by Brandie Ashe
Oh, for the good old days, when almost every theatrical release was preceded by a cartoon. Nowadays, we pretty much have to rely on the folks at Disney and Pixar to get our theatrical cartoon fix, but in the 1930s and 40s, it was guaranteed that going to the movies—to see any feature—meant also seeing the latest adventures of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Tom and Jerry, Superman, Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes gang, Mr. Magoo, Woody Woodpecker, and dozens of other animated troublemakers.
Things began to change with the so-called “Paramount Decision” of 1948, in which the Supreme Court decided that movie studios could no longer force theater chains to accept the practice of “block booking” a studio’s “lesser” products (short films and animated cartoons, namely), sometimes sight unseen, and exhibiting those shorts with feature-length studio productions. In other words, studios no longer had any sort of guarantee that their cartoons would actually be seen by audiences, so what was the point in producing cartoons anymore? It was the beginning of the end of the “Golden Age” of Hollywood animation. Many studio animation departments began to suffer in the wake of the decision, and animators at those troubled and soon-to-close studios began to find refuge in television.
In 1957, MGM, home of the Tom and Jerry series of cartoons, closed its animation division, despite the continued popularity of the duo. Tom and Jerry’s “parents,” animation directors William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, soon decided to try their luck at the still (relatively) new medium of television, and started their own animation company, H-B Enterprises (eventually rechristened Hanna-Barbera Productions). They found early TV hits with two new characters: a drawling, Southern caricature of a canine named Huckleberry Hound, and a horsey Old-West sheriff called Quick Draw McGraw. But Hanna-Barbera’s greatest television success came when the duo decided to move to primetime, introducing the world to a “modern Stone-Age family” whose lives, funnily enough, came right out of the most familiar of situation comedies.
That fabled family, The Flintstones, debuted on ABC on September 30, 1960, at 8:30PM. Its timeslot competitors? On CBS, the anthology drama series Route 66, and on NBC, yet another entry in the TV cowboy sweepstakes, The Westerner. Neither of those dramas was exactly lighting up the ratings, and so The Flintstones, perhaps by default, not only won its timeslot that year—it would go on to be the eighteenth most popular show of the 1960-61 television season and be nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, becoming the first animated program to ever receive a nod for that award.
Yet it did this largely without support from television critics, who dismissed the show as an unexceptional novelty. And even today, the position of The Flintstones on any countdown such as this can be expected to produce debate about the merits of the show. There’s a tinge of nostalgia to the show, especially for baby boomers who grew up watching Fred and Barney’s antics—my own father, born in 1953, counts this show among his favorites of all time, and introduced my brothers and me to its dubious charms in the 1980s via the joys of syndication. But does “nostalgia” equal “quality?”
As always, I guess it comes down to a matter of personal taste. My dad loves the show; I’m ambivalent about it. I find it entertaining at times, particularly in the pre-Pebbles episodes (what is it about introducing a child to a show that tends to stop an otherwise diverting show in its tracks? Damn plot moppets). Is it a “good” show? That’s debatable (see: The Great Gazoo). I don’t find The Flintstones as wholly derivative as some critics apparently do—yes, it is an obvious clone of The Honeymooners (and yes, Jackie Gleason reportedly threatened to sue the show for being an unapologetic rip-off of his work)—but the animators found creative ways to play with both vocal and visual puns that, regardless of your opinion of such “easy” comedy, are still pretty damn funny. And until you’ve tried to maintain an endless stream of rock-related puns for 166 episodes, are you really in a position to judge how “easy” that feat is?
What the show really has going for it—the thing that makes it work despite its questionable creative merits—is a near-perfect voice cast who deliver their punny wordplay with a zest and charm that serves to elevate the material. Alan Reed is a blustery delight as Fred, and Mel Blanc brings his typical well-honed skills to the thankless role of Fred’s lackey/sidekick (not to mention providing the frantic vocals of the Flintstones’ hyperactive pet, Dino). The always-fantastic Bea Benaderet introduced Betty’s distinctive giggle (Gerry Johnson took over the role when Benaderet left after season four), while Jean Vander Pyl (a veritable Hanna-Barbera all-star) provided just enough wifely resignation and cunning to counteract Fred’s inane plots (not to mention baby Pebbles’ sickeningly-sweet coos and babbles). All told, The Flintstones is a kind of master class in effective animation casting, one that brims with a chemistry that rises above the sometimes-mundane plot devices utilized by the show.
