The Flintstones: On the Rocks At 25

 25 years ago today, The Flintstones: On the Rocks premiered on Cartoon Network. Made at Cartoon Network Studios by much of the crew behind Dexter's Laboratory, the special is notable for several reasons. It was the first Flintstones project released after William Hanna's passing, and it would be the last for almost fifteen years. It's more adult tone and subject matter made it stick out when compared to most other Flintstones spin-offs. The special has also seen only a handful of TV airings, and has never gotten any kind of home video or streaming release. 

While its tone and art style might be different from most Flintstones iterations, like many of them, it remains contentious among fans of the original show. Some love the special and consider it the best thing to be done with the characters since the sixties. Others were put off by its tone and see it as a low point for the franchise. The reaction was so polarizing that it actually led to Cartoon Network axing a Quick Draw McGraw special made by the same crew. Now, with all that being said, how do I feel about this special? 

First things first, what's this thing about? On the Rocks follows Fred and Wilma during probably the lowest point of their marriage. Neither one can stand the other, so the Rubbles invite them on a trip to Rockapulco in the hopes it will repair their strained relationship. Things continue to deteriorate, especially when a jewel thief named Xavier becomes enamored with Wilma following a bag mix-up. It's up to the titular Flintstones to not only stop this thief, but more importantly, save their marriage. It's a story plucked right out of the classic series, but with a more adult edge, but I'll speak more on that later.

I'll begin with the positives of this flick, the first being its presentation. This special looks amazing. Craig Kellman's redesigns for the characters have never looked better, and the backgrounds wouldn't feel out of place in a classic Flintstones episode. Even the stop-motion segment looks fantastic, and is easily a highlight. While the visuals are great, I think On the Rocks is just as good in the audio department. Despite none of the original four cast members being present in this, all of their successors do an excellent job filling the void. Tress MacNeille is pitch perfect as Wilma, and Kevin Michael Richardson's Barney brings to mind Mel Blanc's take on the character in the original series earliest episodes. It's details like that that really make this feel like an episode that could have existed in those first two seasons. You can't go wrong with the great John Stephenson returning as Mr. Slate, either. The use of Hoyt Curtin's classic score is another welcomed addition, and something that was sorely missed from later Flintstones spin-offs.

The more adult tone of On the Rocks is maybe the "make or break" element for many. For me, I am firmly in the former camp. I'm all for the more serious vibe, and I honestly don't understand some of the criticisms against it. A lot of the hate this special gets is because of how Fred acts, but I don't think it's that out of line for him. Fred can be pretty despicable at times, even in later Flintstones media. I don't think he's out of character at all, especially considering the severity of the situation he's in here. I feel people's reaction to him has more to do with animation fans' weird disdain for "jerk" characters than anything else. And while this special does skew older with its story and humor, you have to remember that The Flintstones wasn't just for kids when it first premiered. That only happened with the later seasons and especially the spin-offs. For a franchise that became so kiddy it eventually turned its characters into literal children, it's a great return to its roots. Even if you despise this film, you have to at least give the team behind it some kudos for showing restraint. A worse creator would have heard "adult Flintstones" and gone as raunchy as possible, but these guys tried to make something that still felt in line with what had came before, and I applaud them for that.

If the special has any major flaws, it's the humor. It's not necessarily bad, but it's very "hit-or-miss." Several jokes go on for far too long, which isn't that bad when it's funny, but when the joke isn't amusing to begin with? Man is it rough. There's a gag early on with a bird repeatedly squawking and it's tantamount to nails on a chalkboard. A lot of director Chris Savino's work is full of jokes like this, and even in a one-hour special he couldn't help himself. It's not funny in an eleven-minute Dexter episode, and it's not much better here. The pacing is another element of the special that feels a bit off. Some scenes overstay their welcome, while others end before they really get going. Maybe it's a result of the one-hour runtime, but it leaves On the Rocks feeling not as tight as it could be. 

Despite those gripes, On the Rocks is an entertaining entry in the Flintstones canon. It's nothing mind-blowing or earth shattering, but it accomplishes what it set out to do and does it well. This is basically an early Flintstones episode if the crew weren't held down by budget or animation constraints, and I think that's awesome. They didn't try to reinvent the wheel or make the characters something they weren't, which is where most of the problems with later Flintstones installments came from. Yes it's a little rough around the edges, but it's got charm, style, and genuine heart. Not too unlike Fred himself if you ask me. But what do you think? If you've seen this special, I'd love to read your thoughts on it, whether they be good or bad. Do you feel this special is an overlooked gem, or is this better off being forgotten?

Unproduced Jetsons Jelly Glasses

 It's always fun to touch on older Hanna-Barbera collectibles here, but something I love to do even more is talk about unreleased merchandise. And that's exactly what we're doing today. This is a set of four Jetsons glasses that were set to be released by Kraft in 1990, I imagine as part of the merchandising blitz that accompanied the feature film. Below you can see what they looked like with and without the original labels.

