Our Favorite Flintstones

 At last, the day has come. Today marks the final post for Flintstones February, and to cap it off in a big way, I'm doing something completely new for this blog. We all have our favorite episodes from the original Flintstones series, so I thought I'd reach out to a couple friends and acquaintances in the animation research community to see if they'd be interested in sharing theirs. Now, without further introduction, here are our Favorite Flintstones. I will go first.

My favorite episode in the original Flintstones series is the season two episode, "The X-Ray Story." This episode revolves around a classic mix-up situation: Dino's X-rays get mistaken for Fred's, making it appear that he has a disease deadly to humans. Deadly, unless the individual is kept awake for 72 hours. Much of the comedy in this episode comes from Wilma and the others' many efforts to keep Fred awake. Their attempts start off normal at first, but as the episode continues, they have to take more and more drastic measures to stave off sleep. It is both hilarious and heartwarming to see how far they'll go to keep him safe. And I think it's that combination of comedy and heart that makes The Flintstones so enduring, and this episode in particular one of the best. Fred may get on everyone's nerves and be kind of a pain to put up with, but at the end of the day, they genuinely care for him, and the opposite is just as true. 

Next, I'd like you all to meet Mark Arnold! A pop-culture historian who has authored over a dozen books and the host of the brilliant Fun Ideas podcast, I'll let him go ahead and discuss his favorite from the series.

"There are a lot of many great Flintstones episodes. Most people agree that The Flintstones best episodes are the pre-Pebbles ones or the ones with Bea Benaderet or the ones where they smoke Winston cigarettes. In any case, there usually isn’t too much love for Flintstones episodes from season four, five and six, as many feel that the show was starting to show its age and many others don’t like the arrival of the Great Gazoo. After reviewing all 166 episodes of the original series, I have concluded that my favorite episode is one called “Ten Little Flintstones”, which originally aired on January 2, 1964, and was the sixteenth episode of season four and the 104th episode overall.

Why I like it so well is probably because of the glazed look and the monotone delivery of “Yabba Dabba Doo!” by the ten robot Fred duplicates that were created by an Alien Master in order to take over the world. Of course, chaos ensues which adds to all the fun. In researching this episode, I realize that one of the reasons I probably like it so much is because it was written by Tony Benedict, who was my favorite writer from the glory days of Hanna-Barbera, especially for his work on The Jetsons."

For our third entry, welcome writer Steve Cox to the blog! Cox is unique from others you'll hear from today in that he's actually met several cast and crew members from The Flintstones throughout the years. Read below to see not only his favorite episode, but also a great story about one of the show's most famous cast members!

"In Hanna Barbera's files, it's known as P-62, but to viewers it's titled "Dino Goes Hollyrock" (1962).  To me it's simply the "Sassie" episode, the one where Dino is featured the most.  I loved this particular episode mainly because it really put Mel Blanc's inimitable Dino voice to work and featured his barks, growls, whimpers maybe more than any other--paired with fantastic closeups of Dino.  Oddly, when Blanc would utter Dino into the mic, he performed it on an inhale which is an extremely difficult thing to do without coughing terribly. That's what made the sound unique.  Years ago, I knew Mel fairly well and when I would talk with him on the phone, inevitably I asked him to sample a voice and usually it was Dino.  (Not Bugs Bunny, or Yosemite Sam, or Barney Rubble.  I wanted Dino.) He was kind enough to oblige, even making him laugh that I loved his Dino.  And that was the voice that never aged along with him over the years. 

In the episode itself, I always thought the "Lassie" TV takeoff was brilliant as Dino discovers the real bitch, the actress, was fairly bland and not the heartthrob he envisioned.  Such a disappointment for the poor pooch. Such emotion!  Such acting! Cut!"

My next contributor is somebody who knows all about making a great cartoon. An animator who has worked on classics such as Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Aladdin, let's hear what the one and only David Pruiksma has to say about his favorite episode!

