The Flintstones

DVD release date for the sixth season has yet to be announced, but is expected to arrive in 2006. Some makers are currently experimenting with new technologies and high-performance materials such as boron, but graphite rods still cover the broadest range of fly rods for all purposes, from 'ultralight' to two-handed spey rods to serious saltwater rods built to cast exceptionally long distances and deal with strong winds. Original release or broadcast dates are listed in parentheses. Fiberglass rods became popular in the years following WWII, but by the late 1980s, graphite rods had emerged as the material of choice for that mass market. All titles and information listed below are based on Region 1 DVD releases. On the other hand, fly rods made from man-made materials generally offer greater versatility, durability and performance than bamboo, and they require less maintenance. Original broadcast or release dates and episode titles (where applicable) are listed in parentheses. In competent hands, they provide more than adequate performance in most freshwater trout fishing situations.

Most of these titles are out of print. These rods offer grace and form, and they demand a 'slow' or 'soft' casting style that's beautifully suited to refined, leisurely fishing. The Flintstones remains the first cartoon to have original programming aired in prime time. Quality rods made by the famous masters (Leonard, Dickerson and Winston to name but three) in good condition may fetch prices well over US$2,000, and new rods from competent contemporary builders may bring nearly that much. However, it was a repeat of cartoons that had aired on Sunday afternoons in 1956. It may take well over 100 hours of labor to select and split the raw cane, then cure, flame, plane, file, taper, glue, wrap and finish each rod. This half-hour show ran for a few months on Friday nights on CBS in 1958. Split-cane bamboo fly rods combine sport, history and art.

While The Flintstones is generally considered the first cartoon to air in prime time, it was preceded by The Gerald McBoing-Boing Show, a cartoon based on an Academy Award-winning animated short. The mystical appeal of handmade split-cane rods has endured despite the emergence over the last 50 years of rod-making materials that offer more durability and performance: fiberglass and graphite. "Weird Al" Yankovic released a single and video entitled "Bedrock Anthem" from his album Alapalooza featuring many clips of The Flintstones animated TV show on the video. The earliest fly rods were made from greenheart, a tropical wood, and later bamboo originating in the Tonkin area of Guangdong Province in China. The England cricketer Andrew Flintoff is nicknamed "Freddie" after Fred Flintstone, on account of both his similar surname and his "larger-than-life" character. As stated, most fly fishing rods vary between 2m (6 feet) and 4m (14 feet) in length. The Flintstones' car was removed to make room for Betty. World destinations include parts of South America on the Amazon as well as the Patagonia region.

However, since 1996, Betty has been in the bottle also. The UK, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Tasmania, Patagonia and parts of Europe are probably the most common destinations for freshwater trout fishing. The answer, at one time, was Betty Rubble. Methods and flies also vary substantially across regions and countries. There has been a "Did You Know?" quiz circulating on the Internet for a number of years that asks which of the four main characters is not in Flintstone Vitamins. Fly fishing for trout usually takes place in small streams and ponds, as well as rivers or lakes; although the basics are the same, methods and flies vary. An enduring license has been a line of children's multivitamins called "Flintstones Complete" (more popularly known as Flintstones Vitamins); the first seasons of the series were, in part, sponsored by One-a-Day Vitamins. Other types of flies are simply 'stimulators' which are used to anger or trigger a natural aggressive response from species such as spawning salmon.

Early ads used the closing tagline, "Yabba-dabba-delicious!", but the phrase was removed during the 1990s. These can be: aquatic larva and pupae, fish, eggs, worms, grasshoppers, mice, frogs, leeches, etc. Eventually, Fred catches on and gives chase after Barney as the ad ends. While flies originally were made to imitate flying insects, they have evolved to match the diets and stimulants of the targeted species. Commercials for these cereals featured a gimmick in the form of Barney (who seems much smarter in the commercials than in the show itself) tricking Fred out of his cereal, usually by way of disguising himself as something completely different. Another aspect of fly fishing is choosing the appropriate 'fly'. The series spawned three breakfast cereals: the popular Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles, and the discontinued Dino Pebbles. The fish is then 'played' either by hand, where the angler continues to hold the fly line in his hand to control the tension applied to the fish, or he eliminates the slack in the line to get the fish 'on the reel' in order to use the reel's mechanism ('drag') to slow the fish's runs.

