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The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show

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The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show
A green title card displaying the name of the television series in a yellow-brown font and two face cutouts of a red haired girl and a white haired guy.
Directed by
Voices of
Theme music composer
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producers
  • William Hanna
  • Joseph Barbera
Producers
Running time30 minutes
Production companyHanna-Barbera Productions
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 11, 1971 (1971-09-11) –
January 1, 1972 (1972-01-01)
Related

The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that originally aired for one season on CBS Saturday morning from September 11, 1971, to January 1, 1972. With an ensemble voice cast of Sally Struthers, Jay North, Mitzi McCall, Gay Hartwig, Carl Esser and Lennie Weinrib, the show follows teenage Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble as they encounter problems growing up in the fictional town of Bedrock.[1] The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show is the first spin-off series of The Flintstones. For the 1972–73 season, the show was revamped as The Flintstone Comedy Hour, with more time given to the original Flintstones cast alongside both reruns and newly produced segments of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm.[2]

Similar to Hanna-Barbera's Josie and the Pussycats, it used contemporary rock music to attract more viewers. The 16 episodes have since had reruns broadcast on Boomerang often surrounded by interstitial cartoons and shorts. Critical responses were mixed. It has since been released on DVD as part of Warner Home Video's "Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection" on a two disc set.

Overview

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Set in the Stone Age, the series follows Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm as they face problems with growing up in the town of Bedrock.[3] No longer toddlers, the two are now teenagers and began dating each other. The show focuses on them attending Bedrock High School and also getting their first jobs.[4] Together, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm form a musical band called the Bedrock Rockers, which was considered an attempt to be the "Stone Age" version of the Archies by one critic.[5] Unlike The Flintstones, it centers on the children of the family, rather than parents Fred and Wilma Flintstone, and Barney and Betty Rubble. These characters continue to appear in the series, albeit in reduced roles.

Cast and characters

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The series features the following seven main characters throughout its run:

  • Sally Struthers as Pebbles Flintstone, Fred and Wilma's daughter, Bamm-Bamm's best friend/girlfriend, Barney and Betty's honorary niece and a beautiful, social teenager.[4] Enthusiastic, well-meaning and kind-hearted, she often tries to help someone in trouble, but usually ends up getting herself and her friends into even bigger trouble. Like her father, her catchphrase was "Yabba-dabba-doozy!", which was appropriate as most of her schemes were indeed doozies. Much like The Flintstones, Pebbles's "trademark" ponytail was held in place with a bone in the show.[4] When Struthers left the series in order to fulfill a role on the American sitcom All in the Family, actress Mickey Stevens took her place for "The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show" segments on The Flintstone Comedy Hour.[3]
  • Jay North as Bamm-Bamm Rubble, Barney and Betty's muscular, adopted son, Fred and Wilma's adopted nephew and Pebbles' best friend/boyfriend.[3][6] This marked North's second role as a voice actor for Hanna-Barbera (outside of Arabian Knights; he also voice acted in DePatie-Freleng's Here Comes the Grump), having previously acted on series like Dennis the Menace, Wanted Dead or Alive and My Three Sons.[7]
  • Mitzi McCall as Penny, the small intelligent friend of Pebbles who often worried about her weight.[4]
  • Gay Hartwig as:
    • Wiggy, an astrology enthusiast who spoke in an operatic voice.
    • Cindy, a spoiled primary antagonist who had a crush on Bamm-Bamm and nemesis of Pebbles.
    • Betty Rubble, Wilma's best friend/neighbor, Bamm-Bamm's adopted mother, Barney's wife and Pebbles' aunt.[4]
  • Carl Esser as Fabian, the other spoiled antagonist of the series and a nemesis of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm.[4]
  • Lennie Weinrib as Moonrock, one of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm's friends who was intelligent and enjoyed inventing things, though they don't always work as intended.[4] Weinrib was a frequent voice actor for Hanna-Barbera, previously fulfilling roles on The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, and Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!.[8][9]

Production and continuation

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The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show was the first spin-off TV series derived from The Flintstones, following the theatrical film The Man Called Flintstone in 1966.[10][11] Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, creators of Scooby-Doo, Where are You!, served as story editors on Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm, and several individuals wrote episodes for the series, including Joel Kane, Woody Kling, and Howard Morganstern. Executive produced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Charles A. Nichols served as the director and Iwao Takamoto was the creative producer and key character designer. The main title theme and musical directors for The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show were made by Hoyt Curtin and Ted Nichols. Elliot Lawrence wrote songs for the series, with music arrangements by Lanny Meyers. The songs were recorded by Regent Sound Studios.[12]

Author Christopher P. Lehman wrote that the success of The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show inspired Hanna-Barbera to create The Flintstone Comedy Hour in 1972. It combined previously broadcast episodes alongside new cartoons and shorts.[13] Serving as a continuation, the new series featured newly-produced eleven-minute vignette versions of The Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm Show, as well as reruns from the 1971-72 season, during each of its sixteen episodes. The Flintstone Comedy Hour also included musical interludes performed by The Bedrock Rockers, similar to the original series.[14][5] Fred Flintstone and Friends (1977), a later anthology series compiled for syndication, included reruns of segments from both The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show and The Flintstone Comedy Hour.[3]

