Unearth the Surprising Secrets Behind The Flintstones That Will Rock Your Stone Age World!
The Flintstones Was Elizabeth Taylor’s Last Movie
Elizabeth Taylor has had nothing short of an exciting life, being a star in the movie industry since the 1940s. However, by the 1990s, she had turned her focus to philanthropy, although making appearances in films and TV shows here and there.
The producers of The Flintstones desperately wanted her in the film and she agreed to the small role of Pearl Slaghoopie and donated the proceeds from the film premier to her AIDS foundation. The movie turned out to be her last theatrically released film as she passed away om 2011.
Flintstones Smackdown
Although there have been countless Flintstones-related releases over the decades, with most of them being odd, none of them beat The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age Smackdown! It was a crossover between The Flintstones and WWE which allowed Warner Bros. and WWE to work together and make as much money as possible off an unusual animated film.
The film had numerous appearances from WWE stars like John Cena and the Undertaker and is basically just characters from The Flinstones and the WWE wrestling each other. Released in 2015, it had some surprisingly decent reviews.
It Held A Cartoon Record For A Long Time
Although The Flintstones was groundbreaking on numerous different levels, it also set the bar for other cartoons. Being the first-ever prime time cartoon, for decades, the show held the record for the longest-running cartoon, a total of six years, six seasons, and 166 episodes.
Even after the show had concluded, it held the record for the longest-running cartoon up until The Simpsons came about and shattered the record. But still, that’s pretty impressive for a show from the 1960s.
The Caveman Theme Came Out Of A Disagreement
When coming up with ideas for a new show William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were butting heads about numerous things, however, one thing they could not agree on was characters clothing. This would help give them a sense what kind of show it was going to be, but the two could not find a middle ground.
Finally, William Hanna was so frustrated that he proclaimed “Let’s do it in a caveman setting! They won’t wear clothes, they’ll just wear animal skins!” Little did they know what a successful idea that had been.
The Theme Song Is One Of The Most Recognizable In The World
While it’s no secret that just about anyone exposed to popular culture knows the tune for The Flintstone theme song, it turns out that it’s more popular than most people might think. Even though it first came out in 1960, according to a PRS for Music survey, the song is the most recognized children’s show theme song for adults in the UK.
This is more than likely the case for older generations in the United States as well. Furthermore, even young children can still recognize the tune.
The Flintstones Had A Spooky Adventure In The ’70s
In 1979, Hanna-Barbera produced a 48-minute special called The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone that aired on ABC. After winning a game show, both the Flintstone and Rubble families win a trip to “Rocksylvania,” where they meet Rockula at his castle.
Of course, both the names of the famous Universal monsters they meet are appropriately themed for the show, as Rockulas doesn’t seem to have any particular affinity for rock music. Frankenstone is obviously modeled after Frankenstein’s monster, but he’s Rockukla’s servant in this.
Frankenstone Was One Of Ted Cassidy’s Last Roles
The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone first aired nine months after the passing of Ted Cassidy, who was best known for playing Lurch in the original The Addams Family TV series from the 1960s. It was also far from his first time doing voice work, as he reprised his famous character in animated Addams Family stories.
The Flintstones romp would prove to be just one of several projects to feature Cassidy’s voice posthumously, the last of which being Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure Of All in 1982.
By The 1980s, There Was Finally A Crossover
In 1987, Hanna-Barbera released a syndicated, feature-length TV movie that saw Elroy Jetson create a time machine that brought the Jetsons back to the Stone Age. Naturally, the result was called The Jetsons Meet The Flintstones, and it doesn’t take long before the family from the future meets their proverbial ancestors.
But while George Jetson is clumsy enough to have more than a few issues adjusting to his new environs, the shoe goes on the other foot as the movie progresses, as Fred Flintstone eventually finds himself transported to the future.
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