"I was recently asked to do what I see as a rather difficult task, to name my favorite classic Flintstones episode and what makes it so. The difficulty is that there are so many gems in the series, particularly in the first 2 seasons, that it's hard to pick a single favorite. There are moments in many episodes, like the writing and animation throughout "The Goop Writer" (Perry Gunite's hilarious walk by Carlo Vinci comes immediately to mind). The same goes for the "Snorkasayrus Hunters", again great writing and fun, fluid animation by Ed Love, not to mention Jerry Mann's vocals for the Snorkasaurus and the butcher, "would you like to try for a case of amnesia Jumbo? How about Fred pretending to get sick before going to the opera in "The Flintstone Flyer"? A hoot! Then there's the great expressions in The Engagement Ring and the hilarious scene of Fred trying to pull Barney into the ring to fight the champ while Barney frantically scratches at a fire hydrant. The timing throughout the series overall is just top notch. 

However, if I really needed to narrow it down to one favorite episode, I think it would be season one's "The Hot Piano". There is just so much fun and humor in that one that it makes me laugh out loud every time I see it. The dynamic between Barney and Fred is great. The supporting characters are terrific from the Police officers to the Piano salesman and 88 Fingers Louie. I love it when Fred comes home and Wilma rushes up and frisks him for gifts. Hilarious! And when Fred asked Barney what happened to him as he lies on the ground in the front yard he says, weakly, "I just got run over by a piano". The story and the pacing just really works well and the vocal performers bring us their A game, throughout. There's also a nice warmth between the characters overall, particularly between Fred and Wilma. All in all, a very enjoyable episode and it holds up really well, even decades after it originally aired."

Coming in next is writer and podcaster Michael Lyons! The author of Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance and a frequent contributor to Cartoon Research, he has a particularly monstrous episode as his favorite.

"The “Son of Rockzilla” episode of The Flintstones is a perfect example of what made Hanna- Barbera’s classic animated sitcom so special. The series was the traditional live-action television sitcom, blended with that particular element of fantastical magic that only animation can provide. Sure, Fred and Barney discuss their bowling league at the start of the episode, but by the end, Fred is mistaken for a Godzilla-like movie monster. “Son of Rockzilla” begins simply enough, as Fred takes a temporary job with a movie studio marketing team to wear the costume of the titular monster in the upcoming film, “Son of Rockzilla.” Fred agrees to walk around Bedrock, scaring citizens, after which the studio team will call the news outlets to report this, hopefully generating publicity for their film. Of course, it doesn’t go as planned, as the costume’s head gets stuck, and Fred can’t get out of the Rockzilla costume. He gets mistaken for the actual monster, not just by people on the street, but by a real monstrous dinosaur at the zoo, Doris the Finkasaurus.

There’s great animation and non-stop gags at the beginning of the episode, when Fred’s bowling ball gets away from him, bouncing through a series of incidents, such as a backyard catch between a father and son, before landing in a plate of spaghetti at a restaurant. The design of Fred’s costume and the Finkasaurus is also in the comforting, classic Hanna-Barbera character look of this era. “Son of Rockzilla” was written by Barry E. Blitzer, who would work quite a bit for Hanna- Barbera, as well as a number of classic sitcoms, such as The Phil Silvers Show and Get Smart. Blitzer brings the same sharp humor to this episode. Blitzer also adds some nice, satirical jabs at show business, not just in the name of the studio – Feindish Films, which produces Son of Rockzilla- but also sardonic jabs at movie promotions. As the head of the studio, Mr. Feindish discusses possibilities with his promotional manager, Bunkley, they consider something like their last gimmick, “Win a Date with Frankenstone.” Mr. Feindish notes it was a hit “until the papers found out that the monster was married.” Humor like this, which still strikes a chord about our current world, demonstrates why The Flintstones truly are 'the Modern Stone Age Family!'"

Kamden Spies is the next writer I'd like you all to get acquainted with. A Cartoon Research writer and owner of the "Termite Terrace Headlines" blog, Spies goes back to the beginning with his favorite episode, and describes the advantages the first two seasons of the show had over later seasons.

