For a full season after Mel Blanc's near-fatal automobile accident in 1961-1962, the show was taped in his bedroom where he lay in a full-body cast. Daws Butler, who had voiced both Fred and Barney in the original pilot "The Flagstones" filled in as the voice of Barney for five episodes. Executive Producer Joseph Barbera has said that as many as 16 people crowded into Blanc's bedroom.
Pebbles was born at the Rockville Hospital on February 22, 10,000 B.C. at 8:00pm. She weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces.
Was at one time the longest-running primetime cartoon. That record was broken and currently held by The Simpsons.
The four main characters (Fred and Wilma Flintstone and Barney and Betty Rubble) were based on the four main characters from The Honeymooners. Jackie Gleason came close to suing Hanna Barbera over "The Flintstones"' resemblance to The Honeymooners until friends pointed out to him that it might be bad for his image if he became known as 'the man who killed Fred Flintstone'. The Warner Brothers one-shot cartoon short Wild Wild World (1960) has also been cited as an influence.
The famous theme song, "Meet the Flintstones", wasn't introduced until the third season. The song was first introduced on a children's record, performed by the TV cast, and included verses about Barney and Betty Rubble as well as Dino. The first season used an instrumental piece of music called "Rise and Shine" that resembled the later Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show theme "Overture." When the series went into syndication, a standardized set of opening and closing credits was used for most episodes in order to remove references to first season sponsor Winston Cigarettes, thus all episodes now begin with "Meet the Flintstones". Although "Meet the Flintstones" was not used as the show's theme until several seasons in to the show's run, the DVD release of season 1 reveals that the melody of the song was a major part of the show's score as early as the second episode.
Fred Flintstone's boss's name is sometimes Mr. Rockhead and sometimes Mr. Slate.
The show was broadcast in black-and-white for the first two seasons (1960-1962), although all materials (episodes, Winston cigarette commercials, and opening/closing sequences) were always produced in color (thus the color versions of the "Rise and Shine" opening/closing credits that now air).
The original unaired pilot "The Flagstones" was produced in 1959. It was 1 minute and 42 seconds long. The series was intended to be called "The Flagstones" but the title was changed when the creators of the comic strip "Hi and Lois" (a spin-off of "Beetle Bailey"), about a suburban American family named the Flagstons, threatened legal action.
The Flintstones' address changed several times as the series went on: from 222 Rocky Way to 345 Stonecave Rd. to 301 Cobblestone Way. The final ("official") address given was 301 Cobblestone Wy., Bedrock 70777. (This is the real ZIP code for Slaughter, LA.)
To capitalize on the then-current craze of "ghoul comedies" such as The Addams Family (1964) and The Munsters, the Gruesomes (Weirdly, his wife Creepella and their son Gobby) were introduced in the fifth season as the Flintstones' new neighbors. But they only appeared in two episodes.
The Flintstones' house size, design and furniture change in almost every episode.
Dino would often change colors throughout the show, but mainly he was purple.
William Hanna wanted to do a family-style series, but he and Joseph Barbera couldn't agree on the setting or the costuming. Suddenly Hanna exclaimed, "Let's do it in a caveman setting! They won't wear clothes, they'll just wear animal skins!" After that, everything fell into place.
Like appearing as a guest villain on Batman, doing a guest voice on the series was considered, by most celebrities during the '60s, to be a badge of honor.
Fred and Wilma were originally supposed to have a son, Fred, Jr. This son appears in early press releases and in a Little Golden Book, "The Flintstones". However, he was dropped from the cast before the series went into production. Later, when the Flintstones did have a child, it was decided that the baby should be a girl for merchandising reasons, as girl dolls are supposed to sell better than boy dolls.
Lost for years, this clip was found in a warehouse in the 1993.
ABC originally broadcast this episode in black and white.
Hot Lips Hannigan is clearly based on Dizzy Gillespie.
In the third episode, "The Swimming Pool", the scene where Barney has a mishap with a harpoon gun is a shot-by-shot remake of the unaired pilot episode, "The Flagstones".
Daws Butler, the voice of the cop, replaced Mel Blanc for several episodes in Season 2 after Blanc was involved in an accident which almost cost him his life.
ABC originally broadcast this episode in black and white.
Barney (voiced by Mel Blanc) originally spoke with a higher-pitched, nasal-toned voice. However, for most of the show's run, he spoke in a deeper tone. Both tones appear in the episode, "No help wanted"; as Fred and Barney debate about Barney repossessing Fred's TV because he owes payments on it, Barney hides in Fred's TV. When Fred turns it on, Barney talks in the deeper voice, but goes back to the nasal quality as Fred tries shaking him out.
ABC originally broadcast this episode in black and white.
ABC originally broadcast this episode in black and white.
ABC originally broadcast this episode in black and white.
ABC originally broadcast this episode in black and white.
ABC originally broadcast this episode in black and white.
ABC originally broadcast this episode in black and white.
The title is based on one of Al Jolson's greatest hits, "California, Here I Come".
This is the second time Wilma wears shoes for an episode. See "The Swimming Pool" episode (Betty also wears shoes)
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