A FLINTSTONES CHRISTMAS CAROL (TV)
Summary
An animated adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” featuring characters from the animated series “The Flintstones” performing a stage version of the story.
It’s Christmastime in Bedrock, and the local community theater is putting on a production of “A Christmas Carol,” with Fred in the role of Scrooge. Wilma is quite busy, occupied both with her duties as stage manager and in wardrobe. However, Fred is too occupied with rehearsing to pay attention to anything else, including his family. Fred’s co-workers are frustrated with his egoism surrounding his role in the show, including Mr. Slate, who lets everyone off early so they can get to the theater on time. While leaving work with Barney, Fred realizes that he forgot to buy presents for his family. He manages to find gifts at the mall before he realizes that he has to get to the theater. He stops at home for a snack, and misses a note Wilma left for him explaining that she went to the theater with Betty. Once he arrives, Wilma is beside herself with anger, as Fred forgot to pick up Pebbles from daycare.
Before Fred can explain himself the show begins and Fred goes onstage. The show begins, and Fred assumes the role of “Ebonezer Scrooge,” a notoriously unkind and greedy manager of a loan company, whose partner, “Jacob Marbley,” has died seven years hence. He goes on a tirade about what he feels is the pointlessness of Christmas, despite any argument to the contrary from his loyal assistant, “Bob Cragit.” His nephew Ned arrives and attempts to invite Scrooge to Christmas dinner with him and his family, but Scrooge refuses. He also turns away some folks looking for charitable donations to the poor. On the way home, Scrooge is accidentally pelted with a child’s snowball and is furious at the boy for ruining his hat. As punishment, he forces him to shovel the snow off of his front walk. That night, after dinner, Scrooge falls asleep and is confronted with Marbley’s ghost, clad in chains. Marbley explains that his lack of kindness and empathy in life has caused him to suffer tremendously in the afterlife. He tells Scrooge that he may suffer the same fate, but has a chance at redemption: to that end he will be visited by three additional ghosts that night before he leaves. The first act of the show ends as Scrooge goes to bed, dismissing these events as a bad dream.
Backstage, Fred revels in the audience’s applause, believing that it is all for him. However, Barney and Wilma try to deflate his increasingly large ego before the curtain goes up again. Problems arise when Garnet, the woman portraying the Ghost of Christmas Past, suddenly comes down with the “Bedrock Bug,” a flu strain going around town. Wilma is forced to take over as an emergency understudy, and goes onstage to play the part. In the play, the Ghost carries Scrooge out of his bed to show him events from his past. Fred goes offstage as the flashback scene continues, and Betty tries to indicate that Wilma is displeased with him, although he does not listen. Fred goes on again as the younger Scrooge, and another actor, Maggie, seems quite eager to participate in her romantic scene with Fred. Scrooge, alone and forlorn at school, is visited by his sister, who says their cruel father has changed his mind about him and will allow him to come home with her. The Ghost reminds the older Scrooge that despite their promise to remain together, her sister died, leaving both Scrooge and her son behind. Scrooge notes that her death affected him so much that he vowed not to love anyone ever again.
The Ghost then takes Scrooge to the shop where he was apprenticed in his youth, and shows him a Christmas party hosted by his boss, Fezziwig. Betty pulls Wilma aside backstage, and informs her that Maggie has also caught the Bedrock Bug. This forces Wilma to also take the part of Belle, the object of Scrooge’s affection. Wilma takes delight in “accidentally” harming Fred during their scenes together. In the next scene, Scrooge proposes to Belle, but she soon rejects his proposal, believing that Scrooge’s avarice and ambition have exceeded his love for her. They tearfully part ways, and Scrooge begs the Ghost not to show him any more; the Ghost reminds him that everything that has transpired has been of his own doing. As the act ends, Barney tells Fred that he has been self-centered as of late, and Fred decides he needs to make amends with Wilma. However, Wilma is quite upset and will not speak to him. Fred realizes he forgot to recover his presents from the mall and rushes out with only ten minutes before he is to reappear on stage.