The later series, The Simpsons, carries on a number of Flintstones traditions, including the incorporation of music into its storylines. This sets the hook in the fish's mouth. In 1996, Rhino Records released The Flintstones: Modern Stone Age Melodies, an album containing a number of musical selections taken from the series.[1] Missing from the collection are the two Ann-Margret songs, which have been released on the Bear Family Records label of Germany. If a fish strikes, the angler pulls in line while raising the rod tip. One of these songs, "Meet the Flintstones", was later adopted as the series' theme song beginning with the third season. The angler then makes another presentation, perhaps after a few false casts. During 1961, the cast members recorded an album of songs, in character, aimed at children. After several moments the angler withdraws the fly by pulling in a small portion of line by hand (this is called 'tending' the line), then lifting the tip of the rod.

The aforementioned "Littlest Lamb" also became a popular lullaby. This presentation of the fly onto the water is one of fly-fishing's most difficult aspects, because the angler is attempting to cast in such a way that the line lands smoothly on the water's surface and the fly appears as natural as possible. Two other songs became standards on their own and are not always identified as originating with the Flintstones -- the seemingly endless singalong "Happy Anniversary" which is often performed at anniversary parties, and the spiritual "Open Up Your Heart and Let the Sunshine In", the latter song being adopted as the series closing theme during the final season. Once on the water, the fly may either float or sink, depending on the type of fly and the style of fishing. One of the most fondly remembered songs of the series was "The Bedrock Twitch", performed by staff voice actor Daws Butler and later performed in one of the first live-action Flintstones film by The B-52s. Casts are made to spots where fish are likely to hold, such as pools and pockets in streams. In the final season, space-rockers, The Wayouts appeared. When a 'false cast' is 'released' the line floats gently down to the water.

James Darren, appearing as "Jimmy Darrock" performed "The Surfin' Craze", while The Beau Brummels performed "Laugh Laugh" which was a real-life hit for the group. Anything over 18m (60 feet) in freshwater is likely to impress fellow anglers more than the fish, but many saltwater situations call for casts well beyond 25m (82 feet). Ann-Margret, appearing in a fourth season episode, performed her single "I Ain't Goin' to Be Your Fool No More" and the lullaby "The Littlest Lamb". False casting continues until the desired amount of fly line is airborne: perhaps as little as 3m (roughly 10 feet) for small streams, but averaging around 10m (30 feet) in most freshwater conditions. Hoagy Carmichael was the one of the first, introducing the original song "Yabba Dabba Doo!" in the second season premiere episode, "The Hit Songwriters" (in the same episode, Fred - on one of his tone deaf days - mangles Carmichael's "Stardust"). This motion, known as 'false casting', can be used to pay out line, dry a soaked fly, reposition a cast, or show off one's casting abilities. Many musical moments were provided by celebrity voice artists who lent both their vocal talents and their likenesses to characters. The objective of this motion is to "load" the rod tip with energy and allow the energy to travel the length of the fly line creating distance and control.

Many of the original songs in the series were composed by Hoyt Curtin. Generally, the rod is moved from the 10 o'clock position to the 2 o'clock position without letting the line touch the water or ground. Mel Blanc also performed a few vocals, including a version of "Old Folks at Home", while Jean Van Der Pyl and Bea Benadaret sang two versions of "The Car Hop Song," one performing as a pair of young girls auditioning for a job with Fred and Barney's new hamburger stand, and a second version in character as Wilma and Betty. The most common cast is when the angler whisks the fly rod forward and back using primarily the forearm and upper arm, using the wrist to soften the motion. Alan Reed himself sang several tunes in his loud tone in the coming years, including "Christmas is My Favorite Time of Year" and "Dino the Dinosaur" in the series' often-replayed Christmas episode. There are several types of casts in fly fishing that are used in a variety of situations. Fred was from then on depicted as being tone deaf, but a couple times sang a few tunes that had limited vocal range. The average freshwater rod is around 8 to 9 feet in length and weighs between 2 and 5 ounces, though a recent trend has popularized lighter, shorter rods.

