The Man Called Flintstone

The Man Called Flintstone is a 1966 American animated musical spy comedy film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and released by Columbia Pictures. It was the second Hanna-Barbera feature, after Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! (1964). The film is a theatrical spin-off of the 1960-66 television series, The Flintstones, and is a swan song (series finale) of the show, made immediately following the end of production on the series. The working title of the film was That Man Flintstone, with the film poster featuring Fred in the same pose of the Bob Peak poster for Our Man Flint. The film is a parody of the James Bond films.

This film was the first feature film voice role for Betty Rubble's voice actress Gerry Johnson. Additionally, it marked the first voice work of Henry Corden, who supplied Fred's singing voice, and would go on to fully assume the role of Fred after Alan Reed's death in 1977. While the film includes numerous musical interludes, including one song performed by Louis Prima, the popular theme song from the show itself is not used. However, plots from several episodes of the TV series are used, including an episode in which Fred becomes involved in a spy caper spoofing Goldfinger, and another in which he encounters JL Gotrocks, the world's richest man, and his exact double.

Plot
In the opening scene, secret agent Rock Slag, who is physically identical to Fred Flintstone, is being chased through Bedrock. His pursuers, Bobo and Ali, think that they have finally killed him when they push him off a building. Meanwhile, the Flintstones and Rubbles prepare for a camping vacation which includes trying to drop Dino and Hoppy off at the veterinarian. On the way back, Fred crashes Barney's car, and they make a stop at the hospital where Rock Slag is also recovering. After Bobo and Ali find Rock and put him out of commission, Chief Boulder of the Secret Service enlists Fred to take his place in Paris for a special meeting. His assignment is to meet Tanya, the Green Goose's #1 lieutenant, who has agreed to turn over the evil Green Goose in return for a chance to meet the irresistible Rock Slag.

Not realizing that the Green Goose is not an actual bird, Fred tells his family that their vacation has become an all-expense paid trip to Eurock. Barney and Fred return all the camping gear and use the money to buy the Rubbles tickets to go along. Meanwhile, Ali and Bobo make several attempts on Fred's life assuming that he is Rock Slag. Once in Paris, the Chief tells Fred that he must now go to Rome instead, with the help of master of disguise Triple X. Fred makes attempts to sneak away from Wilma to meet with Tanya, but ends up spending the night trying to escape all of Rock's female admirers. After missing a date with Wilma, Fred buys her an imitation diamond necklace from a street hustler to make it up to her, but finds that she slept soundly through the night without realizing he was missing.

Fred tries to back out of his assignment after finding out that the Green Goose is actually a master criminal, but has pangs of guilt over Pebbles' future and makes an excuse to get away and meet Tanya. Unfortunately, Wilma and the Rubbles go to the same restaurant and catch them together --- thinking that Fred is having an affair. Rock actually shows up to replace Fred, but gets pounded by an angry Wilma and ends up knocked out again. Tanya then leads Fred to the Green Goose, but he is unaware that the Chief has been put out of commission by Bobo and Ali so he has no back-up. Barney, meanwhile, has followed Fred, and they both end up captured by the Green Goose, who is revealed to be Triple X. Barney is tortured in an effort to get Fred, who is believed to be Rock, to give him secret information.

Triple X makes plans to launch his deadly inter-rokinental missile — locking Fred and Barney inside until he overhears that Fred has an "expensive" necklace on him. When he opens the door to get at the necklace, the boys turn the tables on Triple X and lock him in the missile with Bobo, Ali and Tanya — with the target reset for outer-space, sending them into an unknown fate.

A huge welcome home ceremony is held in Bedrock for the return of Fred, now considered a hero, but he is just grateful to be back home with his beautiful family, who head on a secret getaway.

Voice characterization

 * Alan Reed as Fred Flintstone (singing provided by Henry Corden)
 * Mel Blanc as Barney/Dino
 * Jean Vander Pyl as Wilma/Pebbles
 * Gerry Johnson as Betty Rubble
 * Don Messick as Ali and Various Voices
 * Janet Waldo as Roberta and Various Voices
 * Paul Frees as Triple X/Green Goose/Rock Slag/Mario/Bobo
 * Harvey Korman as Chief Boulder
 * John Stephenson as Various Voices
 * June Foray as Tanya

