Fred Flintstone
Fred Flintstone | |
---|---|
Pearl Slaghoople (mother-in-law) Ricky Slaghoople (father-in-law)[5] Bamm-Bamm Rubble (godson/son-in-law) Roxy Rubble (granddaughter)[14] Chip Rubble (grandson)[14] | |
Spouse | Wilma Flintstone (wife) |
Children | Pebbles Flintstone (daughter) Stony Flintstone (adopted son)[15] |
Catchphrase | "Yabba-Dabba-Doo!" |
Frederick "Fred" Flintstone is the main character of the
Fred lives in the fictional
Since the original series' run, Fred has appeared in various other cartoon spinoffs, live action adaptations, music videos, video games, and
Biography
While the mid-1980s
As young adults, Fred and Barney worked as bellhops at a resort. There, they met and fell in love with Wilma and Betty, who were working there as
Fred is a typical blue-collar worker, who works as a "bronto crane operator" at Slate Rock and Gravel Company (also known as Rockhead and Quarry Cave Construction Company in earlier episodes). Fred's job title in the second-season episode "Divided We Sail" is "geological engineer".[19]
During the original series' third season, Wilma gives birth to the couple's daughter, Pebbles. Years later, when Pebbles is a teenager, Fred and Barney join the Bedrock
Relatives
The Flintstone family's paternal side originally came from the prehistoric state of Arkanstone in Camp Mastodon, where they had been engaged in a feud similar to the Hatfield–McCoy feud. The feud was originally started by an ancestor of Fred's making a joke about a Hatrock family portrait ("I don't know what the artist got for doing that painting, but he should've gotten life!"). In the fourth-season episode "Bedrock Hillbillies", the feud is ended when Fred helps rescue Pebbles and a Hatrock baby, only to start up again when Fred makes the same joke as his ancestor. The Hatrocks later appear in the follow-up fifth-season episode "The Hatrocks and the Gruesomes", where they visit Bedrock. The last of the Camp Mastodon Arkanstone Flintstones was Fred's great-great-granduncle Zeke Flintstone who lived to 102.
Other relatives of Fred include: Rocco Rockbottom "Rocky/Stony" Flintstone, Fred's grandfather, who was a Camp Mastodon veteran of Air Force Stone World War One;[7] Uncle Giggles Flintstone, a rich, eccentric practical joker whose jokes drive Fred into a mad rage;[10] James Hardrock, Edna's father; Uncle Tex Hardrock, Fred's rich Texan uncle;[9] Tumbleweed and Mary Lou Jim, Fred's rich Texan cousins.[13]
Personality
Fred's personality was based on those of early television's Ralph Kramden of The Honeymooners and Chester A. Riley of The Life of Riley, both roles held at various times by Jackie Gleason. (Riley was more closely associated with William Bendix, who originated the role, though Gleason replaced Bendix due to a contract dispute for The Life of Riley's first season on television.) Much like Ralph, Fred tends to be loud-mouthed, aggressive, temperamental and constantly scheming ways to improve his family's working class lot in life, often with unintended results. Also like Ralph, despite his harshness, he is friendly, and has a loving heart, who is very devoted to his family and cares a lot about his best friend and next door neighbor Barney Rubble. Fred loses his temper easily and is very impatient, but he seems free of malice and never holds a grudge. Although his loudness irritates the people around him, Fred proves friendly, often going out of his way to help others. Also, although Fred often annoys Wilma with his immaturity, he is known to go to great lengths to please his family and apologize when he goes too far. Other known characters from other programs may also be known to have personalities based on Fred Flintstone including Archie Bunker from All in the Family and Archie Bunker's Place (both played by Carroll O'Connor), George Jefferson from The Jeffersons (played by Sherman Hemsley), Mel Sharples from Alice (played by Vic Tayback) and Frank DeFazio from Laverne & Shirley (played by Phil Foster).
Fred's interests include
Fred's
Due to his impulsive and short-tempered behavior and stubborn and somewhat selfish nature, Fred seems to be accident-prone. Even his most innocent and mundane actions often cause widespread confusion. At the end of the closing credits, Fred puts the Flintstones housecat "Baby Puss" outside; the cat however jumps back inside and puts Fred out who begins to knock on the door of his house and starts yelling "Wilma", to open the door.
