50 Greatest Cartoons... and other classic animation from the days of yore

[Woops]

Still be in stuck in a rut...

Movies, CGI would either fade or wind up with just Pixar or Dreamworks and about one or two films per year...



 Disney (without Pixar) already screwed themselves for changing title of the upcoming movie "Rapunzel" to "Tangled" and making it CG despite that "Princess & The Frog" was actually a moderate success. Heck, it was even nominated for an Oscar.



Well one positive is that an upcoming "Winnie the Pooh" movie will be traditionally drawn.





TV: doubt the classics would ever return to basic cable  and for some reason Boomerang probably would get replaced with some generic network ("The Drying Paint Channel"   )that shows the same stuff shown on every other channel within this decade.


As for tv animation, wouldn't count on it since there hasn't really been anything worth watching in a while.

If "The Simpsons" were get cancelled within the next several years...


Fox would drop the Sunday animation block. Also doubt Seth McFarlane's "Family Guy" and his other animated sitcoms would  have any longevity. Probably a few animated sitcoms might still air or Fox, but most would last a season or less.

Adult oriented animation probably would decline in popularity since there hasn't been any  widely popular shows besides "Family Guy" & "South Park", which both probably would be canned and/or drop in popularity towards the end of the decade.

Many animated shows from Comedy Central in the past decade have flopped ("Kid Nototious", "Drawn Together") and several shows from Cartoon Network's Adult Swim have never gone beyond cult status and/or don't even last a season.

Ironically, there was several animated shows from the '90's that geared towards older audiences that were much better than "Family Guy" & "South Park" like "Mission Hill", "Duckman", and "The Critic", IMHO.  


Disney Channel... more likely would stick to tween sitcoms, though would still air a few original cartoons. Though in the past decade the only hit they had was "Kim Possible" and recently "Phineas & Ferb", though too early to say if it'll stay popular for the next few years. Though doubt it.


Nickelodeon... still airing cartoons...and also trying to top the seasponge like they have for the past decade... "Mighty B!", anybody?


Cartoon Network... Despite of the channel's plan of airing live action programming, it'll still air some cartoons. Unfortunately, if the upcoming shows were to become hits, the channel would be virtually unrecognizable towards the end of the decade since it'll become a second rate Nick. Ironically the purpose of the live action programming is to keep up with Nick & Disney in the ratings.


Ummm...how about more variety of animation. Cartoons are more than just drawings that entertain kids or whatever...

Overall, cartoons will remain in  another  Animation Age Ghetto



Online streaming might improve:

Kids WB.com should  get a revamp on their their play lists since they rarely change (How about changing rotation every 3 months/four times a year) and should advertise it on Cartoon Network and could help with  sales with DVD, Blu Ray, Itunes, microchips, or whatever. Also more variety from cartoons owned by Time Warner.

[Out of the Blue]

I figure they will become more and more P.C. and less and less funny.  It seems that over the past ten years or so writers have substituted funny for screaming and yelling.

[Woops]

Now 89 cartoons have been mentioned on the official Facebook page..."Draftee Daffy", one of the best Daffy Duck cartoons when he tries to avoid the little man from the draft board.  

From the images on the book cover & the official Facebook page (sans ranking number)


