The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone
Encyclopedia
The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone is a 45-minute Halloween television special
featuring the Flintstones. It was produced in 1979
by Hanna-Barbera Productions and first aired on October 30, 1980 on NBC
.
Rockula and Frankenstone eventually discover the Flintstones and Rubbles, and Rockula mistakes Wilma for his long-lost bride and vows to make her his, even if it means killing Fred. On a comedic note, Wilma mistakes Rockula for the hotel manager, Mr. Silika, who had dressed up as Rockula, for quite some time until Rockula turns into a bat in front of her. A long cat-and-mouse chase ensues all over the castle, and eventually the Flintstones and Rubbles are cornered inside the Rubbles' room. Fred challenges Rockula to a fight, using a bat statuette as a weapon, but the statuette turns out to be the switch for the trapdoor to Rockula's laboratory, which Rockula and Frankenstone were unknowingly standing on. As Fred raises the statuette to strike, both Rockula and Frankenstone fall through the trapdoor, and the Flintstones and Rubbles escape and return to Bedrock.
However, Rockula follows them all the way and begs Wilma to return with him to Rocksylvania. Wilma agrees to marry him in Bedrock if Rockula builds another castle, on the condition that he stick to a mountain of daily chores to prove that he cares for her. Rockula changes his mind and decides to return alone to Rocksylvania. Fred, Barney and Betty congratulate Wilma for ridding them of Rockula, and they all say "Yabba-Dabba-Doo!" to close the film.
Images of the once again-vacant Rocksylvania hotel are shown during the end credits.
and Laserdisc
in 1989 by Hanna-Barbera Home Video. To date, it has not been released on DVD
from Warner Home Video
. A rather high-quality version of the movie has been leaked onto the Internet for download, recorded from the TV Channel Boomerang
.
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
featuring the Flintstones. It was produced in 1979
1979 in television
The year 1979 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1979.For the American TV schedule, see: 1979-80 American network television schedule.-Events:...
by Hanna-Barbera Productions and first aired on October 30, 1980 on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
Plot
When Fred wins the big prize on the "Make A Deal or Don't" game show, he and Wilma plan a vacation with Barney and Betty to Count Rockula's spooky castle in Rocksylvania which has now been turned into a tourist resort. Unfortunately, during the trip, Fred and Barney accidentally stumble across Rockula's old laboratory, where his unfinished Frankenstone monster sleeps, and forget to close the window when they leave the lab. Lightning subsequently strikes the machines in the lab, and provide Frankenstone with life. Frankenstone awakens Count Rockula (who has been asleep for the past five hundred years, thus explaining his disappearance) from his secret crypt, and the two scare everyone out of the hotel, except for the Flintstones and the Rubbles, who had gone to bed early due to jet lag.Rockula and Frankenstone eventually discover the Flintstones and Rubbles, and Rockula mistakes Wilma for his long-lost bride and vows to make her his, even if it means killing Fred. On a comedic note, Wilma mistakes Rockula for the hotel manager, Mr. Silika, who had dressed up as Rockula, for quite some time until Rockula turns into a bat in front of her. A long cat-and-mouse chase ensues all over the castle, and eventually the Flintstones and Rubbles are cornered inside the Rubbles' room. Fred challenges Rockula to a fight, using a bat statuette as a weapon, but the statuette turns out to be the switch for the trapdoor to Rockula's laboratory, which Rockula and Frankenstone were unknowingly standing on. As Fred raises the statuette to strike, both Rockula and Frankenstone fall through the trapdoor, and the Flintstones and Rubbles escape and return to Bedrock.
However, Rockula follows them all the way and begs Wilma to return with him to Rocksylvania. Wilma agrees to marry him in Bedrock if Rockula builds another castle, on the condition that he stick to a mountain of daily chores to prove that he cares for her. Rockula changes his mind and decides to return alone to Rocksylvania. Fred, Barney and Betty congratulate Wilma for ridding them of Rockula, and they all say "Yabba-Dabba-Doo!" to close the film.