According to the original series' third-season episode "The Birthday Party" (originally aired April 5, 1963), Fred's birthday is February 2. Fred's address has varied through the series' run, with addresses given for the Flintstone residence including, 201 Cobblestone Lane (October 21, 1960 - "No Help Wanted" episode), 345 Cave Stone Road, 39 Stone Canyon Way, and 1313 Cobblestone Way. Fred's address was cited as "35 Cobblestone Rd" in the 1961 episode "The X-Ray Story".
Animated media
Television shows
- The Flagstones (1959)
- The Flintstones (1960–1966)
- The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (1971–1972)
- The Flintstone Comedy Hour (1972–1974)
- Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics (1977–1978)
- 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)
- What a Cartoon!, featuring Dino: Stay Out! (1995)
- The Rubbles (2002)
- Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs (2020)
- Jellystone! (2021)
- Bedrock (TBA)
Films and specials
- Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?(1966)
- The Man Called Flintstone (1966)
- The Flintstones on Ice (1973)
- Energy: A National Issue (1977)
- A Flintstone Christmas (1977)
- Hanna-Barbera's All-Star Comedy Ice Revue (1978)
- The Flintstones: Little Big League (1978)
- Hanna-Barbera Educational Filmstrips (1980); featuring A Weighty Problem, Fire Alarm, Fire Escape and Driving Guide
- The Flintstones' New Neighbors (1980)
- The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone (1980)
- The Flintstones: Fred's Final Fling (1980)
- The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera Arena Show (1981)
- The Flintstones: Wind-Up Wilma (1981)
- The Flintstones: Jogging Fever (1981)
- Yogi Bear's All Star Comedy Christmas Caper (1982)
- The Flintstones' 25th Anniversary Celebration (1986)
- The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones (1987)
- The Flintstone Kids' "Just Say No" Special (1988)
- A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration: 50 Years of Hanna-Barbera (1989)
- I Yabba-Dabba Do! (1993) (voiced by Henry Corden)
- Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby (1993)
- A Flintstone Family Christmas (1993)
- The Flintstones (1994) (portrayed by John Goodman)
- A Flintstones Christmas Carol (1994)
- What a Cartoon!, featuring Dino: Stay Out! (1995)
- The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000) (portrayed by Mark Addy)
- The Flintstones: On the Rocks (2001) (voiced by Jeff Bergman)
- The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown! (2015)
- Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) (briefly voiced by Jeff Bergman)
Video games
- The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy
- The Flintstones
- The Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak
- The Flintstones: The Treasure of Sierra Madrock
- The Flintstones: Bedrock Bowling
- The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
Portrayal
George O'Hanlon originally auditioned for the role of Fred Flintstone. He later went on to voice George Jetson, another Hanna-Barbera character in the animated sitcom The Jetsons.[28] Alan Reed was the original voice artist of Fred (minus the original short pilot where he was voiced by Daws Butler, who also voiced him on a 1973 record)[1] until Reed's death in 1977.[29]
Henry Corden occasionally voiced Fred on records throughout the 1960s,[2][30][31] and also provided the singing voice for Fred in The Man Called Flintstone. Following Reed's death, Corden officially took over the role until his retirement in 2000, although he continued to voice him in Post Pebbles commercials until his death in 2005.[32] Corden voiced Fred's father and mother in The Flintstone Kids, while young Fred was voiced by both Lennie Weinrib and Scott Menville at different points.
