For today's entry into Flintstones February, I felt it was time I went back to the very beginning of the franchise. It seems weird to imagine a time in pop culture without Fred, Barney, and the other citizens of Bedrock, but it is from that exact era that this early preview piece for the series comes from. Appearing in the Austin Daily Herald on April 16th, 1960 (five months before the show's debut), this is one of the earliest pieces of writing I could find for the show, and it felt appropriate to share during this month. A quick sidenote about this preview: if you for some reason didn't know that the main gag of The Flintstones was its play on modern situations using cavemen, they'll remind you about half a dozen times here.
Series to Compare Problems Today With Stone Age Issues
"The Flintstones," an original situation comedy series — the first to be produced in animation — will be sponsored by Miles Laboratories, Inc. and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. during the 1960-61 ABC-TV season, according to William P. Mullen, vice president in charge of network sales.
"The Flintstones" — previously titled "The Flagstones" — will be scheduled at 7:30-8 p.m. (Austin time) Fridays, including Channel 6.
Hanna-Barbera Productions will create the all-new family comedy which transports contemporary language, behavior and problems into a prehistoric setting. ABC purchased the program from Screen Gems, TV subsidiary of Columbia Pictures.
"The Flintstones" is a Stone Age family that runs into the same pressures as those confronting contemporary split-level families. Paralleling the dilemma of keeping the modern ranch house clean, the prehistoric home dwellers seek to tidy up the cave.
Transportation is another common problem that bridges the gap of the centuries. Only instead of worrying about spark plugs or anti-freeze, "The Flintstones" are still wondering about the wheel.
"The Flintstones" — previously titled "The Flagstones" — will be scheduled at 7:30-8 p.m. (Austin time) Fridays, including Channel 6.
Hanna-Barbera Productions will create the all-new family comedy which transports contemporary language, behavior and problems into a prehistoric setting. ABC purchased the program from Screen Gems, TV subsidiary of Columbia Pictures.
"The Flintstones" is a Stone Age family that runs into the same pressures as those confronting contemporary split-level families. Paralleling the dilemma of keeping the modern ranch house clean, the prehistoric home dwellers seek to tidy up the cave.
Transportation is another common problem that bridges the gap of the centuries. Only instead of worrying about spark plugs or anti-freeze, "The Flintstones" are still wondering about the wheel.
Since this was an article that was more on the short side, how about I throw in a video as well. Here's an excerpt from Joe Barbera's interview with the Television Academy Foundation, where he reflects on the inception of The Flintstones. Of course, if you've seen many interviews with Joe, a lot of what he says here will sound more than familiar, but this is probably one of the better interviews discussing this particular topic, so I felt it deserved to be shared here. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment