Merry Christmas in July! It is Day #29 in the month-long celebration of Christmas entertainment. Each day this month I will be sharing brief reminisces about Christmas TV episodes, specials, and movies that are a creative or imaginative adaptation of Charles Dickens' tale A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Just a little something different and a way for me to show off the diversity of holiday stories I've collected in the encyclopedia Tis the Season TV (the updated and expanded 2nd edition will be released soon).
Today's discussion is on the 1994 feature-length animated special A Flintstones Christmas Carol produced by Hanna-Barbera. This program features the pre-historic characters made popular in the 1960s TV series.
In this story, Fred Flintstone stars in a Bedrock Community Theater production of a prehistoric version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” in the lead role of ‘Ebonezer’ Scrooge. However, Fred is so consumed with his role and quest for stardom that he selfishly ignores what’s going on around him. During the performance, Fred comes to recognize himself and his own behavior as that of the selfish Scrooge’s. But a strain of the flu known as the Bedrock Bug is afflicting the community theater members, jeopardizing the completion of the play. By the end of the performance, Fred has learned his lesson about ‘keeping Christmas well’ just as he succumbs to the Bedrock bug himself.
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| The Bedrick Bug is making the cast of the play ill. |
This story extends the playful absurdity The Flintstones are known for. Here, prehistoric characters interpret a 19th-century story for 21st-century audiences!
The story is a stage production of Dickens’ tale which is similar to the
1962 TV special Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, however this version
includes a significant amount of backstage story which continues the adaptation of
Dickens' book.
This Flintstones TV special is a near complete retelling of the classic Dickens’ tale. Barney plays Bob Cratchit (here as ‘Cragit) and Fezziwig. Mr. Slate plays Jacob Marley (Marbley), Wilma is the Ghost of Christmas Past and Belle, Bamm Bamm is Tiny Tim, and Pebbles is Martha Cragit. There is a narrator named Charles Brickens, and Dino is in the non-speaking role as the Ghost of Christmas Future.
The voice cast includes Henry Corden as Fred Flintstone, Jean Vander Pyl as Wilma, Frank Welker as Barney Rubble/Dino, B.J. Ward as Betty, John Stephenson as Mr. Slate, Russi Taylor as Pebbles, Don Messick as Bamm Bamm, and John Rhys-Davies as Charles Brickens.
Joanna Wilson is a TV researcher and book author specializing
in Christmas entertainment. More about the TV programs mentioned on this website can
be found in her book "Tis the Season TV: the Encyclopedia of Christmas-themed Episodes, Specials, and Made-for-TV Movies." Her latest book "Triple Dog Dare:
Watching--& Surviving--the 24-Hour Marathon of A Christmas Story"
was released in 2016. She is currently updating and expanding the
encyclopedia for an upcoming release. Her books can be found at the publisher's website:
1701 press.com
*Support this website and its research by purchasing the books at 1701 press.com
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