CB BEARS

 

CB BEARS

(NBC, September 10-December 3, 1977)
 
Hanna-Barbera Productions

 

MAIN CAST:
Daws Butler – Hustler, Blast-Off Buzzard, Stick, Big Duke, Undercover Elephant
Chuck McCann – Boogie, Blubber
Henry Corden – Bump
Susan Davis – Charlie
Lennie Weinrib – King, Yuka Yuka, Rattle, various
Sheldon Allman – Big H
Don Messick – Clyde, various
Marvin Kaplan – Skids
Ginny McSwain – Sheena
Susan Silo – Zelda
William Woodson – Sheriff of Saddlesore
Paul Winchell – Shake
Joe E. Ross – Roll
Alan Oppenheimer – Sidney Merciless
Bob Hastings – Loudmouse
Michael Bell – Chief
Scatman Crothers – Segment Title Narrator
 

 

CB Bears was a Hanna-Barbera anthology series featuring six different segments: Blast-Off Buzzard; Heyyy, It’s the King!; Posse Impossible; Shake, Rattle & Roll; Undercover Elephant; and the titular CB Bears. Each one was directly inspired by other shows and movies popular at the time.

The CB Bears and the Perfume Wagon.

CB Bears was a spoof of the hit series Charlie’s Angels and infused with elements of the CB radio culture that had gained popularity during the decade. Three bears—Hustle (Daws Butler impersonating Phil Silvers), Boogie (Chuck McCann), and Bump (Henry Corden)—were detectives that disguised themselves as trash collectors. They received their missions from the unseen sultry-voiced Charlie (Susan Davis) through the CB radio in their beat-up garbage truck, the Perfume Wagon. While it may not have seemed like much, their truck was loaded with plenty of devices that could be called upon in a pinch. Each of the bears’ names were taken from a popular disco dance, and their character models were reminiscent of the crew from the earlier Help! …It’s the Hair Bear Bunch!; from which Butler recycled the same voice for Hustle that he used there. Early promotional art for the series had Charlie’s face seen on a TV screen before they decided to make her only a vocal presence like its inspiration.

Blast-Off Buzzard and Crazylegs.

Blast-Off Buzzard was Hanna-Barbera’s answer to Warner Bros.’ Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner series. Blast-Off Buzzard (vocal effects by Butler), who wore an aviator hat with goggles and a scarf, wanted nothing more than to catch Crazylegs, a speedy football helmet-wearing snake, in a desert setting. Blast-Off used a variety of schemes and devices in his attempt to nab the pesky snake, but was always thwarted by his plans backfiring or Crazylegs just outsmarting him. Crazylegs was originally pitched as being a rabbit, but NBC rejected the idea. Artist Jerry Eisneberg offered the solution of making him a snake, which the network approved.

King, Big H, Skids, Clyde, Sheena and Zelda.

Heyyy, It’s the King! was inspired by Happy Days; the title taking a cue from star Henry Winkler’s catchphrase as Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli. King (Lennie Weinrib) was the cool leather-jacket wearing lion leader of his motley crew that included Big H (Sheldon Allman), a hippo that was always hungry; Clyde (Don Messick), a dopey gorilla with questionable athletic ability and a large ego; Yuka-Yuka (Weinrib), a hyena who was a practical joker; Skids (Marvin Kaplan), a crocodile that drove a jalopy and wore a bucket on his head; and cheerleaders Sheena (Ginny McSwain), a puma, and Zelda (Susan Silo), an ostrich. Most stories centered King’s schemes at acquiring money and fame and his friends’ attempts to help. Originally the segment was meant to be set in the jungle with their usual hang out, a malt shop, being the only building, but was changed to them living in the city. While the series featured a 1950s aesthetic reminiscent of its inspiration, it still very much took place in the modern 1970s.

The Posse Impossible: the Sheriff, Stick, Blubber and Big Duke.

Posse Impossible stemmed from an idea first explored in the final episode of Hong Kong Phooey. The Sheriff of Saddlesore (William Woodson) set out to protect the west with his posse of bungling cowboys: Stick (Daws Butler, using a hillbilly voice), Big Duke (also Butler, impersonating John Wayne who was known as “The Duke”), and Blubber (Chuck McCann). They pursued the most notorious outlaws in the territory and managed to bring them in by out-bumbling them.

Shake (yellow), Rattle (purple) and Roll (blue) rocking out with ghost mouse and their poltercat.

Shake, Rattle & Roll, titled after the 1954 hit penned by Jesse Stone (as Charles Calhoun) and first recorded by Big Joe Turner, was set in the rundown Haunted Inn managed by three ghosts: Shake (Paul Winchell), Rattle (Weinrib), and Roll (Joe E. Ross). Along with the hijinks that followed dealing with their clientele of supernatural entities and creatures, they often had to deal with a pesky Ghost Mouse (with the aid of their Poltercat), a ghost exterminator named Sidney Merciless (Alan Oppenheimer), and hotel inspectors.

Undercover Elephant and Loudmouse picking out his next disguise.

Undercover Elephant starred the mystery-solving titular character (Butler) and his sidekick, Loudmouse (Bob Hastings). Working for Central Control, they would receive their instructions from the Chief (Michael Bell) via exploding messages (ala Mission: Impossible) that Undercover would fail to avoid. Another recurring gag was that Undercover regarded himself as a master of disguise, but his disguises tended to give him away (usually blamed by him on their being of the mail-order variety) as did Loudmouse, living up to the term that inspired his name: “loud mouth”.

Cooking up trouble.

CB Bears debuted on NBC on September 10, 1977. Each segment would feature its own brief intro leading to the episode’s title card with narration by Scatman Crothers. The series was written by Bill Ackerman, Haskell Barkin, Barry Blitzer, Tom Dagenais, Karl Geurs, Orville Hampton, Don Jurwich, Jon Kubichan, Joan Howard Maurer, Ray Parker, Howard Post, Dick Robbins and Jerry Winnick, with Parker serving as story editor. Bob Singer, Willie Ito and Marty Murphy handled the character designs. Hoyt Curtin was the musical director while Paul DeKorte was the musical supervisor. Bill Perez designed the opening titles.

On the case?

The series only lasted a single season of 13 episodes. Reruns of the CB Bears segment would be included on its own in the package program Go Go Globetrotters (which replaced it on the schedule) and with Undercover as part of the 1980s episodes of Captain Kangaroo. Undercover would also serve as one of the filler segments for the Disney Channel run of Jump, Rattle and Roll. When the series entered syndicated reruns, it was halved into two distinctive programs: CB Bears included the titular segment with Blast-Off and Posse, and Heyyy, It’s the King included that segment with Shake and Undercover. These half-hour versions would air on Cartoon Network and Boomerang in the 1990s and early 2000s before disappearing from the airwaves entirely.