"Stupid Cupid" (Daffy, Elmer)
"Rabbit Fire" (Bugs, Daffy, Elmer)
"A Gruesome Twosome" (Tweety)
"Wholly Smoke" (Porky)
"Wabbit Twouble" (Bugs, Elmer)
"A Ham In A Role" (Goofy Gophers)
"Canned Fued" (Sylvester)
"Haredevil Hare" (Bugs, Marvin Martian/Marvin's debut)
"Duck! Rabbit! Duck!" (Bugs, Daffy, Elmer)
"Cinderella Meets Fella" (Egghead)
"Drip Along Daffy" (Daffy, Porky, Nasty Canasta)
"I Love To Singa" (Owl Jolson)
"Old Glory" (Porky)
"Tree For Two" (Sylvester, Chester & Spike)
"Draftee Daffy" (Daffy)
"The Hypo-Chondri-Cat" (Claude Cat, Hubie & Bertie)
"The Stupor Salesman" (Daffy)
"Thugs with Dirty Mugs"
"The Aristo-Cat" (Hubie & Bertie/debut)
"Little Red Riding Rabbit" (Bugs)
"Birds Anonymous" (Tweety & Sylvester/Academy Award winner, 1957)
"Operation: Rabbit" (Bugs, Wile. E Coyote)
"Old Grey Hare" (Bugs, Elmer)
"Long Haired Hair" (Bugs, Giovanni Jones)
"Acrobatty Buny" (Bugs, Nero the Lion)
"Rabbit Seasoning" (Bugs, Daffy, Elmer)
"Bear For Punishment" (Three Bears)
"Much Ado About Nutting"
"Scaredy Cat" (Porky, Sylvester)
"Rockey-bye Baby"
"Porky In Wonderland" (Porky)
"Fast & Furry-ous" (Wile E. Coyote & Road Runner/debut)
"One Froggy Evening" (Michigan J. Frog)
"Hillbilly Hare" (Bugs)
"Bunny Hugged" (Bugs, Crusher)
"Bugs Bunny Gets The Boid" (Bugs, Beaky Buzzard)
"From A to Z-z-z-z' (Ralph Phillips)
"Back Alley Oproar" (Elmer, Sylvester)
"Book Revue" (Daffy)
"Buccaneer Bunny" (Bugs, Yosemite Sam)
"Chow Hound"
"A Corny Concerto" (Elmer, Porky, Bugs, Daffy)
"The Dover Boys"
"Duck Amuck" (Daffy)
"8 Ball Bunny" (Bugs, Playboy Penguin)
"Porky Pig's Feat" (Porky, Daffy)
"Three Little Bops"
"A Pest in the House" (Daffy, Elmer)
"The Big Snooze" (Bugs, Elmer)
"Dough Ray Me-ow" (Heathcliff...no, not the comic strip cat)
"Nasty Quacks" (Daffy)
"Tortoise Wins By a Hare" (Bugs, Cecil Turtle)
"Walky Talky Hawky" (Foghorn Leghorn, Henerey Hawk/Foghorn Leghorn debut)
"Scrap Happy Daffy" (Daffy)
"Robin Hood Daffy" (Daffy, Porky)
"A Wild Hare" (Bugs, Elmer/Bugs debut)
"Rhapsody in Rivets"
"Rabbit of Seville" (Bugs, Elmer)
"A Tale of Two Kitties (Tweety/debut)
"Bugs and Thugs" (Bugs, Rocky & Mugsy)
"Easter Yeggs" (Bugs, Elmer)
"High Note"
"Pigs in Polka"
"Hair-Raising Hare" (Bugs, Gossamer)
"Baby Bottleneck" (Daffy, Porky)
"High-Diving Hare" (Bugs, Yosemite Sam)
"Deduce You Say" (Daffy, Porky)
"The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" (Daffy)
"The Swooner Crooner" (Porky)
"Hollywood Steps Out"
"Eatin' on the Cuff"
"Page Miss Glory"
"Tin Pan Alley Cats"
"An Itch in Time" (Elmer, A. Flea)
"The Hep Cat"
"A Hare Grows in Manhattan" (Bugs)
"Pigs is Pigs"
"Steal Wool" (Ralph Wolf & Sam Sheepdog)
"Gorilla My Dreams" (Bugs, Gruesome Gorilla)
"Ali Baba Bunny" (Bugs, Daffy, Hassan...Chop!)
"Show Biz Bugs" (Bugs, Daffy)
"Baseball Bugs" (Bugs)
"Coal Black and the Sebben Dwarfs"
"What's Opera, Doc?" (Bugs, Elmer)
"Falling Hare" (Bugs)
"Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century" (Daffy, Porky, Marvin Martian)
"Bully for Bugs" (Bugs)
"Feed The Kitty" (Marc Anthony, Pussyfoot)
"Russian Rhapsody" (Gremlins from the Kremlin)