The mall is already closed, and Fred sneaks in through a window, setting off a silent alarm. He is nearly captured by the policeman, whom he briefly mistakes for the Ghost of Christmas Future. He returns to the theater just in time, and Wilma is still too angry to hear his explanation. The show begins again as Scrooge is confronted by the Ghost of Christmas Present. He takes Scrooge to the Cragit household, where he witnesses the Cragit family, poor but happy. He is also touched by Cragit’s son Tim, who must use a cane to walk, and feels guilty about the Cragit family’s meager means. The Ghost tells Scrooge that he predicts that Tim will not live to see the next Christmas if “these shadows remain unaltered.” The Cragit family insults Scrooge, except for Bob Cragit, who comes to his defense. The spirit also shows Scrooge Ned and his family’s Christmas dinner, and Scrooge expresses regret that he never met Ned’s wife or gotten to know his kind-hearted nephew. The spirit disappears, and Scrooge is left alone in the street to confront the silent Ghost of Christmas Future, who beckons to him.
Scrooge follows the Ghost of Christmas Future and is shown his own dead body lying in his bed. He is shown criminals stealing his possessions and selling them for a pittance. Scrooge begs that he be shown any sympathy or mourning towards him, but instead the spirit shows him the Cragit family attempting to cope with Tim’s death. Scrooge is shown Tim’s grave, as well as his own gravestone, neglected and untended. Scrooge begs to be given the chance to repent and change his ways, hoping that it will change his terrible fate as well. Suddenly Scrooge awakens in his bed and recounts the events of the past night. He is ecstatic and realizes that it is Christmas morning, and sets out immediately to make amends. He orders a huge “turkeysaurus” for the Cragit family and orders that the identity of the sender not be revealed to them. Wilma appears onstage to fill in for yet another sick actor, and Fred attempts to reconcile with her, while making it appear that their argument is part of the show. They go together to have Christmas dinner with Ned, and later Scrooge tells Cragit that he has been made a partner in his organization. He vows to use his fortune to help the poor and needy, and the play ends.
Fred attempts to tell his friends and family that he’s realized how important they are, and gets Wilma to relent somewhat. The director of the show extends a special thanks to Wilma for her hard work and for filling in for numerous sick actors. Fred also discovers that Dino filled in for the sick actor meant to portray the Ghost of Christmas Future. Fred is about to tell Wilma about his difficulties with the presents, but the child he put in charge of wrapping them for him appears and gives them to him. Just then Fred catches the Bedrock Bug as well, incapacitating him for most of Christmas Day. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: Syndication
- DATE: November 30, 1993
- RUNNING TIME: 1:09:30
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 108076
- GENRE: Animation
- SUBJECT HEADING: Animation
- SERIES RUN: Syndication - TV, 1994
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- William Hanna … Executive Producer
- Joseph Barbara … Executive Producer
- Buzz Potamkin … Executive Producer
- Gordon Kent … Supervising Producer
- Joanna Romersa … Producer, Director
- Frank Andrina … Animation Director
- William Edwards … Animation Director
- Robert Nesler … Animation Director
- Carl Urbano … Animation Director
- Allen Wilzbach … Animation Director
- Fil-Cartoons, Inc., Philippines … Animation
- Glenn Leopold … Writer
- Charles Dickens … Based on the book "A Christmas Carol" by
- Steve Bernstein … Music by
- Henry Corden … Voice, Fred Flintstone
- Jean Vander Pyl … Voice, Wilma Flintstone
- Frank Welker … Voice, Barney Rubble, Dino
- B.J. Ward … Voice, Betty Rubble
- Russi Taylor … Voice, Pebbles Flintstone
- Don Messick … Voice, Bamm Bamm Rubble, Joe Rockhead
- John Stephenson … Voice, Mr. Slate
- Marsha Clark … Voice, Maggie, Mrs. Feldspar
- Will Ryan … Voice, Ned
- Brian Cummings … Voice, Ghost of Christmas Present
- Rene Levant … Voice, Philo Quartz
- John Rhys Davies … Voice, Charles Brickens
- Joanie Gerber … Voice
- Maurice LaMarche … Voice
- Howard Morris … Voice
- Jan Rabson … Voice