Hanna-Barbera TV Stars #2.

CB Bears, Undercover, and Shake all had featured stories in Marvel Comics’ short-lived Hanna-Barbera TV Stars comic anthology series, which were reprinted in Australia by KG. Murray. King, while appearing on two covers, never had a story inside. That segment did get its own coloring book, published in 1978 by Rand McNally and featuring artwork by Alex Toth. Interestingly enough, it featured a lot of the early concepts for King such as the gang living in the jungle and Clyde having his original intended name, “Square”. Rand McNally would produce two other coloring books featuring the CB Bears paired up with either Blast-Off Buzzard or Undercover Elephant. The bears were on their own for a lunch box and a Mexican coloring book published in 1983 by Fernandez Editores, and King received two puzzles by Hestair. All of the characters were also featured in The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera Stamp Album.

The complete Posse Impossible series.

Only Posse received a complete release onto VHS in 1988, while three Shake, Rattle and Roll episodes were included on the 1990 compilation tape Scooby-Doo & Friends: Mostly Ghostly; both from Hanna-Barbera Home Video. The rest remained largely forgotten until fan uploads began making their way to the internet in 2022. However, Warner Archive did include King on a poll deciding their next releases in 2012 (obviously it didn’t win).

King and his gang in Jellystone!

Undercover the character would make appearances in two episodes of Yogi’s Treasure Hunt and a cameo in the “Agent Penny” episode of the Super Secret Secret Squirrel segment of 2 Stupid Dogs. Blast-Off and Crazylegs would receive two more shorts as part of the final season of Tom & Jerry Kids, this time with voices provided by Lewis Arquette and Charlie Adler, respectively. The Bears, Undercover (Dana Snyder) and King characters would appear in Jellystone! Skids and Big H were reimagined as girls, and King’s (Bernardo de Paula) gang were depicted as more villainous, while Zelda (Nicole Thurman) was depicted as an actress. One-off King antagonist Cool Cat (Frank Welker) also made an appearance in the episode “Disco Fever”, voiced by Snyder.

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

“The Missing Mansion Mystery / Buzzard, You’re a Turkey / The Blue Kangaroo / Big Duke and Li’l Lil / Guess What’s Coming to Dinner / The Sneaky Sheik” (9/10/77) – The Bears discover a lost mansion in the middle of an alligator-infested lagoon. / Blast-Off tries multiple schemes to catch Crazylegs. / King and his friends must protect a Blue Kangaroo being pursued by a hunter. / Duke’s fancy footwork helps save dance hall girl Li’l Lil. / Shake and Rattle come across a baby creature that keeps growing whenever it eats. / Undercover and Loudmouse go after a jewel thief posing as a sheik.

 

“The Doomsday Mine / Hard Headed Hard Hat / The First King on Mars / Trouble at Ghostarado / The Ghostly Ghoul is a Ghastly Guest / Baron Von Rippemoff” (9/17/77) – The Bears head out to Arizona to investigate strange lights and people changing color from a deserted mine. / Blast-Off invites Crazylegs to work on a construction site as a ploy to trap him. / King and his friends’ plan to get to Mars lands them on the set of a Martian movie. / The Posse goes after a thief that’s turning Mother Lode’s silverware into silver to sell. / The trio try to remove a guest that keeps scaring off the others from the inn. / Undercover and Loudmouse are sent to North Africa to retrieve a stolen experimental aircraft.

 

“Follow that Mountain / Hearts and Flowers, Buzzards and Snakes / The Riverbed 5000 / The Not So Great Train Robbery / There’s No Pest Like a Singing Guest / The Moanin’ Lisa” (9/24/77) – Investigating vanishing mountains leads the Bears to being chased underground by giant gophers. / Blast-Off builds a female robot snake to lure in Crazylegs. / King and his friends enter a race to win prize money and a kiss from actress Raquel Wrench. / The Posse go after Tiny Tex and the Toe Dance Kid for robbing the same train 47 times. / The trio must figure out how to get rid of the Phantom of the Opera as his singing is disturbing the other guests. / Undercover and Loudmouse must retrieve a famous painting from a notorious art thief.

 

“Valley of No Return / The Egg & Aye Aye Aye / Surf’s Up / The Alabama Brahma Bull / Shake, the Lion-Hearted / Pain in the Brain” (10/1/77) – The Bears investigate what’s driving animals out of a valley. / Blast-Off must protect an egg he found from Crazylegs. / Big H uses Skids’ customized surfboard to enter a competition at the beach. / The Posse attempt to arrest a couple of bull thieves—if Big Ben Cartwheel’s other bull will let them. / Rattle and Roll create a potion to cure Shake of his fear, but it ends up turning him into a fearless bully. / Undercover and Loudmouse must protect a scientist from being abducted by his rival.

 

“The Fright Farm / Testing 1-2-3 / King and His Jokers / The Crunch Bunch Crashout / The Real Cool Ghoul / The Great Hospital Hassle” (10/8/77) – The Bears track an old man who’s been stealing animals from the zoo to populate his huge ark. / / King and his friends form their own band to compete with Cool Cat’s after they’ve stolen the attention of all the girls in town. / The Posse set after capturing a gang of escaped stagecoach robbers. / A heatwave sends the Abominable Snow Ghost to the inn and he threatens to freeze out all of the other guests. / Undercover disguises himself as a patient to capture a thief robbing wealthy patients at a hospital.

 

“Drackenstein’s Revenge / Ho, Ho, Ho, It’s the Buzzard’s Birthday / Hot Gold Fever / One of Our Rivers is Missing / Spooking is Hazardous to Your Health / Latin Losers” (10/15/77) – While investigating why a town is fast asleep, the Bears discover its valuables are all missing. / It may be Blast-Off’s birthday, but he wants to give Crazylegs the surprise. / King and his friends’ camping trip becomes a treasure hunt when they find a map. / The Posse investigates Saddlesore’s water shortage. / An inspector threatens to shut down the inn if the trio don’t bring it up to code. / Undercover must rescue a famous detective after he’s kidnapped.

 

“Water, Water…Nowhere / Wheelin’ and Reelin’ / The Carnival Caper / Sneakiest Rustler in the West / Spooking the Spooks / Dr. Doom’s Gloom” (10/22/77) – The Bears try to save the world’s water supply from an ex-sea captain seeking to turn it all into sand with his device. / / King and his friends must free Yuka Yuka’s cousin Elmo from imprisonment at a carnival. / The Posse tries to catch an elusive cow rustler. / Sidney employs a robot to get rid of all the ghosts at the inn. / Undercover and Loudmouth must stop Dr. Doom’s evil plans.