[Woops]

Got the "100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons" book 

All listed in alphabetically order and not ranked in particular order (well, have to admit that "Top 100" lists  are overdone). It's pretty much a fun book with various images (ie screen grabs, some storyboard art, lobby cards)  and commentary/facts about the cartoon from various animation historians/people associated with the animation industry. The index is listed by character and director. Though for some reason, several dates are listed incorrectly.


As for the selection, it's actually quite good (well, 85 titles, as of now,  already mentioned on Facebook  ) and contain several well known classics, lesser known titles, and even a handful of banned shorts that spanned from the 1930's to the early '60's.

The selection was chose from animation fanatics from author/animation historian Jerry Beck's Cartoon Brew site.

Notes:

The most:
By character: Bugs Bunny (33 cartoons)
By director: Chuck Jones (37 cartoons)


All 17 Warner Bros. from the "50 Greatest Cartoons" book included
Only 1 Academy Award winning cartoon

Notable character omitted: Pepe Le Pew (besides a quick end gag cameo on a Tweety & Sylvester short)

[Woops]

100 Greatest Looney Tunes (2010)

By decade & in chronological order:

Plus, 25 video links from YouTube, Archive.org, (public domain shorts from both sites) and AOL Slashcontrol Kids WB site.



1930's {8}

"Page Miss Glory" (1936)
"I Love To Singa" (1936)
"Pigs Is Pigs" (1937)
"Cinderella Meets Fella" (1938)
"Wholly Smoke" (1938)
"Porky In Wackyland" (1938)*
"Thugs With Dirty Mugs (1939)
"Old Glory" (1939)

1940's (53)

"You Ought To Be In Pictures" (1940)*
"A Wild Hare" (1940, Academy Award nominated)
"Hollywood Steps Out" (1941)
"Rhapsody In Rivets" (1941, Academy Award nominated)
"Wabbit Twouble" (1941)
"Bugs Bunny Gets The Boid" (1942)
"Eatin' on the Cuff" (1942)
"The Dover Boys" (1942)*
"The Hep Cat" (1942)
"A Tale of Two Kitties" (1942)
"Coal Black & de Sebben Dwarfs" (1943)*
"Pigs In A Polka" (1943, Academy Award nominated)
"Tortoise Wins By A Hare" (1943)
"The Aristo-Cat" (1943)
"Porky Pig's Feat" (1943)
"Tin Pan Alley Cats" (1943)
"Scrap Happy Daffy" (1943)
"A Corny Concerto" (1943)*
"Falling Hare" (1943)
"An Itch In Time" (1943)
"Little Red Riding Rabbit" (1944)*
"Swooner Crooner" (1944, Academy Award nominated)
"Russian Rhapsody" (1944)
"Plane Daffy" (1944)
"Old Grey Hare" (1944)
"The Stupid Cupid" (1944)
"Draftee Daffy" (1945)
"A Gruesome Twosome" (1945)
"Nasty Quacks" (1945)
"Book Revue" (1946)*
"Baseball Bug" (1946)
"Baby Bottleneck" (1946)
"Hair Raising Hare" (1946)
"Kitty Kornered" (1946)
"Acrobatty Bunny" (1946)
"The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" (1946)*
"Walky Talky Hawky" (1946, Academy Award nominated)
"The Big Snooze" (1946)
"A Hare Grows In Manhattan" (1947)
"Easter Yeggs" (1947)
"A Pest In The House" (1947)
"Slick Hare" (1947)
"Gorilla My Dreams" (1948)
"Back Alley Oproar" (1948)
"Buccaneer Bunny" (1948)
"Haredevil Hare" (1948)
"Dough Rey Me-ow" (1948)
"The Stupor Salesman" (1948)
"Scaredy Cat" (1948)
"High Diving Hare" (1949)
"Long Haired Hare" (1949)
"Fast & Furry-ous" (1949)
"A Ham In A Role" (1949)

