The Flintstones - The Complete Third Season

Rating:
Summary: "It's true, folks! The Flintstones are having a baby!"
Review: At this writing, I couldn't tell you about the extra's included in this volume. However, as I recall, The Flintstones' 3rd season (1962-63) is perhaps their most transitional, as Fred (Alan Reed) and Wilma (Jean Vanderpyl) give birth to a little cavegirl named Pebbles (also voiced by Vanderpyl, she would make her debut towards the end of season 3 in The Blessed Event, at the end of the show; her 1st words are "Abba dabba goo goo!"). Many of the cartoons featured Wilma expecting, with the announcement of Wilma's pregnancy at the end of one particular episode appropriately entitled The Surprise (ironically, this episode had more to deal with Barney's nephew Marblehead, whom Fred grows to love, though he won't admit it!). Barney (Mel Blanc) and Betty (Bea Benederet) are the godparents. Also, the familiar theme "Meet the Flintstones" also makes it proper debut in this season (it was featured in background music in Seasons 1 and 2).

Highlights include a performance by Rock Roll, who looks and sings a little like Elvis ("There's a town I know where the hipsters go called Bedrock, twitch, twitch!"), Wilma and Betty enter a Rock Toasties contest and win a trip to Hawaii (Wilma saves Fred's life by punching out a ferocious dinosaur chasing him, "Beat it, buster!"), Barney plans a surprise birthday party for Fred and spends most of the episode trying to get a fast asleep Fred home to the party, Fred takes ballet lessons to improve his bowling, Barney saves a baby but Fred unintentionally takes the credit, Fred goes back to high school for his diploma in order to avoid termination from Mr. Slate and becomes a football hero ("Flintstone! Flintstone! Rah, rah, rah!"), Wilma rents the house to 3 Swedish musicians ("Duh, he is Olie, I am Schven!"), Barney becomes invisible thanks to one of Fred's wacky inventions, Fred tries hard to get along with his disagreeable mother-in-law during a visit ("I love my mudderinlaw!" he reminds himself, but gets his revenge by taking her on a long taxiride in disguise), Fred hires an Italian maid named Lolabrickida (who is an excellent cook and a lot nicer than Grandma Dynamite and the bossy nurse hired after Pebbles' birth, but has zero tolerance for bad singing!), Fred and Barney go skiing in the mountains and unwittingly prevent a jewelheist ("Psst! Slalom, Shorty, SLALOM!"), Barney reluctantly agrees to masquerade at Little Tex to impress Fred's rich Uncle Tex (voiced by Hal Smith, "Wahoooooo!"), Arnold the Paperboy cons Fred into paying more and later Wilma insists Fred see a quacky doctor and for Wilma's birthday, Fred buys her a dodo bird named Doosey, who snitches to Wilma and Betty about the boys' plans to go to a Water Buffalo convention in Frantic City without them ("Squawk! Frantic City, Frantic City, squawk, whistle!"). Also, Barney tricks Fred into thinking Pebbles can talk ("Do thum backfwips for me, Daddy, or I'll cwyyyy!") and the Flintstones move out of their humble abode to be near a crowd of rich snobs ("Everybody into the pyool!").

If you liked Seasons 1 and 2, save your money for this one! That'll be 2 rocks, please!