Production Credits

 * Screenplay by Harvey Bullock and Ray Allen
 * Additional Story Material by William Hanna, Alex Lovy, Joseph Barbera and Warren Foster
 * Music by Ted Nichols and Marty Paich
 * Original Songs by John Macarthy and Doug Goodwin
 * Pansate Amore sung by Louis Prima
 * Team Mates sung by Mel Blanc and Henry Corden
 * The Happy Sounds of Pareé sung by Leo De Lyon
 * Produced and Directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

Ending Credits

 * THE END of The Man Called Flintstone
 * Animation Directed by Charles A. Nichols
 * Art Direction: Bill Perez
 * Layout: Dick Bickenbach, Bruce Bushman, Brad Case, Walter Clinton, Jerry Eisenberg, Jack Huber, Homar Jonas, Steve Nakagawa, Lance Nolley, Bob Singer, Iwao Takamoto
 * Assistant Production Supervision: Bill Schipek
 * Animators: Ed Aardal, Ed Barge, Hugh Fraser, George Germanetti, George Goepper, Jerry Hathcock, William Keil, George Kreisl, Hicks Lokey, Dick Lundy, Don Lusk, Kenneth Muse, George Nicholas, Ed Parks, John Sparey, Irven Spence, Carlo Vinci, Allen Wilzbach
 * Lettering: Robert Schaefer
 * Assistant Animators: John Boersema, Jim Brummett, The Carr Brothers (Bill Frank and Jack), Pat Combs, Ric Gonzales, Charlotte Huffine, Sam Jaimes, Jack Kerns, Tony Love, Ray McSpadden, William Nuns, Joan Orbison, Jack Parr, Bill Pratt, Veve Risto, Joseph Roman, Dennis Sills, Grace Stanzell
 * Cel Production: Harvard Pennington
 * Animation Checkers: Woody Chatwood, Marceil Ferguson, Joyce Gard, Janet Gusdavidson, Florence Hammontre, Annie Lee Holm, Betty MacGowen, Grace McCurdy, Maggie Raymond, Evelyn Sherwood,
 * Special Effects: Brooke Linden
 * Background Designers: Fernando Arce, Janet Brown, Ron Dias, Rene Garcia, Robert Gentle, Paul Julian, Richard Khim, Tom Knowles, Art Lozzi, Fernando Montealegre, Don Watson
 * Ink and Pink Supervision: Roberta Greutert
 * Film Editing: Larry C. Cowen, Pat Foley, David M. Horton, Milton Krear
 * Music Editor: Anthony Milch
 * Editorial Supervision: Warner E. Leighton
 * Photography: Dick Blundell, Gene Borghi, Charles Flekal, Bill Kotler, Frank Parrish, John Pratt, Hal Shiffman, Norman Stainback, Roy Wade, Cliff Shirpser,
 * Technical Supervision: Frank Paiker
 * Sound Recording: Richard Olsen, Bill Getty
 * Production Supervision: Howard Hanson
 * The Man Called Flintstone
 * A Hanna-Barbera Production
 * Approved MPAA Certification No. 21287
 * RCA Sound Recording
 * This Prcture Made Under the Jurisdiction of IATSE-IA Affridicated with A.F.L.-C.I.O.
 * Eastman Color By Pathé
 * Copyright © MCMLXVI Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.

Reception
Variety gave The Man Called Flintstone a positive review on August 10, 1966, calling the production "excellent" and noting that the "stone-age scenery and machinery are mildly amusing and sometimes highly inventive". The review judges that the plot is a fast-moving and clever spoof of contemporary spy films.

Home Media releases
In 2005, a North American DVD version was released by Warner Home Video. However, owing to licensing complications between Warner Bros. (current owners of the Flintstones property) and Sony (current owners of then-Flintstones distributor Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems), only a Canadian release occurred; a United States release was canceled and would not be rescheduled until the rights issue was cleared in August 2008.

The DVD was finally released in the United States on December 2, 2008, along with Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!, a film with which The Man Called Flintstone was released as a double-bill during the 1970s. Both the Canadian and American DVD releases by Warner Bros. altered the opening of the film from the then-Columbia Pictures release, which used a parody of Columbia's famous "torch lady" logo featuring Wilma in said role. At present, only the out-of-print 1988 VHS and 1990 Laserdisc releases of this film includes the original custom opening logo, and there are no plans to re-insert it for DVD releases.

In 2010, the film was made available as a download through the iTunes Store. Unlike the DVD release (which is 4:3 Open Matte), the iTunes version is presented in a "matted" widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1.