[Woops]

1950's: (37)


"The Scarlet Pumpernickel" (1950)*
"The Hypo-Chondri-Cat" (1950)
"8 Ball Bunny" (1950)
"Hillbilly Hare" (1950)
"Dog Gone South" (1950)
"Rabbit of Seville" (1950)*
"Canned Fued" (1951)
"Bunny Hugged" (1951)
"Rabbit Fire" (1951)
"Chow Hound" (1951)
"A Bear For Punishment" (1951)
"Drip Along Daffy" (1951)
"Operation: Rabbit" (1952)
"Feed The Kitty" (1952)*
"Rabbit Seasoning" (1952)*
"Tree For Two" (1952)
"Duck Amuck" (1953)*
"Much Ado About Nutting" (1953)
"Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century" (1953)*
"Bully For Bugs" (1953)
"Duck! Rabbit! Duck!" (1953)
"Dog Pounded" (1954)
"Bugs & Thugs" (1954)
"Satan's Waitin" (1954)
"From A to Zzzz" (1954, Academy Award nominated)
"Guided Muscle" (1955)
"One Froggy Evening" (1955)*
"Rocket-bye Baby" (1956)
"Deduce You Say" (1956)
"Three Little Bops" (1957)
"Ali Baba Bunny" (1957)*
"Steal Wool" (1957)
"What's Opera, Doc?" (1957)*
"Birds Anonymous" (1957, Academy Award winner of 1958)
"Show Biz Bugs" (1957)
"Robin Hood Daffy" (1958)
"Mexicali Shmoes" (1959, Academy Award nominated)
 
1960's: (2)

"High Note" (1960, Academy Award nominated)
"Honey's Money" (1962)

Stats:

Most cartoons from year:

1. 1943: 10
2. 1946: 9
3. 1948: 7
4. 1944, 1950, 1951, & 1957: 6
5. 1942 & 1953: 5

Cartoons from director:

Chuck Jones: 37
Bob Clampett & Friz Freleng: 21
Frank Tashlin: 7
Tex Avery & Robert McKimson: 6
Arthur Davis: 2


1 Academy Award winner: "Birds Anonymous" (1958)

8 Academy Award nominees


*, WB shorts ranked among the 50 Greatest Cartoons in 1994:

1. "What's Opera Doc?"
2. "Duck Amuck"
4. "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century"
5. "One Froggy Evening"
8. "Porky In Wackyland"
12. "The Rabbit of Seville"
16. "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery"    
21. "Coal Black & De Sebben Dwarfs"
30.  "Rabbit Seasoning"
31. "The Scarlet Pumpernickle"
34. "You Ought To Be In Pictures"
35. "Ali Baba Bunny"
36. "Feed The Kitty"
39. "Little Red Riding Rabbit"
45. "Book Revue"
47. "A Corny Concerto"
49. "The Dover Boys"

[Woops]

A good interview of the author from Golden Age Cartoons site about the book

It's an informative site/forum (dominated by hardcore vintage animation buffs & even actual historians/researchers), though it was once part of Toon Zone until it separated due to heated arguments with other 'toon fans (ie anime, "modern" animation, current/popular cartoons). Toon Zone's also good since it's a reliable source for DVD news and such.

GoldenAgeCartoons presents a brief Q&A with Jerry Beck about his new book, The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons which is now available in bookstores and on Amazon.com. You can also "like" the book on Facebook.

GAC: How long did it take to go through all those Top 100 lists people submitted last year? Seems like it would be quite a task!

JB: I think I worked on it for two full days. I made sure every title submitted was counted and everything was double checked. The most important thing was to make sure this list reflected the voters - not my own preferences.

