Five Reasons The Flintstones Still Matter 50 Years Later - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 09-30-2010, 10:53 AM

Fred and Wilma, you look so great we'd never know you're ancient.

Yes, The Flintstones turns the big 5-0 today, but, to us, the stone-age comedy will always be timeless. Here's why:

More Five Things...

1. It Made the World Safe for The Simpsons. And Family Guy. And…: On Sept. 30, 1960, The Flintstones became TV's first prime-time animated series (courtesy ABC, if you're wondering what ran on Friday nights before the dawn of Better With You reruns). A Nielsen hit from the start, the domestic comedy (or, if you prefer, The Honeymooners) proved toons weren't just for kids zonked out on sugary breakfast cereal.

2. Speaking of Sugary Breakfast Cereals…: The next time you sit down to enjoy a bowl of vitamins and minerals and Fruity Pebbles, please give proper thanks to your meal's tie-in show. The same goes for that chewable Dino you down daily. And those Winston cigarettes you, um, er… Well, OK, not everything the Flintstones have hawked has been a winner (or approved by the Surgeon General), but they are trailblazing marketers nonetheless.

3. If We Say, "Have a Yabba-Dabba-Doo Time," You Say, "A-Dabba-Doo Time:" In fact, if we know "(Meet) The Flintstones," you're singing the rest of the catchy lyric right now. We are. (Trivia: The song wasn't introduced as the theme until the third season. This nifty instrumental was the original opener.)

4. For a Bunch of Cavemen (and Cavewomen), They Were Pretty Forward-Thinking: So, Lady Gaga wore a meat dress. Big deal, Fred and Barney wore pelt dresses long before she was born. So, Modern Family is all hip and today. Big deal, the Rubbles were an adoptive family long before Angelina Jolie was born. Also, was Fred's gas-free, foot-powered Flintstones-mobile not the world's first Smart car? (Or, make that, smartest car?)

5. Ann-Margrock. The Great Gazoo. The Gruesomes. We could go on and on about all the little things that make the show great, but we won't. Except to add that Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm make some mighty fine music for a pair of toddlers.

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b203...#ixzz111ar5bM7

MrCleveland · 09-30-2010, 04:32 PM

This is for the 50th Anniversary....

Rezny@gmail.com · 09-30-2010, 07:14 PM

And one more thing that made it a classic:It was FUNNY!And kudos to a great voice cast,unfortunately all dead:Alan Reed(Fred),Mel Blanc(and for a brief time in 1961 Daws Butler-Blanc came back in 1962 and was Barney till the end in 1966-as Barney),Jean Van Der Pyl(Wilma),Bea Benaderet and Gerry Johnson (Betty),all the writers.and producers -directors Hanna-Barbera for making a clasic cartoon series still remembered 50 years after its debut.

MickeyMac · 10-01-2010, 11:05 AM

Bottom line

The Flintstones kick ass

Great cartoon

Even the worst of the Flintstones is still better than any of the best of the Simpsons.

howilu · 11-30-2010, 11:56 AM

The Flintstones defied logic by becoming the first successful animated cartoon series to run half hour episodes. It was a very funny cartoon and i always like the prehistoric variations of celebrity names such as Stony Curtis, Cary Granite and Rock Quarry.

LUNCH · 11-30-2010, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickeyMac

Bottom line

The Flintstones kick ass

Great cartoon

Even the worst of the Flintstones is still better than any of the best of the Simpsons.

Agree! And The Flintstones is 1000 times better than any of the modern cartoons.

Steve M. · 08-15-2011, 12:19 PM

It introduced us to the idea of exotic children's names; odd names for kids are common these days, but in the '60s, you didn't hear of any kid being named "Pebbles" or "Bamm-Bamm." Now we have girls named "Madison."

And, except for Olympic track star Wilma Rudolph, who in 1960 ever heard of anyone named Wilma?

I've only known one woman with that name in my life!!

