The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone

*The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone*
The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone
Directed by	Ray Patterson
Voices of	Henry Corden ; Mel Blanc ; Jean Vander Pyl ; Gay Autterson ; John Stephenson
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producer	Alex Lovy
Running time	48 minutes
Production company	Hanna-Barbera Productions
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	October 30, 1979
Related
	The Flintstones: Little Big League ; The Flintstones' New Neighbors ;

Last updated January 24, 2024

The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone is a 1979 animated Halloween television special featuring The Flintstones. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and first aired on Tuesday, October 30, 1979 on NBC.^[1]

Plot

When Fred wins the big prize on the "Make A Deal or Don't" game show, he and Wilma plan a vacation with Barney and Betty to Count Rockula's spooky castle in Rocksylvania which has now been turned into a tourist resort. Unfortunately, during the trip, Fred and Barney accidentally stumble across Rockula's old laboratory, where his unfinished Frankenstone monster sleeps, and forget to close the window when they leave the lab. Lightning subsequently strikes the machines in the lab, and provide Frankenstone with life. Frankenstone awakens Rockula (who has been asleep for the past five hundred years, thus explaining his disappearance) from his secret crypt, and the two scare everyone out of the hotel, except for the Flintstones and the Rubbles, who had gone to bed early due to jet lag.

Rockula and Frankenstone eventually discover the Flintstones and Rubbles, and Rockula mistakes Wilma for his long-lost bride and vows to make her his, even if it means killing Fred. Wilma initially mistakes Rockula for the hotel manager, Mr. Silika, who had dressed up as Rockula, for quite some time until Rockula turns into a bat in front of her. As Fred, Barney and Betty discover Wilma's absence and begin searching for her, Wilma flees and a long cat-and-mouse chase ensues all over the castle. Rockula finds and corners Fred, but is scared off by Barney, wearing a werewolf mask. The couples eventually end up cornered inside the Rubbles' room. Fred challenges Rockula to a fight, using a bat statuette as a weapon, but the statuette turns out to actually be the switch for the trapdoor to Rockula's laboratory, which Rockula and Frankenstone were unknowingly standing on. As Fred raises the statuette to strike, both Rockula and Frankenstone fall through the trapdoor, and the Flintstones and Rubbles escape and return to Bedrock. Wilma invites Betty and Barney to stay for dinner and leaves the three of them in the living room while she goes into the kitchen to cook.

Unbeknownst to them, Rockula has flown (in the form of a bat) all the way from Rocksylvania to Bedrock. Flying through the kitchen window, he begs Wilma to marry him, promising her a life of luxury if she agrees. Winking at Fred, Barney and Betty (watching surreptitiously from the doorway), Wilma agrees to consider marrying Rockula, then immediately begins nagging him about chores, upkeep of the house, and his bad habits. Aghast, Rockula (apparently forgetting that most chores would be left to the servants) changes back into a bat and flies off, claiming to need another 500 years of rest. Barney laughs and lauds Wilma for defeating Rockula by telling him "the real truth about married life".

Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm do not appear in the story; no explanation is given for their absence.

Rockula and Frankenstone

Count Rockula: A campy and not-so-bloodthirsty vampire with a lust for women and a fear of werewolves, prompting him to build a Frankenstone monster to keep them away. Having been asleep for five hundred years, Rockula is awoken by Frankenstone and sets out to clear his castle of the guests and take Wilma, whom he thinks is his bride, for himself, even if it means killing Fred. Count Rockula also appears in the episodes "Blood Brothers" and "Fred and Barney Meet the Frankenstones" of The New Fred and Barney Show, again voiced by Stephenson, albeit in a completely different continuity because Rockula then has a bride, slightly different garments, and a pet werewolf despite having a fear for them in this movie.
Frankenstone: Count Rockula's unfinished creation, awoken prematurely when lightning strikes the machinery in Rockula's lab. His only mission in life is to carry out Rockula's orders, primarily to keep werewolves away from Rockula, although his low IQ often leads him to find difficulty in accomplishing even the simplest of tasks (in one particular scene, Frankenstone is ordered to search some barrels for Fred, and fails to notice Fred crouching right beside him). Despite the resemblance, he is not to be confused with the Frank Frankenstone character that first appeared in the episode "Fred & Barney Meet the Frankenstones" of The New Fred and Barney Show , the TV special The Flintstones' New Neighbors or The Flintstone Comedy Show . Frankenstone was one of Ted Cassidy's final roles; the actor, who was already famous for playing Frankenstein's monster-like roles due to his height (most notably Lurch on The Addams Family and several other productions), died ten months before the special was released.

Voice cast

Henry Corden as Fred Flintstone
Mel Blanc as Barney Rubble, Dino
Jean Vander Pyl as Wilma Flintstone, Frau G. (Gladys the housekeeper)
Gay Autterson as Betty Rubble
John Stephenson as Count Rockula
Ted Cassidy as Frankenstone^{[lower-alpha 1]}
Casey Kasem as Monty Marble
Don Messick as Igor (Charlie the chauffeur), Wolf
Lennie Weinrib as Mr. Silica, Bat

↑ The movie was released ten months after Cassidy's death.

Home media

The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone was released on VHS and Laserdisc in 1989 by Hanna-Barbera Home Video.

On October 9, 2012, Warner Archive released The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone on DVD in region 1 as part of their Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection, in a release entitled The Flintstones Prime-Time Specials Collection: Volume 1. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.^[3]

On August 4, 2020, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment gave it its first wide release as part of the DVD collection The Flintstones: 2 Movies & 5 Specials.

The program was re-broadcast by MeTV on October 30 and 31, 2020.

Related Research Articles

The Flintstones is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the Rubbles. It was originally broadcast on ABC from September 30, 1960, to April 1, 1966, and was the first animated series with a prime-time slot on television.

