 3, 2010. mdy-all.
  29. Web site: The Flintstones Frequently Asked Questions List (item 14). November 25, 2006. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20061230174725/http://www.topthat.net/webrock/faq/faq14.htm. December 30, 2006. mdy-all.
  30. Book: Ohmart, Ben . The Gripes of Rapp - The Auto/Biography of the Bickersons' Creator, Philip Rapp . Bear Manor Media . September 20, 2011 . 978-1593932114 . first . English.
  31. Backstage at the Strips, by Mort Walker; published 1975 by A & W Visual Library, by arrangement with Mason Charter; ; p. 214 and 216; "we read an announcement that the Hanna and Barbera Studios were planning a new animated feature about cavemen to be called "The Flagstones". This type of thing makes lawyers very energetic. The King Features legal staff talked to the Hanna and Barbera legal staff, and the name of their feature was changed to "The Flintstones".
  32. News: The cartoon dream team. March 21, 2001. BBC News. August 13, 2008. March 5, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160305054753/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1237649.stm. live.
  33. Web site: Fred Jr.. February 22, 2020. Twitter. January 20, 2024. February 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200223033440/https://twitter.com/RetroNewsNow/status/1231417456259993602. live.
  34. Web site: First TV Couple in Same Bed . April 25, 1999 . August 30, 2010 . May 25, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240525222534/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/early-to-bed/ . live .
  35. News: Yabba Dabba Cough! Flashback to When The Flintstones Shilled Cigarettes. 2017-01-16. December 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191206114402/https://adage.com/article/rewind/yabba-dabba-cough-flintstones-shilled-cigarettes/240572. live.
  36. Book: Meyers, Cynthia B.. 140. A Word from Our Sponsor: Admen, Advertising, and the Golden Age of Radio. 2013-10-25. Fordham University Press. 9780823253760. en. January 3, 2022. May 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240525222528/https://books.google.com/books?id=QQBNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT140. live.
  37. Web site: Big Cartoon Database . https://archive.today/20130118073216/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Hanna-Barbera_Studios/D-F/The_Flintstones/ . dead . January 18, 2013 . bcdb.com . July 20, 2017.
  38. News: ABC-TV To Start Color Programs. The New York Times. April 1, 1962. 84.
  39. Web site: MeTV Grabs 'The Flintstones'. August 12, 2019. August 12, 2019. August 12, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190812205319/https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/metv-grabs-the-flintstones. live.
  40. Leonard Maltin interviews Joseph Barbera-1997
  41. Web site: The Vast Wasteland . The Saturday Evening Post . Nilsson . Jeff . June 3, 2012 . July 26, 2021 . July 2, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210702110606/https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2012/06/vast-wasteland/ . live .
  42. For example, an episode of the 1987 series ("Don't Touch That Dial!") has the title character mocking The Flintstones, which appears in a satirical crossover with The Jetsons, as stupid.
  43. Web site: Michael Barrier. The Book as Toy. Michael Barrier. March 5, 2021. January 6, 2008. November 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201112042127/http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Commentary/Hanna-Barbera%20Treasury/HBTreasury.html. live.
  44. Web site: 9. The Flintstones . IGN . August 30, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100609235228/http://tv.ign.com/top-100-animated-tv-series/9.html . June 9, 2010 . mdy-all .
  45. Web site: The Flintstones. rottentomatoes.com. March 25, 2020. August 9, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200809122351/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_flintstones_1960/s01. live.
  46. Web site: The Flintstones . Sheppard . Deirdre . commonsensemedia.org . October 2, 2009 . July 26, 2021 . June 29, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210629013131/https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-flintstones . live .
  47. Web site: Quick on the draw in the golden age of animation. The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 November 2006. September 25, 2023. August 24, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230824194420/https://www.smh.com.au/national/quick-on-the-draw-in-the-golden-age-of-animation-20061101-gdoq7s.html. live.
  48. Web site: 12 Rare Flintstones Production Shots From The Golden Age Of Animation. Gizmodo. 29 July 2014. September 25, 2023. August 24, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230824200222/https://gizmodo.com.au/2014/07/12-rare-flintstones-production-shots-from-the-golden-age-of-animation/. live.
  49. Web site: Yabba-Dabba-Doo Legacy: The Flintstones in Animation History. 15 December 2023. Humor. January 31, 2024. January 31, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240131170846/https://vocal.media/humor/yabba-dabba-doo-legacy-the-flintstones-in-animation-history. live.