The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show was one of the first shows to use Hanna-Barbera's limited laugh track, as they stopped using a full laugh track provided by Charley Douglass by the fall of 1971.[15]

Episodes

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No.TitleOriginal air date [16]
1"Gridiron Girl Trouble"September 11, 1971 (1971-09-11)
Bamm-Bamm's pet triceratops Snoots is disguised in order to hide from a dogcatcher. However, the disguise causes both Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm trouble at their high school.
2"Putty in Her Hands"September 18, 1971 (1971-09-18)
After being offered free art lessons at a local school from a con artist, Pebbles vows to prove her artistic abilities with the assistance of Bamm-Bamm to spite her rival Cindy.
3"Frog for a Day"September 25, 1971 (1971-09-25)
In an attempt to learn about witchcraft, Pebbles accidentally turns Barney into a frog, requiring the help of an actual witch to turn him back into a human.
4"The Golden Voice"October 2, 1971 (1971-10-02)
Pebbles hears Bamm-Bamm singing in the shower and recognizes his talent. However, Bamm-Bamm finds difficulty singing live when he is brought into Pebbles's band as the lead singer.
5"Daddy's Little Helper"October 9, 1971 (1971-10-09)
Mr. Slate, Fred's boss, hires Pebbles as a new employee. However, Pebbles misinterprets a conversation with an important individual, which risks Fred's future in the company altogether.
6"Focus Foolery"October 16, 1971 (1971-10-16)
In order to remain unnoticed during a bank robbery, Bamm-Bamm dresses up as an infant. Meanwhile, Pebbles enters Bamm-Bamm into a toddler pageant contest with the hopes of beating Cindy.
7"Pebbles' Big Boast"October 23, 1971 (1971-10-23)
Pebbles lies to Cindy, claiming that she is friends with the members of a popular rock band called the Rolling Boulders with Mick Jadestone. In order to prove her popularity, Pebbles wants to track down the band and get them to perform for her friends.
8"The Grand Prix Pebbles"October 30, 1971 (1971-10-30)
Because of several misfortunes on Fred and Barney's behalf, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm must fill in for their fathers during the Bedrock Grand Prix racing competition.
9"The Terrible Snorkosaurus"November 6, 1971 (1971-11-06)
Pebbles tracks down a snorkosaurus in order to receive $1,000 from a local aquarium. However, the aquarium dislikes the animal so Pebbles is forced to hide the snorkosaurus in her parents' swimming pool.
10"Schleprock's New Image"November 13, 1971 (1971-11-13)
In an effort to help Schleprock and his continual experiences with bad luck, Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm and their friends accidentally become trapped in an underground mine shaft.
11"Coach Pebbles"November 20, 1971 (1971-11-20)
Despite being unfamiliar with the rules of baseball, Pebbles becomes the new coach of a local baseball team, replacing a laryngitic Fred. Upset, Bamm-Bamm and Moonrock persuade Fred to remain as the coach.
12"No Cash and Carry"November 27, 1971 (1971-11-27)
Pebbles begins working at Gimbelstone's department store and is tricked by a phony security guard into robbing the store. After realizing the situation, Pebbles and her friends must undo the damage she has caused.
13"Wooly the Great"December 4, 1971 (1971-12-04)
Pebbles's pet mammoth, Wooly, learns how to fly after testing out a magical shampoo. Wooly abuses his powers and causes everyone to get mad at him, so he runs away and joins a local traveling circus.
14"Mayor May Not"December 11, 1971 (1971-12-11)
Pebbles serves Bedrock as an honorary mayor for a week, so she decides to improve the town to the best of her capabilities. Because of this, all of the city's workers decide to leave their jobs, which causes ruckus and mayhem.
15"They Went That-A-Way"December 18, 1971 (1971-12-18)
As a favor, Pebbles promises to look after her uncle's ranch while he is away on vacation. However, she mistakenly hires cattle rustlers who rob her uncle of his prized animals.
16"The Birthday Present"January 1, 1972 (1972-01-01)
Wooly steals Pebbles's birthday present that she bought for Wilma and buries it in the backyard, leaving Pebbles in a panic. Pebbles wrongfully blames her neighbor Mrs. Gruesome for the crime, which also disrupts a family reunion that the Gruesomes are throwing.

Reception

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Broadcast history

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The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show was broadcast on CBS as part of their Saturday morning children's lineup between September 11, 1971, and January 1, 1972.[16] Reruns of the series would later air again during 1975 and 1976.[17]

The reruns of The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show were incorporated into the 1972 hour-long show The Flintstone Comedy Hour as the second half-hour of the show. When the Comedy Hour first started airing, a few new Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm half-hour cartoons were produced for this position. After a few weeks, the new episodes stopped and the reruns of the original series began. Those new episodes were included in The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show DVD as bonus episodes. The noticeable difference is Mickey Stevens as Pebbles's voice in the new episodes, concurrent with Stevens's voice appearing as Pebbles anytime Pebbles is seen in the shorter cartoons that comprised the first half of The Flintstone Comedy Hour.

