Retro DVD Spotlight: "The Man Called Flintstone" (1966)

Have you ever had really fond memories of a movie or a television show that you watched as a child, but upon seeing it again as an adult, the same feeling is just not there? That happened to me recently when I watched The Man Called Flintstone, the theatrical film that is based on the popular and long running television series The Flintstones. While I was a bit disappointed with the overall product, The Man Called Flintstone does have a few things going for it. First, and perhaps most important to fans of the original series, is that the cast is populated with familiar voice actors, including Alan Reed (Fred), Mel Blanc (Barney), Jean Vander Pyl (Wilma) and Gerry Johnson (Betty). The supporting cast is also filled with Flintstone luminaries, such as Don Messick, Harvey Korman and John Stephenson. 

The look of the film is also reminiscent of the series, but the story feels familiar as well and that is not a good thing. The film centers around Fred taking the place of an injured spy named Rock Slag, who is Fred's doppelganger. Viewers familiar with the original series may remember a similar story playing out as Wilma, Barney and Betty encounter a gruff businessman who looks exactly like Fred and ends up insulting all of them in the episode "The Tycoon." Another episode, "Ten Little Flintstones," featured aliens who replicated to look like Fred and yet another, "Seeing Doubles," centered around Fred and Barney's otherworldly pal the Great Gazoo, who made doubles for the duo, so they could keep a promise to their wives and also attend another engagement. 

After Rock Slag is injured, his boss, known as the Chief, discovers Fred and asks if he will pass himself off as Rock, so that an important government mission can be carried out. Fred agrees and is informed that he must travel to Europe and he is able to invite Wilma, Pebbles and the Rubbles to go along with him. While there, Fred must keep his task a secret and locate the elusive Green Goose, who is a dangerous villain with plans to launch a missile for nefarious purposes. Making matters more difficult are a series of women who all mistake Fred for Rock, which drives Wilma to distraction, and a pair of henchmen, Bobo and Ali, who are tasked with taking out Rock/Fred once and for all.

Like the original series, music is a central component to The Man Called Flintstone. However, the magic in the music and lyrics is simply not there and that becomes problematic, as there are many musical interludes throughout the 90 minute film. However, The Man Called Flintstone fits well with the original series because of the continuity of the voice actors and of the characters. In addition to the aforementioned characters, Dino and Hoppy are also featured in a couple of early scenes and Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm accompany their parents to Europe, so they are seen throughout. While the film does not maintain the high quality of the original series, it is a decent addition to the Flintstone library and the last one to feature all of the original voice actors together. For that reason alone, it is worth watching.