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Topic: " The Flinstone Flyer " (Flinstones TV Show) Columbia
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted August 13, 2009 09:38 AM
This would have to be my one and only review of a TV film on Super 8, but it is a significant release.
In the 1970's Columbia did a fine job of releasing quite a few of the Hanna Babara animated TV shows on Super 8. There are at least four individual TV series that were released in the 400ft format ...
Flinstones
Jetsons
Scooby Doo
Top Cat
(Note: these are verified ones. There may be more but these are the only ones I have seen.)
In most cases these were released in the more common 200ft releases. This would work for some of them, such as Yogi Bear or Huckleberry Hound, as the original cartoons were six or seven minutes long, perfect for a 200ft release. The 400ft release format, however, allowed for a nearly complete episode of the TV series in the super 8 format.
There were a number of Flinstones episodes released, but none are more significant than this one ... "The Flinstones Flyer".
Why is this?
Because this was the very first episode of the series. This was not the very first animation of the Flinstones. There was a promo reel shown as "The Flagstones" to the networks from the imcomplete as of that time, "swimming pool" episode, which was number 3, but it was only a minute and a half. This was the first full episode, first seen way back in 1960, which means it was animated in 1959, way back when the theatrical cartoon was still in production in the US!
The storyline is as follows:
Fred notices that Barney is building some contraption in his yard. Barney says that it is a flying machine. Fred likes it and takes it for a spin. It's too small for Fred and he crashes it, of course, (he insists on calling it "Fred's Flying Machine."
Later in the episode, Wilma wants Fred to take her to the opera.
Fred is desperate to escape this terrible fate and besides that, he wants to go bowling! Meanwhile, Barney has built a new and improved flying machine, and Fred and Barney decide to escape away in it, but they only find that the opera house is right next to the bowling alley!
Anyone who is familiar with the Flinstones, will note the difference in the design of the characters right away! Barney also has that strange voice that he had in the early episodes, (Mel Blanc, who did Barney's voice, hadn't decided on a voice yet).
If you notice that this episode has more than it's share of good gags, this is no accident. Micheal Maltese, Chuck Jones gag writer, did the story work on this episode, the only one that he did this for, and it makes the episode stand out. Warren Foster, Friz Freleng's gag man, (also from Warner Brothers) worked on quite a few of the later episodes. These vintage gag men really helped this series stand out.
The Flinstones were a first in many ways. The first animated series to be taken seriously in prime time, (series made for TV, that is). The Flinstones, it could be said, were the first topical and "modern Stone-age Family" that had a sex life, as Pebbles, they're daughter would show later on.
The original series lasted for six years and spawned series after series which last on TV until this very day!
Now, onto the print!
Columbia had "Triangle" film labs do they're printing on these, and they did a very good job! It was printed on the "better" eastman film stock of the mid 1970's and it shows, as I have not (as yet) ran into a copy of this with faded color. This episode is no exception. The color is rich, saturated and as good as anything I have seen.
The sharpness of this print is quite good as well. They must have had a great negative to work with, straight from HB's vaults. It is as good as TV print in quality!
It does not have the look of being dupey in the slightest. Great grain as well. This 400ft reel is about 19 minutes long.
Since HB and Columbia decided to not include the original opening and closing title sequences, this allowed for more complete story's to be told in this format and though I would love to have these original beginnings, losing them allows me more story, so it's a decent compromise.
I believe that Columbia also released this episode in a shorter 200ft format. I would be interested to know, (if somebody has both versions) if there is footage is the 200ft that isn't in the 400ft.
It should be noted that boxes for these releases were made with a substandard paper, lighter than the standard cardboard, so beware, as these boxes are more suseptible to rips.
A great film to put in your collection and treasure! I think I'll watch it again!
LONG LIVE SUPER 8!
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted August 21, 2009 11:51 AM
Bill Phelps ...
A question about your copy of "Flinstone Flyer".
Is it a good deal shorter than your other Flinstone episodes?
My 400ft of this title runs only 15 minutes, (the other Flinstones episodes are a good 20 or so minutes). It is also a UK printing of this title, (judging by the leader and the "lilly"
, which, in itself, is interesting, as it is not a British woman alone, but a British couple, dressed in a VERY 60's British outfit. Also strangely, the episode has perfect color, but the "lilly" looks awful!).
I'm curious as, if there was a US printing of this specific episode, was it longer? The UK episode which I have, has no splices, but is an obviously crudely edited, (spliced) episode.
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted October 25, 2009 08:54 AM
Very strange indeed!
I know that my copy, running at the proper 24 fps, only goes about 15 minutes, but there must be more cut out of it than in yours. Does yours have that customary "Flinstones" title card before that first shot of Fred in the hammock?
The last shot is color on mine.
It has Fred trying to sleep, then going over to barney to find out what the pounding is all about. Barney shows him his machine and Fred goes back, onlt to soon find Barney flying past him. This gets Fred up and he then goes over to try it himself, insisting it be called, "The Flinstone Flyer". Right after barney walks off, saying, "Well, back to the drawing board!" ...
... we then cut to Fred in bed, acting like he's sick.
My question is, does yours have about four minutes of material at this spot, explaining why he is in bed? (as Wilma and Betty wanted Fred and Barney to take them to the opera), as this seems to be the part where a majority of material missing.
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted October 25, 2009 12:46 PM
Mystery Solved!
That burns me up. It is, in fact, a cutdown of a cutdown!
I wonder if, on the original negative for this, that scene got scratched up or damaged, and they had to edit out that whole section, instead of just a splice are, as I can verify that there is NO splice throughout the whole print.
This print I have is definitely from a british origin.. OK, I guessing that, as therer is a lilly of a very british couple.
The question is ...
1. Was this an earlier edition of the digest?
2. Was it a later edition of the digest?
3. Was it a pirate/bootleg version?
I did notice that the negative used has a little more surface specks than normal. Most of these Flinstones appear to have absolutely impeccable print quality and color, considering that they come from early 60's TV
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted October 25, 2009 01:15 PM
I bought this from Derann's used list, and it just had the main title card, with the characters, taped onto a generic box.
All I know is I feel screwed, but, perhaps, on a plus side, I might have a REEL rarity!
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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