Images of the once again-vacant Rocksylvania hotel are shown during the end credits.
Rockula and Frankenstone
- Count Rockula: a campy and not-so-bloodthirsty vampire with a lust for women and a fear of werewolves, prompting him to build a Frankenstone monster to keep them away. Having been asleep for five hundred years, Rockula is awoken by Frankenstone and sets out to clear his castle of the guests and take Wilma, whom he thinks is his bride, for himself, even if it means killing Fred. Count Rockula also appears in the episode Blood Brothers of The New Fred and Barney Show, again voiced by Stephenson, albeit in a completely different continuity because Rockula then has a bride and slightly different garments.
- Frankenstone: Count Rockula's unfinished creation, awoken prematurely when lightning strikes the machinery in Rockula's lab. His only mission in life is to carry out Rockula's orders, although his low IQ often leads him to find difficulty in accomplishing even the simplest of tasks (in one scene, Frankenstone is ordered to search some barrels for Fred, and fails to notice Fred crouching right beside him). Despite the resemblance, he is not to be confused with the Frank Frankenstone character that first appeared in the episode "Fred and Barney Meet the Frankenstones" of The New Fred and Barney ShowThe New Fred and Barney ShowThe New Fred and Barney Show was a 30-minute Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera as a 1979 series revival of The Flintstones from February 3 to October 20, 1979 on NBC...
, the TV special The Flintstones' New NeighborsThe Flintstones' New NeighborsThe Flintstones' New Neighbors was a 30-minute episode that was part of "The Flintstone Special" limited-run prime time television revival of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired on NBC on September 26, 1980....
or The Flintstone Comedy ShowThe Flintstone Comedy Show (1980)The Flintstone Comedy Show was a 90-minute Saturday morning animated series revival of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera and aired from November 22, 1980 to September 11, 1982 on NBC...
. Frankenstone was one of Ted Cassidy's final roles before his death shortly after the film's release.
Voices
- Henry CordenHenry CordenHenry Corden was a Canadian-born American actor and voice artist best-known for taking over the role of Fred Flintstone after Alan Reed died in 1977. His official debut as Fred's new voice was on the 1977 syndicated weekday series Fred Flintstone and Friends for which he provided voice-overs on...
- Fred Flintstone - Mel BlancMel BlancMelvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
- Barney Rubble, Dino, Officer Reilly - Jean Vander PylJean Vander PylJean Vander Pyl was an American actress on radio, television and movies. Although her career spanned many decades, she is best remembered as the voice of Wilma Flintstone from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Flintstones...
- Wilma Flintstone, Gladys (the housekeeper) - Gay AuttersonGay Hartwig (Autterson)Gay Hartwig is an American actress who has done voice-overs for the following programs by Hanna-Barbera:* The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show - Betty Rubble, Wiggy, Cindy* The Flintstone Comedy Hour - Betty Rubble, Wiggy, Cindy...
- Betty Rubble - Ted CassidyTed CassidyTheodore Crawford Cassidy , known as Ted Cassidy, was an American actor who performed in television and films. At 6 ft 9 in in height, he tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie...
- Frankenstone - Casey KasemCasey KasemKemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
- Monty Marble - Don MessickDon MessickDonald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
- Igor (Charlie the chauffer) - John StephensonJohn Stephenson (actor)John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...
- Count Rockula, Police Chief - Lennie WeinribLennie WeinribLennie Weinrib was an American actor, voice actor and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show H.R...
- Mr. Silika
Home media releases
The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone was released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and Laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
in 1989 by Hanna-Barbera Home Video. To date, it has not been released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
from Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
. A rather high-quality version of the movie has been leaked onto the Internet for download, recorded from the TV Channel Boomerang
Boomerang (TV channel)
Boomerang is a 24-hour American cable television channel owned by Turner Broadcasting System, a division of Time Warner. Boomerang specializes in reruns of animated programming from Time Warner's extensive archives, including pre-1986 MGM, Hanna-Barbera, Cartoon Network, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...
.