  50. Book: Brooks. Tim. Marsh. Earle. 2007. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present. Ballantine Books. 1682–1683. 978-0-345-49773-4 . Ninth.
  51. Web site: Top 40 Programs from First Nielsens of the 1963-1964 Season . tvobscurities.com . November 8, 2009 . July 26, 2021 . June 30, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210630141348/https://www.tvobscurities.com/2009/11/top-40-programs-from-first-nielsens-of-the-1963-1964-season/ . live .
  52. Web site: Nerd Exclusive: Nielsen Data (1964–1974). January 31, 2018. January 31, 2019. January 31, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190131145645/https://jacksonupperco.com/2018/01/31/nerd-exclusive-nielsen-data-1964-1974/. live.
  53. Web site: The TV Ratings Guide: 1964–65 Ratings History . March 12, 2020 . March 21, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200321042738/http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2020/02/1964-65-ratings-history.html . live .
  54. Web site: The TV Ratings Guide: 1965–66 Ratings History . March 12, 2020 . July 20, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200720105605/http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2020/02/1965-66-ratings-history.html . live .
  55. The Man Called Flintstone (film review). Variety, August 10, 1966
  56. Web site: Boomerang Reveals New and Returning Content for Year Two of the Subscription App. Collider. Dave Trumbore. May 23, 2018. May 23, 2018. May 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180524081911/http://collider.com/boomerang-shows-watch-online/. live.
  57. Web site: Boomerang UK Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs New Show Promo. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/Owh5uj4Jbfg. 2021-12-11 . live. ReguralCapital. January 14, 2020. January 15, 2020.
  58. Web site: Willllllllllmmmmaaa! Animated 'Flinstones' Resurrected by Seth MacFarlane and Fox - Ratings - TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20110519203521/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/05/16/willllllllllmmmmaaa-animated-flinstones-to-be-resurrected-by-seth-macfarlane/92838/. dead. May 19, 2011. TVbytheNumbers. May 16, 2011.
  59. News: What Killed Seth MacFarlane's 'Flintstones' TV Remake . The Hollywood Reporter . Lacey . Rose . April 25, 2012 . April 16, 2020 . July 20, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200720172438/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/seth-macfarlane-flintstones-tv-series-315980 . live .
  60. Web site: It seems Seth MacFarlane will not be rebooting The Flintstones after all. avclub.com. April 25, 2012. April 16, 2020. May 28, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130528181108/http://www.avclub.com/articles/it-seems-seth-macfarlane-will-not-be-rebooting-the%2C73018/. live.
  61. Web site: Development. January 30, 2022. January 30, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220130043114/https://www.andyclark.us/GalleryMain.asp?GalleryID=117138&AKey=HJXCH6TA. live.
  62. May 23, 2018 . Boomerang Unveils New SCOOBY-DOO AND GUESS WHO? & YABBA-DABBA DINOSAURS! Series . Boomerang . Broadway World . July 13, 2018 . September 29, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200929054510/https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Boomerang-Unveils-New-SCOOBY-DOO-AND-GUESS-WHO-YABBA-DABBA-DINOSAURS-Series-20180523 . live .
  63. Web site: "Cry Macho," "Malignant," Limited Series "Scenes From A Marriage," The Third Season Of "Doom Patrol," And "Adventure Time: Distant Lands – Wizard City" Arrive On HBO Max This September. WarnerMedia Pressroom. August 19, 2021. August 19, 2021. August 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210819181815/https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/media-release/cry-macho-malignant-limited-series-scenes-marriage-third-season-doom-patrol-and?language_content_entity=en. live.
  64. Web site: Corus Ent. Bolsters Specialty Portfolios, Including Toons for All Ages. Mercedes. Milligan. June 23, 2020. July 30, 2020. August 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200823031027/https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/corus-ent-bolsters-specialty-portfolios-including-toons-for-all-ages/. live.
  65. Web site: Corus Entertainment's Powerful Specialty Portfolio Announces Lineup of 2019–2020 Orders . June 6, 2019 . December 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211204020021/https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/corus-entertainment-s-powerful-specialty-portfolio-announces-lineup-of-2019-2020-orders-887531178.html . live .
  66. Web site: Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs | Games, Videos and Downloads . January 15, 2020 . January 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200116005332/https://www.boomerangtv.co.uk/shows/yabba-dabba-dinosaurs . live .
