By 1966, however, the Flintstones were just ending their original network run. But that didn't stop Hanna-Barbara from featuring them in their own full-length movie for the theaters. Since spies like James Bond, Matt Helm and Flint were big box office successes, Fred Flintstone was pressed into service as an amateur spy in The Man Called Flintstone. The upcoming movie was even the subject of an article on the Journal TV page of July 23, 1966. I like how Fred is treated as a real, live human being that happens to be starring in a movie.
It's interesting looking at the way the movie was promoted. In the United States market, the ads featured Fred in his spy get up and the two femme fatales from the movie.
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Fred looks pretty happy and why not? The cave women in the ad look less like Bedrock housewives and more like showgirls from Rock Vegas. And I won't even get into the ad's Freudian implications.
Anyways, if you're not all that interested in Fred Flintstone, it's always fun to check out the TV grids. Hey, Maverick reruns were being shown on Channel 3 on Saturday night at dinnertime!
Whoa, I had that playset! Haven't seen or thought about in a long while. I got in trouble w my dad as instead of putting it away in the box, I shoved it all under my bed!
ReplyDeleteWe weren't a big Flintstone family. I've probably mentioned this somewhere before, but Dad had a loud-mouthed boss who reminded him of Fred (or vice-versa).
ReplyDeleteAbout 1961-62, our neighbors had an adult Halloween party. My dad and another neighbor made a Flintstone auto with two big lawn rollers, a wood frame, etc and my mom and dad dressed as Fred and Wilma, the neighbors - Barney and Betty. They rolled the Flintstone-mobile to the party and we kids played on it for a few days afterward. It wasn’t a great leap for my chubby dad to play Fred - the neighbors were already used to him bellowing my mother’s name, in the same tone as “Wiiiilmaaaaa!’
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