A Flintstone Christmas (1977) (TV)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Charles A. Nichols

Writers:

Duane Poole (writer)
Dick Robbins (writer)

Release Date:

7 December 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family

Plot:

When Santa has an accident at Fred's house on Christmas Eve, Fred and Barney have to continue his run for him.

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Santa Claus | The Flintstones | Holiday In Title | Modern Stone Age Humor

Cast

Gay Autterson	...	Betty Rubble (voice) (as Gay Hartwig)
Mel Blanc	...	Barney Rubble (voice)
Lucille Bliss	...	Bamm Bamm Rubble (voice)
Henry Corden	...	Fred Flintstone (voice)
Virginia Gregg	...	(voice)
Hal Smith	...	Santa Claus (voice)
John Stephenson	...	Mr. George Nate Slate (voice)
Jean Vander Pyl	...	Wilma Flintstone / Pebbles Flintstone (voice)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Hanna-Barbera Productions

Trivia:

Pebbles and Bamm Bamm are preteens in this special.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: It is somewhat illogical that a family existing in prehistory should celebrate an event which took place within recorded history.

Quotes:

Betty Rubble: [seeing the tree that Fred's stuck on] Oh it is a beautiful tree!
Barney Rubble: [laughs] Especially that fat little ornament.
Fred Flintstone: Very funny, Barney, now get me down.
Barney Rubble: Okay Fred, okay, but don't forget your Christmas spirit.
Fred Flintstone: Oh sure, ho ho ho.

Movie Connections:

Follows "The Flintstones" (1960)

We Want Santa! We Want Santa! We Want Santa!

Hey, kids, knock it off. Christmas isn't all about presents, ya know? Who raised you selfish little ruffians?

This would be followed by Casper's First Christmas and the movie Yogi's First Christmas.

They are kind of like a trilogy of poor story characterization, draining the last bits of life out of dead corpses, all to make a quick buck, for whatever it was supposed to do.

Christmas classics like the Rankin Bass offerings? I Don't Think So!! The Flintstones episode when Fred works as the department store Santa then fills in for the real Santa is a gem. It has aged well and is remarkably sincere.

Children should be made happy during the holidays and their love for Santa Claus is natural.

In the '77 Flintstones Christmas, the kids rant and rave for Santa and those presents like drunks on the weekend in a bar wanting a stripper.

Pebbles and Bamm Bamm are now small kids, not quite teens.

Mr. Slate: "If Flintstone doesn't get here in five minutes, he's fired!"

Wilma: "Ohhhh, that Fred! Wait till I get my hands on him!" This is the plot.

Wilma and Mr. Slate don't gradually get mad at Fred, they turn it on like a faucet.

Where's Fred? Get Mad.

Also worth noting an incredibly weak song that is sung (was it supposed to be Wilma singing?) to Pebbles about having hope. I guess hope that Santa Claus will arrive. Boo Boo Bear sings this same song in the Yogi's First Christmas cartoon. Not rich their either.

There is a much later Christmas special where Fred does the Ebenezer Scrooge bit, which believe it or not, it was just fun seeing the Bedrock gang again.

In the end, that is about where this Christmas special will stand; as a transition from the sixties originality, Flintstones vitamins and Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles, to 1970s weak duplication, the movie specials, finally the real life transitions and direct to video.

No harm will be in this cartoon, it may be brainless enough to watch at Christmas, but it could have definitely been stronger.