Boomerang has broadcast The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show on several occasions since its initial launch in 2000.[18][19] Reruns on the network would occasionally air alongside interstitial cartoons, such as Barney Bear's The Unwelcome Guest or Tex Avery's Hound Hunters for example.[18][20] As part of the Warner Bros. Family Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television Distribution's "Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection", the complete series was made available on DVD as a two-disc set.[21]

Critical reception

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Author Derek Tait wrote in his book 1970s Childhood: From Bell-Bottoms to Disco Dancing that the cartoon was one of the popular Hanna-Barbera productions of the 1970s.[22] In a retrospective view of older cartoons, the staff at MeTV included the show on their list of "15 Forgotten Cartoons from the Early 1970s You Used to Love".[23] Regarding the musical aspects, Tom and Sara Pendergast felt that both The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show and Josie and the Pussycats incorporated contemporary rock music to attract a larger audience.[24] On The Christian Science Monitor's list of "the five dumbest moments" of The Flintstones, writer Chris Gaylord listed the series at number two. He called it "the most curious" of the various spin-offs and wrote, "Mercifully, these misadventures at Bedrock High School only lasted one season".[25]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Sennett, Ted (1989). The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity. Studio. p. 94. ISBN 978-0670829781. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  2. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 333–344. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  3. ^ a b c d Klossner 2006, p. 114
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Mansour 2011, p. 357
  5. ^ a b Lehman 2006, p. 173
  6. ^ He often tries to talk Pebbles out of her crazy ideas, but ends going along with them.Terrace 2008, p. 820
  7. ^ Lentz III 2007, p. 397
  8. ^ Lisanti 2012, p. 303
  9. ^ Mansour 2011, p. 160
  10. ^ Chagollan & Milvy 2017, p. 109
  11. ^ Terrace 1985, p. 321
  12. ^ Perlmutter 2014, p. 152
  13. ^ Lehman 2006, p. 172
  14. ^ Iverson, Paul R. (1994), The Advent of the Laugh Track (2nd ed.), Hempstead, New York: Hofstra University Archives
  15. ^ a b "The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show: TV Show". TV Guide. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  16. ^ Newcomb 2014, p. 1060
  17. ^ a b "Boomerang Schedule: Thursday, August 9, 2004". Cartoon Network. August 9, 2004. Archived from the original on August 10, 2004. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  18. ^ "Boomerang Schedule: Tuesday, November 7, 2006". Cartoon Network. November 7, 2006. Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  19. ^ "Boomerang Schedule: Friday, February 15, 2008". Cartoon Network. February 15, 2008. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  20. ^ The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show – The Complete Series, 18 March 2008, ASIN B000ZBEOHY
  21. ^ Tait 2011, p. 146
  22. ^ MeTV staff (June 17, 2016). "15 Forgotten Cartoons from the Early 1970s You Used to Love". MeTV. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  23. ^ Gaylord, Chris (September 30, 2010). "The Flintstones turns 50: The five dumbest moments". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved February 25, 2017.

Bibliography

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  • Chagollan, Samantha; Milvy, Erika (April 10, 2017). 101 TV Shows to See Before You Grow Up: Be Your Own TV Critic–the Must-see TV List for Kids. Walter Foster Jr. ISBN 978-1633222779.
  • Hunter, James Michael (2013). Mormons and Popular Culture: The Global Influence of an American Phenomenon. Literature, art, media, tourism, and sports. Volume 2. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0313391675.
  • Klossner, Michael (January 12, 2006). Prehistoric Humans in Film and Television: 581 Dramas, Comedies and Documentaries, 1905-2004 (revised ed.). McFarland & Company. ISBN 1476609144.
  • Lehman, Christopher P. (October 26, 2006). American Animated Cartoons of the Vietnam Era: A Study of Social Commentary in Films and Television Programs, 1961-1973 (illustrated ed.). McFarland & Company. ISBN 0786451424.
  • Lentz III, Harris M. (April 26, 2007). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2006: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture (illustrated ed.). McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786429332.
  • Lisanti, Thomas (August 24, 2012). Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1476601427.
  • Mansour, David (June 1, 2011). From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. Andrew McMeel Publishing. ISBN 978-0740793073.
  • Newcomb, Horace (February 3, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television (reprinted, revised ed.). Routledge. ISBN 978-1135194727.
  • Pendergast, Tom; Pendergast, Sara (2000). St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture (illustrated ed.). St. James Press. ISBN 1558624023.
  • Perlmutter, David (March 18, 2014). America Toons In: A History of Television Animation (illustrated, reprinted ed.). McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786476503.
  • Tait, Derek (November 1, 2011). 1970s Childhood: From Bell-Bottoms to Disco Dancing. The History Press. ISBN 978-0752466422.
  • Terrace, Vincent (November 6, 2008). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786486410.
  • Terrace, Vincent (1985). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials, Volume 2. VNR AG. ISBN 0918432618.
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