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DonRocks

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Other than Bugs Bunny, the most important cartoon ever?
Nope! That would be Tom and Jerry.
 
Pilot Episode: "The Flagstones" May 1, 1960:

[Note: Only 90 seconds long, and not many people have seen this - I know I hadn't.]

Season 1

 
Episode numbers are listed with Original Air Dates:
 
1. "The Flintstone Flyer" - Sep 30, 1960: x240-bSe.jpg

[Note: The Barney-Copter! No! The Flintstone Flyer! I had no idea this was Season 1, Episode 1 when I was a child.]

 
2.  "Hot Lips Hannigan" - Oct 7, 1960: hot-lips-hannigan.JPG

[Note: Wow - between this and the pilot, Wilma has some bitch to her - look at those quotes of hers in the link!]

3. "The Swimming Pool" - Oct 14, 1960: 84682-flintstones-the-swimming-pool-epis

[Note: From what I remember, the "looks" of Fred and Barney are radically different than they are in later seasons.]

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As an arguer, I thought "this will be an easy fray to jump into" but you know, not so much.

Just the first few seconds:

1. The very first frames feature "twinkle toes" Fred at his best - performing a feat of athleticism while being an overweight mess. A real everyman's hero.
2. The intro sequence was clearly later stolen (homaged?) by the Simpsons...the exit from work, the car in the garage, to the couch, TV on. Brilliant.
3. And they got off to a great start despite not having (yet) the awesome Flintstones theme song...a song later picked up on by 80s bands like the B-52s, Screaming Blue Messiahs and "Bruce Springstone"
4. The analogy to the Honeymooners is hard to miss, and arguably the Flintstones were a little edgier. So you've got the cartoon aspect drawing in younger kids, the Honeymooners characters for the adults and a little edge added for good measure.

Simpsons? Family Guy? The Flintstones broke that ground. Gets my vote.

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As an arguer, I thought "this will be an easy fray to jump into" but you know, not so much.

Just the first few seconds:

1. The very first frames feature "twinkle toes" Fred at his best - performing a feat of athleticism while being an overweight mess. A real everyman's hero.

2. The intro sequence was clearly later stolen (homaged?) by the Simpsons...the exit from work, the car in the garage, to the couch, TV on. Brilliant.

3. And they got off to a great start despite not having (yet) the awesome Flintstones theme song...a song later picked up on by 80s bands like the B-52s, Screaming Blue Messiahs and "Bruce Springstone"

4. The analogy to the Honeymooners is hard to miss, and arguably the Flintstones were a little edgier. So you've got the cartoon aspect drawing in younger kids, the Honeymooners characters for the adults and a little edge added for good measure.

Simpsons? Family Guy? The Flintstones broke that ground. Gets my vote.

I love this post.

One of my favorite NBA quotes is from Caldwell "Pops" Jones, who once said that his greatest thrill was "When 'The Flintstones' went from half an hour to an hour." (If you don't believe me, read it for yourself in the first paragraph on page 4.)

jayandstacey, the opening sequence wasn't "stolen" (because it was the same production company), but certainly "homaged" in Hanna-Barbera's "The Jetsons."

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I love this post.

One of my favorite NBA quotes is from Caldwell "Pops" Jones, who once said that his greatest thrill was "When 'The Flintstones' went from half an hour to an hour." (If you don't believe me, read it for yourself in the first paragraph on page 4.)

jayandstacey, the opening sequence wasn't "stolen" (because it was the same production company), but certainly "homaged" in Hanna-Barbera's "The Jetsons."

I should note that I tend to write in outline format. Doing so, I believe the writing:

- Is easier to read

- Seems a bit more authoritative, and

- aligns well with how I think.

Ever notice how the Fintstones never really had much of a child character? I feel like the Jetsons were really the Flintstones with 2 kids replacing the neighbor Rubbles.

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Betty Rubble was a hottie! Barney definitely got lucky with that catch. In an interview he said that she could really make the bed rock.

Barney was about 4'6". Betty produced the strongest baby in the world.

Two words: "Bam! Bam!"

Bamm-Bamm+Rubble.jpg

Not to burst your bubble, but she was Bea Benaderet: the hotel owner in Petticoat Junction.

I'm sorry.

1385308849_3.jpg

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Barney was about 4'6". Betty produced the strongest baby in the world.

Two words: "Bam! Bam!"

Not to burst your bubble, but she was Bea Benaderet: the hotel owner in Petticoat Junction.

I'm sorry.

Bam Bam was found on the Rubbles doorstep and they adopted him.  He's not a product of Barney nor Betty's genes as the cartoon story goes.

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As an arguer, I thought "this will be an easy fray to jump into" but you know, not so much.

Just the first few seconds:

1. The very first frames feature "twinkle toes" Fred at his best - performing a feat of athleticism while being an overweight mess. A real everyman's hero.

2. The intro sequence was clearly later stolen (homaged?) by the Simpsons...the exit from work, the car in the garage, to the couch, TV on. Brilliant.

3. And they got off to a great start despite not having (yet) the awesome Flintstones theme song...a song later picked up on by 80s bands like the B-52s, Screaming Blue Messiahs and "Bruce Springstone"

4. The analogy to the Honeymooners is hard to miss, and arguably the Flintstones were a little edgier. So you've got the cartoon aspect drawing in younger kids, the Honeymooners characters for the adults and a little edge added for good measure.

Simpsons? Family Guy? The Flintstones broke that ground. Gets my vote.

I had forgotten about The Simpsons when I wrote this rhetorical question. Given its longevity (going on 25 years!), I think The Simpsons has to take the prize, or at least be in everyone's Top 3 (obviously this includes American cartoons only).

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As an arguer, I thought "this will be an easy fray to jump into" but you know, not so much.

Screaming Blue Messiahs and "Bruce Springstone"

Simpsons? Family Guy? The Flintstones broke that ground. Gets my vote.

Most importantly, the Screaming Blue Messiahs.  One of the best and strangest concerts I ever went to had the Screaming Blue Messiahs opening for the BoDeans at Lisner Auditorium circa 1988.  I loved both bands at the time but they were VERY different.  The SBMs came out and frankly terrified the mostly preppy fans of the BoDeans.

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Ever notice how the Fintstones never really had much of a child character? I feel like the Jetsons were really the Flintstones with 2 kids replacing the neighbor Rubbles.

What about Arnold, the newpaper boy? He was sort of like Dennis the Menace to Fred Fintstone's Mr. Wilson.

(Or even Kazoo?)

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