Homage to "The Flintstones"

"The Flintstones."

"The Flintstones" premiered on Friday, Sept. 30, 1960, in prime-time on ABC. Curiously, the initial advertising featured Barney Rubble and Dino, the latter of whom appeared only intermittently in the series (though a regular in the intro). Perhaps it was because Barney was voiced by Mel Blanc, who was pretty well known even in those days.

Alan Reed and Jean Vander were the original voices of Fred and Wilma Flintstone. Both were virtually unknown then - and, to be truthful, afterward as well. Reed played perhaps the worst extortionist of all time in the original "The Postman Always Rings Twice" in 1946, and after that, he didn't get anything else that was high profile. He personally invented the "Yabba Dabba Do!" catchphrase, it was not something someone else put in a script or suggested to him. That was something a good voice guy would do in those days, and he was working with the best: Mel Blanc. Absolutely nobody went around saying, "Wow, what a great voice actor that Alan Reed is as Fred Flintstone," but he was terrific.

The four immortal voices: Alan Reed, Jean Vander, Bea Benaderet, and Mel Blanc. I love how casual this was, right down to them leaving the note on the wall as to where Wilma should stand, and Mel dressed like a proper gentleman - apparently, his normal, everyday street garb, like the others. And "Wilma" has no mouth, I'm sure they all got a huge kick out of that. The only one who looked at all like their character was Bea, though Alan did bear a passing resemblance to Fred.

Instead, you would occasionally hear someone say, "Yeah, the guy who is Fred used to do some acting" and then, even if they mentioned his name, you would immediately forget it. They also might mention while discussing some other role that Blanc voiced Barney, but that was never the point of mentioning him. That is how it was. I never once heard or remembered the name of the actress who voiced Wilma or the name of the guy who voiced Barney (in that context) and wouldn't know the names today without looking them up, but you know what? They were the most famous actors in the whole production. Betty was voiced by the wonderful Bea Benaderet, and Barney was the immortal talent, a towering giant among voice men... Mel Blanc.

Alan and Jean.

The Flintstones was sponsored by a cigarette company during the show's first two seasons, which was extremely common in those days. The show was intended for adults, not kids, so few complained about the commercials that depicted the stone-age characters puffing away on Winstons. Times were different, the commercials made them look like they were getting high, but nobody noticed that, either.

Enjoying a smoking break during the show's first two years.

The Flintstones first aired was on September 30, 1960, and the last Telecast was on April 1, 1966. However, that was not the end of The Flintstones, not by a long shot.

Flintstones vitamins were the vitamins of choice for kids in the '60s through the '80s. If you were going to take vitamins, at least they could be Flintstones vitamins. In fact, "Flintstones vitamins" became practically a synonym for kids' vitamins like "Xerox" became the verb for copying paperwork or "Kleenex" became the noun for paper hankies. They are still very much around today. "Make sure they have their Flintstones!"

The Flintstones featured Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty. The babies, Pebbles, and Bamm-Bamm weren’t introduced until 1963 — Pebbles early in the year, Bamm-Bamm later on because Pebbles needed a friend to interact with. Pebbles made the Social Security Administration’s baby name list that year, and it continued afterward, too:

1967: 13 baby girls named Pebbles
1966: 6 baby girls named Pebbles
1965: 14 baby girls named Pebbles
1964: 31 baby girls named Pebbles
1963: 31 baby girls named Pebbles [debut]
1962: unlisted

And, incredibly, Pebbles has remained on the list every year since.

Alan Reed and his character.

There was renewed interest in the Pebbles name during the early/mid-1970s (Pebbles cereals were introduced in 1971) and the late 1980s/early 1990s (singer Perri “Pebbles” Reid had a few hit singles during this period).

Bamm-Bamm has never made the list, but Bam has popped up recently thanks to the influence of Jackass star Brandon “Bam” Margera. Bamm-Bamm's catchphrase, of course, was "Bamm-Bamm" as he pounded his club. It was never explained why a baby would have a club.

If they ever did a survey on how many dogs were named "Pebbles" or "Bamm-Bamm," I guarantee that the numbers would shoot through the roof.

"The Flintstones," as noted, originally was intended for adult audiences wanting to see their dull lives in post-war suburbia lampooned. However, in syndication, the emphasis turned 180 degrees to children. By the '70s, "The Flintstones" aired on Saturday morning cartoons along with lots of now-forgotten shows.

Pictured on the below cover: "The Barkleys" ("All in the Family" with dogs), "Sabrina," "The Flintstones," "Pufenstuf," "Pink Panther," "Jackson 5," "Mission: Magic" (featuring Rick Springfield and a witchy teacher).