In the second season, Fred was stripped of his singing ability (in the season premiere for season 2 "Hit Song Writers" Fred could not carry a tune when he attempted to sing "Stardust"). Fly fishing rods can be as short as 2m (6 ft) long in freshwater fishing and up to 4 m (14 ft) long for saltwater or spey rod fishing. Also in the first season while Alan mostly created Fred's speaking voice in an unnaturally loud tone, on occasion he used his natural tone to voice Fred (episode 5 "Split Personality" for example). The fly angler uses a rod longer and lighter than those used for cast and spin fishing. Again, Fred's voice sounds so much like Torme's that it was speculated the singer provided the voice, although it is actually Reed singing these two songs. In recent years, more exotic locations for reaching native populations of species have become popularized such as Mongolia ( for the largest Salmonid species in the world, the taimen ), and the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, where many believe holds the largest runs of salmon species in the world. A later episode, in which Fred takes on the persona of teen idol "Hye Fye" sees him performing "Listen to the Rockin' Bird" - a rewrite of the standard "Listen to the Mockingbird". Christmas Island in the Pacific is famous for bonefish, and various parts of coastal Australia offer a wide variety of saltwater sport fish.

One of the first song performances in the series was the old spiritual "When the Saints Go Marching In" performed by Fred in the first season episode "Hot Lips Hannigan" in a vocal style strongly reminiscent of jazz crooner Mel Torme. The Bahamas and Belize also provide outstanding opportunities for salt-water fly angling. In the first season Fred knew how to sing. Salt-water fly fishing has rapidly expanded in popularity, especially along the Gulf Coast and the Florida Keys for such species as bonefish, tarpon, redfish, and permit, and along the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts for bluefish and striped bass. The Flintstones was one of the more musical animated TV series, with many episodes featuring original, slightly rewritten, or actual popular recordings of the day, performed either by Fred, Barney, or a special guest star. On the other side of the globe, the active geothermal area around Lake Taupo on the North Island of New Zealand is another world-famous trout destination, particularly the Tongariro River near Turangi. One episode's couch gag even featured the Simpsons running in and finding The Flintstones (as they were originally animated) sitting on the Simpsons' couch. Along with the River Don and the River Dee, Scotland boasts the River Spey after which an entire genre of two-handed fly rods and casting techniques is named.

Burns gives him a box of chocolates. In addition to River Test, River Itchen, the Kennet, the Lambourn, and the Avon in the same area of southern England may also be considered legendary. Homer subsequently says "Yabba Dabba Doo!" when Mr. There are also tens of thousands of miles lesser known but very worthwhile streams. Burns greeting Homer, Marge and Maggie as Fred, Wilma and Pebbles. Many of the traditional “Holy Waters” of North American fly fishing can be found in these areas: New York’s Beaverkill, Michigan’s AuSable and Two Hearted (the latter made famous by Hemingway’s “Big Two-Hearted River” although there is widespread agreement that internal evidence in the story suggests he was actually describing the nearby Fox river), Wisconsin’s Bois Brule, Pennsylvania’s Letort, and numerous others. Another episode ("Lady Bouvier's Lover") has Mr. and Canada), New England and most of the Appalachian corridor also offer abundant opportunities for fly fishing for trout.

