''The Flintstone Comedy Show'' is an American
animated television series
An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...
revival and
spin-off of ''
The Flintstones
''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...
'' produced by
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
that aired on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
from November 22, 1980 to October 24, 1981.
Outside
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, the show was released under title of ''Flintstone Frolics''.
The series contained six segments: ''The Flintstone Family Adventures'', ''Bedrock Cops'', ''Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm'', ''Captain Caveman'', ''Dino and the Cavemouse'' and ''The Frankenstones''.
Overview
The series also featured new characters (
the Frankenstones
The Frankenstones are a family of fictional characters who appeared on ''The Flintstones'' spin-offs and television specials through the early 1980s. The family has been described as a sort of fusion of ''The Flintstones'' and ''The Munsters''. ...
, the Cavemouse) as well as older characters (Penny, Wiggy, Moonrock and Schleprock of 1971's ''
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show
''The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that originally aired for one season on CBS Saturday morning from September 11, 1971, to January 1, 1972. With an ensemble voice ...
'' and 1972's ''
The Flintstone Comedy Hour
''The Flintstone Comedy Hour'' is an American animated television series and a spin-off of ''The Flintstones'' and ''The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show'', produced by Hanna-Barbera, which aired on CBS from September 9, 1972, to September 1, 1973. It w ...
'' on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
,
Al Capp
Alfred Gerald Caplin (September 28, 1909 – November 5, 1979), better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip ''Li'l Abner'', which he created in 1934 and continued writing and (wi ...
's the
Shmoo
The shmoo (plural: shmoos, also shmoon) is a fictional cartoon creature created by Al Capp (1909–1979); the character first appeared in the comic strip '' Li'l Abner'' on August 31, 1948. The popular character has gone on to influence pop cu ...
from his show ''
The New Shmoo
''The New Shmoo'' is an American animated television series based on the character from the ''Li'l Abner'' comic strip created by Al Capp, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1979 to November 15, 1980.
' ...
'' which aired on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
in 1979, and
Captain Caveman
''Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels'' is an American animated series, animated mystery fiction, mystery television comedy, comedy series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions for American B ...
from his own series on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
in 1977 which lasted three seasons).
A series of gags, educational spots, games, how-to-draw and a dance-of-the-week were featured in-between the six segments every week. In
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
, reruns of the show were repackaged for two seasons under the title ''
The Flintstone Funnies
''The Flintstone Funnies'' is an American Saturday-morning cartoon, animated package show produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired on NBC from September 18, 1982 to September 8, 1984. This is the final incarnation of ''The Flintstones'' that premiered ...
''. Reruns of "Dino and the Cavemouse" aired on the
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
adaption of ''
Wake, Rattle, and Roll
''Wake, Rattle, and Roll'' (retitled ''Jump, Rattle, and Roll'' when it aired on The Disney Channel on weekday afternoons in 1991''The Disney Channel Magazine'', Vol. 9, no. 5, September/October 1991: pp. 20, 36, 45.) is an American live-action/an ...
''.
The Flintstone Family Adventures
This segment featured the traditional antics and adventures of The Flintstones and The Rubbles.
Season 1 (1980–81)
Season 2 (1981–82)
Bedrock Cops
Production
In 1975
Alan Reed
Alan Reed (born Herbert Theodore Bergman; August 20, 1907 – June 14, 1977) was an American actor, best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone on ''The Flintstones'' and various spinoff series. He also appeared in many films, includin ...
revealed in an interview with radio historian
Chuck Schaden
Charles Leroy "Chuck" Schaden, born June 29, 1934, is a Chicago-area broadcaster and historian who hosted the program ''Those Were the Days'' on local radio from 1970 to 2009. Schaden played recordings of classic old-time radio shows and reminisc ...
that
Hanna-Barbara
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
was developing a series about Fred and Barney's adventures as Bedrock policemen. Alan Reed passed away on June 14, 1977 while the cartoon was still in development and was replaced by
Henry Corden
Henry Corden (born Henry Cohen; January 6, 1920 – May 19, 2005) was a Canadian-born American actor, best known for taking over the role of Fred Flintstone after Alan Reed's death in 1977. His official debut as Fred's new voice was in the 1 ...
.
speakingofradio.com
/ref>
Plot
Fred
Fred may refer to:
People
* Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Mononym
* Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French
* Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...
and Barney
Barney may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Barney (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Barney (surname), a list of people
Film and television
* the title character of ''Barney & Friends'', an American live actio ...
are part-time police officers assisted by the Shmoo
The shmoo (plural: shmoos, also shmoon) is a fictional cartoon creature created by Al Capp (1909–1979); the character first appeared in the comic strip '' Li'l Abner'' on August 31, 1948. The popular character has gone on to influence pop cu ...
as a trainee where they work under the direction of Sgt. Boulder. The trio fought crime in the city of Bedrock
In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet.