Whether you appreciate the show for its campy delights or dismiss it as a pale imitator of better comedies that came before, there’s no denying that the success of The Flintstones provided a path for animated primetime comedies to come, from the heartfelt emotional storylines and sharp satire of The Simpsons’ earliest seasons, to the referential cutaway humor of Family Guy (interestingly enough, the creator of that show, Seth MacFarlane, attempted to develop a reboot of The Flintstones in 2012 that ultimately went nowhere), to the familial shenanigans of Bob’s Burgers. It’s hard not to wonder whether we would have even had these shows, or any number of other animated sitcoms in the past fifty years, had The Flintstones not demonstrated that the adventures of a wacky cartoon family could be just as entertaining as those of its live-action counterparts.
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But does “nostalgia” equal “quality?”
Brandie, I’d argue that in the case of THE FLINTSTONES it does. Or to put it in different terms, the show has largely earned its reputation and continued popularity in syndication fifty years after its initial run concluded. I really have to hand it to you for being honest and not padding your take with positive disclaimers to acknowledge its placement. I’m definitely a fan, and was ready to come barreling in with the Jackie Gleason connection, but you’ve handled that quite candidly. i remember Gleason was readying to sue over it. Let’s see, I do love the stone age names, the various anachronisms, and having the prehistoric animals run the appliances. And the two families are more often than not quite the hoot. I agree that the show exerted a lasting influences over other animated shows and I cite TV GUIDE recently stating it is the second greatest cartoon series ever behind THE SIMPSONS. No, I don’t blindly follow their edict and disagree a good number of times, but their position here underlines the show’s historical importance and remarkable success as an animated show. I fondly recall my wife and I attended the film version for our very first date. Terrific review here – again you have demonstrated your expertise with this form!
Thanks, Sam, for the kind feedback. You are, I think, quite correct in noting that the show’s continued and relatively uninterrupted run in syndication is a great indication of just how beloved The Flintstones remains. And I believe that the new Boomerang channel app has (or will be adding soon) the show among its offerings, so it will be even more widely available for a new generation to enjoy.
I love that THE FLINTSTONES were included in this countdown, even as I agree with all the criticisms here (the show does dies once Pebbles is introduced). But for those first few seasons, it delivered a steady stream of laughs (I always liked the cutaways to the various animals being used as devices in the house, like a tiny elephant being used as a vaccum, or a big-beaked bird being employed as a garbage disposal—“ahh, it’s a living,”). Also loved the “Hollyrock” stars like Cary Granite and Ann-Margrock (with the real Ann providing the voice). And I love the scoring of the series, and the art direction, too. What can I say? It was a childhood favorite, so I guess in my case nostalgia does win out. But I stand by it as being a show of quality and of pioneering moxie. Glad to see you do, too, Brandie.
Thanks, Dean. And seriously–who needs a Dyson when there’s a woolly mammoth on wheels to serve all your vacuuming needs?
Wonderful overview of a landmark animated series. Surely the crown jewel fromHanna-Barbera
Whoa. Tom & Jerry.
Yes, Tom & Jerry is the best Hanna Barbera.
Yogi too.
I agree with Jamie and Peter. Tom & Jerry is HB’s greatest creation.
No question. Tom and Jerry all the way.
I’ve always been amazed at the totality of the streamlining of the American status quo value framework. Here it’s so clean and unquestionably ‘true’ that the culture attempts to argue that it was even in place in the Stone Age (and, when looking at the Jetsons, will be in place for many millennia into the future as well) as well. Meh, never been a huge fan of the show, nor found it very funny. Does nostalgia equal quality? Nah, not by itself.
Good review though, where you appropriately hedge on the side of caution.
Good review though, where you appropriately hedge on the side of caution.
Absolutely. I give Brandie a lot of credit for that. It is rather rare.
