Blu-ray Review The Flintstones The Complete Series Blu-ray Review (2 Viewers)

[Timothy E]

The Flintstones Complete Series Blu-ray set includes every episode that aired from 1960 to 1966, in addition to an edited theatrical version of The Man Called Flintstone(1966).  This release from Warner Home Video is recommended even with its flaws, as it falls short of the high standard already set by Warner Archive in its releases of Hanna-Barbera series.



The Flintstones (1960–1966)



Released: 01 May 1960
Rated: TV-G
Runtime: 26 min




Director: N/A
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family



Cast: Jean Vander Pyl, Alan Reed, Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet
Writer(s): Joseph Barbera, William Hanna



Plot: The misadventures of two modern-day Stone Age families, the Flintstones and the Rubbles.



IMDB rating: 7.5
MetaScore: N/A





Disc Information...

Continue reading...

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks for the review! The Flintstones was a childhood favorite and I was looking forward to this release. Too bad to hear that episode 17 still has the audio issue. Hopefully the replacement disc issue will be resolved soon.

I have only one hesitation, as a kid I loved the show, as an adult, I think it might be nostalgic. But I fear I might not be able to watch all the episodes. I saw several recently on MeTV and the ones I saw were fun. As a fan, I’ll probably order this tonight or tomorrow!

 

[LeoA]

I believe you'll find you still enjoy it. The show, especially the earlier seasons, was produced for all ages thanks to its primetime spot.

I love it as much as a 37 year adult as I did when I was 5.

 

[BobO'Link]

Same here. The seasons I liked when a kid I like now. The ones I disliked as a kid I still dislike. I generally watch up until Pebbles is born. After that it becomes somewhat iffy for the most part and after Bam-Bam arrives it becomes practically unwatchable.

 

[Malcolm R]

with the exception noted of “The Big Bank Robbery” on Disc 1, which omits the sound effects and music score for the length of the episode.

It's mystifying to me how any rudimentary level of QA/QC by the studio could have possibly missed this.

 

[Ken_Martinez]

A little disturbed by the lack of grain. That's the kind of heavy-duty digital revision that we'd expect from Disney.

 

[Ejanss]

Same here. The seasons I liked when a kid I like now. The ones I disliked as a kid I still dislike. I generally watch up until Pebbles is born. After that it becomes somewhat iffy for the most part and after Bam-Bam arrives it becomes practically unwatchable.

Most Hanna-Barbera fans say the whole classic-toon studio jumped the shark after Pebbles was born at the end of Season 3--
H-B was starting to become more conscious of its marketing (Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm and Hoppy only appeared in the show because they needed more toy sales), and the tone of all H-B's cartoons was moving from their subversively sarcastic/surreal Michael Maltese style, to a more commercial Saturday-morning style.
And the Yogi, Huckleberry and Snagglepuss cartoons started becoming Wally Gator, Magilla Gorilla, and all those other less-funny mid-60's cartoons that Cartoon Network always whined about in the 00's.

In one of the "Lost Episodes" of the Honeymooners, Ralph & Alice think they're going to adopt a baby, only to find they've been turned down, and we see a long scene of Ralph, who hasn't heard the news yet, turning into a big teddy-bear around the baby he thinks they're going to take home.
That's basically what DID happen to Fred once he got his Pebbly-poo, and how times did we need Barney to remind that it sure is nice having the strongest baby in the world for a son?

 

[BobO'Link]

Yep, the HB marketing arm really took off then. My sister got a Pebbles doll that Christmas - still has it (and it's in very good shape with the hair bone still properly in place).

I didn't care for most of the "new style" Saturday cartoons in those years and tended to watch the old favorites instead. Even though I was a Beatles fan (and loved them from the day dad brought home a tape of their singles from the radio station he engineered) I absolutely detested the cartoon foisted upon Saturday mornings. Like most of those other things, it just wasn't funny and felt forced. Give me Bugs & Company (aka Looney Tunes - but *not* "The Bugs Bunny Show" as it contained half-baked filler material) any day of the week but keep Wally Gator, Magilla Gorilla, and their ilk.

 

[Malcolm R]

and how times did we need Barney to remind that it sure is nice having the strongest baby in the world for a son?

Betty must have had an affair, because we know that couldn't be Barney's DNA.

 

[Mark-P]

Betty must have had an affair, because we know that couldn't be Barney's DNA.

He was adopted. They literally found him on the doorstep.