<i>I Yabba-Dabba Do!</i> American TV series or program

I Yabba-Dabba Do! is a 1993 American animated made-for-television film based on the 1960s animated series, The Flintstones and is a continuation of the series’ spin-off, The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show. It premiered on ABC on February 7, 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barney Rubble</span> Fictional character in the television animated series The Flintstones

Barney Rubble is a fictional character who appears in the television animated series The Flintstones. He is the diminutive, blond-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and adoptive father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. His best friend is his next door neighbor, Fred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Rubble</span> Fictional character in The Flintstones

Betty Rubble is a fictional character in the television animated series The Flintstones and its spin-offs and live-action motion pictures. She is the black-haired wife of caveman Barney Rubble and the adoptive mother of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. Her best friend is her next-door neighbor Wilma Flintstone.

<i>The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones</i> 1987 film

The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones is a 1987 animated crossover made-for-television film produced by Hanna-Barbera for syndication as part of the Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 series. The two-hour special stars the cast of the Hanna-Barbera sitcoms The Flintstones and The Jetsons as they cross paths following a time travel experiment gone wrong.

<i>The New Fred and Barney Show</i> American animated television series

The New Fred and Barney Show is an American animated television series revival and spin-off of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired on NBC from February 3 to October 20, 1979. The series marked the first time Henry Corden performed the voice of Fred Flintstone for a regular series.

The Flintstone Comedy Show is an American animated television series revival and spin-off of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired on NBC from November 22, 1980, to October 24, 1981. Outside North America, the show was released under title of Flintstone Frolics.

<i>Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby</i> American TV series or program

Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby is a 1993 American animated made-for-television film based on the 1960s series classic, The Flintstones. It first aired on ABC on December 5, 1993. It is the sequel to I Yabba-Dabba Do! and is followed by A Flintstone Family Christmas, which aired less than two weeks later on the same network.

<i>A Flintstone Christmas</i> 1977 animated Christmas special

A Flintstone Christmas is a 1977 animated Christmas television special featuring characters from The Flintstones franchise. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and is the second Christmas-themed animated work in the franchise, after the 1964 episode "Christmas Flintstone." Both feature the character Fred Flintstone taking on the role of Santa Claus. The special first aired on NBC on December 7, 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Frankenstones</span> Fictional cartoon family

The Frankenstones are a family of fictional characters who appeared on The Flintstones spin-offs and television specials through the early 1980s. The family has been described as a sort of fusion of The Flintstones and The Munsters. The Frankenstones are also similar in scope to The Gruesomes, another monster-themed family who moved next door to the Flintstones during the fifth season of the original series.

The Flintstones: Little Big League is a 1978 animated television special featuring characters from The Flintstones franchise. It was produced by the Australian division of Hanna-Barbera and aired on NBC on April 6, 1978. It was an hour-long primetime special, as part of The Flintstone Primetime Specials.

Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo is an American animated package show and a spin-off of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera which aired on NBC from December 8, 1979 to November 15, 1980. The 90-minute show is a repackaging of episodes from Fred and Barney Meet the Thing combined with the addition of The New Shmoo episodes.

The Flintstones' New Neighbors is a 1980 animated television special and the first of The Flintstone Special limited-run prime time revival of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The special premiered on NBC on September 26, 1980.

Fred's Final Fling is a 1980 animated television special and the second of The Flintstone Special limited-run prime time revival of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which premiered on NBC on November 7, 1980. It is an hour-long primetime special, broadcast as part of the 1980-1981 series The Flintstone Primetime Specials.

Wind-Up Wilma is a 1981 animated television special and the third of The Flintstone Specials limited-run prime time revival of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The special premiered on NBC on October 4, 1981. In the special, Wilma Flintstone is recruited to play on Bedrock's baseball team.

Jogging Fever is a 1981 animated television special and the fourth and final of The Flintstone Special limited-run prime time revival of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which premiered on NBC on October 11, 1981.

A Flintstone Family Christmas is a 1993 animated Christmas television special featuring characters from The Flintstones franchise. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and aired on ABC on December 18, 1993. The special was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 1994 for Outstanding Animated Program. This is the only appearance of Stoney and the final appearance of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm in their adult forms as well as their children, Chip and Roxy. Hanna-Barbera continued doing the series but with the original timeline.

The Flintstone Primetime Specials is a four-episode limited-run prime time television revival of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired on NBC from September 26, 1980 to October 11, 1981.

<i>The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!</i> 2015 American film

The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown! is a 2015 American direct-to-video animated film starring The Flintstones. It is the second co-production between Warner Bros. Animation and WWE Studios following Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery. The film features Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble and the whole Bedrock gang with stone age versions of WWE Superstars and Divas. It was released on March 10, 2015, by Warner Home Video.

References

↑ Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 156–157. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2 . Retrieved 27 March 2020.
↑ Middleton, Brad (2015). Un-Dead TV: The Ultimate Guide to Vampire Television. By Light Unseen Media. ISBN 9781935303480 . Retrieved 27 March 2020.
↑ "The Flintstones DVD news: Warner Archive Releases 4 Titles with Prime-Time Specials or Telefilms". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2016-07-28.

External links

The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone at IMDb

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[3] The movie was released ten months after Cassidy's death.

[Woolery-1] Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 156–157. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2 . Retrieved 27 March 2020.

[2] Middleton, Brad (2015). Un-Dead TV: The Ultimate Guide to Vampire Television. By Light Unseen Media. ISBN 9781935303480 . Retrieved 27 March 2020.

[4] "The Flintstones DVD news: Warner Archive Releases 4 Titles with Prime-Time Specials or Telefilms". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2016-07-28.

[1]

[2]

[lower-alpha 1]

[3]