Betty Rubble
Betty Rubble | |
---|---|
The Flintstones character | |
First appearance | "The Flagstones" (1959) |
Created by | Hanna-Barbera |
Voiced by |
|
Portrayed by | Rosie O'Donnell (1994 film) Jane Krakowski (2000 film) |
In-universe information | |
Species | Cavewoman |
Gender | Female |
Occupation | Housewife Newspaper reporter[1] Caterer[2] |
Family | Bradley "Brad" McBricker (brother) Jean McBricker (mother) Brick McBricker (father)[3] Sissy [McBricker] Sandstone (sister) |
Spouse | Barney Rubble (husband) |
Children | Bamm-Bamm Rubble (adopted son) |
Relatives | Marblehead Sandstone Sr. (brother-in-law) Marblehead Sandstone Jr. (nephew)[4] Pebbles Flintstone (goddaughter/daughter-in-law) Roxy Rubble (granddaughter)[5] Chip Rubble (grandson)[5] |
Betty Rubble is a fictional character in the television animated series The Flintstones and its spin-offs and live-action motion pictures. She is the black-haired wife of caveman Barney Rubble and the adoptive mother of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. Her best friend is her next-door neighbor Wilma Flintstone.
Betty lives in the fictional
Betty's personality was based on the
Character
Betty typically follows the lead of Barney or Wilma, so may appear to be the least developed character in the show. In spite of this, Betty is portrayed as having a distinctly emotional marriage with Barney, which often includes pet names and more obvious affection than the dynamic and energetic interaction between Fred and Wilma. Occasions when Betty leads the action are extremely scarce: one episode centers around her working undercover as a gentle old lady to earn money for a present for Barney; in another, the plot focuses on her and Wilma's suspicions of Barney being involved with another woman (who turns out to be Fred in a disguise in order to attend a ball game free of charge). This lack of protagonism (her continuous presence almost becoming a backdrop for supporting characters Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm and Dino) makes Betty less of the lead than the show's general concept might imply.
Biography
Betty is a friend of Wilma since their childhood. As a child, she lived with her parents who ran a convenience store and her older brother, Brad. She also has a married sister with a baby son named Marblehead Sandstone.[6]
As young adults, Betty and Wilma were employed as
Betty became a
In the fourth season of the original series, Betty and Barney found an abandoned infant on their doorstep, by the name of "Bamm-Bamm." After a court battle for possession of Bamm-Bamm (in which the Rubbles faced the opposition's noted prehistoric lawyer "Perry Masonry"), the couple were allowed to adopt Bamm-Bamm.[11] The Rubbles never had biological children. The story depicted Betty as despondent over their inability to conceive, which was a surprisingly serious topic for any cartoon. It is unknown if this was due to a medical reason or simply bad luck, though after adopting Bamm-Bamm they never tried again.
When Bamm-Bamm was a teenager, Betty gained employment as a
Later still, after Bamm-Bamm grew up and left home, Betty started a successful catering business with her neighbor and friend Wilma, before becoming a
Portrayal
June Foray voiced Betty in a 1959 Flintstones pilot titled The Flagstones, but Bea Benaderet was cast for the series and voiced Betty for the first four seasons before stepping down in 1964 (due to her scheduling conflicts with Petticoat Junction). Gerry Johnson took over the role for the last 2 seasons. B.J. Ward has since performed the role in later Flintstones media since 1986–2000. Grey DeLisle started voicing Betty in The Flintstones: On the Rocks and voiced her in The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!. In The Flintstones: Welcome to Bedrock, Betty's voice was provided by Dina Monaco-Boland.[12][13] In the upcoming series Bedrock, Betty will be voiced by Nicole Byer.[14]
In the 1994 film, Betty was portrayed by Rosie O'Donnell,[15][16] who reportedly won the role because she captured the high-pitched laugh at her audition. Jane Krakowski replaced O'Donnell in the 2000 prequel The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, in which Betty's maiden name is "O'Shale".
Animated media
Television shows
- The Flagstones (1959) (voiced by June Foray)
- The Flintstones (1960–1964) (voiced by Bea Benaderet)
- The Flintstones (1964–1966) (voiced by Gerry Johnson)
- The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (1971–1972) (voiced by Gay Autterson)
- The Flintstone Comedy Hour (1972–1974)
- Fred Flintstone and Friends (1977–1978)
- The New Fred and Barney Show (1979)
- Fred and Barney Meet the Thing (1979)
- Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo (1979–1980)
- The Flintstone Comedy Show (1980–1982)
- The Flintstone Funnies(1982–1984)
- The Flintstone Kids (1986–1988) (voiced by B.J. Ward)
- The Rubbles (2002) (voiced by Grey DeLisle)
- Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs (2020)
- Bedrock (TBA) (voiced by Nicole Byer)
Films and specials
- The Man Called Flintstone (1966)
- The Flintstones on Ice (1973)
- A Flintstone Christmas (1977)
- The Flintstones: Little Big League (1978)
- The Flintstones' New Neighbors (1980)
- The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone (1980)
- The Flintstones: Fred's Final Fling (1980)
- The Flintstones: Wind-Up Wilma (1981)
- The Flintstones: Jogging Fever (1981)
- The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones (1987) (voiced by Julie McWhirter Dees)
- The Flintstone Kids' "Just Say No" Special (1988)
- A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration: 50 Years of Hanna-Barbera (1989)
- I Yabba-Dabba Do! (1993)
- Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby (1993)
- A Flintstone Family Christmas (1993)
- The Flintstones (1994) (portrayed by Rosie O'Donnell)
- A Flintstones Christmas Carol (1994)
- The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000) (portrayed by Jane Krakowski)
- The Flintstones: On the Rocks (2001) (voiced by Grey DeLisle)
- The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown! (2015)
- Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
References
- ^ a b The Flintstone Comedy Show, 1980-82, NBC
- ^ I Yabba Dabba Do, 1993, ABC
- ^ "Day of the Villains", The Flintstone Kids, 1987
- ^ "The Surprise", The Flintstones, season 3
- ^ a b c Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby, 1993, ABC
- ^ "The Surprise"
- ^ "Bachelor Daze", The Flintstones, season 4
- ^ "Old Lady Betty", The Flintstones, season 4
- ^ "The Flintstone Flyer"; "The Diner"; "Peek a Boo camera"
- ^ The Soft Untouchables
- ^ "Little Bamm-Bamm", The Flintstones, season 4
- ^ "Dina Monaco-Boland". Backstage. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ "PSX#913 With Professional Actress Dina Boland". Facebook. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ "Elizabeth Banks Leads Voice Cast of 'The Flintstones' Animated Series 'Bedrock' as Comedy Scores Pilot Presentation at Fox". 10 March 2023.
- ^ Page, Janice (1994-03-24). "ROSIE: She Cuts Through the Rubble and Tells It Straight Up: The Comic-Turned-Actress Is a Real-Life Rizzo Who Says What's on Her Mind". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
- ^ Page, Janice (1994-03-29). "A New Stage in Her Career: O'Donnell's Made It in Movies, but Broadway Was Her Dream". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-10.