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| The Flintstones series opening 1960 |
Original series title: "The Flagstones"
Series title: "The Flintstones"
Category: Cartoon
Genres: Comedy, Humor, Sitcom, Slapstick
Creators/Directors:
--- William Hanna
--- Joseph Barbera
--- William Hanna
--- Joseph Barbera
Country of origin: USA
Writers: Warren Foster, Michael Maltese, Arthur Phillips, Joanna Lee, Herbert Finn, Harvey Bullock, Tony Benedict, Jack Raymond, R.S. Allen, Barry E. Blitzer, Rick Mittleman, Walter Black, Alan Dinehart, Ralph Goodman, Rance Howard, William Idelson, Samuel Bobrick, George O'Hanlon.
Released: September 30, 1960 - USA
Seasons / No. of Episodes:
--- Pilot (unaired episode, 1959)
--- S01 / E28 (Sept. 30, 1960 - Apr. 7, 1961)
--- S02 / E32 (Sept. 15, 1961 - Apr. 27, 1962)
--- S03 / E28 (Sept. 14, 1962 - Apr. 5, 1963)
--- S04 / E26 (Sept. 19, 1963 - Mar. 12, 1964)
--- S05 / E26 (Sept. 17, 1964 - Mar. 12, 1965)
--- S06 / E26 (Sept. 17, 1965 - Apr. 1, 1966)
--- Total Seasons 6 / Episodes (1 pilot)+166 (1960-1966)
--- S01 / E28 (Sept. 30, 1960 - Apr. 7, 1961)
--- S02 / E32 (Sept. 15, 1961 - Apr. 27, 1962)
--- S03 / E28 (Sept. 14, 1962 - Apr. 5, 1963)
--- S04 / E26 (Sept. 19, 1963 - Mar. 12, 1964)
--- S05 / E26 (Sept. 17, 1964 - Mar. 12, 1965)
--- S06 / E26 (Sept. 17, 1965 - Apr. 1, 1966)
--- Total Seasons 6 / Episodes (1 pilot)+166 (1960-1966)
Producer: Hanna-Barbera Productions
Distributor: Columbia / Screen Gems
Color: The show was broadcast in black-and-white for the first two seasons (1960-1962), although all materials (episodes, commercial breaks, and opening/closing sequences) were always produced in color.
Original language: English
Music: Theme by Hoyt S. Curtin. Opening/Ending: "Rise and Shine" (instrumental, first two seasons and the first two episodes of season 3), "Meet the Flintstones" (rest of the show's run). In some episodes on season 6 ending theme changed in "Open Up Your Heart (and Let the Sunshine In)".
Running time: 22-30 min.
Background: The show fancifully depicted the lives of a working-class Stone Age man, his family, and his next-door neighbor and best friend. While living in the prehistoric town of Bedrock, the Flintstones face problems certainly not archaic! Along with their best friends, the Rubbles, the Flintstones enchant the audience with their prehistoric versions of the comforts of modern life and circumstances.
Main characters (in order of appearance):
--- Fred Flintstone, first appearance in the unaired pilot "The Flagstones" produced in 1959; first public appearance in season 1 episode 1: "The Flintstone Flyer", aired on September 30, 1960. Main character of the series, Fred is an accident-prone bronto-crane operator at the Slate Rock and Gravel Company.
--- Wilma Flintstone, first appearances with Fred Flintstone (see above). Wilma is Fred's wife.
--- Barney Rubble, first appearances with Fred Flintstone (see above). Barney is the secondary main character and Fred's best friend.
--- Betty Rubble, first appearances with Fred Flintstone (see above). Betty is Barney's wife and Wilma's best friend.
--- Dino, first appearance in season 1 episode 1: "The Flintstone Flyer", aired on September 30, 1960. Dino is a prosauropod dinosaur, Flintstones' pet who barks and acts like a dog.
--- Baby Puss, first appearance in season 1 episode 1: "The Flintstone Flyer", aired on September 30, 1960, in the closing credits. Baby Puss, Flintstones' pet saber-toothed cat which always appears at the end, is very rarely seen in the stories.
--- Pebbles Flintstone, first appearance in episode 83 (season 3 episode 23): title "The Blessed Event", or "The Dress Rehearsal", aired on February 22, 1963. Pebbles is Flintstones' infant daughter.
--- Bamm-Bamm Rubble, first appearance in episode 91 (season 4 episode 3): title "Little Bamm Bamm", aired on October 3, 1963. Bamm-Bamm is Rubbles' abnormally strong adopted son.
--- Hoppy, first appearance in episode 115 (season 5 episode 1): title "Hop Happy", aired on September 17, 1964. Hoppy is Rubbles' pet Hopparoo, a kangaroo/dinosaur combination creature.