The Flintstones series has been on and off the air since. For instance, Alan Reed voiced the character in "The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show" in the early '70s and also in other revivals that decade. Reed passed away after an extended illness in 1977 while voicing Fred one last time for "Fred Flintstone and Friends." He was replaced by Henry Corden. While that series soon ended, Corden became "the" voice of Fred and was in numerous Flintstones projects in the '80s and '90s.

"The Flintstones" currently is in the process of being revived by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. MacFarlane will oversee a new version of the prehistoric animated cartoon, which originally ran from 1960 to 1966, for US network Fox

The Flintstones Kool-Aid packet, 1986.

A Flintstones Viewmaster screenshot.

Flintstones ad in the papers during the '60s for the show "in color." The print advertisements still featured the Rubbles for some reason.

Once Gazoo showed up, it was all over. He was one of the most pointless and annoying characters ever brought in to ruin a show.

One last look at Alan and Jean, quite possibly the most unknown but most-revered actors of all time. It's difficult to pull that off, I bet Alan and Jean could walk through any major town in the world and nobody would look twice at them - until, perhaps, they said something.

2020

Animated "Flintstones" Movie on the Way

Wilma, Fred, and Dino.

Warner Bros. now holds the rights to "The Flintstones," and is bringing the 1960s series back to life on the big screen in an animated feature film.

The series ran from 1960 to 1966 and then endlessly in syndication. Is there anyone out there who watches tv who is completely unfamiliar with "The Flintstones"? If so, you must not have watched many kids' stuff as a child.

Who doesn't like "The Flintstones"?

There were live-action recreations of "The Flintstones" by Universal in 1994 and 2000, and they made decent money. However, they were silly rather than a classic like the original. Basically, they are now forgotten. The casting of those films, many thought, left something to be desired, as did the drastic changes in some of the characters. Fred Flintstone is not kind and sensitive or warm and cuddly, he is a gruff CAVEMAN whose schemes always fall through like Ralph Kramden's in "The Honeymooners." That's the whole point of the show. Changing that formula is the kiss of death in a qualitative sense.

Fred and Wilma with Barney and Betty Rubble.

The series is coming back to life because of the unbelievable popularity of animated feature films these days. When something like "The Lego Movie" can become a stupendous box office hit, well, that catches people's attention. People who greenlight films that cost tons of money and take years to film.

Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are executive-producing through their Gary Sanchez Productions banner. Their partner Chris Henchy is writing the script.

Ferrell, coincidentally, starred in "The Lego Movie." Ahem.

Warner Bros. picked up the rights as part of Time Warners’ 1996 acquisition of Turner Broadcasting. Turner Broadcasting corralled the rights in 1991 when it bought Hanna-Barbera, the original producer of the classic animated series. No word on a release date yet.

One thought: Alan Reed, a little-known tv actor and former radio guy whose main claim to fame previously had been a fleeting gangster role in the original "The Postman Always Rings Twice" in 1946 was cast as the voice of Fred Flintstone.

The network advertising before "The Flintstones" first aired actually featured the Barney and Betty Rubble characters - who were voiced by people with a modest amount of fame but certainly more than Reed. These were Mel Blanc (legendary voice guy from, among many other things, The Jack Benny Show) and Bea Benaderet (the neighbor with the funny laugh from The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show).

Obviously, Reed was cast for the quality of his gruff voice, not his nonexistent fame, and it showed. To this day, his name is the answer to a great trivia question - who voiced Fred Flintstone? - that will stump even fans of the series. Regardless, it became one of the most recognizable voices in tv history, let alone animation history. In fact, they still occasionally use Reed's voice for the character, decades after his death in 1977.

Nobody since has come close to measuring up to Reed's booming and gruff delivery. "Yabba-dabba- DO!" (Alan Reed personally came up with that catchphrase, a true stroke of genius). If Will Ferrell is behind this, the odds are huge that he will play Fred. Unfortunately, Ferrell sounds nothing like Alan Reed and is inclined to give all of his characters a sarcastic and pompous edge, so we could have a problem there right off the bat. Plus, Mel Blanc voiced Barney Rubble, and that is another tough nugget to replace. The voices will really matter in an animated feature because the comparisons will be laser-like.

We shall see. Personally, I think John Goodman would work a whole lot better.

Pebbles and Bam-Bam.

Here's the theme song, just to bring back some memories. It's only 35 seconds long, one of the best uses of 35 seconds in animation history.

"Yaba-dabba-do!
Flintstones. meet the Flintstones.
They're the modern stone-age family.
From the town of Bedrock,
They're a place right out of history. 

Let's ride with the family down the street
Through the courtesy of Fred's two feet. 

When you're with the Flintstones
You'll have a yabba dabba doo time
A dabba doo time
You'll have a gay old time."

2020