A Flintstones Christmas Carol
Tags: alternate history

Plot synopsis:
The Bedrock Community Players is mounting A Christmas Carol, and all of the town's citizens are either planning to attend or be involved in the production: Barney Rubble is playing Bob Cragit, with Betty as Mrs. Cragit and his son Bamm-Bamm as Tiny Tim; Mr. Slate is Jacob Marbley; Wilma Flintstone is serving as the stage manager, while her daughter Pebbles plays Martha Cragit; even Dino has a role, playing the Cragit's family pet. It is Fred, though, who has landed the leading role of Ebonezer Scrooge. Unfortunately, he has let his role go to his head, thinking himself a star and spending all of his time rehearsing his lines rather than focusing on his job or family. On Christmas Eve, in his rush to get to work, Fred forgets that he must take Pebbles to "cave care", and later to pick her up from cave care. When Fred arrives at the theater, he discovers a furious Wilma, who breaks down in tears as she tells Fred about his mistake.
The play finally begins with narrator Charles Brickens reading the opening lines, and after a momentary bout of stage fright, Fred enters. The play proceeds as normal. As the second act opens, Wilma and Betty discover that Garnet, the woman playing the Ghost of Christmas Past, has contracted the "Bedrock Bug," a flu-like illness. As stage manager, Wilma is left to play the part herself. Throughout the act, Wilma vents some of her frustration at Fred through her lines, while Fred himself realizes the parallels between Scrooge's past and his own recent behavior. During the next scene, at Fezziwig's Christmas party, Betty informs Wilma that Maggie has come down with the Bedrock Bug as well; Wilma dons her costume and plays Belle. The rest of the play proceeds as normal: Ernie, a cheerful Bedrock citizen, plays the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Fred, witnessing Barney, Betty, Bamm-Bamm, and Pebbles playing the Cragits, continues to realize the depths of his recent self-absorption. The third act begins with the hooded figure of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appearing before Scrooge; he shows the elderly man "shadows of things that will be," including an abandoned gravestone marked with the words "EBONEZER SCROOGE." The scene suddenly shifts to Scrooge's bedchamber—he is still alive, and he discovers that it is Christmas morning: "the spirits have done it all in one night." He recruits a passing boy (played by the same child who Fred entrusted with his presents) to purchase a prize "Turkeysaurus" and have it sent to the Cragits for a feast. Scrooge prepares to go out and explore the city on Christmas morning; along the way, he meets Wilma, who has taken on the role of one of the members of the Piltdown Charitable Foundation, as the original actor has caught the Bedrock Bug. Fred acts as if the woman is Belle (much to narrator Brickens's frustration, as the ad-libbing is not in his script), and begs for both her and Wilma's forgiveness, admitting his recent selfishness and promising that he has changed his attitudes. Wilma reluctantly plays along.
The play ends with Scrooge making Cragit a full partner in his money-lending business, the rest of the actors lifting Ebonezer onto their shoulders, and the narrator informing the audience of the permanent change in the elderly man. It falls to Bamm-Bamm to deliver Tiny Tim's famous "God bless us, everyone!," but he suddenly forgets his line, leaving Pebbles to make the declaration herself. When the curtain falls, the company drops Fred and scolds him "for being such a Scrooge." Fred apologizes, informing Wilma that he has finally realized that his friends and family, rather than his role in the production, are what matter most. As the company begins to depart, Fred insists that the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come take off his hood; the actor does so, revealing himself as Dino, who took the part after the regular actor Philo came down with the Bedrock Bug.
Brickens congratulates Wilma for her roles in the play with a bouquet. A changed Fred says that when the Flintstones get home, he's going to make dinner. Unfortunately, however, after he says this, he comes down with the flu, and Wilma decides to make dinner, since the Bedrock Bug "lasts for a day".

Review: Not quite classic status, but a nice Flintstone twist on the timeless story.
A Flintstone Christmas Carol was very good.
I loved the twist on one of the all-time great Christmas stories A Christmas Carol especially, however it doesn't quite make classic status for me.
No it isn't, but as well as putting the twist to Christmas Carol, it does make an effort to stick to the show's spirit.
If anything, I wish this cartoon was a little longer, and one or two parts are a little uneven in pace, but that's all I have to say that's negative really.