--- Fred Flintstone, first appearance in the unaired pilot "The Flagstones" produced in 1959; first public appearance in season 1 episode 1: "The Flintstone Flyer", aired on September 30, 1960. Main character of the series, Fred is an accident-prone bronto-crane operator at the Slate Rock and Gravel Company.
--- Wilma Flintstone, first appearances with Fred Flintstone (see above). Wilma is Fred's wife.
--- Barney Rubble, first appearances with Fred Flintstone (see above). Barney is the secondary main character and Fred's best friend.
--- Betty Rubble, first appearances with Fred Flintstone (see above). Betty is Barney's wife and Wilma's best friend.
--- Dino, first appearance in season 1 episode 1: "The Flintstone Flyer", aired on September 30, 1960. Dino is a prosauropod dinosaur, Flintstones' pet who barks and acts like a dog.
--- Baby Puss, first appearance in season 1 episode 1: "The Flintstone Flyer", aired on September 30, 1960, in the closing credits. Baby Puss, Flintstones' pet saber-toothed cat which always appears at the end, is very rarely seen in the stories.
--- Pebbles Flintstone, first appearance in episode 83 (season 3 episode 23): title "The Blessed Event", or "The Dress Rehearsal", aired on February 22, 1963. Pebbles is Flintstones' infant daughter.
--- Bamm-Bamm Rubble, first appearance in episode 91 (season 4 episode 3): title "Little Bamm Bamm", aired on October 3, 1963. Bamm-Bamm is Rubbles' abnormally strong adopted son.
--- Hoppy, first appearance in episode 115 (season 5 episode 1): title "Hop Happy", aired on September 17, 1964. Hoppy is Rubbles' pet Hopparoo, a kangaroo/dinosaur combination creature.
Features: After a single unaired pilot episode product in 1959, The Flintstones became an American television sitcom prime-time broadcast from 1960 to 1966 on ABC television network. Despite the animation and fantasy setting, the series was initially aimed at adult audiences, which was reflected in the comedy writing, which, as noted, resembled the average primetime sitcoms of the era, with the usual family issues resolved with a laugh at the end of each episode, as well as the inclusion of a laugh track. The show also included commercial breaks: main official sponsors were R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (Winston cigarettes), Welch's (Grape Jelly and Grape Fruit), Bayer (Alka Seltzer / One-A-Day Vitamins). The Flintstones was the most financially successful network animated franchise for three decades, until The Simpsons debuted.
Interesting facts: The pilot of the show was titled The Flagstones, but when the series went into production the working title was changed, possibly to avoid confusion with the Flagstons, characters in the comic strip Hi and Lois. After spending a brief period in development as The Gladstones, Hanna-Barbera settled upon The Flintstones.
Quote (Fred Flintstone): «Yabba dabba doo!»
Property: Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.
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| The Flintstones, original concept painting showing an early version |
THE FLINTSTONES - PILOT
| "The Flagstones", pilot for The Flintstones, never shown in the original series (1959). Originally, it was designed to sell the series to potential advertisers, depicting a scene from what would eventually become the episode "The Swimming Pool". Lost for years, this clip was found in a warehouse in 1993. |
Pilot title: "The Flagstones"
Writer: Warren Foster
Animated by: Kenneth Muse
Starring: Fred and Wilma Flagstone (surname Flagstone was used only for the pilot), Barney and Betty Rubble
Produced in: 1959 - USA
Producers: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera
Released: 1994, "The Flintstones: The Collector's Edition" VHS. The pilot was also broadcast on Cartoon Network on May 7, 1994.
Running time: 1 min. 42 sec.
THE FLINTSTONES - SERIES
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| "The Gladstones", original hand drawn concept designs of the main characters before the official launch of the series under the final title The Flintstones (1960) |
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| "The Flintstones", original hand drawn concept designs of Fred and Barney (1960) |
First episode title: "The Flintstone Flyer"
Writer: Mike Maltese
Animated by: Carlo Vinci
Starring: Fred and Wilma Flintstone, Barney and Betty Rubble
Released: September 30, 1960 - USA
Producers: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Alan Dinehart
Editors: Kenneth Spears, Donald A. Douglas, Joseph Ruby, Warner Leighton, Greg Watson.
Running time: 26 min. 18 sec.
| The Flintstones, opening and first scene from the first episode (1960) |
| The Flintstones, closing credits (1960) |
| The Flintstones, Winston cigarettes commercial break (1961) |
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| The creators of The Flintstones: William Denby "Bill" Hanna (Melrose, July 14, 1910 - North Hollywood, March 22, 2001), American animator, director, producer, voice actor, and cartoon artist; Joseph Roland "Joe" Barbera (New York City, March 24, 1911 – Los Angeles, December 18, 2006), Italian-American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist. |
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| 50th anniversary of The Flintstones marked by Google (September 30, 2010) |
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--- Tom and Jerry
