In the latter half of 1972,
my local cinema (the first
purpose-built cinema in the
U.K. since the war and
with the largest screen in
Scotland) was showing a
double bill of LIVING FREE
(the sequel to BORN FREE,
about ELSA the lioness)
and - wait for it - THE MAN
CALLED FLINTSTONE.
Back in those days, the
programme probably ran
about a fortnight before
being changed, and, one
day, having nothing better
to do, I wandered in to see
it. I was instantly entranced
and enthralled by the larger
than life exploits of FLINTSTONE...FRED FLINTSTONE, as he filled in
or incapacitated secret agent ROCK SLAG on account of being the spittin'
image of the afore-said prehistoric person. (Apparently, the first title con-
sidered was THIS MAN FLINTSTONE, as a nod to OUR MAN FLINT,
starring ol' stone face himself, JAMES COBURN.)
purpose-built cinema in the
U.K. since the war and
with the largest screen in
Scotland) was showing a
double bill of LIVING FREE
(the sequel to BORN FREE,
about ELSA the lioness)
and - wait for it - THE MAN
CALLED FLINTSTONE.
Back in those days, the
programme probably ran
about a fortnight before
being changed, and, one
day, having nothing better
to do, I wandered in to see
it. I was instantly entranced
and enthralled by the larger
than life exploits of FLINTSTONE...FRED FLINTSTONE, as he filled in
or incapacitated secret agent ROCK SLAG on account of being the spittin'
image of the afore-said prehistoric person. (Apparently, the first title con-
sidered was THIS MAN FLINTSTONE, as a nod to OUR MAN FLINT,
starring ol' stone face himself, JAMES COBURN.)
Right from the start of the movie(HANNA-BARBERA's second big
screen outing, the first being HEY
THERE, IT'S YOGI BEAR in
1964), the audience knows that
this is something different to the
BEDROCK family's TV episodes.
There's WILMA, larger than life,
holding aloft the famous torch,
in a parody of the famous
COLUMBIA logo; then we're hit
with a JAMES BOND style theme
song before the film proper
begins. And what a film it is! How
a cartoon film can have a "big-
budget" feel (at least at the
beginning) in comparison to a
TV episode, I'm not sure - but this movie (first released in 1966 at the end
of the final season of the TV show) certainly gives the programme a whole
new dimension and is well worth seeing if you haven't already.
Over the course of the remainder of the movie's run, I went back several
times, not even bothering with the live-action film with which it was paired.
Indeed, on one occasion when I dragged my friend JOE along, the cinema
let him in for nothing as a reward for my frequent attendances. (Some free
popcorn and Cokes would've been nice, but you can't have everything.)
Thanks to the late MR. JOHNSTONE, the manager of THE CINEMA
(as it was imaginatively known) for its nearly 20 year run.
times, not even bothering with the live-action film with which it was paired.
Indeed, on one occasion when I dragged my friend JOE along, the cinema
let him in for nothing as a reward for my frequent attendances. (Some free
popcorn and Cokes would've been nice, but you can't have everything.)
Thanks to the late MR. JOHNSTONE, the manager of THE CINEMA
(as it was imaginatively known) for its nearly 20 year run.
I obtained the video release of the movie in the early or mid-'90s, and
it was just as much fun as I remembered it to be. It's not yet available on
DVD in this country, but overseas editions no longer include the witty
"Columbia" opening because of copyright issues - which is a shame.
The movie is available on YOUTUBE - why not check it out now?!
That first purpose-built cinema in the U.K. since the war (with
the largest screen in Scotland, remember) is now a bingo hall - but,
somehow, magically, I'm back there in its heyday whenever I watch
this highly amusing and entertaining film.
it was just as much fun as I remembered it to be. It's not yet available on
DVD in this country, but overseas editions no longer include the witty
"Columbia" opening because of copyright issues - which is a shame.
The movie is available on YOUTUBE - why not check it out now?!
That first purpose-built cinema in the U.K. since the war (with
the largest screen in Scotland, remember) is now a bingo hall - but,
somehow, magically, I'm back there in its heyday whenever I watch
this highly amusing and entertaining film.
6 comments:
I had the VHS of this movie as a kid, and watched it over and over. (I didn't get that it was a parody of James Bond and other spy movies until much later, of course!)
I seem to remember watching a rather strange musical number with Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm singing(!) around this time, though I can't remember if it was in this movie or another one. I should really see if it's been released on DVD in the US.
Yup, this is the movie with Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm singing. And it has been released in the US and Canada on DVD I believe.
The poster, with Fred straddling the swivel chair while surrounded by girls and gadgets, seems to be a direct parody of the Our Man Flint poster, with Coburn in a similar pose. That lends credence to the idea that The Man Called Flintstone was as much a spoof of Flint (and probably the whole spy genre in general) as Bond. (Although Flint was itself a spoof, and it's hard to satirize a satire.) Of course, in 1966, there were more spy movies, some straight, many spoofs, than you could point a Walther PPK at. Every producer in Hollywood was jumping on the James Bond bandwagon.
I'd imagine that Fred's little caper was the first full-length animated spoof. And what a cracker it was.
At the time I saw this movie it was the supporting feature to the 'Man From Uncle' picture 'One of our Spies is Missing'. If I remember correctly, the MfU cinema releases consisted of TV broadcast episodes (two-part stories) welded together with perhaps a little extra new footage.
Yup, that's right - little extra segments were filmed to give them a bit more action or add a bit of glamour.
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