TheFlintstonesisananimated,prime-timeAmericantelevisionsitcomthatwasbroadcastfromSeptember30,1960toApril1,1966onABC.TheshowwasproducedbyHanna-BarberaProductions.TheFlintstoneswasaboutaworking-classStoneAgeman'slifewithhisfamilyandhisnext-doorneighborandbestfriend.Theshow'scontinuingpopularityrestedheavilyonitsjuxtapositionofmoderneverydayconcernsintheStoneAgesetting.TheshowissetintheStoneAgetownofBedrock.(Insomeoftheearlierepisodes,itwasalsoreferredtoas"Rockville".)Inthisfantasyversionofthepast,dinosaurs,saber-toothedtigers,woollymammoths,andotherlong-extinctanimalsco-existwithcavemen.Liketheirmid-20thcenturycounterparts,thesecavemenlistentorecords,liveinsplit-levelhomes,andeatoutatrestaurants,yettheirtechnologyismadeentirelyfrompre-industrialmaterialsandlargelypoweredthroughtheuseofanimals.Forexample,thecarsaremadeoutofstone,wood,andanimalskins,andpoweredbythepassengers'feet(asinthethemesong,"ThroughthecourtesyofFred'stwofeet").Theoriginalpilotepisodeclipwascalledthe"Flagstones"(whichfirstappearedin1959asa90-secondpromotiontodrawadvertiserstotheshow)andwaslaterreincorporatedintotheshow'sfirstepisode(thirdepisodeinoriginalairdateorder).Theshow'snamewaschangedto"TheFlintstones"shortlythereafter.TechnologyOftenthe"prehistoric"analogtoamodernmachineusesananimal.[5]Forexample,whenacharactertakesphotographswithaninstantcamera,insidethecamerabox,abirdcarvesthepictureonastonetabletwithitsbeak.Inarunninggag,theanimalpoweringsuchtechnologywouldfrequentlybreakthefourthwall,lookdirectlyintothecameraattheaudienceandofferamildcomplaintabouthisjob.Othercommonlyseengadgetsintheseriesincludeababywoollymammothusedasavacuumcleaner;anadultwoollymammothactingasashowerbysprayingwaterwithitstrunk;elevatorsraisedandloweredbyropesaroundbrontosauruses'necks;"automatic"windowspoweredbymonkeysontheoutside;birdsactingas"carhorns",soundedbythedriverpullingontheirtailsorsqueezingtheirbodies;an"electric"razormadefromaclamshell,vibratingfromahoney-beeinside;apelicanasawashingmachine,shownwithabeakfulofsoapywater;andawoodpeckerwhosebeakisusedtoplayagramophonerecord.Inmostcases,"TheManofaThousandVoices",MelBlanc,contributedtheanimals'gaglines,oftenloweringhisvoiceonetotwofulloctaves,farbelowtherangeheusedtovoicethecharacterofBarneyRubble.InthecaseoftheFlintstones'cuckooclocks,whichvariedfrommechanicaltoystolivebirdsannouncingthetime,whenthehourapproached12:00,thebirdinsidetheclock"cuckooing"usuallyjustranoutofsteamandgaveupvocally,physically,orboth."Stone-age"namesTheStoneAgesettingallowedforgagsandwordplaysinvolvingrocksandminerals.Forexample,SanAntoniobecomes"Sand-and-Stony-o";thecountrytothesouthofBedrock'slandiscalled"Mexirock"(Mexico).Travelto"Hollyrock",aparodyofHollywood,usuallyinvolvesan"airplane"flight—the"plane",inthiscase,isoftenshownasagiantpterosaur,withthefuselagestrappedtoitsback.SunValleybecomes"StoneValley"andisrunby"ConradHailstone"(ConradHilton).Thelastnames"Flintstone"and"Rubble",aswellasothercommonBedrocksurnamessuchas"Shale"and"Quartz",areinlinewiththesepuns,asarethenamesofBedrock'scelebrities:"GaryGranite"(CaryGrant),"StonyCurtis"(TonyCurtis),"EdSulleyrock/Sulleystone"(EdSullivan),"RockPile/Quarry/Hudstone"(RockHudson),"Ann-Margrock"(Ann-Margret),"JimmyDarrock"(JamesDarren),"AlvinBrickrock"(AlfredHitchcock),"PerryMasonry/Masonite"(PerryMasonasplayedbyRaymondBurr),"MickJadestoneandTheRollingBoulders"(MickJaggerandTheRollingStones,called"MickJaggedandtheStones"inlive-actionfilmTheFlintstonesinVivaRockVegas),"EppyBrianstone"(BrianEpstein)and"TheBeauBrummelstones"(TheBeauBrummels).Once,whilevisitingoneofBedrock'shousesof"HauteCouture"withWilma,Bettyevencommentedonthenew"JackieKennerock(JackieKennedy)look".Insomecases,thecelebrityfeaturedalsoprovidedthevoice:"Samantha"and"Darrin"fromBewitchedwerevoicedbyElizabethMontgomeryandDickYork.ExamplesfromtheabovelistincludeAnn-Margret,Curtis,Darren,andtheBeauBrummels.Othercelebrities,suchas"EdSulleystone"and"AlvinBrickrock",wererenderedbyimpersonators.SomeofBedrock'ssportsheroesinclude:footballplayer"RedGranite"(RedGrange),wrestler"BrontoCrushrock"(BronkoNagurski),golfer"ArnoldPalmrock"(ArnoldPalmer),boxers"FloydPatterstone"(FloydPatterson)and"SonnyListone"(SonnyListon),andbaseballplayers"SandyStoneaxe"(SandyKoufax),"LindyMcShale"(LindyMcDaniel),"RogerMarble"(RogerMaris),and"MickeyMarble"or"MickeyMantlepiece"(MickeyMantle).Acereporter"DaisyKilgranite"(DorothyKilgallen)wasafriendofWilma.Monsternamesinclude"CountRockula"(CountDracula),Rockzilla(Godzilla),and"TheFrankenstoneMonster"(Frankenstein'smonster).