 

“Wild, Wild Wilderness / Buzzard, Clean Up Your Act / The Unhappy Heavy Hippo / Bad Medicine / From Scream to Screen / Chicken Flickin’ Capon Caper” (10/29/77) – Charlie warns the Bears to be on the lookout for strange creatures as Boogie is taken by a giant vine. / / Needing to lose weight, Big H is put on a diet and rigorous exercise program. / Crooks secretly rob the town under the guise of selling medicine. / The trio try to scare off the movie crew attempting to film at their inn. /

 

“Island of Terror / Backyard Buzzards / King for Prez / Busting Boomerino / Gloom and Doom-De-Doom / Undercover Around the World” (11/5/77) – The Bears must deal with a giant octopus to get to a sinking island. / / King runs for student body president against an unscrupulous rival. / The Posse guards the bank to try and keep it from being robbed 20 years in a row when the circus comes to town. / Shake and Roll attempt to cheer up Rattle with a picnic and cruise that ends up being constantly interrupted. / Undercover’s disguises constantly failing causes him and Loudmouse to have to chase spies around the world.

 

“Go North, Young Bears / Spy in the Sky / Snowbound Safari / Roger the Dodger / Polt R Geist / Irate Pirates” (11/12/77) – The Bears head to the North Pole to investigate mysterious floods. / / King and his friends go hunting for Bigfoot in order to cash in on the reward for him. / The Posse must re-apprehend a sneaky bandit. / The trio eagerly await a hotel critic to rate their inn, but he ends up being frightened by its inhabitants. / Undercover seeks to challenge himself by capturing a gang of pirates.

 

“The Invasion of the Blobs / First Class Buzzard / Great Billionaire Chase Case / Riverboat Sam the Gambling Man / Too Many Kooks / Perilous Pigskin” (11/19/77) – The Bears investigate giant monsters swallowing up the town of Fool’s Gold. / / King decides to get an interview with the world’s most reclusive eccentric millionaire. / The Posse goes after a cheating riverboat gambler. / The trio hire a temporary cook to deal with the ravenous appetites of the Abominable Monsters Association. / Undercover and Loudmouse must apprehend Microfilm Freddie.

 

“Disaster from the Skies / Freezin’ and Sneezin’ / Boat Fever / The Invisible Kid / A Scary Face from Outer Space / Swami Whammy” (11/26/77) – The Bears investigate the source of mysterious destructive rays threatening a city. / / King and his friends try to raise money to buy a boat. / The Posse attempts to capture an invisible bandit. / Aliens come to Earth looking for humans to abduct and end up landing at the inn as it hosts a costume ball. / Undercover and Loudmouse must stop Swami Salami from hypnotizing people into his slaves.

 

“Disappearing Satellites / Cousin Snakey is a Groove / Go for It, King / Calamity John / Health Spa Spooks / The Disappearing Duchess” (12/3/77) – The Bears follow a spacecraft below a lake to discover a giant underground space station. / / King attempts to set a new world record. / The Posse must arrest a bandit that causes bad luck wherever he goes. / The trio hire a physical education teacher to try and bring new life to their inn. / Undercover and Loudmouse head to London to protect the Duchess from an evil scheme.

THE GREAT GRAPE APE SHOW

 

THE GREAT GRAPE APE SHOW
(ABC, September 6-December 13, 1975)
 
Hanna-Barbera Productions

  

MAIN CAST:
Bob Holt – Grape Ape
Marty Ingles – Beegle Beagle

 

            Perhaps it was coincidence that a remake of King Kong was in production and set to be filmed and released the following year, but Hanna-Barbera ended up entering the giant ape business themselves with the creation of Grape Ape (Bob Holt).

Grape Ape riding atop Beegle Beagle's van.

            Grape Ape was a 40-foot-tall purple gorilla from the island of Balaboomba with a child-like mentality, emphasized by his catch phrase of saying his name twice, and a wild love of eating grapes. He was in the company of an anthropomorphic dog named Beegle Beagle (Marty Ingles), or as Grape called him “Beegly Beagly”. Like most other Hanna-Barbera programs, Grape and Beegle travelled around the world and found themselves in a series of misadventures; from joining a football team or the Army to becoming enlisted as crime-fighters against diabolical villains or astronauts for NASA. Their primary mode of transportation was a yellow van driven by Beegle, upon which Grape rode on the top. A recurring gag would sometimes see Grape revving up the van like a friction toy and then hopping aboard when it was on the move. Borrowing an element from the Casper the Friendly Ghost serials, another running gag featured those first encountering the gentle Grape crying out in fear and running away (with the exception of Rosie O’Lady from the segment “The Indian Grape Call”, voiced by Janet Waldo). Given his size and naivete, Grape often caused trouble either by accident or through manipulation and always followed it with a genuine “I’m sorry!” (which had become frequent enough for Beegle to say along with him in a playfully mocking way).

Grape and Beegle join the Army.

            The Great Grape Ape Show debuted on ABC on September 6, 1975. Each episode contained two story segments, with the exception of the special full-story episode “S.P.L.A.T.’s Back” (albeit broken up into two parts) that aired as part of ABC’s Thanksgiving Funshine Festival on Thanksgiving Day. Although only lasting for a single season, the series remained on the network for three years. For the first two, it was paired up with Hanna-Barbera’s rendition of cat and mouse team Tom and Jerry from The Tom and Jerry Show. They originally aired as the Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape Show, then were joined the following year by The Mumbly Cartoon Show to become the Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape/Mumbly Show. For its final year, Grape Ape aired independently under its own title after moving to the Sunday morning schedule. The series was written by Tom Dagenais, Joel Kane, Jack Mendelsohn, Ray Parker, Duane Poole and Dick Robbins, with music by Hoyt Curtin and Paul DeKorte. Other featured actors in various roles included Joan Gerber, Virginia Gregg, Bob Hastings, Allan Melvin, Don Messick, Alan Oppenheimer, Hal Smith, John Stephenson, Lurene Tuttle, Lennie Weinrib, Frank Welker and Paul Winchell.

Grape goes for the flighty girls.

            The series featured a number of pop culture references; heavily borrowing on concepts for its story ideas and characters. The segment “Trouble at Bad Rock” had its title influenced by 1955’s Bad Day at Black Rock. Villain Doctor Dolottle, who utilized trained animals to steal from the segment “S.P.L.A.T.”, was based on Hugh Lofting’s animal-speaking Doctor Dolittle character (whom Holt previously voiced in DePatie-Freleng’s The Further Adventures of Doctor Dolittle). The segment title “Grapefinger” and its titular villain were based on the title and character from the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger; and, as the name implied, he was obsessed with grapes rather than gold. The world’s greatest hunter seen in “Return to Balaboomba” and “Who’s New at the Zoo”, Bring ‘em Back Bogie, was based on a combination of actor Humphrey Bogart and animal collector Frank Buck. “Grape Five-O” took its title from police series Hawaii Five-O, and “The Grape Connection” from the 1971 film The French Connection.