Are you all familiar with the recent DC “gritty” reboot of The Flintstones? Holy moly, is it ever a different take on the characters. It seems to function largely as a fierce satire of modern society–something the original cartoon attempted, though in a more muted and gentler fashion. This comic series is something else entirely, dealing with issues like racism, homophobia, and post-traumatic stress. It’s well worth a look.
I haven’t seen an episode since I was a pre-teen, and yet I still quote those animal-appliances to this day (as referenced by Dean above). When something dumb comes up at work, I’ll automatically picture some poor prehistoric bird dipping his beak down to play a stone-age record, then I’ll mutter to myself or to anyone who’s around: “…it’s a living…” The show was never exactly funny to me – at the time I watched it, the laughs came from Gilligan’s Island mostly (no accounting for taste – unless that taste is coconut cream pie), but I loved dinosaurs and anything having to do with them, so I was a religious devotee of the show anyway. Nice writeup, Brandie – one that stealthily circumvents mention of any breakfast cereal whatsoever.
…Or was it banana cream pie…? O Childhood, where hast thou gone?
Cocoa Pebbles are delicious little diabetic coma bombs, and no one can ever tell me any differently.
I like but don’t love the show. Like others I was always captivated by the premise and benign dinosaurs. After Pebbles came upon the scene it did lose some of its freshness. For me it was a Saturday morning ritual. Appreciate the memories, nice write-up.
Thanks! I do have fond memories of watching the show with my dad. And sneaking cookies out of his Flintstones cookie jar.
Nice review – good reminder of some of the reasons why this is important. It’s always hard to decide how to treat “importance” vs quality in surveys like this – a show that helps shape the culture, that enters the language the way the Flintstones did needs to acknowledged… That said – its not a bad show. I always enjoyed it as a kid – though I can’t say I’ve seen it much since, or even looked for it much (compared to actually sitting down and watching old Scooby Doo episodes now and then), but it’s enjoyable enough. Granted, the characters are lifted from Jackie Gleason, but that’s a good source – and Fred and Barney and Wilma and Betty are distinct and funny in themselves. They are what give it its quality, characters and voices. Given its importance, its hard to deny it belongs among the 80 best shows….
Thanks! And I agree: the show definitely deserves its place on the countdown. I don’t find it to be a “bad” show at all, but it is one I’m relatively indifferent to–like you, I don’t actually seek it out (though I do own a couple of seasons on DVD, I rarely, if ever, actually watch them), but I appreciate it mostly for its place in animation history and the doors it opened for future animated sitcoms.
Nice review. A show I was never super fond of, though I liked it more than The Jetsons, probably because I’ve always been a sucker for bad puns, which this show abounds with. I would not have it on my own list of greatest, but it is very influential, and I won’t argue with its inclusion here, because I do understand the pull of nostalgia and historic significance.
Thanks, Adam.
Many hours of fun were had watching this show in syndication. Lovely and honest review.
Thanks!
Brandie, I agree with Sam’s response to your excellent review and fair assessment of the Flintstones! The show was a weekly program we watched as a family, how many family sit and watch a TV show together these days? To me The Flintstones left a lasting impression on the psyche of the American culture, even more so than The Honeymooner’s which today comes off rather abusive in someways.
And here is the gist of it’s appeal, “The Flintstones is a kind of master class in effective animation casting, one that brims with a chemistry that rises above the sometimes-mundane plot devices utilized by the show.”
Thanks, Jeff, for the kind feedback!
Brandie, that was an excellent and very fair review of a show, though I’m kind of fond of probably would do much now for me now having seen the originals, a bit like ‘Top Cat’ being a copy of Bilko.
No list of the greatest, most influential television series of all time would be complete without THE FLINTSTONES.
Not only did it prove that it could handle somewhat adult themes, but it paved the way for prime-time animation.
Simply put, if it weren’t for THE FLINTSTONES there wouldn’t be THE SIMPSONS (which I’m strongly considering moving up to my own personal No. 1 choice).
And, anyone with a brain knows that THE SIMPSON’S is top 5 material.
So, gotta give a big Yabba Dabba Do to Fred and Barney for paving the path!
Brandie, you’ve done everyone’s favorite stone-age family fine!!!#