The Flintstones - The Complete First Season

Turning the television world flat on its head, The Flintstones became the first animated hit series in prime time history. Set in the Stone Age town of Bedrock, the show explored the lives of ancient cave dwellers through the lens of a modern lifestyle, with bird beaks acting as phonograph needles, elephant trunks as vacuum cleaners, and fireflies as light bulbs. With its measured use of top-grade humor and clever visuals, The Flintstones became an instant smash hit - spawning decades of syndicated re-runs, spin-offs, and thousands of derivative products...

Loosely modeled after the hit show The Honeymooners, The Flintstones follows the lives of burly loudmouth Fred Flintstone (who has a heart of gold) and his wife Wilma (who puts up with him). The couple lives next door to best friends Barney and Betty Rubble, and they have a dog (a dinosaur) named Dino to keep them company. Following in the footsteps of shows such as I Love Lucy, the show's characters are always inventing hair-brained schemes, attempting to cover up little white lies, or engaging in some other form of behavior bound to get them in trouble. The Flintstones also features numerous cameo appearances parodying famous personalities from the early-sixties... In the show's later years, each couple would add a child to the mix with Fred & Wilma having Pebbles (a little girl) and Barney & Betty adopting Bamm-Bamm (a little boy)...

The Flintstones (Season 1) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "The Flintstone Flyer" in which Fred pretends to be sick so he and Barney can get out of going to the opera with Wilma and Betty. Escaping in their Stone Age helicopter, the two go bowling, but it isn't long before Barney spills the beans on what they really did... Other notable episodes from Season 1 include "The Swimming Pool" in which Fred and Barney build a pool together only to have it strain their friendship, and "Hollyrock, Here I Come" in which Betty and Wilma win a trip to Hollyrock as a television game show prize...

Below is a list of episodes included on The Flintstones (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (The Flintstone Flyer)
Episode 2 (Hot Lips Hannigan)
Episode 3 (The Swimming Pool)
Episode 4 (No Help Wanted)
Episode 5 (The Split Personality)
Episode 6 (The Monster from the Tar Pits)
Episode 7 (The Babysitters)
Episode 8 (At the Races)
Episode 9 (The Engagement Ring)
Episode 10 (Hollyrock, Here I Come)
Episode 11 (The Golf Champion)
Episode 12 (The Sweepstakes Ticket)
Episode 13 (The Drive-in)
Episode 14 (The Prowler)
Episode 15 (The Girls Night Out)
Episode 16 (Arthur Quarry's Dance Class)
Episode 17 (The Big Bank Robbery)
Episode 18 (The Snorkasaurus Hunter)
Episode 19 (The Hot Piano)
Episode 20 (The Hypnotist)
Episode 21 (Love Letters on the Rocks)
Episode 22 (The Tycoon)
Episode 23 (The Astra' Nuts)
Episode 24 (The Long, Long Weekend)
Episode 25 (In the Dough)
Episode 26 (The Good Scout)
Episode 27 (Rooms for Rent)
Episode 28 (Fred Flintstone: Before and After)

The DVD Report

I recently cheked this out from the library and had not seen a complete Flintstones episode in about twenty years.

I loved it as a child and it's STILL great! The episode where Fred and Barney accidentally joined the army is filled with great gags. Fred's public debut in "The Flintsome Flyer" was far funnier than the "Swimming Pool" (which was actually the first one produced). The latter episode is a little too heavy on Fred's cruelty to Barney to be funny.

But I digress, much has been said about these great episodes, so on to the special features. We get THE FLAGSTONES (1959, the pilot) with the original soundtrack. Our beloved foursome look extremely crude in this one, but we see a good glimpse of what was to come (this segment was later expanded into the swimming pool episode). The Alka seltzer ads are interesting, but why are the fruity pebbles commercials included without sound?

For those looking for the (in)famous Winston Cigarette commericals with the Flintstones, these may be found on the "Classic Commericals" DVD.

The original openings and closings are here. Interesting for historical accuracy, but less netertaining than our man sliding down the dinosaur, taking the family to see "The Monster" at the drive-in, etc. that strikes such a chord in the memory of most Flintstomne fans. That wasn't until 1962, so I guess we'll have to wait for those.

But in either case, this is well-written timeless, funny stuff that can be enjoyed by multiple generations. You don't have to be a baby boomer or Gen X-er to love this, so bring the family in the living room with some snacks when this DVD arrives and as the theme says, have a gay (oops! I mean enjoyable) old time!!!!

This DVD set is absolutely fabulous if you like the Flintstones which I grew up with. My kids are really enjoying and have watched it over and over. I am planning to purchase the 2 and 3rd season and probably the Jetsons too.

Fred, Barney, Wilma and Betty are all together again for this trip down memory lane.

Does it get any better than the Flintstones? This set is sure to please the young and young-at-heart. Filled with memorable episodes such as the Barney Copter, the Sweepstakes Tickets, and At the Races - "Come On Gravelpit!" - you are sure to enjoy this trip back in time (pun intended) to your childhood!

As an added bonus, this is way before the Great Gazoo appeared on the scene (BTW, what WAS so great about him anyway???).

This is a must-have for any self-respecting baby boomer and for a fair number of gen-X's also. Can't wait to add season 2 and 3 to my collection!

The Flinstones is a great show. I'm glad they released it out on DVD for younger children to watch and enjoy!