Grape Ape: football hero.

           Although never again a headliner, Grape would appear as one of the featured characters in Laff-A-Lympics as a member of the Yogi Yahooeys alongside Hanna-Barbera’s other anthropomorphic animal stars. From there, Grape would only make guest appearances and cameos over the years. He appeared in an episode of Yogi’s Space Race, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Cartoon Planet and Teen Titans Go!; as an animatronic (voiced by Jeff Bennett) in an episode of Dexter’s Laboratory; alongside Beegle (Doug Preis) in an episode of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, voiced by John Michael Higgins; as the victim of a misunderstanding with police in an episode of Robot Chicken; in a parody of a pro-war propaganda cartoon as part of The X-Presidents recurring sketch in Saturday Night Live’s TV Funhouse segment, voiced by segment creator Robert Smigel; as an occupant of the Super Ape Motel in the Mad segment “Demise of the Planet of the Apes”; featured with Beegle in the 2012 MetLife commercial “Everyone”; as a guest in Brak Presents the Brak Show Starring Brak voiced by Dave Willis; at the end of the film Scoob! as a new recruit to the super team led by Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg); as a public nuisance in an episode of Jellystone!, voiced by C.H. Greenblatt; and with Beegle in the 2021 special Scooby-Doo, Where Are You Now.

Close encounters of the Grape kind.

            Charlton Comics published two issues of The Great Grape Ape in 1976. Grape next appeared in an Australian one-shot in 1977 from K.G. Murray Publishers and Marvel Comics’ Laff-A-Lympics and Hanna-Barbera TV Stars #1 (although he appeared on the cover for the next two issues) between 1978-79. K.G. would reprint TV Stars #1 as The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera TV Stars #1. During this time, he also appeared in three comic annuals in the United Kingdom from Stafford Pemberton Publishing Ltd. and in a comic strip adapted by Norbert Fersen under the series’ French-translated name, Momo et Ursul. Grape would return to American comics with Archie Comics’ Hanna-Barbera Presents #6 in 1996 and in slightly more realistic form with Beegle in the 2018 DC Comics special, Nightwing/Magilla Gorilla.

Grape rescues his parents.

            In 1976, Rand McNally published a Grape Ape storybook, followed by three coloring books the following year. In France, Junior Productions also released a storybook with stickers in 1977. McCall’s produced iron-on transfers of Beegle and Grape, and Milton Bradley a board game. In 1985, a 13” plush doll of Grape was distributed by a company called Presents. More recently, Funko would release figurines as part of their POP! and Vinyl Soda lines, a Pez dispenser, and a coin bank. “There’s No Feud Like an Old Feud”, “Ali Beegle and the 40 Grapes”, “Public Grape No. 1”, “A Knight to Remember” and “The First Grape in Space” were released on Super 8 by Techno Film in the United Kingdom. The first episode was released onto DVD by Warner Home Video on the compilation Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1970s Vol. 2 in 2009, which was later collected with the other volumes in 2018. Full episodes are available for purchase on YouTube.

      

EPISODE GUIDE:

“That Was No Idol, That Was My Ape / The All-American Ape” (9/6/75) – A trip to Hawaii finds Grape replacing a purple idol…and inadvertently signaling that a volcano will erupt. / Grape ends up drafted onto a football team to help save their coach’s job, but a rival coach plans to thwart his plans and abducts Grape.

 

“Movie Madness / Trouble at Bad Rock” (9/13/75) – Grape is hired by a movie to replace a malfunctioning ape robot and its creator is none too happy about it. / Beegle ends up becoming the sheriff of a town besieged by a diminutive villain.

 

“Flying Saucery / There’s No Feud Like an Old Feud” (9/20/75) – Beegle and Grape are abducted by aliens, and their simple natures allow the aliens to think Earth is ripe for invasion. / In the countryside, Beegle and Grape get involved with an old family feud.

 

“The Grape Race / The Big Parade” (9/27/75) – Grape and Beegle agree to test a new state-of-the-art racecar, but their opponents would do anything to win. / Grape falls in love with a baby gorilla balloon a thief used to hide a stolen diamond.

 

“A Knight to Remember / S.P.L.A.T.” (10/4/75) – Grape and Beegle are sent back in time and end up helping King Arthur against evil sorceress Evil Lynn. / When Dr. Dolottle uses trained animals to rob Fort Knox, the police chief forms the Special Police-Licensed Animal Team to thwart him.

 

“G.I. Ape / The Purple Avenger” (10/11/75) – Beegle and Grape accidentally join the Army and their commanding officers would do anything to get rid of them. / Grape adopts a superhero identity to save a town from an over-taxing tyrant.

 

“Grapefinger / Return to Balaboomba” (10/18/75) – Grape his hired to put an end to a villain’s schemes to steal all the grapes in the world. / Beegle takes a homesick Grape home where they end up having to rescue his parents from a great hunter.

 

“Amazon Ape / Grape Marks the Spot” (10/25/75) – Beegle and Grape help a scientist find a lost South American city in the Amazon. / A pirate trails Grape and Beegle as they follow a treasure map.

 

“The Invisible Ape / Public Grape No. 1” (11/1/75) – Two thieves attempt to abduct a scientist who invented an invisibility formula, but end up with an invisible Grape instead. / A phony Beegle replaces the real one and tricks Grape into stealing national monuments.

 

“The Incredible Shrinking Grape / What’s a Nice Prince Like You Doing in a Duck Like That?” (11/8/75) – After being accidentally shrunken, Grape is captured by a ruthless ringmaster to be put in his circus. / Beegle and Grape must help a prince overcome a curse placed on him by an evil hermit.

 

“Who’s New at the Zoo / The Indian Grape Call” (11/15/75) – Grape must rescue his parents from the zoo. / Grape and Beegle work as Mounties and must protect a young girl’s land from an evil developer.

 

“A Grape is Born / The First Grape in Space” (11/22/75) – A talent show leads to Grape becoming a rock star that a shifty manager wants to take advantage of. / Beegle and Grape head to NASA with a desire to become astronauts.

 

“S.P.L.A.T.’s Back Part 1 / S.P.L.A.T.’s Back Part 2” (11/27/75) – S.P.L.A.T. is re-formed when a giant chicken and an army of birds commit crimes across the city. / Beegle goes undercover as part of the chicken’s gang while Grape secretly follows them.