GAC: I was surprised no Pepe Le Pew cartoon made the list. What were some of the biggest surprises you encountered while compiling the book? Were there any cartoons among the final list of the 100 Greatest that you didn't expect to see?

JB: There was no agenda by me (or Warner Bros. or my publisher) to include (or exclude) specific characters. I was surprised by the variety of characters we ended up with and relieved that Bugs Bunny did not dominate the choices. I truly feared that 60% or more of the book would be Bugs Bunny and 40% would be Daffy cartoons. Bugs ended up with about a third of the titles as it is and that seems about right. I also feared that Chuck Jones films would far out number Clampett and Freleng films - and he does, but not by as many as I thought. Overall, It's a pretty good list. I'm okay with the outcome. As for titles I didn't expect -- I'm still scratching my head over Mexicali Shmoes and Guided Muscle... but they got the votes.

GAC: If you could pick one personal favorite of yours that didn't make the list, what would it be?

Oh gosh... there are a lot of goodies that didn't make it. The Wise Quacking Duck is one of my personal favorites that isn't here. Also, Horton Hatches The Egg.

GAC: I enjoyed the choice of having the cartoons listed alphabetically. What cartoon would have ranked #1 if you listed them numerically instead? (I think I know the answer to this, but was still curious...)

JB: You know the answer: What's Opera Doc? That very fact, plus that the number 2, 3 and 4 choices were close to the same choices in my 50 Greatest Cartoons (1994) book, forced me (and my publisher) to consider doing the book alphabetically . It should really be renamed "The One Hundred Looney Tunes You Really Need To See".

GAC: Cartoons like "Coal Black", "Tin Pan Alley Cats" and "Russian Rhapsody" were among the 100 Greatest. Did you run in to any objections to including those controversial cartoons?

JB: Surprisingly, no. I think Warners and the Editors knew this was possible - and we knew the readers would find it inauthentic if we didn't include at least one of those. Like you, I'm bummed they used those crummy, reddish frame grabs from Tin Pan Alley Cats, but hey, the cartoon made the cut.

GAC: On a similar note, it was nice to see the years cartoons were released printed in the book. This information has been absent on many book and DVD projects in recent years for legal reasons. Did you have to fight to include this information or did you work out a compromise of some sort?

JB: I always include release date info when I do credits and leave it to the powers that be to tell me otherwise or edit it out. This time the dates made it to publication. Could this be the start of a new trend? Mmmmm ... could be!

GAC: Thanks for your time, Jerry! All of us Looney Tunes fans here at GAC appreciate everything you do. Anything you'd like to add before we say "That's all, folks"?

JB: I really appreciate the support the kind words of support (and occasional criticism) from the GAC readers. I especially want to thank all the GAC regulars who sent in their selections - and to David Gerstein and Thad K. for some expert assistance.

[Woops]

Just for fun, watched several Looney Tunes from the list from favorites to  cartoons that I don't watch often or only watched once.

Since there's many glaring omissions, some cartoons I disagree with:



"Cinderella Meets Fella"...While it's of Tex Avery's earliest fairytale parodies, his cartoons from MGM were much better, IMHO. Also (from my modern viewpoint) find it creepy since Cinderella was drawn as a little girl and Egghead,a prototype of Elmer Fudd, as Prince Charming is an adult.

As for Avery's 30's WB cartoons, "Porky's Duck Hunt", "Daffy Duck & Egghead" or "Hamateur Night" would be better choices.


"Deduce, You Say"... It's an OK cartoon, but wouldn't consider it among the greatest. The cartoon features Daffy as Dorlock Holmes trying to arrest the Shropshire Slasher.

"Show Biz Bugs"...found it overrated since the xylophone gag was done better in "Ballot Box Bunny" (though with a piano) and the ending was done (though by a different/no name character) in "Curtain Razor". Though an OK cartoon, though there's funnier  Bugs & Daffy shorts like the hunting trilogy or "Ali Baba Bunny", which all were ranked among the best.