In addition, the character Barney Gumble from The Simpsons is based on Barney Rubble. Although not as widely popular among fly fishers as the west, other regions including the Canadian Maritime provinces and Newfoundland and Labrador, the upper Great Lakes region (in both the U.S. the Monorail") the starting sequence parodies the opening and theme song of The Flintstones, and in another episode ("Treehouse of Horror XII") Homer and Marge Simpson dress as Fred and Wilma Flintstone in the opening. Famous North American waters include the Henrys Fork (home to Mike Lawson) and Silver Creek (Ernest Hemingway's favorite haunt) in Idaho, the Yellowstone and the Madison in Montana, the Deschutes, the North Umpqua and the Rogue rivers in Oregon, the Pitt, Hat Creek, the Owens and the East Walker in California, Lee's Ferry on the Colorado River in Arizona, the San Juan in New Mexico, the Upper Delaware and the Green River in Utah, and the Arkansas, the Frying Pan, the South Platte and the Blue River in Colorado, and the White River in Arkansas. A number of episodes of The Simpsons made explicit or implicit references to The Flintstones---for example, in one episode of The Simpsons ("Marge vs. The city of Calgary, Alberta holds the distinction of having one of the world's best trout rivers (thanks to nutrient rich runoff from the city's waste water sewage) run through the centre of the city, although West Yellowstone is arguably the epicenter for Western Fly Fishing in North America. And it was The Simpsons in 1997 that ultimately broke The Flintstones' record as the longest-running prime time animated series. North American fly fishing for trout is now generally centred in the western states and provinces with Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, British Columbia and Alberta, and California holding the most interest.

Only the advent of The Simpsons decades later brought cartoons back to American prime time network television with the kind of success The Flintstones enjoyed. . The original show also was adapted into two feature non-animated films, in 1994 and 2000. Movies such as A River Runs Through It starring Brad Pitt, cable fishing shows, and the emergence of a competitive fly casting circuit have also added to the sport's recent resurgence. The show was revived in the 1970s with Pebbles and Bamm Bamm having grown into teenagers, and several different series and made-for-TV movies—including a series depicting Fred and Barney as police officers, another depicting the characters as children, and yet others featuring Fred and Barney encountering Marvel Comics superhero The Thing and comic strip character The Shmoo have appeared over the years. In recent years, interest in flyfishing has surged as baby boomers discover the tranquil nature of the sport. The movie was released on DVD in North America in March 2005. Ernest Hemingway helped to popularize fly fishing, along with deep-sea fishing, through his works of fiction, including The Sun Also Rises.

The Man Called Flintstone was a musical spy caper that parodied James Bond and other secret agents. Participation in flyfishing peaked in the early 1920's in the eastern states of Maine and Vermont and in the midwest in the spring creeks of Wisconsin. Following the show's cancellation in 1966, a theatrical film based upon the series was released. The Junction Pool in Roscoe, where the Willowemoc flows into the Beaver Kill, is the center of an almost ritual pilgrimage every April 1, when the season begins. The remaining two seasons are expected to be released in 2006. Many of them also wrote about the practice and invented new flies, drawing yet more anglers to the region, which is still considered the birthplace of American dry-fly fishing. The first season of the original series, with the original opening credits, as well as "Rise and Shine" restored but not the cigarette ads, was released on DVD in late 2003; season 2 was released in December 2004; season 3 in March 2005; and season 4 in November 2005. In the late 19th century, anglers, such as Ray Bergman, in the Catskill Mountains of New York began using the fly to fish the region’s many trout-rich streams such as the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Creek.

Nonetheless, a number of later Flintstones episodes in syndication used an alternate version of the closing credits in which Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are shown singing "Open Up Your Heart and Let the Sunshine In". American rod builders such as Hiram Leonard, developed superior techniques for making bamboo rods: thin strips were cut from the cane, planed into shape, and then glued together to form light, strong, hexagonal rods with a hollow core that were superior to anything developed before. According to information provided on the DVD release of the second season, this decision was made because at the time syndicated programs were often aired out of their original broadcast order, and it was felt having the show jump between the different opening credits sequences would confuse audiences. But the use of new woods in fly rods, first Greenheart, then bamboo, made it possible to cast flies into the wind on silk lines. New syndicated versions of the episodes in the 1990s restored the original first season credits and theme, albeit with cigarette and other advertising matter omitted. Cotton and his predecessors fished their flies with long rods, and light lines allowing the wind to do most of the work of getting the fly out to the fish. As a result, the closing credits for all first season episodes in syndication were incorrect for many years. Lines made of silk, instead of horse-hair, were heavy enough to be cast in the modern style.

