Thirty years ago this month, the town of Bedrock changed forever. For thirty years before that, Fred, Wilma, and the rest of The Flintstones cast had only ever been realized through drawings. But in 1994, Universal Pictures, Steven Spielberg, and director Brian Levant gave the series the big budget, live-action feature film treatment. On May 27th, 1994, The Flintstones opened in theaters and became one of that year's biggest films.
All this time later, the film stands as arguably the last major installment in the Flintstones franchise. Ask most people under thirty about the characters, and I guarantee they will point to the '94 movie as their only frame of reference. The film's quality is also quite contentious, with some fans loving the film, and others hating it. Personally speaking, I can't say I'm a big fan of the movie. While it isn't without its merits (like the production design and cast) and it was clearly made with love for the source material, at the end of the day, this is a comedy, and it's not particularly funny. Having rewatched it recently for this post, some things got a laugh out of me, but nothing I can remember while writing this. It's a great example of a film that had far too many cooks in the kitchen, but I'll get to that later.
Love the film or hate it, its place in the history of The Flintstones is undeniable, and to celebrate its 30th anniversary, here are thirty fast facts about the movie.
1. A Rocky Start - The Flintstones movie began life in 1985 when producers Joel Silver and Keith Barish bought the rights for a live-action film based on the series. They put Steven D. Souza on writing duties and planned on bringing in Richard Donner (Superman, The Goonies) to direct. (Entertainment Weekly Issue 225)
2. The Flintstones of Wrath - Five years and several writers later, Mitch Markowitz came on board and wrote a script that was reportedly inspired by The Grapes of Wrath. This script featured Fred and Barney going on a big adventure searching for work after their homes were rocked by a major depression. Needless to say, this was not the script that made its way to the screen. (The Los Angeles Times)
3. The Man Called Flintstone - After years of troubled development, Steven Spielberg bought the rights to the film, which would now be made through Amblin Entertainment. His first motion? To cast John Goodman in the lead role. Spielberg had already planned to cast him as Fred since working with him on the film Always in 1988. (John Goodman Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters)
4. The Good Scout - Goodman wasn't exactly enthusiastic about playing Fred, but that isn't to say he didn't care for The Flintstones. On the contrary! He was a big fan growing up and was often upset about missing new episodes due to Cub Scout meetings. (Disney Adventures Magazine, June 1994)
5. Flintstone Fanboy - Of all the directors such a big feature could have gotten, why did Spielberg choose Brian Levant, whose resume was mostly TV writing credits? To put it simply, Levant was a Flintstones fanboy. He has an impressive collection of Flintstones memorabilia and knows the show inside and out. (Flintstones DVD Bonus Features)
6. The Ones That Got Away - As with any movie, many actors were considered to fill out the Flintstone and Rubbles families. Before Spielberg's involvement, John Candy was looked at to play Fred. Beyond that, Catherine O'Hara, Tracey Ullman, and Danny Devito were considered for Wilma, Betty, and Barney respectively. (The Los Angeles Times, January 17, 1993)
7. The Sharon Stone Story - One of the characters created specifically for this movie is Sharon Stone. Played by Halle Berry, she was Fred's secretary after his big promotion, and a henchmen of sorts to the film's villain, Cliff Vandercave. Now, would it shock you if I told you the character was originally intended to be played by the real Sharon Stone? Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, depending on your thoughts on the movie), she had to turn the offer down due to scheduling issues. (ScreenCrush: See the Cast of 'The Flintstones' Then and Now)
8. The Flintstone 35 - How many writers does it take to make a Flintstones film? Thirty-five, apparently! Initially, Levant brought in a group of eight writers who had cut their teeth on various sitcoms, but as time went on and more meetings happened, so did the number of writers. That's not even getting into the amount of rewrites Levant himself did. (Entertainment Weekly Issue 225)
10. Creator Cameos - The Flintstones had more than a few appearances from those who brought the original cartoon to life. Jean Vander Pyl, the original Wilma Flintstone, portrayed the character of Mrs. Feldspar, who can be seen during Fred's surprise party. Harvey Korman, who gave life to Gazoo, portrays the Dictabird and archived audio of Mel Blanc was reused for Dino. Last but most certainly not least, Joe Barbera is seen driving a Mersandes, while Bill Hanna plays an executive at Slate and Company.
11. Additional Cameos - Several notable individuals from outside Bedrock also appear throughout the movie. Late-night host Jay Leno hosts a Bedrock cop show, comedic legend Jonathan Winters acts as a coworker of Fred and Barney, and the B-52s appear as the BC-52s.
12. Enter Elizabeth Taylor - One of the biggest gets for The Flintstones had to be Elizabeth Taylor in the role of Fred Flintstone's mother-in-law. Taylor hadn't appeared in a film since 1988, and this would be her final film role before her passing in 2011. She was a challenging get, too. Taylor did the film on one condition and one condition only: she had to be given a gift on every single day of production. (Kyle MacLachlan on Diner's on Me)
13. In the Town of Bedrock - To bring the Flintstones home to life, the production went out to both Utah and California. One of those California locations, a street in Vasquez Rocks, was open for visitors to tour after filming before it was demolished. You can see a tour of said location here.