The animation is good, it has a colourful and charming feel to it.
The music was also very nice, quite heart-warming and melodious, and the story is of course great.
I loved the writing overall too, while there are some funny lines there are also some touching parts without feeling mawkish.
The characters are still likable, and step into the Dickens characters' shoes with aplomb.
It was a delight in itself seeing who was who.
And the voice acting is fine, and like the special itself all the voice actors do make some effort to stick to the original voices which is no easy feat(especially in Mel Blanc's case).
Overall though, it was a nice special and definitely worth re-visiting.
8/10 Bethany Cox. Droll...Veeeeeeery Droll.
When I first caught this movie on cable a few years ago, I expected it to be of the "Flintstones Meet The Jetsons" fare, or something equally par for the standard TV course.
But I was happily surprised, and went out the next day to buy the videotape.
True, the sub-plot of Fred ignoring work, friends, and family to rehearse his upcoming role as Scrooge for the Bedrock Community Players (and to give in to grandiose dreams of Broadrock Way) are of the typical fare we've been used to for a couple of decades now.
But once the actual production gets underway, try to forget the rest because you will be as happily surprised as I.
The voice talent seems to take their roles in "A Christmas Carol" very seriously, and most do a formidable job, handling the script with reverence and affection.
Well, let's face it--what actor doesn't want to be in "A Christmas Carol" just once for the sheer fun of it?
But Henry Corden is the surprising stand-out in this, proving that he can do more than just play straight man to Barney and Wilma's cutting one-liners.
He treats this role as if he's been studying to play Scroogefor years.
You get a hint of what's to come in the Ebonezer/Fanny/Ghost of Christmas Past scene, mixing a balance of fragile loss and forced bitterness very well indeed.
By the time the Ghost of the Future shows up, Henry really sports his acting chops, and by the last few scenes he pulls off a terrific and moving performance, showing the delicate sadness, guilt, and the pivotal dichotomy of the fear of living and fear of dying that the character of Scrooge is really made of.
OK, so it's not Albert Finney in "Scrooge"; but it's certainly not the kind of acting one expects of a Flintstones cartoon--well, not since the passing of Alan Reed, and the mass-production of Saturday morning Flinstones cookie-cutter shows.
It's refreshing to see Henry Corden pull out all the stops and remind us that he is an actor, not just a Fred substitute.
Although one wonders and mourns what Mel Blanc could have brought to this tour-de-force as Barney/Cragit...(sad sigh).
During the curtain call, all pull back and fall into typical Hanna-Barbara "filler humor", but what has just happened should more than make up for those last 4 minutes.
Overall, this is a wonderful addition to anyone's Scrooge collection, and should be picked up to enjoy while decking the Bedrock halls for years to come!.
Yabba Dabba Ho. Bart Simpson once put it best when he said that TV writers have been milking the 'Christmas Carol' goat for years.
Nearly every established animated franchise (as well as some sitcoms and soaps) have cut and pasted Charles Dickens' novel over the years, from Mickey Mouse to Mr. Magoo.The Flintstones manage to do it a little bit better though, by giving the story a meta-fictional edge, much like Scrooged.
Fred is busy preparing for his role as Ebenezer Scrooge for the Bedrock Community Theatre, so much so that he's been neglecting his own friends and family in order to boost his performance.
The line between fantasy and reality blurs as Fred/Scrooge is scared straight by the three ghosts, A very good Xmas Special, though I'm still not sure how the holiday is exists in the prehistoric era, or how a 19th century novel manages to exist either.
Either way, it certainly worth watching..
Very very good....
Very very good....
A VERY FINE FEATURE FILM/CARTOON/ANIMATION/PLAY.
I Love it.
It is recommeded highly by me!
Very funny rendition, even though I think it is just a bit to overdone.
But, nonetheless, it is very great, and, if it were real people, Fred Flintstone would be the best Scrooge!!10 OUT OF 10.
Not Bad Not Great "Right In-Between".
This is on Boomerang now as I write the review.I still have a hard time getting past the new voices, so that could be a part of it for me.
They just aren't the same without the classic voice actors.The animation is actually quite nice.
The new voice actors do a good job even though I am so used to the classic ones.
They hold true to the story with a fun back-story.It's a cute re-tell, but is one that I wouldn't miss if I never saw it.