[Woops]

Toon Zone has a pic  of Bugs  Bunny in their heading, which changes time to time to another pic from a different cartoon. Next week will mark the 70th anniversary of the wascally wabbit.

It's odd that there's a long thread about the upcoming Looney Tunes Show and no there was never a talkback for the recent book. I'm sure it'll be talked about in every animation forum/blog and maybe some sites like Retro Junk.

In 2002, TV Guide ranked Bugs as the Greatest Cartoon Character of All Time (which I'll agree despite that the rest of the list was very much...meh).  

[Woops]

Today (August, 9th) is the 80th anniversary of the '30's sex symbol Betty Boop. Debut cartoon was "Dizzy Dishes".




Though like most 'toons, she was drawn differently at first, which she was an anthropomorphic dog, which her ears would later turn into earrings. She was voiced by Mae Questal, who later provided voices for Olive Oyl & Little Audrey.

Known for surreal, rubber hosed, jazz filled pre-code cartoons "Snow White" &  "Minnie The Moocher" (both featured songs from Cab Calloway). Also "Bimbo's Initiation", which is also among the most twisted, mind tripping cartoons ever.



"Betty's Rise To Fame", a "cheater cartoon" featuring clips of various shorts including the famous hula dance from "Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle".

"Is My Palm Read", Boop on a deserted island with ghosts.


Unfortunately, when the Hayes Code went into effect in 1934, Betty Boop was toned down, which would no longer would feature jazz music and Betty is dressed conservatively in contrast to the skimpy dresses. The shorts stopped production in 1939, a few years before Paramount talking over Fleischer Studios and renaming  it 'Famous' in 1942.

Boop would become a pop culture icon and would be featured in countless merchandise.

Last week, a memorial was placed in Winconsin to honor Grim Natwick, who created the character.



Honestly, the cartoons were OK, though I actually prefer Disney cartoons from the same era or Lantz, MGM, & Warner Bros. cartoons from the 1940's/1950's. Just personal  preference.

I'll admit that Betty Boop was pure eye candy and I enjoy a few shorts including "Snow White",  "Minnie The Moocher", and "Is My Palm Read".

[Woops]

Foghorn Leghorn made his debut in Robert McKimson's "Walky Talky Hawky" on August 31, 1946.

[Woops]

"Looney Tunes Treasury" is out next month  

From the blog of author Andrew Farago:

There's several pics of the pages, which the book looks cool  

On with the show, this is it!
In case I haven't mentioned it recently, I've got a book coming out next month. It's my first, not counting mini-comics, comic books, magazine articles, etc., and there's something extra-exciting about having my name on the front cover of a real hardcover from a real publisher. The book is The Looney Tunes Treasury, and you can pre-order it from Amazon.com here.

And if you want to see what it looks like, I got a copy hand-delivered to me by my editor this morning:




My editor's great, and it was really easy working with the publisher, who went along with a lot more of my suggestions than I'd have predicted as a first-time author.

Please check it out when it hits bookstores next month, and please spread the word to any friends and colleagues who enjoy Looney Tunes. This will be a great holiday gift, and the more copies you buy, the more likely I'll get to do additional projects with these guys in the future. We're already talking about a few possibilities, any one of which will be really cool.

Th-th-that's all...for now, folks!

[Out of the Blue]

Foghorn Leghorn made his debut in Robert McKimson's "Walky Talky Hawky" on August 31, 1946.

August 31.  I think that date is significant for some other reason too. 

I remember in a cartoon with him and that dog that lived on the farm with him that Foghorn got conned by the dog and he said "I say I've been hornswaggled!"  I had never even heard that word before.

[Woops]

September 30th marks the 50th anniversary of "The Flintstones"


Boomerang will air a mini-marathon for a few hours starting with the first episode ("The Flintstone Flyer") at 8:30 PM along with 2 more episodes and the 1966 movie "The Man Called Flintstone". '

Also a 24 hour marathon will air on Saturday.

