The Man Called Flintstone

Infobox Film
name = The Man Called Flintstone


caption = Original poster
imdb_rating =
director = Joseph Barbera
William Hanna
producer = Joseph Barbera
William Hanna
writer = Ray Allen (story)
Joseph Barbera
Harvey Bullock (story)
Warren Foster
William Hanna
Alex Lovy
starring = Alan Reed
Mel Blanc
Jean Vander Pyl
Gerry Johnson
Paul Frees
music = Doug Goodwin (songs)
John McCarthy (songs)
Ted Nichols
Marty Paich
cinematography = Dick Blundell
Gene Borghi
Charles Flekal
Bill Kotler
etc.
editing =
distributor = Columbia Pictures
released = August 3, 1966 (USA)
runtime = 87 minutes
country = USA
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by = "The Flintstones"
imdb_id = 0060661
amg_id = 1:31074

"The Man Called Flintstone" is an American animated musical film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and released in 1966 by Columbia Pictures. It was the second Hanna-Barbera feature, after "Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!" (1964). [Beck, Jerry. "The Animated Movie Guide". Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2005. ISBN 1-55652-591-5. pp. 160-161.]

The film is a theatrical spin-off of the 1960-1966 television series, "The Flintstones", and is considered the official swan song of the classic TV show as it was made immediately following the end of production on the series.

Plot

"The Man Called Flintstone" is a spoof of the James Bond films, and also borrows elements from several episodes of the "Flintstone" TV series.

In the film, Fred Flintstone (voiced by Alan Reed) is recruited by a secret organization to take the place of Rock Slag, an injured agent (voiced by Paul Frees) who happens to be Fred's doppelgänger. His mission: to travel to "Eurock" (under the guise of a family vacation) and catch the evil Green Goose (also voiced by Paul Frees). The catch is Fred is unable to tell his family or friends about the mission. Mel Blanc once again provides the voice of Fred's sidekick, Barney Rubble. The movie includes numerous musical interludes, including one song performed by Louis Prima. The singing voice of Fred is provided by Henry Corden, who would go on to fully assume the role of Fred after Reed's death in 1977.

The film borrows themes from several episodes of the TV series, including an episode in which Fred becomes involved in a spy caper spoofing "Goldfinger", and another in which he encounters JL Gotrocks, the world's richest man, and his exact double.

Reception

"Variety" gave the "The Man Called Flintstone" a positive review on August 10, 1966, calling the production "excellent" and noting that the "stone-age scenery and machinery are mildly amusing and sometimes highly inventive". The review judges that the plot is a fast-moving and clever spoof of contemporary spy films. ["The Man Called Flintstone" (film review). "Variety", August 10 1966]

The film was a minor success upon its original release, but in the succeeding years became more popular at cinema matinees, and on television. In 2005, a North American DVD version was released by Warner Home Video. However, owing to licensing complications between Warner Bros. (current owners of the "Flintstones" property) and Sony (current owners of then-"Flintstones" distributor Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems), only a Canadian release occurred; a United States release was canceled and would not be rescheduled until the rights issue was cleared in August 2008. The DVD will be released in the United States on December 2, 2008, along with a DVD of "Hey There, It's Yogi Bear", a film with which "The Man Called Flintstone" was released as a double-bill during the 1970s. [ [http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Flintstones-The-Man-Called-Flintstone/10265 TVShowsOnDVD.com news report of the DVD's release] ]

References

ee also

*Hanna-Barbera (film series)
*Espionage
*List of animated feature films

External links

*imdb title|id=0060661|title=The Man Called Flintstone