 

“To Sleep or Not to Sleep / Olympic Grape” (11/29/75) – A promoter wants Grape to do the acrobatic stunts he does in his sleep over the Grand Canyon, but Grape is afraid of heights. / Grape must replace the snowed-in US Olympic team at the games all by himself against a robotic opponent from Evilonia.

 

“Ali Beagle and the 40 Grapes / Grape Five-O” (12/6/75) – Beegle and Grape must recover a magic lamp from a carpet-riding villain. / Beegle and Grape must stop Mr. Y from stealing Aloha Island to add to his own personal continent.

 

“The Purple Avenger Strikes Again / The Grape Connection” (12/13/75) – Grape dons his superhero identity again to help an oppressed village that mistakes hm for a local hero. / Beegle and Grape are hired to recover the world’s largest ruby that was stolen from a French museum.

THE FLINTSTONE COMEDY SHOW (1980)

 

THE FLINTSTONE COMEDY SHOW (1980) / FLINTSTONE FROLICS / THE FLINTSTONE FUNNIES
(NBC, November 22, 1980-October 24, 1981)
 
Hanna-Barbera Productions

 

MAIN CAST:
Henry Corden – Fred Flintstone
Mel Blanc – Barney Rubble, Captain Caveman/Chester, Dino
Jean Vander Pyl – Wilma Flintstone
Gay Autterson – Betty Rubble, Wiggy Rockstone
Russi Taylor – Pebbles Flintstone, Cavemouse
Michael Sheehan – Bamm-Bamm Rubble, Punk Rock
Mitzi McCall – Penny Pillar
Don Messick – Schleprock
Lennie Weinrib – Moonrock Crater, Sgt. Boulder, Mr. Redbluff, Hotwire Harry
Frank Welker – Shmoo, Rockjaw, Clownfoot, various
Charles Nelson Reilly – Frank Frankenstone
Ruta Lee – Hidea Frankenstone
Paul Reubens – Freaky Frankenstone
Zelda Rubinstein – Atrocia Frankenstone
Kenneth Mars – Lou Granite, narrator (“Captain Caveman” segment)
John Stephenson – Mr. Slate, various

 

 For the history of The Flintstones, check out the post here.

The Flintstone Comedy Show was an anthology series featuring the Flintstones characters; the first series to debut in the 1980s and the second to use the title (The Flintstone Comedy Hour was renamed as such after it was shortened to a half hour). It was broken up into six unique segments over the course of 90-minutes; however, the characters weren’t exclusive to those segments and crossed over frequently.

The Flintstones and Rubbles together again on another crazy adventure.

The Flintstone Family Adventures were the continuing misadventures of Fred (Henry Corden), Wilma (Jean Vander Pyl), Barney (Mel Blanc) and Betty (Gay Autterson) as they went about their modern Stone Age lives in the town of Bedrock. Of course, elements were updated to reflect the changing time, including the fact that Wilma and Betty were now working for The Daily Granite newspaper under editor Lou Granite (a parody of Lou Grant, voiced by Kenneth Mars).

Fred, Barney and the Shmoo are on the case!

Bedrock Cops featured Fred and Barney as reservists in the Bedrock police force. They were partnered with the shape-shifting Shmoo (Frank Welker), a trainee and holdover from the previous Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo series, under the command of Sgt. Boulder (Lennie Weinrib). This was a concept that had been in development at Hanna-Barbera for a few years under the title The Flintstone Fuzz, as revealed by Fred’s original voice actor Alan Reed in a 1975 interview with radio historian Chuck Schaden. It would have been a satire of popular police programs. Unfortunately, Reed died in 1977 and was unable to see it come to fruition.

When a mummy gets involved, you know Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are gonna find trouble!

Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm was a new entry into Hanna-Barbera’s “mystery-solving kids and a pet” format popularized by Scooby-Doo. After being reduced back to toddler age for The New Fred and Barney Show, Pebbles (Russi Taylor) and Bamm-Bamm (Michael Sheehan) were aged back up to teenagers for Comedy Show; however, they were just a bit younger than they were in The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show. Together with the Flintstone family pet, Dino (Blanc), they solved seemingly-supernatural mysteries they encountered around Bedrock. Occasionally joining them were their Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm friends, Penny Pillar (Mitzy McCall), Wiggy Rockstone (Autterson) and Moonrock Crater (Weinrib).

Wilma, Betty and Captain Caveman unmask an impostor.

Captain Caveman served as a prequel to Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels. It followed Captain Caveman (Blanc) during his time in Bedrock before he ended up frozen and reawakened in the future. This segment was a send-up of DC Comics’ Superman, as Cavey adopted the “secret identity” of mild-mannered copy boy Chester and worked at The Daily Granite with Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble. This “disguise” was comprised of a pair of glasses and a bowtie, with his spotted cape worn as a coat. The fur that covered his face was also removed, exposing fleshy lips for the first time. Whenever trouble called and Captain Caveman was needed, Chester would dive into a coatrack for a quick change and clumsily save the day. This was the only segment to feature a narrator (also Mars) in true superhero fashion.

A rare instance of Dino getting his hands on Cavemouse.

Dino and Cavemouse was the last project worked on by legendary animator Tex Avery before his death. Similar to Tom and Jerry, these short segments focused on Dino at odds with a pesky Cavemouse (Taylor) that liked to help himself to Fred’s food and made himself a general nuisance in the Flintstone household. Of course, attempts to get rid of him resulted in wacky shenanigans and hijinks that often left Dino and Fred the worse for wear. Two of these segments aired per episode.

The second incarnation of The Frankenstones from the prime time specials.

The Frankenstones was the first starring feature of the Flintstones’ monster-esque next door neighbors; a Stone Age spin on The Munsters that would replace the similarly-themed Gruesomes from the original series. The name “Frankenstone” had been used on The Flintstones many times previously as a Stone Age pun of Frankenstein. The Frankenstones as official characters first appeared in an episode of The New Fred and Barney Show as the owners of a spooky “condorstonium” development Fred and Barney considered moving into; populated by all sorts of creepy characters including the Gruesomes (although renamed as the “Ghoulstones”). Frank, based on Frankenstein’s monster, was portrayed as calm and gloomy, voiced by John Stephenson with a Boris Karloff impression. His wife Hidea (Autterson) was likewise based on The Bride of Frankenstein. Atrocia was their teenaged daughter voiced by Vander Pyl, and Freaky their young son voiced by Jim MacGeorge. While Frank’s design was reused for the Frankenstone Monster (Ted Cassidy) created by Count Rockula (Stephenson) in the 1979 Halloween special The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone, the Frankenstone family wouldn’t return until the following series of prime-time specials that aired on NBC between 1980 and 1981. However, his wife was renamed Oblivia (Patricia Parris), their daughter was now Hidea (Julie McWhirter), and their son was now Stubby (still MacGeorge), who resembled a dimunutive Frank. While initially clashing, the entire Flintstone family became friends with the Frankenstones.

