The Flintstones (1994)

Russell Dyball (0:06)

Appropriately, we start off with a pun, then this terrific reveal of the Slade and Company Quarry.

I love these brief moments of rather tonal diversion here. This doesn't look like the Flintstones, this looks like a scene out of a biblical epic, or perhaps some sort of al-Fresco Temple of Doom. Hey, everyone, and welcome to the audio commentary for Brian Levan's 1994 live-action adaptation of The Flintstones. I'm Russell Dyball, I'm a pop culture historian, and thank you so much for joining me. In addition to discussing the production of the film, I'll be examining the contextual aspects around it, as well as offering some thoughts about what legacy or impact this film might have. Once again, thank you so much for listening along. As you're likely aware, The Flintstones was part of a wave of films in the 1990, looking to capitalize on classic television shows. Frequently, those that had multi-generational appeal through a combination of nostalgia and newer younger audiences. In the days before the internet and before the overall media landscape became significantly more diverse, these shows were cultural touchstones for just about everybody. Even if you weren't necessarily a big fan, you likely had a baseline knowledge through osmosis or just the sheer ubiquity of it all. One of the ways these shows managed to seep into our collective consciousness was through their theme songs. And of course, The Flintstones has one of the most memorable themes in all of television history. The series' opening sequence is recreated here with an incredible detail and fidelity to the original. The timing and angles of moments are slightly different from the cartoon in places. But the shot list is essentially the same, with the exception of a couple of insert shots. A close-up of Fred's feet as he starts the car up, and then one of Dino at the drive-in. Both of these elements are, of course, well known to hardcore fans, and even those with casual familiarity. Showing them off early is just a very simple visual way of saying, hey, we know what you expect to see in this movie, and we know you're wondering if we're going to pull it off. Here it is. As a whole, the opening sequence indicates what Brian Levant was going for, an extremely faithful adaptation of the cartoon to the big screen, keeping the same energy and pliability of the original characters and the world of the Flintstones that we all, in one way or another, know. Part of that faithfulness obviously extends to the overall look of the film, and one of this movie's strongest assets undeniably is its production design. It's one thing to create a compelling world that is unfamiliar to the viewer, but to transpose a world from a two-dimensional, limited animation format to a big screen, live action feature film, and to lose none of the familiarity and comfort of that world in translation is a not insignificant feat. Our two leads, John Goodman and Rick Moranis. Goodman was famously named the only actor who could play Fred by Steven Spielberg on the set of his 1989 film, Always, which Goodman played a supporting role in. Goodman had acknowledged some understandable concerns about taking on the role, fearing that his burgeoning career would take a hit and he'd become stuck saying yabba dabba doo for the rest of his life. But hey, it's hard to turn down Spielberg. And when Goodman was able to schedule it around production of Roseanne, as well as other roles, they were off to the races. Moranis, for his part, has always been a terrific comedy partner. So Barney was right up his alley. Although, when you think about it, Moranis was really, at that moment in time, at least, the biggest star in the cast, with the obvious exception of Elizabeth Taylor. Moranis had successes in both supporting and lead roles, and had an affinity for family entertainment. Together, Goodman and Moranis make a great team. They have wonderful chemistry, they play off of each other well, and they were both, of course, and are extremely talented and professional actors. They both really bring out that Ed Norton and Ralph Cramden and the Honeymooners' energy even stronger than the Flintstones itself did. The Honeymooners, of course, Jackie Gleason and Art Carney, which inspired the Flintstones' show. No, the actors don't really have to move the car with their feet. There's essentially a modified golf cart type of motor in there, with pedals and controls placed out of sight. The Flintstone mobile, or the Flintmobile depending on how you like to call it, was said to have a top speed of 20 miles an hour. And here are, look at Vasquez Rocks. This neighborhood street set was built and filmed in a parking lot next to this famous location, which you've seen in all sorts of film and television. Probably most famously in the classic Star Trek episode, Arena. It's where Kirk fights the Gorn. The production had to be careful not to do anything to damage or spoil the park, and so they were really very careful to respect this treasured landmark. However, that care reportedly did not extend to the throngs of tourists who came by during filming to sneak a peek at the set. Many residents of the area complained about the litter left behind by these visitors to Bedrock. Dino here was originally intended to be played by a person in a suit with animatronics, and subsequently looked a little different from the Dino we know and love. Once the physical demands of the character proved to be too much for the production, they pivoted to some CG, courtesy of Industrial Light and Magic, used in conjunction with puppetry from the Jim Henson Creature Shop. For further continuity between the series and the film, they retained Mel Blanc's original voice for the character. It's a nice welcome touchstone to the original series, and in fact, much appreciated here. We have Elizabeth Perkins as Wilma. She brings such a nice sense of groundedness to the role, amidst all the silliness. One of the great things about home media, especially in the HD and UHD days, is the ability to really pause and look at the little details put into this film. Note the headline of Fred's newspaper. It's a reference to the true events and subsequent film based on the story, 1993's Alive. And that's a bit of an in-joke. Alive was produced by Bruce Cohen, also the producer on this film. Alive was directed by Frank Marshall, the husband of Kathleen Kennedy, who was also a producer on Alive, and an exec producer on Flintstones. You can also know at the bottom of the newspaper a reference to Tex Riprock. I thought this might be a mistaken reference. Tex Hardrock was Fred's uncle. He first appeared on the series in season three, episode nine, Baby Barney. Perhaps an error, perhaps just a similar name.