09-30-2010, 10:53 AM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Five Reasons The Flintstones Still Matter 50 Years Later Fred and Wilma, you look so great we'd never know you're ancient. Yes, The Flintstones turns the big 5-0 today, but, to us, the stone-age comedy will always be timeless. Here's why: More Five Things... 1. It Made the World Safe for The Simpsons. And Family Guy. And…: On Sept. 30, 1960, The Flintstones became TV's first prime-time animated series (courtesy ABC, if you're wondering what ran on Friday nights before the dawn of Better With You reruns). A Nielsen hit from the start, the domestic comedy (or, if you prefer, The Honeymooners) proved toons weren't just for kids zonked out on sugary breakfast cereal. 2. Speaking of Sugary Breakfast Cereals…: The next time you sit down to enjoy a bowl of vitamins and minerals and Fruity Pebbles, please give proper thanks to your meal's tie-in show. The same goes for that chewable Dino you down daily. And those Winston cigarettes you, um, er… Well, OK, not everything the Flintstones have hawked has been a winner (or approved by the Surgeon General), but they are trailblazing marketers nonetheless. 3. If We Say, "Have a Yabba-Dabba-Doo Time," You Say, "A-Dabba-Doo Time:" In fact, if we know "(Meet) The Flintstones," you're singing the rest of the catchy lyric right now. We are. (Trivia: The song wasn't introduced as the theme until the third season. This nifty instrumental was the original opener.) 4. For a Bunch of Cavemen (and Cavewomen), They Were Pretty Forward-Thinking: So, Lady Gaga wore a meat dress. Big deal, Fred and Barney wore pelt dresses long before she was born. So, Modern Family is all hip and today. Big deal, the Rubbles were an adoptive family long before Angelina Jolie was born. Also, was Fred's gas-free, foot-powered Flintstones-mobile not the world's first Smart car? (Or, make that, smartest car?) 5. Ann-Margrock. The Great Gazoo. The Gruesomes. We could go on and on about all the little things that make the show great, but we won't. Except to add that Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm make some mighty fine music for a pair of toddlers. Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b203...#ixzz111ar5bM7
	__________________ The Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: John 3:3 *Money Doesn't Buy Happiness...But I'd Rather Cry in My Private Jet*

09-30-2010, 04:32 PM	#2
MrCleveland Drew Carey from Hell Forum Star Join Date: Nov 10, 2007 Location: The City of Cleveland, in The State of Cleveland, in The United States of Cleveland Posts: 14,236	This is for the 50th Anniversary....
	__________________ Thank God for kids that love Obscure Things. Lee Hazlewood (1929-2007) You ARE Special to God! Rev. Ernest Angely (August 1921-May 2021)

08-15-2011, 12:19 PM	#7
Steve M. Back on the road to reality Forum Superstar Join Date: Nov 07, 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 33,307	It introduced us to the idea of exotic children's names; odd names for kids are common these days, but in the '60s, you didn't hear of any kid being named "Pebbles" or "Bamm-Bamm." Now we have girls named "Madison." And, except for Olympic track star Wilma Rudolph, who in 1960 ever heard of anyone named Wilma? I've only known one woman with that name in my life!!
	__________________ I don't really get out a lot. When I do go out, I couldn't be happier. I love being in a nice milieu. I'm as happy as a clam. Just as long as I'm not in some club playing hip-hop. You hear that sort of thing in a lot of places. That's not my milieu. Rock and roll is good-time music. I love rock. So did my parents. Last edited by Steve M.; 08-20-2011 at 09:40 PM.

09-30-2010, 07:14 PM	#3
Rezny@gmail.com Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 20, 2007 Location: Nebraska Posts: 2,675	And one more thing that made it a classic:It was FUNNY!And kudos to a great voice cast,unfortunately all dead:Alan Reed(Fred),Mel Blanc(and for a brief time in 1961 Daws Butler-Blanc came back in 1962 and was Barney till the end in 1966-as Barney),Jean Van Der Pyl(Wilma),Bea Benaderet and Gerry Johnson (Betty),all the writers.and producers -directors Hanna-Barbera for making a clasic cartoon series still remembered 50 years after its debut.

10-01-2010, 11:05 AM	#4
MickeyMac Member Forum Star Join Date: Jun 18, 2008 Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Posts: 19,008	Bottom line The Flintstones kick ass Great cartoon Even the worst of the Flintstones is still better than any of the best of the Simpsons.

11-30-2010, 11:56 AM	#5
howilu Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 20, 2003 Location: St. Louis Park, MN Posts: 1,965	The Flintstones defied logic by becoming the first successful animated cartoon series to run half hour episodes. It was a very funny cartoon and i always like the prehistoric variations of celebrity names such as Stony Curtis, Cary Granite and Rock Quarry.