The theme used for the first and second seasons, an instrumental called "Rise and Shine", was removed from all first and second season episodes in syndication from the 1960s through the early 1990s and replaced with the "Meet the Flintstones" opening, while a closing credits sequence taken from a later episode was substituted at the end. These became the foundation of all later developments. The famous theme song "Meet the Flintstones" was not actually introduced until the third season (1962–1963), although early versions of the melody can be heard as background music in many episodes. So it was necessary to develop new techniques that would keep the fly and the line floating on the surface. The series was initially aimed at adult audiences as the first season was sponsored by the cigarette company Winston and the characters appeared in several commercials for Winstons. The weed in these rich rivers tends to grow very close to the surface, so that traditional wet fly fishing is impossible: the fly would snag in weed long before it reached a trout. Another story arc, occurring in the final season, centered on Fred and Barney's dealings with The Great Gazoo. British fly-fishing was further developed in the 19th Century, with the development of dry-fly techniques for use on the slower, clearer rivers of the south such as the River Test and the other 'chalk streams' concentrated in Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset and Berkshire (see Southern England Chalk Formation for the geological specifics).

A postscript to the arc occurred in the third episode of the fourth season, in which the Rubbles, depressed over being unable to have children of their own (making The Flintstones the first animated series in history to address the issue of infertility, though subtly), adopt Bamm-Bamm. The first detailed writing about the sport comes in two chapters of Izaak Walton's Compleat Angler which were actually written by his friend Charles Cotton and described the fishing in the Derbyshire Wye. Beginning with the episode "The Surprise", aired midway through the third season, in which Wilma reveals her pregnancy to Fred, the arc continued through the trials and tribulations leading up to Pebbles' birth, and then continued with several episodes showing Fred and Wilma adjusting to the world of parenthood. Modern fly fishing originated on the fast, rocky rivers of Scotland and Northern England. The most notable example was a series of episodes surrounding the birth of Pebbles. Records of fishing with a fly go back to Ancient Greece when it was common to catch fish on a hook dressed with red yarn. Although most Flintstones episodes are standalone storylines, the series was significant in being the first American animated series to feature story arcs. Wet flies are divided into other types such as nymphs, lures and true wet flies and they are all fished beneath the surface of the water.

Aside from the animation and fantasy setting, the show's scripts and format are typical of a 1950s American situation comedy, with the usual family issues resolved with a laugh at the end of each episode. They are mostly cast upstream in moving water when fishing for trout. After spending a brief period in development as The Gladstones, Hanna-Barbera settled upon The Flintstones. Dry flies are coated with a floatant and sit on the surface of the water. When the series itself was commissioned, the title was changed, possibly to avoid confusion with the Flagstons, characters in the popular comic strip, Hi and Lois. There are two basic forms of fly fishing, dry or wet. Originally, the series was to have been titled The Flagstones, and a brief demonstration film was created to sell the idea of a "modern stone age family" to sponsors and the network. Stealth is often critical in fly fishing.

He also (as does Fred in this series) cries out for his wife, by asking her to stop the mechanism with the line, "Jane! Stop this crazy thing!". The point is that a fly can be presented gently and under the control of the angler instead of plopping down with a big splash. This running gag of having the lead character of the series ending up being helpless during the end credits in every episode due to the hijinks of a family pet would later be repeated by Hanna-Barbera in the series The Jetsons in which George Jetson ends up being caught on a treadmill that ends up spinning out of control. In fact, a fly line can be "cast" without any fly or lure on it at all, a feat impossible with a typical casting rod and reel. In the show's closing credits, Fred tries to "put the cat out for the night" but winds up getting locked out and yelling for his wife to come open the door: "Wilma! Come on, Wilma, open this door! Willllll-ma!" By the time the theme song "Meet the Flintstones" was used, Fred cut the yelling to: "Willllll-ma!" Although the cat, Baby Puss, was seen in the closing credits of every episode, it was rarely actually seen in any of the storylines. In fly fishing, the "fly" is virtually weightless and you are using the weight of the line to place the fly where you want it to be. The similarities with The Honeymooners included the fact that Reed based Fred's voice upon Jackie Gleason's interpretation of Ralph Kramden, while Blanc, after a season of using a nasal, high-pitched voice for Barney, eventually adopted a style of voice similar to that used by Art Carney in his portrayal of Ed Norton. In fact, the main practical difference between fly fishing and casting is that in casting, you are using the weight of the lure to "throw" it out (much like throwing a baseball).