The third incarnation of The Frankenstones: Hidea, Frank, Freaky and Atrocia rocking out with some of their creatures.

These Frankenstones were yet another version of that family. They were comprised of Frank (Charles Nelson Reilly), who was hot-tempered and became riled up at the drop of a hat—especially when dealing with Fred, whom he despised; Hidea (Ruta Lee), Frank’s wife who was good friends with Wilma (which annoyed both husbands); Atrocia (Zelda Rubinstein), their young daughter that had magical powers; Freaky (Paul Reubens), their teenaged son who was friends with Pebbles; and Rockjaw (Welker), their green furry pet monster that often caused trouble for Fred and Barney while they were on their police patrols. Their house, Frankenstone Manor, was a tall and foreboding stalagmite structure surrounded by a moat that always had a thundercloud floating overhead. Vulturedactyls tended to roost all over the manor’s surface. The interior was dismal and cavern-like, full of Rocksylvanian artifacts, rooms that defied the laws of physics or were inhabited by strange creatures, and a living grass-like carpet with rocktopus-like tentacles.

Captain Caveman as mild-mannered copy boy Chester.

In addition to the story segments, there were several wraparound features with the various characters between them. They would either joke about a scene they’re in; Pebbles would teach the viewers a dance move demonstrated by Fred; Pebbles would try unscrambling a word; an arts and crafts project split into two parts before and after a segment; and Fred hosting a guessing game where other characters had to determine the identity of a historical figure or fictional character in a scrambled picture based on clues he gave. Additionally, there were educational spots, games, and how-to-draw features.

Cavemouse turning himself into a ghost for a ploy against Dino.

The Flintstone Comedy Show debuted on NBC on November 22, 1980, airing internationally under the name Flintstone Frolics. It was the only series comprised of new material to debut on the network’s Saturday morning schedule that season; the remainder comprised entirely of reruns either independently or as part of packaged programs. The series was written by Gene Ayres, Haskell Barkin, Anthony Bonaduce, Celia Bonaduce, Douglas Booth, John Bradford, Don Christensen, Nancy Clements, Tom Dagenais, Don Dougherty, Diane Duane, Carl Fallberg, Donald F. Glut, Ralph Goodman, Gary Greenfield, Dale Hale, Orville H. Hampton, Len Janson, Jack Kinney, Dale Kirby, Earl Kress, Glenn Leopold, Jack Mendelsohn, Chuck Menville, Ron Michaelson, Charles Mulholland, Bob Ogle, Ray Parker, Ria Parody, Virgil Partch, Duane Poole, Paul Pumpian, Lane Raichert, Dick Robbins, Reed Robbins, Misty Stewart-Taggart, Tom Swale, Warren Taylor, Ernest Terrazas, Len Udes Jr. and Tom Yakutis. Avery, Booth, Menville, Parker, Poole, Robbins, Swale, Cliff Roberts and Chuck Couch all served as story editors, and Dagenais, Fallberg, Hale, Yakutis, Cullen Baine, Robert Dranko, John Freeman, Gary Goldstein, Gary Hoffman, Chris Jenkyns, Emilie Kong, Larry Latham, Lewis Marshall, Hal Mason, Bill Perez, Don Ruch and George Singer were story directors. Characters were designed by Jaime Diaz, Jim Franzen, David Hanan, Willie Ito and Scott Shaw. Hoyt Curtin was the musical director with Paul DeKorte as music supervisor. A reworking of Curtin, Joseph Barbera and William Hanna’s “Meet the Flintstones” theme from the original series was used for this show’s opening.

The series ran for two seasons, with the second reduced to 60 minutes eliminating all the bonus segments. For the 1982 season, reruns of the segments were repackaged as the half-hour The Flintstone Funnies; alternating between two or three segments per episode. It ran for an additional two seasons in that format before the franchise left the network entirely in 1984. The next incarnation would air on ABC as The Flintstone Kids beginning in 1986. Reruns of Dino and Cavemouse would return to television in 1991 as filler material for Jump, Rattle and Roll, the only Hanna-Barbera series to ever air on The Disney Channel, while Captain Caveman was featured on Chip and Pepper’s Cartoon Madness back on NBC. The Frankenstones largely disappeared from Flintstone media altogether; with only the monstrous version of Frank appearing in The Flintstone Kids #10 comic published in 1989 by Marvel Comics’ Star Comics imprint and The Flintstones #15 published in 1996 by Archie Comics (albeit with a different design in both), the 1991 video game The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy, and as a statue in the TV film Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby. Cavemouse would make an appearance on the back of a 2011 box of Pebbles cereal.

Character model of Frank Frankenstone.

Worldvision Home Video released two VHS collections: The Flintstone Comedy Show: 25^th Anniversary Special featuring the segments “Mountain Frustration”, “Potion Problem”, “Camp-Out Mouse”, “Clownfoot”, “The Ghost Sitters” and “Sands of the Sarahastone”, and The Flintstone Comedy Show 2: Curtain Call featuring the segments “Gold Fever”, “A Night on the Town”, “Monster Madness”, “Arcade Antics”, “Follow that Dogasaurus”, and “Be Patient, Fred”. The series was streaming on the Boomerang service under the Frolics title until it was shut down in 2024. For Halloween 2024, The Frankenstones segment returned to television on retro animation network MeTV Toons’ Flintstones Family Sunday programming block.

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“R.V. Fever / Fred Goes Ape / The Ghost Sitters / Clownfoot / Mouse Cleaning / Quiet Please! / Birthday Boy” (11/22/80) – Fred and Barney are taken for a ride when the trailer they’re in unhitches from the car. / A gorillasaurus escapes from the zoo when Fred and Barney are assigned to keep watch while the zookeeper is away. / A babysitting gig turns into a wild ghost-filled chase for Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm and Dino. / Cavey tracks a pair of bank robbers to the circus and captures them with the aid of Wilma and Betty. / Fred turns to his new computer to eliminate his mouse problem, but none of its suggestions work. / Dino is allowed to stay inside as long as he keeps quiet, but Cavemouse makes that an impossible task. / Pebbles must disguise herself as a witch to attend Freaky’s unhappy birthday party.