So, what's the inside story on why these never made it to retail? Unfortunately, the reason isn't anything particularly shocking. Hamilton Projects, who produced a huge amount of Hanna-Barbera goodies at the time, didn't get the licensing approval these needed, and so they never saw release. Those that were made were actually mandated to be destroyed, but considering the existence of photos like these, you can see that didn't quite pan out. Even nowadays these sometimes pop up on auction sites, so if you'd like to own one of these, you definitely have the chance. I probably wouldn't use them for their intended purpose at this point, but you guys do you!

Video of the Week: Space Ghost For President

 Everything ends eventually, and today marks the end of "Space Ghost October." I hope you've enjoyed these posts, but I've got one more before I call it a day. And what could be a grander sendoff to this Space Ghost celebration than a reminder of the time he ran for president?

In 2000, Cartoon Network launched the first of two faux presidential elections, which pit dozens of the network's stars against one another to see who was the most popular of them all. The winner would receive their very own marathon on the channel. Though Space Ghost certainly gave his all in his campaign (as seen in these hilarious promos), the winner would ultimately be Scooby-Doo, with the Powerpuff Girls and Bugs Bunny in second and third place respectively. Anybody here recall participating in this event? I'd love to know who you voted for (or would've voted) in the comments down below.

Alex Toth Space Ghost Art

 Alex Toth has got to be one of my favorite character designers to work at Hanna-Barbera, if not animation as a whole. An exceptional artist who worked at nearly every other comic book company in the business, Toth brought a superhero sensibility to the world of Hanna-Barbera cartoons. Whether you love the likes of Space Ghost, Birdman, and The Herculoids is irrelevant.  His work on these shows is nothing short of fantastic, and a big reason these characters are discussed to this day. And on this particular day, I'm sharing some of the great character artwork he did while working on the original Space Ghost. 

This first piece shows some head turns from Space Ghost himself, alongside some notes highlighting things to keep in mind when drawing the character.

Second up, we have a collection of Space Ghost's most fearsome adversaries: Brak, Black Widow, and not one, but two designs for Metallus. The one on the right is what ended up in the show, but I must say the design on the left isn't too shabby, either. Of course, it also goes without saying that Brak and the Black Widow are great designs in their own right. A superhero is nothing without a good set of villains, and Space Ghost is no slouch in that department.

I'm not done discussing Space Ghost's villains just yet. Here's a look at one my personal favorites, Moltar. It's like a hazmat suit with an added dose of pulpy science fiction, how can you not love it? Whether it's with his original yellow and white colors or the more iconic red and gray, it remains one of the most memorable in the show for me at least. I'd love to know from you all what you're favorites are as well.

Lastly, ever wondered what Space Ghost looks like without the cowl? Well, here you go. Not exactly the most shocking reveal, but you never do see him like this in the show itself so I'm not surprised it's a little bland. It's also interesting that the model sheet mentions the show as "Space Ghosts," which makes me wonder if this is a remnant of the show from before it became a more straight forward superhero cartoon.

The Voice Behind a Superhero

While exciting powers and a cool costume are key to making a great superhero, they aren't everything. For starters, what good is a hero without a voice? In the case of a character like Space Ghost, I don't think anyone could imagine a better pick to bring him to life than the indelible Gary Owens. 

I've discussed Gary Owens a few times on this blog, but I can't stress enough how perfect he was for this character. Owens voice was practically made for a superhero, so it's no wonder he voiced so many throughout his life. You've also got to hand it to Owens for giving the character a genuine personality. Everyone and their mother knows who Superman or Batman are, but nobody knew who Space Ghost was. There were no comics to draw on for inspiration, leaving Owens to create the character using just a script and his own vocal chords. Space Ghost could've easily been a character forgotten to time, but he endures to this day, thanks in large part to both Alex Toth's striking design and Gary Owens fantastic vocal work. 

With all that being said, just where did Owens' love of voice acting begin? Give this piece from the Wisconsin State Journal a read to find out that and more. This ran on December 7th, 1980, and is a great breakdown of Owens career to that point. It even makes mention of the then-upcoming Space Stars, though it is referred to as "Space Heroes" here.