If this is on & there isn't much else worth watching then have a go at it..
A Classic.
From AmazonFred and the gang have more than the usual festive preparations up their prehistoric sleeves, however, as they are staging a production of "The Christmas Carol" with Fred in the role of Scrooge.
Things take a frightening turn when--in the classic tradition of method acting--Fred takes his role to heart and becomes a bit humbuggish himself.
So preoccupied with his role is he, that he forgets to pick up Pebbles from day care, leaves Christmas shopping off his list of things to do, and belittles the parts played by his friends (such as Barney as Bob Cratchit).
When the Bedrock bug (a flu virus) begins to fell cast members, it provides the ideal opportunity for costume maker and stage manager Wilma to take on understudy duties and scare some sense into her self-absorbed husband.
And just in time for Christmas Eve.From Me This Christmas Special is a Classic, I have been watching it every Christmas since it came out and it still touches me.
This even inspired me to create a production of a Christmas Carol, which from hundreds of people I was praised with two thumbs up.
You definitely need to catch this, a great special from the modern StoneAge Family..
The tale comes alive!.
The Flintstones are in a play, titled the Christmas Carol.
It may seem to be just another rendition with characters and general locations changed to fit the cartoon, but this also integrates the story into real life.
Fred is the main character in the play...
but he acts like the main character in real life!
He ends up having the play help him to realize the mistakes he's made and he, while performing in the play, realizes the wrongs he has done that Christmas.I loved the humor and the jokes...
including the gross bedrock bug, haha.Anyway, rating this 8/10 for fairly accurately capturing the story as well as putting it in real life..
Yabba Dabba Humbug!.
It's Christmastime in Bedrock, now you might be wondering how can there possibly be Christmas in the Stone Age, long before Jesus was even born?
Simple, this is a cartoon.
Back to the story, the Bedrock Community Players were putting on a production of Charles Brickens' classic tale, A Christmas Carol.
Fred Flintstone managed to land the role of Scrooge since Wilma is the play's producer, and talk about a method actor, Fred practically disappears into his character as he ignores his friends and family and putting himself first all for the sake of rehearsing.
Wilma began to feel Fred was a bigger Scrooge than Scrooge.
Before he leaves, Wilma reminds Fred to drop Pebbles off at Cave Care and to make sure he picks her up at 4:00; At the quarry, Mr. Slate lets everyone off after lunch so nobody will be tardy to the play.
Barney uses this time to wrap his presents and Fred...
suddenly remembers he didn't buy any for his family so he races to Bloomingshales which is, of course, jammed.
This is Christmas Eve, after all.
He hastily grabs some gifts and heads to the gift wrap line, which stretched out a mile.
Suddenly, it's 4:00.
Showtime!
Fred asks a kid in line to hold them and hurries out.
He stops at home for a bite and then gets to the theater.
But it seems in all his haste that he had forgotten something mighty important: pick up Pebbles!
Luckily Barney had gotten her when picking up Bamm-Bamm.
This selfish oversight on Fred's part was the straw that broke the camel's back as Fred gets a wake-up call, as well as curtain call, so now the play can finally begin.
Ebonezer Scrooge (Fred) is the cold-hearted miser who just lost his business partner, Marbley (Mr. Slate).
After berating Bob Cragit (Barney) for using coal, Scrooge is visited by his nephew Ned (changed from Fred for obvious reasons), who invites him to dinner.
Scrooge rejects the invitation and sets to greedily counting his money, and if you look up 'over-actor' in the dictionary, you'll find Fred's picture.That night, Scrooge was visited by Marbley's ghost who is suffering for his sins and promises the same for Scrooge unless he changes his ways.
Three more spirits would be visiting him.
The miser assumes it's all a bad dream and goes to bed, as Act I comes to a close.
By the way, there's a running gag where various characters come down with the Bedrock Bug, a prehistoric version of the flu.
This causes Wilma to have to fill in as the Ghost of Christmas Past who, after abusing Fred for a bit, takes Scrooge to visit his past.
How he started off as a quiet, lonely boy at school to an ambitious young go-getter working for Fezziwig (also Barney).
It was at his employer's party that Scrooge met the love of his life, Belle (also Wilma because of the B.B.) Fred was unaware of the cast change so when he asks aloud why he isn't doing the scene with the other woman, Wilma takes offense.
