The Flintstones
Series, 1960, Bedrock, Set in Bedrock
The Flintstones is #1 of 13 in release order and #3 of 13 in chronological order in the The Flintstones.
The story
The misadventures of two modern-day Stone Age families, the Flintstones and the Rubbles.
The Flintstones recap
Fred Flintstone, loud, scheming and quick to lose his temper, operates a dinosaur crane at the Slate Rock and Gravel Company and lives in Bedrock with his patient wife Wilma and their pet dinosaur Dino. Next door are his best friend Barney Rubble, easygoing and loyal, and Barney's wife Betty, Wilma's best friend. The show borrows its setup from The Honeymooners and plays it in the Stone Age, with the jokes built on prehistoric versions of modern life: cars powered by the driver's feet, a bird beak for a record player, a mammoth trunk for a shower. Episodes follow Fred's get-rich-quick plans, his bowling, his lodge, the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes, and his run-ins with his boss, Mr. Slate. The family grows over the six seasons. Wilma has a daughter, Pebbles, in 1963, and the Rubbles adopt Bamm-Bamm, a foundling with enormous strength, later that year. Spooky neighbours called the Gruesomes move in, and in the last season the Great Gazoo, a tiny green alien exiled to Earth, attaches himself to Fred and Barney. It was the first animated sitcom in American prime time and ran on ABC from 1960 to 1966, for 166 episodes.
The Flintstones ending explained
The Flintstones ended without a finale. The last episode, "The Story of Rocky's Raiders", aired on April 1, 1966: while waiting for a visit from Fred's grandfather, the family reads his diary and acts out his adventures leading a unit in a Stone Age world war. Four months later the theatrical film The Man Called Flintstone was released, and the characters returned in many spin-offs, from The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (1971) onward.
Where to watch The Flintstones
The Flintstones is streaming on Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango At Home.
Ratings
IMDb 7.5/10
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before The Man Called Flintstone.
- Chronological order: after Cave Kids, before The Man Called Flintstone.
What to watch before The Flintstones
Nothing. The Flintstones is the first of the The Flintstones essentials, so it's the place to start.
Cast
- Alan Reed as Fred Flintstone (voice)
- Mel Blanc as Barney Rubble (voice)
- Jean Vander Pyl as Wilma Flintstone (voice)
- Bea Benaderet as Betty Rubble (voice)
- John Stephenson as B.J. / Guy #1 / Al / Guy #3 / Frank (voice)
- Don Messick as Mr. Brickley (voice)
- Gerry Johnson as Thelma (voice)
- Hal Smith as Soda Jerk / Referee / Announcer (voice)
- Doug Young as Hippo / Duck / Lionosaurus #1 / Sailor / Squire (voice)
- Henry Corden as Zack / First Villain / First Buzzard / Turtle (voice)
- Howard Morris as Rockhead / Slag / Bird / Card Player #2 (voice)
- Daws Butler as Mr. Mortar (voice)
Created by William Hanna, Joseph Barbera.