  67. Web site: TV Listings for Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs on Boomerang UK . RegularCapital WarnerMedia Animation News . 21 January 2020 . January 19, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200119204337/https://twitter.com/RegularTweetsUK/status/1218988057774436352 . live .
  68. Web site: 'Tom and Jerry,' 'Scooby-Doo' Movies Land Top Talent at Warner Animation Group (EXCLUSIVE) . Justin . Kroll . October 15, 2018 . Variety . October 16, 2018 . November 24, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201124020435/https://variety.com/2018/film/news/tom-and-jerry-scooby-doo-tim-story-warner-animation-1202978052/amp/ . live .
  69. Web site: Newly Appointed Warner Bros. Pictures Animation Boss Bill Damaschke On Group Rebrand, New Mission, 'Flintstones' Pic & More. Anthony. D'Alessandro. June 9, 2023. Deadline. June 9, 2023. June 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230609204336/https://deadline.com/2023/06/warner-bros-animation-bill-damaschke-flintstones-1235412865/. live.
  70. Web site: 'The Flintstones' Animated Series Reboot In Works At Warner Bros. With Elizabeth Banks Producing. Deadline. Andreeva. Nellie. July 11, 2019. July 11, 2019. February 25, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210225165605/https://deadline.com/2019/07/the-flintstones-animated-series-reboot-warner-bros-animation-elizabeth-banks-1202645055/. live.
  71. Web site: Primetime Toon 'Bedrock' in Works with FOX, WB & Elizabeth Banks' Brownstone. Animation Magazine. Milligan. Mercedes. April 27, 2021. April 27, 2021. April 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210427171707/https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/primetime-toon-bedrock-in-works-with-fox-wb-elizabeth-banks-brownstone/. live.
  72. Web site: Cordero. Rosey. March 10, 2023. Elizabeth Banks Leads Voice Cast Of 'The Flintstones' Animated Series 'Bedrock' As Comedy Scores Pilot Presentation At Fox. MSN. March 10, 2023. March 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230310214100/https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/elizabeth-banks-leads-voice-cast-of-the-flintstones-animated-series-bedrock-as-comedy-scores-pilot-presentation-at-fox/ar-AA18tiAs. live.
  73. Web site: Adult Flintstones Sequel Bedrock No Longer in Development at Fox . July 18, 2024 .
  74. Web site: Flintstones park in South Dakota closing, gets new owner. The Washington Times. February 14, 2018. February 14, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180214202712/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/5/flintstones-theme-park-in-custer-closing-getting-n/. live.
  75. Web site: Kelowna, BC, Canada – Bedrock City (Gone). www.roadsideamerica.com. September 27, 2017. September 27, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170927112914/http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/1517. live.
  76. Web site: Forty Foot Fred found on farm. infotel.ca. September 27, 2017. September 27, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170927113017/http://infotel.ca/newsitem/forty-foot-fred-found-on-farm/it27459. live.
  77. Web site: Remember Flintstones Park in Kelowna? Where there was Fred, there was food, beer and bowling – the same is true at Freddy's Brew Pub! . Mccurdybowl.com . February 16, 2009 . August 30, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110714055944/http://www.mccurdybowl.com/freddys_brewpub_history.html . July 14, 2011 . mdy-all .
  78. The Flintstones Season 1 DVD
  79. Web site: Apu: You Look Familiar, Sir. Are You On The Television Or Something?. Anvari.org. 2011. December 27, 2011. May 22, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120522003948/http://www.anvari.org/fortune/The_Simpsons/39692_apu-you-look-familiar-sir-are-you-on-the-television-or-something.html. live.
  80. Web site: 10 great 'Simpsons' couch gags. https://web.archive.org/web/20111016035841/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39914419/ns/today-entertainment/t/great-simpsons-couch-gags . dead . October 16, 2011 . Today. 2011. December 27, 2011.
  81. Web site: The Simpsons Flashback: "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" Review . Robert . Canning . 2008-06-23 . 2008-06-23 . . October 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211017180121/https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/06/23/the-simpsons-flashback-the-itchy-scratchy-poochie-show-review . live .
  82. Web site: The Simpsons "Lady Bouvier's Lover" Quotes. TVFanatic. 2011. December 27, 2011.
  83. News: The Flintstones 50th anniversary is celebrated by Google Doodle. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/8033894/The-Flintstones-50th-anniversary-is-celebrated-by-Google-Doodle.html . January 11, 2022 . subscription . live . The Daily Telegraph, UK. September 30, 2010. September 30, 2010. London. Heidi. Blake.

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