 

[Malcolm R]

He was adopted. They literally found him on the doorstep.
View attachment 81007

Ah. My Flintstone knowledge is somewhat lacking. I don't know that I've watched the show since I was about 8.

 

[Ejanss]

Yep, the HB marketing arm really took off then. My sister got a Pebbles doll that Christmas - still has it (and it's in very good shape with the hair bone still properly in place).
I didn't care for most of the "new style" Saturday cartoons in those years and tended to watch the old favorites instead. Even though I was a Beatles fan (and loved them from the day dad brought home a tape of their singles from the radio station he engineered) I absolutely detested the cartoon foisted upon Saturday mornings.

If you mean the BeatlesToons, that was King Features. (And one of the big reasons the Beatles didn't want to work on Yellow Submarine.)

As for the marketing, I can't recall what was the deal between Columbia/Screen Gems and Ann-Margret's management--
Not only did we get the Flintstones' "Ann-Margrock" episode later on, but if you look in Columbia's "Bye Bye Birdie", AM's teen bedroom is littered with Hanna-Barbera plugs.

 

[mark27b]

Warner confirms Flintstones: Complete Series Blu-ray audio fix and replacement program

Okay, we’ve just heard back from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on that audio issue with The Flintstones: The Complete Series on Blu-ray (see our review here, which notes the specific issue with the audio on Episode 17 found on Disc One). Warner has confirmed the issue, corrected it, and is now...

thedigitalbits.com

 

[ScottRE]

I remember vaguely the episode where Barney and Betty found Bam Bam on their porch. If I recall, it was a very sweet and heartfelt episode about the Rubbles realllly sad over not having a child of their own. Whatever the issues with t his set, I'm looking forward to getting it and revisiting this series.

If you mean the BeatlesToons, that was King Features. (And one of the big reasons the Beatles didn't want to work on Yellow Submarine.)

I haven't seen this film since I was a kid. It's been so long, there's kind of a mystique about it for me. Should I revisit? I've grown to truly love the Beatles music as I've gotten older.

 

[Rob W]

Warner confirms Flintstones: Complete Series Blu-ray audio fix and replacement program

Okay, we’ve just heard back from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on that audio issue with The Flintstones: The Complete Series on Blu-ray (see our review here, which notes the specific issue with the audio on Episode 17 found on Disc One). Warner has confirmed the issue, corrected it, and is now...

thedigitalbits.com

Is it safe to assume the digital files will also be corrected ? I'm thinking of buying the digital version. I really like the way AppleTV automatically takes you to the next unwatched episode whenever you want to watch a series.

 

[Greg Chenoweth]

As for the marketing, I can't recall what was the deal between Columbia/Screen Gems and Ann-Margret's management--
Not only did we get the Flintstones' "Ann-Margrock" episode later on, but if you look in Columbia's "Bye Bye Birdie", AM's teen bedroom is littered with Hanna-Barbera plugs.

Hanna-Barbera and Screen Gems had a distribution deal in place from 1957 to about 1974. Screen Gems helped sell and distribute H-B product. Both of the films HEY THERE IT'S YOGI BEAR and THE MAN CALLED FLINTSTONE were originally distributed by Columbia Pictures. When the distribution deal expired, H-B could look to other avenues to distribute material (i.e., World Vision).

 

[Nelson Au]

Leo, Howie, I pulled the trigger. Should get the set tomorrow.

Interesting discussion, I haven’t watched The Flintstones that closely in recent years. I had a feeling that the early couple of seasons the series was purer. And that the later seasons when Pebbles and Bam Bam arrived, the series became more mainstream. That’s probably what was causing me to think what I thought earlier in that the series may not be as watchable as an adult in the later seasons of the series. The subversive surreal is what I recall were the better shows. If that’s what I remember. But as a kid, I also have a memory of episodes where an alien from another planet appears before Fred. I recall I looked forward to those in syndication. The Great Gazoo.

I look forward to the set. Would be interesting if the vitamin and cigarette commercials had been included.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I just bought the DVD set a year ago so I’m not likely to upgrade. I’ve only watched a couple episodes. I really thought I was going to be racing through the show and I was surprised that the earliest episodes didn’t really hold my interest anymore. But I’m not giving up on it. One day I’ll be ready to watch TV and won’t know what to pick and that’ll be the day I give it another try. I still love the live action movie though.

 

[Nelson Au]

Maybe your kids will like it Josh.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

That was part of my thinking when I got it!