Gary Owens is filmland's favorite voice

   

     HOLLYWOOD —Gary Owens was 10 years old when, after coming out of a diabetic coma, he overheard his doctor predict he wouldn't live beyond his teens.
    "He didn't realize I was on the other side of the partition in the hospital hallway. I heard him mention my name and say, 'No, there's not much hope for him.' 
    "That's when I really started working hard. I wanted to prove I could do something before my time ran out."
    Owens has been working hard—very hard—ever since. At 12, he won "one of those 'Draw me and win an art scholarship' things" and went on to sell some of his art work to Colliers and The Saturday Evening Post the following year.
    "The man who chose my drawing was Charles Schulz," says Owens. "It's amazing how many people there were who were influences in my life who've done well. George McGovern was my history teacher and Joseph Robbie, who now owns the Miami Dolphins, was my economics teacher."
    Employed as a radio announcer in his Mitchell, S.D., home town by age 16, Gary juggled that job with a sportswriter-cartoonist post at a local newspaper while attending college, all of which kept him busy 18 hours each day.
    Now 43, Owens still works at a pace that would frighten most people.
    He has what is arguably Hollywood's favorite speaking voice: the voice chosen by a large number of studios to promote their movies, the voice featured in thousands of cartoons (he's currently working on "Space Heroes") and countless commercials (he tapes an average of two voice-overs a day). Besides his appearances and announcing duties on NBC's "Games People Play" and guest appearances on such video outings as Bob Hope's election-theme special and NBC's "The Battle of Beverly Hills" tongue-in-cheek celebrity competition, he has his regular post as a KMPC Los Angeles radio personality.
    And he's involved with such a myriad of charities that rarely does a week go by when he's not working on a fundraising function, or two or more. The campaign against diabetes is, naturally, of special interest to Owens. Though he acknowledges the picture for diabetics has improved somewhat since he was terrified at 10, he's not about to slow down his efforts toward combating the disorder. 
    And, "I try to put aside some time to spend with the guys," says Owens, referring to his and wife Arleta's 16 and 19-year-old sons. 

    He has known Fred Silverman, the NBC president, for well over a decade, since beginning the "Space Ghost" cartoons when Silverman was a junior network executive.
    "Fred has always been very close to the cartoons," Gary notes.
    As for his own involvement, he still finds speaking for animated heroes, villains and other fanciful creatures a great deal of fun. Not only that, but "it's a good way to make money. You get residuals for 20 years. Cheryl Ladd used to work in cartoons. Tim Matheson was on 'Space Ghost' with me. Paul Lynde has worked on them. Well, there are so many familiar names, I could go on and on.
    "We do cartoons exactly as the old radio shows were done, except that we leave pauses between lines so that our dialogue is easier to cut for the animation. You'll see 10 microphones lined up in a row, with the actors going through the scenes. "It gets interesting when you have to fight against yourself," adds Owens. "I once played 'Space Ghost' at the same time I played the giant metallic monster who was fighting against him: 'Alright, Space Ghost, I'll get you now!'" he says in a high, robot wheeze. He turns and answers himself—his voice dropping to a low, hero-style tone. "No, I'm going to turn invisible."
    Another good way to make money is by doing commercial voice-overs. "I once did a whole campaign in 20 minutes—which went on to be shown for the next seven years: 'Pepsi Cola, in the 16-oz. bottles,'" he demonstrates, showing off his familiar dulcet tones.
    That 20 minutes of work proved to be very lucrative. "People look at that and think, 'I'm going to get into commercials.' It looks so easy. But it's not an easy field. It's highly competitive."
    He credits his success to the high profile he attained as "Laugh In's" perpetually perky announcer. 
    Owens has many fond memories of the "Laugh-In" years, of joshing about "Beautiful Downtown Burbank" and its mythical Nurn Hotel. "It wasn't the classiest of places," he recalls. "They didn't have caviar—but they would bring you a dish of tapioca and a pair of smoked glasses."
    Whatever the future of his low-rated "Games People Play," Owens is likely to remain a primetime fixture. There are prospects for other series for him, in acting as well as commentating capacities. Though he considers himself less an actor than a comic, he'd already emoted in some 300 TV roles before "Laugh-In" made him a celebrity.
    "I've done almost everything I set out to do at this point in my life," he says. It isn't hard to believe.

Video of the Week: Greetings From Space Ghost

 Despite this month being a celebration of Space Ghost, I haven't touched on its late-night follow-up, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, a whole lot. Today marks my first post of the month focused entirely on this show, and what better place to start than the beginning. Check out this commercial for the show's premiere, which consists mostly of footage from the first few episodes. Nothing too shocking, but it's still very cool to see the beginnings of the show that would change Cartoon Network forever.

Space Ghost, Now in Plush Form!

 Out of all the Hanna-Barbera protagonists, I feel like Space Ghost is the last one I'd pick to be transformed into a bean bag plush toy. WB must've felt differently though, considering they went and made one of their own back in 1999. 

At that time, the WB Studio Store had a large line of plush toys based on many of their franchises, Hanna-Barbera included. Space Ghost was, interestingly enough, the only character they did that came from one of the studios action-adventure shows. Honestly, I'm a little surprised they never did any Jonny Quest characters considering how hard they pushed that series back then. But Space Ghost here looks pretty darn cool for a bean bag toy. He looks just like the character and, at a time where Space Ghost collectibles were on the more expensive side, this gave you an affordable toy version of everyone's favorite space hero and late-night host. Better yet, he fits right in with the DC superhero bean bags the WB Studio Store was also selling, which you can see below. And before you ask, no, I have no idea why Superman's head looks so big.