"The Flintstones is one of the most important cartoons in animation history. The series was the first animated primetime sitcom and reinvented adult-oriented animation. The first two seasons, with Winston Cigarettes as a sponsor, were aimed at an adult audience. The first episode produced, “The Swimming Pool,” is the best episode of the series because of its writing, music, and the look of the characters. One of the appeals of “The Swimming Pool” is the character designs. The original Flintstones designs were by Ed Benedict. Benedict designed most of the early Hanna-Barbera characters. Besides The Flintstones and Rubbles, Benedict also designed Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, and Quick Draw McGraw. The Flintstones went through several names throughout its development, including The Flagstones, and The Gladstones. In fact, the characters are labeled as The Gladstones on the original Ed Benedict model sheets. In the first two seasons of the series, the characters have a more rough and cartoony design. This style gives more freedom for the artists to experiment. Benedict’s original character designs gave Fred, Barney, Wilma, and Betty a more appealing look than they had in later seasons.

One of the other reasons that “The Swimming Pool” is the best episode of the series is the music cues. Hoyt Curtin scored all of the underscores written in The Flintstones, and these scores were developed for this episode. In the first two seasons, the opening theme of the series was an instrumental tune called “Rise and Shine.” It wasn’t until the third season that the theme changed to the one we’re all familiar with, “Meet the Flintstones.” However, in the “Meet the Flintstones” theme was developed as a jazz instrumental for this episode. The first two seasons of The Flintstones were much better than the later seasons. This is because these episodes were written by cartoon writers. Later, Hanna-Barbera hired traditional sitcom writers to write episodes. Because of this, the later episodes lost the cartoony charm that the previous ones had. Animated sitcoms should be written as a cartoon and use the animated imagination to its full potential. The episode was written by Warren Foster. Foster, along with Michael Maltese, wrote most of the early Flintstone episodes. Warren Foster is one of the greatest cartoon writers of all time. He, Michael Maltese, and Tedd Pierce wrote most of the Warner Bros cartoons during the studio’s golden age in the 1940s and 50s. Foster helped develop and create The Flintstones with Michael Maltese and Joe Barbera. Luckily, the storyboards for this episode still survive.

“The Swimming Pool” is the best episode of The Flintstones. Written by Mike Maltese and Joe Barbera, this episode has everything that made The Flintstones great. This was the first episode produced and was based on the sixty-second pilot demo that helped sell the series to ABC. The first two seasons of The Flintstones are the best because of their stylized look, writing, and music. “The Swimming Pool” was the first episode of The Flintstones produced, which set up the style and tone of the first primetime animated sitcom."

Last but most certainly not least, welcome Greg Ehrbar, an expert on all things Disney and Hanna-Barbera, to the blog. A writer, historian, and podcaster all rolled into one, Greg weighs in below on what we believes is the quintessential Flintstones episode!

"Choosing one favorite episode from a series as groundbreaking and superb as The Flintstones is no easy task. I went through every season and still found at least a half dozen favorites in all six years. Instead, I selected what could be considered the one episode that combines virtually all the ingredients of what Hanna-Barbera developed in creating the art of animated television, particularly the character-driven situation comedy, crafted to exist within the primetime network landscape. By season three of The Flintstones, there had been plenty of trial and error. The audience was changing and growing. The ABC network and its sponsors were gaining ground against the other two networks by taking some chances in a medium that was still relatively young. There had to be a perfect balance of story, dialogue, voice work, music, sound effects, visuals, and gags. That The Flintstones initially drew inspiration from The Honeymooners (which drew from The Bickersons and the domestic comedies of Laurel and Hardy) was only one element of what made it work and become its own creative form. It combines the format of the half-hour sitcom—tease, main title, commercial breaks, end title—and yet a true cartoon, with the kind of visual and auditory humor that Hanna, Barbera, and their artists had employed so successfully.