As we all know, greed got the better of Scrooge and he broke it off with Belle.
This scene gets Wilma overly emotional, mainly because she's still bellyaching over Fred forgetting Pebbles, which Betty takes the opportunity to shame him for.
It's at this point that Fred remembers the gifts back at Bloomingshales.
Unfortunately, they're now closed, so Fred breaks in.
He breaches an alarm, but thankfully Officer Philo Quartz is a friend of his and he's in the play too.
So, Fred is off the hook and he rushes back to the theater.
Well, onto the present.
The ghost shows Scrooge Bob Cragit's family feasting on a meager meal, and he notices his youngest son is ill.
If these shadows remain unaltered by the future, the child will die, you know the story.
So after learning that the whole town essentially hates him, but will drink a toast to him on Christmas, Scrooge begins to get a good look at himself, as does Fred.
Finally, the Ghost of Christmas Future shows him a future in which Cragit's son Tiny Tim has died, as has Scrooge, but nobody cares.
When returning to the present, Scrooge has seen the error of his ways and was a new man.
Fred was like a new man too, realizing how badly he'd neglected everybody, but he finally made amends with Wilma when he agreed to let his mother in-law come to dinner, then the kid showed up with the Flintstones' wrapped gifts, and to top it all off, Fred came down with the Bedrock Bug. Merry Christmas!For what it is, A Flintstones Christmas Carol is a decent adaptation.
Those who have seen Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol will recognize the play format and here, it works just as well, even if they do stray away from the story at times.
I'm glad they didn't go the traditional route and have Slate as the Scrooge character and Fred as Cratchit, probably because The Jetsons did that about ten years prior.
Now, I like how in this special, it parallels both Scrooge and Fred learning how to be good to their fellow men and how not to be so selfish.
Fans of the franchises, both Flintstones and Christmas Carol, should definitely check it out.
It's certainly an overlooked classic.
Also, fans of The Flintstone Kids get a rare opportunity to see Philo Quartz all grown up!.
Rehashed Flintstone Plot Within a Christmas Carol.
Apparently this is truly one of the most multi-faceted Flintstones cartoons to be found.
I caught on to neither the need to change the nephew's name to Ned or that the black officer was from Flintstones Kids (well, I never watched that cartoon), but the continuity is truly rare.While the kid who wrapped Fred's presents may have resembled Arnold the paper boy from the sixties cartoon, he was never named such, nor was a co-worker identified as good ol' Joe Rockhead.
Pity.What I couldn't help but notice was how Fred being called a scrooge and he took it as a compliment was some strange underlying representation of offensive slang being taken in a positive manner.
And it would happen more than once.Wilma's behavior was a clunker.
In the '77 Christmas program, in which Fred substitutes for Santa Claus who is ill (and a reworking of the Christmas episode from the sixties), Wilma and Mr. Slate and some very bratty children BLAME FRED, BLAME FRED, BLAME FRED!
This is actually a strange holdover from the sixties cartoon (as is seen in Charlton comic books from the early seventies) in which Fred is overly self-centered and Wilma comes at him with a scowl and unkind word.One bit worth noting is in the '77 cartoon, Pebbles and Bamm Bamm are small, talking children (younger than they were in the Sally Struthers-Jay North Saturday morning cartoon), but now in the 90s, they are reduced to toddlers once more.Nevermind that somewhere in this decade, there would be the marriage of Pebbles and Bamm Bamm and the birth of the Flintstone-Rubble grandchildren in another program.The Christmas Carol as a play then redone into the cartoon as a real incident was entertaining, but Fred's sudden revelation (as callously noted by Wilma) was unexplained.Many of these attempts to do Flintstones, Muppets or Bugs Bunny versions of A Christmas Carol are odd to watch, as they tend to have no weak frail child like Tiny Tim in this age of precociousness (Tweety Pie was Bugs' and nephew Robin was the Muppets), nor do they have an overly intimidating creature like Scrooge.
Donald Duck is cheery nephew Fred in the Disney cartoon version?
Philo Quartz and nephew Ned show some thought was in this production.
It could have been better, say, perhaps if Barney had been Jacob Marley and Slate had been Crachit.