Definition
Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...
, most of the time chasing after the Frankenstones
The Frankenstones are a family of fictional characters who appeared on ''The Flintstones'' spin-offs and television specials through the early 1980s. The family has been described as a sort of fusion of ''The Flintstones'' and ''The Munsters''. ...
' pet monster Rockjaw.
Season 1 (1980–81)
Season 2 (1981–82)
Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm
This was a Flintstones-themed adaptation of the "mystery-solving teens and a pet" format popularized by ''Scooby-Doo
''Scooby-Doo'' is an American animation, animated media franchise based on an animated television series launched in 1969 and continued through several derivative List of Scooby-Doo media, media. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the orig ...
'' and its various spin-offs in the 1970s (including Captain Caveman's original show on ABC). In this series, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm
Bamm-Bamm Rubble (sometimes spelled Bam-Bam Rubble) is a fictional character in the ''Flintstones'' franchise, the adopted son of Barney and Betty Rubble. He is most famous in his infant form on the animated series, but has also appeared at var ...
(similar, yet aged down a little, from their appearance in ''The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show
''The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that originally aired for one season on CBS Saturday morning from September 11, 1971, to January 1, 1972. With an ensemble voice ...
'') with pet dinosaur Dino solve mysteries in the city of Bedrock
In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet.
Definition
Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...
. They would sometimes be accompanied by pals Penny, Wiggy and Moonrock.
Season 1 (1980–81)
Season 2 (1981–82)
Captain Caveman
This segment served as a prequel
A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work.
The term " ...
to the earlier series ''Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels
''Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels'' is an American animated mystery comedy series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for ABC. The series aired during the network's Saturday morning schedule from S ...
'', focusing on Captain Caveman's time in Bedrock
In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet.
Definition
Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...
before he was frozen in ice. Captain Caveman (under his "secret identity" of Chester the office boy), Betty
Betty or Bettie is a name, a common diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beat ...
and Wilma work for Lou Granite (based on Lou Grant
Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Ed Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character ...
) at ''The Daily Granite''. To disguise himself as Chester, Captain Caveman wore a pair of glasses and a tie (similar to the Clark Kent persona used by Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
). Despite the simplicity of his disguise, he required a coat rack and an elaborate transformation sequence to become Captain Caveman.
Season 1 (1980–81)
Season 2 (1981–82)
Dino and Cavemouse
The segment featured Dino pitted against a pesky little Cavemouse in chase sequences similar to ''Tom and Jerry
''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...
''. These sequences were story edited and the character of Cavemouse was developed by notable animation director Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American a ...
. Two segments aired per episode.
Season 1 (1980–81)
Season 2 (1981–82)
The Frankenstones
This segment featured the Flintstones' neighbors The Frankenstones
The Frankenstones are a family of fictional characters who appeared on ''The Flintstones'' spin-offs and television specials through the early 1980s. The family has been described as a sort of fusion of ''The Flintstones'' and ''The Munsters''. ...
: Frank, his wife Hidea, their kooky daughter Atrocia, and their teenage son Freaky, who is friends with fellow teenager Pebbles Flintstone
Pebbles Flintstone (also known as Pebbles Flintstone-Rubble as an adult) is a fictional character in the ''Flintstones'' franchise. The red-haired daughter of Fred and Wilma Flintstone, Pebbles is born near the end of the third season. She is mos ...
.
Season 1 (1980–81)
Season 2 (1981–82)
Voice cast
* Gay Autterson as Betty Rubble
Betty Rubble is a fictional character in the television animated series ''The Flintstones'' and its spin-offs and live-action motion pictures. She is the black-haired wife of caveman Barney Rubble and the adoptive mother of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. Her ...
, Wiggy Rockstone
* Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy ra ...
as Barney Rubble
Barney Rubble is a fictional character who appears in the television animated series ''The Flintstones''. He is the diminutive, blond-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and adoptive father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. His best friend is his next d ...
, Captain Caveman
''Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels'' is an American animated series, animated mystery fiction, mystery television comedy, comedy series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions for American B ...
, Dino
* Henry Corden
Henry Corden (born Henry Cohen; January 6, 1920 – May 19, 2005) was a Canadian-born American actor, best known for taking over the role of Fred Flintstone after Alan Reed's death in 1977. His official debut as Fred's new voice was in the 1 ...
as Fred Flintstone
Fred Flintstone is the main character of the animated sitcom '' The Flintstones'', which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960 to 1966. Fred is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles Flintsto ...
* Ruta Lee
Ruta Lee (born Ruta Mary Kilmonis; May 30, 1935) is an American actress and dancer who appeared as one of the brides in the musical ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers''. She had roles in films including Billy Wilder's crime drama ''Witness for th ...
as Hidea Frankenstone
* Kenneth Mars
Kenneth Mars (April 4, 1935 – February 12, 2011) was an American actor. He appeared in two Mel Brooks films: as the deranged Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind in '' The Producers'' (1967) and Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Friedrich Kemp in ''Young ...
as Lou Granite
* Mitzi McCall
Mitzi McCall is an American comedian and actress.
