The Flintstones turned the world of TV on its head when it became the first animated show to be a hit during prime time. Set in the Stone Age town of Bedrock, the show looked at the lives of ancient cave dwellers through the lens of modern life. For example, bird beaks were used as phonograph needles, elephant trunks as vacuum cleaners, and fireflies as light bulbs. The Flintstones was an instant hit because it had just the right amount of top-notch humour and clever visuals. It led to decades of syndicated re-runs, spin-offs, and thousands of other products that were based on it.
The Flintstones is loosely based on the hit show The Honeymooners. It shows the lives of Fred Flintstone, a big, loud guy with a good heart, and his wife Wilma (who puts up with him). The couple lives next door to Barney and Betty Rubble, who are their best friends. They have a dog named Dino, who is a dinosaur. In the same way that I Love Lucy did, the characters on this show are always coming up with crazy ideas, trying to cover up little white lies, or doing something else that is sure to get them in trouble. There are also many cameos in The Flintstones that make fun of famous people from the early 1960s. In the later years of the show, each couple would have a child. Fred and Wilma had a little girl named Pebbles, and Barney and Betty adopted a boy named Bamm-Bamm (a little boy)...
The Flintstones DVD has a lot of funny episodes, like the first episode of the season, "The Flintstone Flyer," in which Fred fakes being sick so that he and Barney don't have to go to the opera with Wilma and Betty. The two run away in their Stone Age helicopter and go bowling, but Barney soon reveals what they really did... In "The Swimming Pool," Fred and Barney build a pool together, but it ends up putting a strain on their friendship. In "Hollyrock, Here I Come," Betty and Wilma win a trip to Hollyrock as a prize on a TV game show.
The first season of The Flintstones has the following episodes:
Episode 1 (The Flintstone Flyer) Air Date: 09-30-1960
Episode 2 (Hot Lips Hannigan) Air Date: 10-07-1960
Episode 3 (The Swimming Pool) Air Date: 10-14-1960
Episode 4 (No Help Wanted) Air Date: 10-21-1960
Episode 5 (The Split Personality) Air Date: 10-28-1960
Episode 6 (The Monster from the Tar Pits) Air Date: 11-04-1960
Episode 7 (The Babysitters) Air Date: 11-11-1960
Episode 8 (At the Races) Air Date: 11-18-1960
Episode 9 (The Engagement Ring) Air Date: 11-25-1960
Episode 10 (Hollyrock, Here I Come) Air Date: 12-02-1960
Episode 11 (The Golf Champion) Air Date: 12-09-1960
Episode 12 (The Sweepstakes Ticket) Air Date: 12-16-1960
Episode 13 (The Drive-in) Air Date: 12-23-1960
Episode 14 (The Prowler) Air Date: 12-30-1960
Episode 15 (The Girls Night Out) Air Date: 01-06-1961
Arthur Quarry's Dance Class, Episode 16 Air Date: 01-13-1961
Episode 17 (The Big Bank Robbery) Air Date: 01-20-1961
The air date for Episode 18 (The Snorkasaurus Hunter) is January 27, 1961.
Episode 19 (The Hot Piano) Air Date: 02-03-1961
Date: February 10, 1961. Episode: "The Hypnotist."
Episode 21 (Love Letters on the Rocks) Air Date: 02-17-1961
Date: February 24, 1961. Episode: "The Tycoon."
Episode 23, "The Astra' Nuts," first aired on April 3, 1961.
Date: March 10, 1961. Episode: "The Long, Long Weekend."
Episode 25 (In the Dough) Air Date: 03-17-1961
Episode 26 (The Good Scout) Air Date: 03-24-1961
Episode 27 (Rooms for Rent) Air Date: 03-31-1961
Episode 28 (Fred Flintstone: Before and After) Air Date: 04-07-1961