 

“Sands of the Sarahastone / Off the Beaten Track / Secret of Scary Valley / The Masquerader / Camp-Out Mouse / Piece O’Cake / Potion Problem” (11/29/80) – A vacation in Algeriastone ends when sheiks abduct Wilma and Bett to add to their harems. / Fred and Barney are thrilled to be assigned to guard the Turbo Rock I racecar at the Bedrock Grand Prix. / Being chased by aliens leads Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm to figure out the mystery of Scary Valley. / Cavey is framed when the Masquerader robs the Vlanderslate Art Museum disguised as him. / When Cavemouse follows Dino and Fred on a camping trip, Dino attempts to catch him using their picnic basket as bait. / Cavemouse destroys the surprise birthday cake Fred baked for Barney. / Frank uses Atrocia’s hate potion to end Freaky and Pebbles’ friendship, but it ends up hitting Fred and turning him into a sweetheart.

 

“Gold Fever / A Bad Case of Rockjaw / The Witch of the Wardrobe / The Animal Master / Beach Party / Ghost Mouse / A Night on the Town” (12/6/80) – Fred and Barney discover a gold mine and try to keep it from claim jumpers. / Fred, Barney and Shmoo must stop Rockjaw from destroying the trees in Bedrock Park. / A witch ruins the best fashion show of the year by turning all of the featured fashions into rags. / Tigra uses a magic flute to control the local animal population, and Cavey, Wilma and Betty investigate. / Cavemouse decides to ruin Fred and Dino’s day at the beach. / Cavemouse disguises himself into a ghost to make Dino believe he killed him. / A double date between the Flintstones and Frankenstones ends up in disaster.

 

“Bogged Down / Follow that Dogosaurus / Monster Madness / The Mole / Disco Dino / Going Ape / Out of Their League” (12/13/80) – Barney is happy to sell a dilapidated resort he inherited until Fred discovers oil on the property. / Fred, Barney and Shmoo are put on the case of numerous dogosaurus thefts. / Retrieving their baseball from an abandoned house puts Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm and Dino in peril by various monsters. / Wilma and Betty are sent to investigate the disappearance of half of Bedrock. / Cavemouse uses disco music to disrupt Dino’s nap. / Cavemouse must keep an escaped gorillasaurus safe from Dino who wants to collect the reward for his return. / Fred challenges Frank’s team to a baseball game that ends up turning into a heated battle between the two of them.

 

“Be Patient, Fred / Mountain Frustration / The Show Must Go On / Rollerman / Finger Lick’n Bad / Wet Paint / Clone for a Day” (12/20/80) – A sick Fred is mistaken for another patient due for extensive surgery. / Fred, Barney and Shmoo are sent to Mount Bedrock to investigate strange noises and footprints. / Pebbles decides the abandoned Bedrock Bijou would be a great place for the school’s talent show…unfortunately, it appears to be haunted. / Rollerman confidently challenges Captain Caveman to foil his robberies. / Cavemouse finds numerous ways to torment Dino when he’s home alone. / Dino and Cavemouse spoil Fred’s efforts to beautify his home to win a contest. / Frank’s inheritance is reliant on his not losing his temper for a day, and his family tries to help by keeping Fred away from him.

 

“Country Club Clods / Bedlam on the Bedrock Express / The Beast of Muscle Rock Beach / Vulcan / Flying Mouse / Rocko Socko / A Stone is Born” (12/27/80) – Fred wins the membership drive at his country club, but havoc and terror follows the Frankenstones joining up. / Fred and Barney accidentally stack a fortune in gold onto a bank robber’s railcar instead of the Bedrock Express. / A trip to the beach puts Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm at odds with a beast that inhabits it. / Vulcan holds Bedrock for ransom by promising to reactivate its dormant volcano. / Dino is charged with protecting a picnic basket, but Cavemouse is determined to get the goodies inside. / Angry that Dino hasn’t gotten rid of Cavemouse, Fred purchases a robot that will do it instead. / When an argument erupts over Frank accidentally ruining Fred’s live commercial, the two are found hilarious enough that an agent wants to hire them as comedians.

 

“The Rockdale Diet / Hot Air to Spare / In Tune with Terror / Punk Rock / Aloha Mouse / Arcade Antics / A Rocks-Pox on You” (1/3/81) – Wilma makes sure Fred sticks to the Rockdale Diet. / Fred and Barney escort Hotwire Harry to the jail, but he tricks them and makes his escape. / Pebbles and her friends investigate the disappearance of a music star. / Punk Rock kidnaps Betty and buries Cavey under tons of warehouse crates. / Cavemouse disrupts the Flintstones’ cruise. / Dino and Cavemouse team-up to stop a thief from robbing an arcade. / A case of rocks-pox sees Frank quarantined with the Flintstones.

 

“Dino’s Girl / Rockjaw Rides Again / The Curse of Tutrockamen / Braino / Come Home, Dino / Robin Mouse / The Luck Stops Here” (1/10/81) – When Fred accidentally brings home Mr. Slate’s pet dinosaur, Dino falls in love. / Fred and Barney discover Rockjaw is the cause of weird geological activity in the Bedrock Valley. / Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm and Dino sneak into the museum to retrieve Pebbles’ ring only to end up being chased by a mummy. / Braino steals all of Bedrock’s power and kidnaps Wilma and Betty. / Cavemouse removes Dino’s license tag and lures him into the waiting net of the animal catcher. / Cavemouse teams-up with rodent hero Robin Mouse to disrupt Fred and Dino’s fishing trip. / Fred changes Frank’s bad luck by causing him to break a mirror, losing him the chance to win the Awful Award from Battered Homes and Gardens magazine.

 

“The Gourmet Dinner / Pretty Kitty / The Hideous Hiss of the Lizard Monster / The Incredible Hunk / A Fool for Pool / L’il Orphan Alphie / The Monster of Invention” (1/17/81) – The Flintstones invite the Slates to a dinner at the Frankenstones’ for a meal prepared with traditional Rocksylvanian ingredients. / After saving a wealthy woman’s sabretooth tiger, Fred and Barney are tasked with finding out who’s eating all the food at her garden party. / Looking for Dino in an abandoned mine leads Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm into encountering a horrible lizard monster. / The Incredible Hunk from Sinister Swamp kidnaps Wilma and seeks to destroy Bedrock. / Dino chases Cavemouse through Fred’s new pool table, ruining it. / An orphan mouse gets waited on hand and foot by Cavemouse, Dino and Fred after sharing his tale of woe. / Fred and Frank compete for the grand prize at the Inventor’s Fair but end up creating the same thing.

 

“The Stand-In / The Roller Robber / The Legend of Haunted Forest / Iceman / Abra-Ca-Dino / The Bedrock 500 / Rock and Rolling Frankenstones” (1/24/81) – Fred and Wilma are asked to be stunt persons in their favorite stars’ new film. / Fred, Barney and Shmoo attempt to stop the wheeled Roller Robber. / Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm come across a notorious thief’s disguise to keep people away from his lair. / Iceman and Snow Bunny create a blizzard to cover their robbery of the biggest diamond store in Bedrock. / Dino uses Fred’s new magic kit on Cavemouse, turning him into a giant. / Dino steals Fred’s race car in an attempt to win the race for him. / Frank’s temper turns him into a superstar.