Life and career
Television
In the early 1950s, then known as Mitzi Steiner, McCall had the ''Kiddie Castle'' program on KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received national attention in 1 ...
as Penny Pillar
* Don Messick
Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor. He was best known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
His best-remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ...
as Bad-Luck Schleprock
* Charles Nelson Reilly
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...
as Frank Frankenstone
* Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens (; born Rubenfeld; August 27, 1952) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and children's entertainer. He is known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s, an ...
as Freaky Frankenstone
* Zelda Rubinstein
Zelda May Rubinstein (May 28, 1933 – January 27, 2010) was an American actress and human rights activist, known as eccentric medium (spirituality), medium Tangina Barrons in the Poltergeist (film series), ''Poltergeist'' film series. Playing "Gi ...
as Atrocia Frankenstone
* Micheal Sheehan as Bamm-Bamm Rubble
Bamm-Bamm Rubble (sometimes spelled Bam-Bam Rubble) is a fictional character in the ''Flintstones'' franchise, the adopted son of Barney and Betty Rubble. He is most famous in his infant form on the animated series, but has also appeared at vari ...
* John Stephenson as Mr. Slate
* Russi Taylor
Russi Taylor (May 4, 1944 – July 26, 2019) was an American voice actress. She is best remembered as the official voice of Minnie Mouse from 1986 to 2019, and was notably married to voice actor Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, until his ...
as Pebbles Flintstone
Pebbles Flintstone (also known as Pebbles Flintstone-Rubble as an adult) is a fictional character in the ''Flintstones'' franchise. The red-haired daughter of Fred and Wilma Flintstone, Pebbles is born near the end of the third season. She is mos ...
, the Cavemouse
* Jean Vander Pyl
Jean Thurston Vander Pyl (October 11, 1919 – April 10, 1999) was an American voice actress. Although her career spanned many decades, she is best known as the voice of Wilma Flintstone for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon ''The Flintstones''. In a ...
as Wilma Flintstone
Wilma Flintstone is a fictional character in the television animated series ''The Flintstones''. Wilma is the red-headed woman married to caveman Fred Flintstone, daughter of Pearl Slaghoople, and mother of Pebbles Flintstone. Her best friend is ...
* Lennie Weinrib
Leonard Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show ''H.R. Pufnstuf'', Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in ...
as Moonrock Crater, Sgt. Boulder
* Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...
as Shmoo
The shmoo (plural: shmoos, also shmoon) is a fictional cartoon creature created by Al Capp (1909–1979); the character first appeared in the comic strip '' Li'l Abner'' on August 31, 1948. The popular character has gone on to influence pop cu ...
, Rockjaw
Additional voices
* René Auberjonois
René Murat Auberjonois (; June 1, 1940 – December 8, 2019) was an American actor and director. He was best known for portraying Odo on '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). He first achieved fame as a stage actor, winning the Tony Aw ...
* Joe Baker
* Buster Jones
Edward L. Jones (December 12, 1943 – September 16, 2014) was an American voice actor and television host.
He is probably best known from his roles as Black Vulcan in ''Super Friends'', Blaster in '' The Transformers'', Doc in '' G.I. Joe: A ...
* Frank Nelson
* Marilyn Schreffler
Marilyn Sue Schreffler (June 14, 1945 – January 7, 1988) was an American voice actress who provided voice-overs for several animated television series, mostly for Hanna-Barbera Productions.
Biography
Marilyn Schreffler was born in Wichita, Ka ...
* Lurene Tuttle
Lurene Tuttle (August 29, 1907 – May 28, 1986) was an American actress and acting coach, who made the transition from vaudeville to radio, and later films and television. Her most enduring impact was as one of network radio's more versatile a ...
* Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell (''né'' Wilchinsky; December 21, 1922 – June 24, 2005) was an American actor, comedian, humanitarian, inventor and ventriloquist whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1950 to 1954, he hosted ''The Paul Winchell S ...
References
External links
*
''The Flintstone Comedy Show''
at The Big Cartoon DataBase
The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows, and cartoon shorts.
The BCDB project began in 1997 as a list of Disney animated featu ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flintstone Comedy Show (1980), The
The Flintstones spin-offs
1980 American television series debuts
1981 American television series endings
1980s American animated comedy television series
1980s American police comedy television series
American animated television spin-offs
American children's animated comedy television series
American children's animated mystery television series
Animated television series about teenagers
Crossover animated television series
English-language television shows
Li'l Abner
NBC original programming
Television series by Hanna-Barbera
Television series set in prehistory
Television series about cavemen