Some fans consider “The Blessed Event” (also known as “The Rehearsal”) to be the episode that “jumped the shark,” changing forever the couple comedy that sparked the first two seasons. Certainly, it was not the same show, but neither was I Love Lucy after Lucy Ricardo gave birth. Little Ricky was a recurring rather than a regular character, based on the specific episode, and so was Pebbles. I Love Lucy’s dramatic impact on audience connection when Lucy was “enceinte” was a major news story and cemented the emotional power of a weekly comedy series with its viewers. If Lucy and Ricky already had a child, it would have been fine, but the home audience lived through the pregnancy. Dozens of TV series imitated the surefire event, sometimes altering a series’ tone or temporarily spiking the ratings. In the case of both Lucy and The Flintstones, the pregnancy and birth “arcs” occurred after each was an established hit and viewers got to know the characters. Nowhere in U.S. animation was a woman shown in maternity clothing until Wilma Flintstone (the first Disney feature in which a woman was “showing” came 37 years later with Chicha in The Emperor’s New Groove. Of course, there is no question that Pebbles’ birth was a TV “event” that resulted in merchandising and promotions. The Ideal toy company insisted that Fred and Wilma have a girl because female dolls sell better, and they were proven correct. This remains a regular business practice in a substantial number of animated films and TV shows.

“The Blessed Event” does not so much jump the shark as it bridges both the similarities and differences between the three years of The Flintstones series run and the second three years. The mass audience increased quickly between 1960 and 1963. Demographics were becoming more and more specific—information crucial to sponsors. The Flintstones was a hit show on a network that needed hits. To keep it on the air, it was necessary to deliver to as many viewers as possible. It changed its primary focus from couples to families. The occasional fantasy stories that are often remembered as being part of the later seasons were also in seasons one and two. What really changed was not the tone of the series, but the need to have a larger spectrum of tones. Even season six offered a few “husband and wife” stories, but there were now also stories included about parenting, children, and pets in addition to episodes focusing on marriage, the workplace, and life in Bedrock. TV was entering the “great escapism” era with comedies like My Favorite Martian and Bewitched, and outlandish action-adventures like Lost in Space and Batman). All of this context is mentioned to clarify why “The Blessed Event” is quintessential of the phenomenon and legacy of The Flintstones. It has elements of very funny husband-and-wife, next-door-neighbor, and best-buddy comedy. But it never lingers on those tropes, because the cartoon gags are consistent throughout (an exercise instructor wears an inflatable muscle suit, Fred paces so much that he wears a groove in the floor, etc.) offering the kind of experience that a live-action sitcom does not (even though some have come very close).

The final scene in “The Blessed Event” was recorded after Jean Vander Pyl had actually given birth herself. Never a person to be demanding, she found herself insisting that Pebbles be her voice. It was her cartoon child. The warmth of the ending sequence is genuine, voiced by people who were fond of each other and could identify with their characters. At home, audiences were sharing a “blessed event” completely created by elements of animation. The next season, Barney and Betty adopt Bamm-Bamm in an episode that includes a sequence with a level of drama rare to the series. After Fred cruelly accuses the Rubbles of monopolizing play time with Pebbles, a rare personal scene occurs with Betty and Barney wishing they had a child of their own. This would not have been possible, nor very convincing, had viewers (and the network) not lived through several seasons of The Flintstones and “The Blessed Event.” And in true Hanna-Barbera fashion, it ends on that “laughing fade” so familiar in hundreds of series, from Scooby-Doo to Super Friends, in which a gag and/or silly remark is punctuated by the characters “ha-ha-ha-ing” to a merry musical cue. In this case, it’s Jean Vander Pyl as Pebbles, cooing “Yabba-Dabba-Doo, to which Alan Reed (who invented the phrase) says as Fred, “Are there any questions?”"

And there you have it! In my time putting this piece together, I was surprised by two things. One, not one episode was repeated, which gives you an idea of how many memorable and great episodes of the show there are. Second, each individual brought up something completely different about what made the series, and their favorite episode, so great. Whether it be the writing, voice-acting, music, art, or storyline, all of us found different things that made the show so appealing. With so much to enjoy, it's no wonder The Flintstones has been a pillar of great animation for nearly 65 years!