14. A Glassless Production - Because all of the cast members for this movie had to be barefoot, extra safety precautions were made to make sure nobody involved would injure their feet. Chief among these was a rule that no glass was allowed on set, for reasons I think should be obvious. (Flintstones DVD Bonus Features)
15. Wilma's Wisdom - Let's go back to Miss Vander Pyl for a moment. After getting the part of Wilma, Elizabeth Perkins contacted her for help getting the character's voice right. Her advice? It's not "Fred," it's "Fre-ed!" (Variety Magazine, July 23, 1993)
16. Puppet, Man, Dinosaur - The process of bringing Dino to life was an arduous one. Initially, Jim Henson's Creature Shop was to create an animatronic version of the character, but his range of motions proved too expressive to do through these means. Then, they went for the classic "man in a suit" approach. A man named Dave Foreman played the character for two weeks before, yet again, it was decided things weren't working. Finally, they settled on using CGI to create Dino, though Henson's animatronic was used in certain shots. ILM was the effects house that handled creating Dino from that point on. (The Flintstones: The Official Movie Book)
17. Deleted Scenes - Like every other movie, a couple of scenes for The Flintstones were filmed, but didn't make it into the finished movie. However, if you're looking for them, you won't find them on DVD or Blu-Ray. Instead, you'll have to look at TV airings of the film, as some of them have the scenes reinserted in the film. There are also deleted scenes not seen on TV, but referenced in merchandise for the movie. For example, take a look at this trading card, which indicates that Jean Vander Pyl would've had an actual conversation with John Goodman's Fred.
18. A Flintstones Christmas Story - During one scene, eagle-eyed viewers may notice a leg lamp, not unlike the iconic one seen in A Christmas Story. Being that this is a Flintstones movie, though, it is given an appropriate stone-age makeover.
19. Meet George Jetson - When Barney takes up a new job as an ice cream truck driver, its jingle has more than a passing similarity to the main notes of another Hanna-Barbera classic. The truck is playing the theme to none other than The Jetsons.
20. No Toilet Paper Here - When Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera got the chance to visit the set for the Flintstones' house, the two were pretty pleased with everything they saw. Except for one thing, that being a roll of toilet paper in their bathroom. Hanna remarked that there shouldn't be such a thing in the Stone Age, prompting them to swap it out for birch bark. (Hanna and Barbera Conversations)
21. First for Fur - The Flintstones might not strike you as a groundbreaking leap for visual effects, but it did just that through the appearance of Baby Puss. The character was the first ever to be made up of CGI fur. (Patricia Netzley, Encyclopedia of Movie Special Effects)
22. Gone in (Less Than) Sixty Days - The Flintstones might have languished in pre-production, but the actual shooting of the film was the opposite. The entire ordeal was over and done in just 55 days. (Total Film, April 2024)
23. The Flagstones - One of the more subtle references to the original series comes in when Mr. Slate calls Fred "Mr. Flagstone." That, of course, alludes to the title of the short film used to pitch the series, The Flagstones.
24. Music From Bedrock - As was standard at the time, The Flintstones had a soundtrack released alongside the movie. Weird Al Yankovic, Green Jelly, Stereo MC's, and more appeared, alongside a cover of Meet The Flintstones by the B-52's. That song even got its own music video!
25. A Mob of Merchandise - If you wanted Flintstones goodies after leaving the theater, Universal and their 500(!) licensing partners had you covered. You practically couldn't go anywhere without seeing Goodman's gob in caveman clothes, from clothes to books to toys to video games. One of the highlights of this product line? A plush doll of Fred Flintstone, complete with a disturbingly realistic John Goodman face. (The Daily News, May 31, 1994)
26. Introducing Tonight's Host, Fred Flintstone! - To help market the movie, John Goodman appeared on Saturday Night Live shortly before its premiere. One of the highlights of this appearance was a skit where he helped educate viewers on Flintstones names, complete in Fred's wardrobe! Check out that clip here.
27. A Smash Success - To say The Flintstones was a hit would be putting it mildly. It had the biggest opening weekend for a Memorial Day release, and the biggest opening weekend in May period until Twister torpedoed it two years later. The film ended its run with a gross of $340 million, making it the sixth highest-grossing film of 1994. (Box Office Mojo)
28. The Flintstones Trilogy? - Despite the film's success at the box office, we strangely never got a Flintstones 2. But that wasn't from a lack of trying. Universal had plans for an entire Flintstones trilogy, with the idea being that the movies would be shot back-to-back, Back to the Future Style. John Goodman had no interest in playing Fred Flintstone again and personally asked Spielberg to not pursue them. As a result, no real development was made for a sequel, and Universal opted to do a prequel instead, giving us Viva Rock Vegas in 2000. (Total Film, April 2024)
29. Accolades (Or Lack Thereof) - While The Flintstones was a big hit financially, it was a much different story critically. Critics largely panned it, with the flick ending up on many "worst of 1994" lists. It also earned a few Razzie nominations, winning both "Worst Screenplay" and "Worst Supporting Actress" for Rosie O'Donnell as Betty Rubble.
30. The Creators React - So the critics didn't exactly go crazy for the film. What did Joe Barbera and William Hanna, the men who brought The Flintstones to life, think of it? According to director Brian Levant, they were over the moon. After seeing the film early, the two men hugged Levant, tears in the eyes of both. At a time when both men were more concerned with their legacy than anything else, it clearly meant the world to see one of their most prized creations brought to the big screen. (Hanna and Barbera: Conversations)
That's about all I have to say on The Flintstones, but come back here next Monday, as I discuss several other live-action Hanna-Barbera films that never got off the ground. Until then, I leave you with this comic panel of Fred meeting Fred. Enjoy!
I was always curious how a live-action Jackie Gleason as Fred would've gone.
ReplyDelete