Australian voice actor Keith Scott provided Fred's voice in various commercials throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and the live show Hanna-Barbera Gala Celebrity Nite at the Wonderland Sydney amusement park in Australia.[33][34][35][36]
Other voices include
Live action portrayal
In the first live-action film, The Flintstones, Fred was played by John Goodman, who also provided his voice for the film's pinball adaptation.[48][49] In the prequel film, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, in which Fred is portrayed as younger than he was in the original, he was played by British actor Mark Addy.[50]
In other media
Commercials
Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble were pitchmen for Winston cigarettes, the show's sponsor at the time. In one ad, Fred and Barney saw the men working hard at the quarry and decided to retire out of sight for a smoke break. After extolling the virtues of their favorite brand, Fred lit up and delivered the catch phrase: "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should." A similar ad featured Wilma and Betty as well. By the original series' third season, Winston had been dropped in favor of Welch's.[51]
See also
- Flintstones Chewable Vitamins
- Pebbles Cereal
References
- ^ a b Ehrbar, Greg (July 26, 2016). "Hanna-Barbera Characters Talk 'Safety'-on Records". Cartoon Research. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Ehrbar, Greg (March 18, 2014). "Saving Mr. Flintstone". Cartoon Research. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ "Flintstones Kids Record SASFATPOGOBSQALT". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ^ a b The Flintstone Comedy Show, 1980–1982, NBC
- ^ a b c The Flintstone Kids, 1986–1988, ABC
- ^ "The Little Visitor / Grandpa for Loan", The Flintstone Kids, season 1
- ^ a b "The Story of Rocky's Raiders", The Flintstones, season 6
- ^ a b "Bedrock Hillbillies", The Flintstones, season 4
- ^ a b "Baby Barney", The Flintstones, season 3
- ^ a b "A Haunted House is Not a Home", The Flintstones, season 5
- ^ "They Went That Away", The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, CBS
- ^ "Deep in the Heart of Texarock", The Flintstones, season 5
- ^ a b c "Droop Along Flintstone", The Flintstones, season 2
- ^ a b Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby, 1993, ABC
- ^ A Flintstone Family Christmas, 1993, ABC
- ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ a b "Bachelor Daze", The Flintstones, season 4
- ^ "Photographic image of cartoon" (JPG). 4.bp.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
- ^ "Divided We Sail". IMDb.com. 6 April 1962. Archived from the original on 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
- ^ "Bowling Ballet", The Flintstones, season 3
- ^ "Flintstone of Prinstone", The Flintstones, season 2
- ^ a b "Hot Lips Hannigan", The Flintstones, season 1
- ^ "The Gambler", The Flintstones, season 2
- YouTube
- ^ In "The Hit Song Writers", The Flintstones, season 2
- ^ "Wilma, the Maid", The Flintstones, season 3
- ISBN 978-1578066964. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
- ^ "George O'Hanlon, 76, George Jetson's Voice". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 15, 1989. p. 24. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
- ^ "Voice of Fred Flintstone, Henry Corden dies at 85". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2011-02-11. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ Ehrbar, Greg (March 25, 2014). "The Day "Alice" Fell Through Her TV: The 1966 HB Special". Cartoon Research. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Ehrbar, Greg (November 11, 2014). "The Flintstones' Meet The Orchestra Family (1968)". Cartoon Research. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ McLellan, Dennis (2005-05-21). "Henry Corden, 85; Played Film and TV Heavies, Was Voice of Fred Flintstone". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
- ^ "Amber Tiles". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-07-05. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
- ^ "Wonderland". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
- ^ "Hanna-Barbera Gala Celebrity Nite". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
- ^ "Keith Scott". Blah Artists. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ "The New Show". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ "Flintstones/Jetsons: Timewarp". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
- ^ "Voice(s) of Fred Flintstone in Cartoon Network". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
- ^ "Day in the Life of a Voice-Actor: The Fred Flintstone Session". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
- ^ "Qosmio". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
- ^ "Voice of Fred Flintstone in Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
- ^ a b c "Voice(s) of Fred Flintstone in Robot Chicken". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
- ^ "Voice of Fred Flintstone in Mad". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
- ^ "Rick Zieff on Twitter: "Thrilled to be the voice of Fred Flintstone for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve! Thanks, Tyler Shamy, Warner Brothers, Post Cereal. Let's bid 2020 Yabba-Dab-ADIEU! 8pm/7pm Central on ABC."". Twitter. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-7509-9592-4.
- ^ "Elizabeth Banks Leads Voice Cast of 'The Flintstones' Animated Series 'Bedrock' as Comedy Scores Pilot Presentation at Fox". 10 March 2023. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ Brennan, Judy (1994-04-24). "Will 'Flintstones' Bolster Goodman's Rocky Film Career?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
- ^ "The Flintstones (Pinball)". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-10-15. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
- ^ Harrison, Eric (2000-04-28). "Meet the Young Flintstones in Livelier Prequel". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
- ^ "Did the Flintstones Do Commercials for Winston Cigarettes?". 2012-12-09. Archived from the original on 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
Further reading
- Yabba Dabba Doo! The Alan Reed Story, by Alan Reed and Ben Ohmart. Albany, 2009. ISBN 1-59393-313-4