 

“Go Take a Hike / Put Up Your Duke / Double Trouble with Long John Silverock / The Mummy’s Worse / Who is What? / Pow-Pow the Dyno-Mite / Sand Doom” (1/31/81) – Fred’s boasting of his woodsman abilities leads to him taking over guiding a hike from the local forest ranger. / Fred and Barney guard the Duke of Feldspar who ends up the victim of a pickpocket. / Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm take refuge from a storm in Richstone Manor and become suspicious of two carpenters there. / Cavey and Wilma end up trapped in the Bedrock Historical Museum by an ancient mummy attempting to reclaim his treasures. / Cavemouse believes he’s gone ill when Fred dons a Dino costume to confuse him. / Fred promises a permanent home to Dino’s second cousin Pow-Pow if they can capture Cavemouse. / The Flintstones and Frankenstones end up sharing the same cabin when they go away on vacation.

 

Season 2:

“The Great Bedrock Air Race / Undercover Shmoo / A Night of Fright / Pinkbeard / Goofed-Up Golf / Sleepy Time Mouse / Pet Peeves” (9/12/81) – Fred and Barney assemble and race Mr. Slate’s new Aerosubmabus in the dangerous Great Bedrock Air Race. / Fred and Barney infiltrate the Hole in the Head Gang and must prove their loyalty by stealing a valuable object. / Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm seek shelter from a storm in a haunted house. / Pirate Pinkbeard plots to make Betty and Wilma walk the plank while stealing the luxury ship The Queen Elizarock. / Dino and Cavemouse’s antics somehow help Fred’s golf game. / Fred encourages Dino to get a good night’s sleep to catch Cavemouse, and Cavemouse plans to make him too tired for the chase. / When an animal star disappears, Fred and Frank are determined to ensure their pet replaces her in the film.

 

“Fred’s Last Resort / On the Ball / The Dust Devil of Palm Rock Springs / The Blimp / S’No Place Like Home / Super-Dupes / The Charity Bizarre” (9/19/81) – Fred escapes rough treatment at a spa and finds himself in prison. / Fred and Barney are forced to miss the Policeman’s Ball when they’re assigned to catch a jewel thief. / Escaping the desert heat in an abandoned resort has Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm encountering a menacing dust devil. / Cavey, Wilma and Betty must save a group of famous people who have been vacuumed up by the Blimp’s vacuum. / Cavemouse invites himself along on Fred and Dino’s ski trip. / Dino and Cavemouse recruit superheroes to feud for them. / Officers Fred and Barney serve the Frankenstones with an eviction notice unless they can pay up their back rent by 6:00.

 

“The Not-Such-A-Pleasure Cruise / Shop Treatment / Dino and the Zombies / Futuro / Dinner for Two / Invasion of the Cheese Snatchers / Getting the Business” (9/26/81) – Fred’s vacation ends up disrupted by pirates. / Fred, Barney and Shmoo must stop Rockjaw from eating all the merchandise in the Bedrock Department Store. / Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm investigate the disappearance of a thief in the cemetery. / Cavey heads to Mars to rescue Wilma and Betty after Futuro sends them there. / Dino helps Cavemouse get to his date, but then realizes the potential for mice offspring! / Fred, Dino and Cavemouse try to help an alien mouse find fuel for his spacecraft. / Fred and Frank end up partners in a catering business when Fred scams Frank out of money by selling him a lemon car.

 

“Fred’s Big Top Flop / Country Clubbed / The Ghost of the Neanderthal Giant / Mr. Big / Handle with Scare / The World’s Strongest Mouse / Ugly is Only Skin Deep” (10/3/81) – The Flintstones and Rubbles are mistaken for a circus act. / A thief tricks Fred and Barney as they guard the grand prize at a golf tournament. / Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm are scared off by a huge primitive man after they find gold in the haunted caves. / Mr. Big causes chaos around Bedrock, putting The Daily Granite in peril. / Cavemouse disguises himself as an escaped explosive red robot mouse. / Fred provides Dino with a motivational recording, but it works on Cavemouse instead. / When Wilma and Hidea contract the Dinosaur Flu, Frank and Fred take their places in a beauty contest.

 

“In a Stew / Barney and the Bandit / Creature from the Rock Lagoon / Stormfront and Weathergirl / Bat’s All / Trick or Treat / Three Days of the Mastodon” (10/10/81) – Fred’s clientele keeps his dreams of impressing a food critic with his new diner at bay. / Fred and Barney call on Captain Caveman and Shmoo to help retrieve their stolen motorcycle. / A sea creature captures Pebbles, Dino, Bamm-Bamm and their friend. / Stormfront and Weathergirl attack Bedrock Labs in order to use its secrets to take control of Earth’s weather. / Cavemouse uses a lost Batmouse to outwit Dino and eat all of the food in the house. / Fred tries to console Dino over his lousy Halloween with a relaxing record, but Cavemouse replaces it with one of howling monsters. / Frank and Fred must have a prank war over three days to see who gets initiated into the Mastodon Lodge.

 

“Fred vs. the Energy Crisis / Shore Thing / Dino and the Giant Spiders / Crypto / Do or Diet / Mouse for Sale / First Family Fiasco” (10/17/81) – Fred believes his invention will solve the energy crisis; a storm proves otherwise. / Fred and Barney must stop Rockjaw from eating the pier. / Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm take refuge from a storm in the lair of the Spider Woman and her giant pets. / Cavey must keep Crypto from stealing the faces off of Mount Rockmore. / When Fred and Dino go jogging, Cavemouse protects their food from a robber. / Fred and Dino attempt to give Cavemouse to a lab, but they end up caught in an electrical current. / Frank and Fred enter a heated competition to be the most helpful and win the coveted First Family of Bedrock award.

 

“Fred’s Friend in Need / Rotten Actors / The Ghastly Gatorsaurus / Presto / Maltcheese Falcon / Invisible Mouse / House Wars” (10/24/81) – Fred attempts to help a once-rich old friend secure a loan by having their families pose as his servants to impress the banker. / Fred and Barney guard a movie set, not knowing a staged robbery is in the works. / Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm must rescue Dino from a concrete-eating gatorsaurus. / Magician Presto escapes from prison and seeks revenge on Cavey, Wilma and Betty. / Cavemouse poses as a gangster to trick Dino out of Fred’s food, but ends up getting the three of them arrested with his convincing performance. / Fred’s invisibility spray allows Cavemouse to become invisible. / While their wives are gone, Frank and Fred try to make it so that the other moves away.