Several episodes can be viewed for free on the Kids WB page at AOL's Slashcontrol streaming site.




source

Yabba Dabba Doo! 'The Flintstones' Turns 50

For six years, the show almost everyone thought was an animated imitation of "The Honeymooners" entertained not just kids, but primarily adults. And that was the point of the Hanna-Barbera production -- to create a more adult-styled cartoon.



If you've a stranger to Bedrock, here are "The Flintstones," (from left) Fred, Dino, Wilma, Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm, Betty, and Barney. "The Simpsons," "King of the Hill," "Family Guy" and many others no doubt owe a debt of gratitude to the trailblazing prehistoric series. In fact, until 1997, when "The Simpsons" surpassed it, "The Flintstones" held the record as the longest-running prime-time animated series.

The show was set in the fictional town of Bedrock, where the Flintstones and their neighbors the Rubbles shared screen time with various dinosaurs, saber-toothed tigers, woolly mammoths and many other creatures -- several of which served as appliances.


And who can forget the celebrities? "Cary Granite" (Cary Grant), "Stony Curtis" (Tony Curtis), "Ed Sulleyrock/Sulleystone" (Ed Sullivan), "Rock Pile/Quarry/Hudstone" (Rock Hudson) and "Ann-Margrock" (Ann-Margret) all had cameos.

The show also influenced pop culture in many ways. There were Flintstone theme parks, the line of Flintstones Chewable Vitamins that still exists, and the cereals Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles.

There were also plenty of cigarette ads featuring the characters, because the show was sponsored in part by Winston.


In addition to the stars of the show, Fred and Wilma Flintstone (originally voiced by Alan Reed and Jean Vander Pyl) and Barney and Betty Rubble (originally voiced by Mel Blanc and Bea Benaderet), there was a host of supporting characters, including Harvey Korman as The Great Gazoo and John Stephenson as Mr. Slate.

After going off the air in 1966, "The Flintstones" ran in syndication for years and spawned dozens of other productions, both on TV and at the movies. Arguably, the most popular spin-off was "The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, " which ran on TV from 1971-72.

The series presented teenage versions of the Flintstones' daughter (an animated fashion icon for the bone she wore in her hair) and the Rubbles' son. The spin-off relied heavily on many voices from the original show (of whom only one, Stephenson, 87, still survives).

Teenage Bamm-Bamm was voiced by Jay North (famous as TV's Dennis the Menace) and Emmy-winning actress Sally Struthers portrayed Pebbles.

Struthers, who was cast as Pebbles while co-starring as Gloria on "All in the Family," told AOL News she has incredibly fond memories of the show.


"I grew up as a young girl in Oregon loving 'The Flintstones.' It was just wonderful. So if anyone told me that Hanna-Barbera would one day cast me as the teenage Pebbles, I don't think I would have ever believed them. It was the perfect job. Wonderful writing and a very classy team behind all of it," Struthers said.

"The animators were so clever, and so funny and innocent. And I got to work great actors, including the most famous voice in cartoons, Mel Blanc. What a darling, funny man he was. I think if you watch the original series today, it really holds up. And our show was very funny as well, because many of the same folks were involved."

Some Stone Age Flintstones trivia:

•"The Flintstones: was the first American animated show to depict two people of the opposite sex (Fred and Wilma; Barney and Betty) sleeping together in one bed.

•The popular closing credits theme "Meet the Flintstones" did not start until season three.

•The fact that the Rubbles adopted superstrong Bamm-Bamm (they could not have children on their own) made "The Flintstones" the first animated series in history to address the issue of infertility.

[Out of the Blue]

Watch "The Flintstones" and you see "The Honeymooners."

Fred Flintstone - Ralph Cramden
Barney Rubble - Ed Norton
Wilma - Alice
Betty - Trixie

"The Flintstones" used good, old fashioned, hand drawn animation, which has become a lost art form now.