The voice of Barney was provided by legendary voice actor Mel Blanc, though five episodes in the second season used actor Daws Butler while Blanc was recovering from a near-fatal car accident. The fly itself can weigh very little and is normally attached to the line by a 2-3 meter leader which may taper to a very fine line at the tip end, also called the tippet. It has been noted that Fred Flintstone physically resembled voice actor Alan Reed. Lines may be tapered and of differing densities to float or sink and are matched to the rod according to weight. In later seasons, the Flintstones cast expanded to include The Gruesomes, their strange next-door neighbors (inspired by the then-popular monster sitcoms The Addams Family and The Munsters), and The Great Gazoo, an alien exiled to Earth who helps Fred and Barney, usually against their will. Fly rods are relatively light and long while the lines are relatively heavy, providing the casting weight. Slate. Artificial flies are constructed — "tied" onto a hook with thread, fur, feathers and other materials — in sizes and colours to match naturally occurring food or simply to excite a fish.

Fred Flintstone worked at a stone quarry and worked for several different bosses, the best known of which was the bald Mr. Fly fishing is a distinct and ancient angling method, developed primarily for salmonids (trout and salmon, mostly) and now extended to other species such as pike, bass, and carp, as well as a wide range of marine species. The Flintstones had a pet dinosaur named Dino (pronounced DEE-no, and which barked like a dog), and the Rubbles had a kangaroo-like animal named Hoppy. Amadou. Later additions to the cast included the Flintstones' infant daughter Pebbles Flintstone and the Rubbles' abnormally strong adopted son Bamm Bamm Rubble. Fly lure. The series directly drew from The Honeymooners for its main quartet of characters: the blustering Fred Flintstone and his ever-patient wife Wilma Flintstone (née Slaghoople, though Pebble was also given on occasion) modeled after the Kramdens, and their friendly neighbors Barney Rubble and wife Betty Rubble (née Betty Jean McBricker) modeled after the Nortons.

Being set in the Stone Age allowed for endless gags and puns that involved rocks in one way or another, including the names of the various characters being "rock" puns; some such names included celebrities such as "Cary Granite", "Stony Curtis", and "Ann-Margrock.". Another commonly seen gadget in the series was a baby woolly mammoth being used as a vacuum cleaner. In a running gag, the animals powering such technology would look directly into the camera at the audience, shrug, and remark, "It's a living," or some similar phrase. For example, when the characters took photographs with an instant camera, the inside of the camera box would be shown to contain a bird carving the picture on a stone tablet with its bill.

One source of the show's humor was the ways animals were used for technology. Although the characters were set in the Stone Age, that never stopped the show's creators from producing a Christmas episode during the original series' run as well as several more Christmas specials in the decades that followed. The characters drive automobiles made out of stone or wood and animal skins and powered by gasoline, although foot power is required to start the vehicles. The show is set in a town called Bedrock in the Stone Age era, but with a society identical to that of the United States in the mid-to-late 20th century; in the Flintstones' fantasy version of the prehistoric past, dinosaurs, saber-toothed tigers, woolly mammoths and other long extinct animals coexist with cavemen, who use technology equivalent to that of the 20th century, largely through the use of various animals.

. The Flintstones, an American animated television series created by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, is one of the most successful animated television series of all time, originally running in American prime time for six seasons, from 1960 to 1966, on the ABC network. The Man Called Flintstone (1966): Released in Canada April 2005 (US release canceled/postponed due to Columbia Pictures claiming ownership of the film). The Flintstones: The Complete Fifth Season (1964): Scheduled for release March 7, 2006.

The Flintstones: The Complete Fourth Season (1963): Released November 2005. Note: All episodes are in their original length except for "The Big Move," which is the syndicated version. The Flintstones: The Complete Third Season (1962): Released March 2005