The Lookback: The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone

The Flashback

       October has Halloween in it , so  of course we are looking at Halloween or something related to Halloween , specials. That brings us to the Flintstones, our favorite pre-historic family,  and a special that first aired on NBC in 1979 , and repeated later in the 90's on Cartoon Network and Boomerang , that is our lookback.

    Fred and Wilma are going on  TV game show  called "Make a Deal or Don't" (the most passive aggressive title in TV history) in costume (somebody at H&B liked 'Let's Make Deal')  Barney and Betty are also going.   At the game show Monty Marble  picks Barney to  play. The Offer is trade in $1,000 for what ever behind the curtain. (OZ?) After Betty yells keep the money, he decides to keep the money, Fred is annoyed at that.  Monty called Fred up  he gives Fred  $1,000 (that's it I am leaving)  or the choice what is behind the curtain ,and he picks what is behind the curtain, and that would be a free trip for 2 to  Rocksylvania (the confusing thing is that Pennsylvania or Transylvania because what?)  where they get to spend it at the home of Count Rockula. (hey title drop)  Monty Marble lets Barney choose again , if he turns in the $1,000 him and the wife can go to Rocksyvania too. (That's how games shows work? Or plot device time!)  Betty says take it , and Wilma does too. Barney takes the deal.  (Though, I do wonder why the host is so willing to give away trip)

Looks Romantic to me .../copyright Hanna and Barbera

     The Rubbles and Flintstones are in Rockyslvaina , which looks creepy and spooky. (and positively oooky)  Igor picks them up and on the way he talks about how Count Rockula was scared of werewolves so he was working in his lab on to make a Frankenstone's monster. (Well that's a plan)  Though Igor might be putting on act.  At the hotel there's a costume party which will go all night long (all night).  Fred and Barney find a secret passage slide that takes them to a laboratory , as they get out of there lighting strikes some whatever those things are , and powers up a Frankenstone (we are using the special's term) and it starts to wake up and growl. (He's not an evening person)  The creature goes to a secret passage to a casket to wake up Rockula, who has been alseep for 500 years. (He had gotten a new sleep number coffin or he was dead tired )  Rockula hears the party and the music and decides to check it out.
       

      I wake up looking this good/ copyright Hanna and Barbera

       Count Rockula and Frankenstone miss Fred and Barney because  they were going to sleep, and they are see the party and the count yells at them to leave his house at once. (Get off my Castle , darn kids and their parties)  Count Rockula turns into a bat and starts to terrorize the party  and everyone starts to leave. Count Rockula and Frankenstone check if anyone is still left around (we know that the Flintstones and Rubbles are still there). Fred notices it's too quiet ,but Wilma thinks nothing of it and goes back to sleep.  Rockula does check the room that  he made for his bride and this is the room that Fred and Wilma were using and he sees Wilma thinking it's his bride.  Fred goes  to see if the food is still there from the party and Barney is there too.  Rockula wakes up Wilma and she thinks it's the hotel manager (because he was wearing the costume of count Rockula)  and he takes her away.

 You are too un dead for me/Copyright Hanna and Barbera

     Fred notices that Wilma is missing  so he and Betty go searching for her , while she is with Count Rockula and not very happy.  Count Rockula turns into a bat to prove that he is not the manager and she tells him that she's not his bride. Rockula decides he must make her , his bride anyway and she she tells him she's married. He says that it's illegal to Marry a woman who is already married (well then that's a comment) so he wants to make her a widow. (gasp) Wilma escapes and out runs them so they have to search for her.   Rockula and Frankenstone catch up to  Fred, Betty, and Barney and out run them.  The trio finds Wilma and she tells them that Count Rockula wants Fred dead. (ha rhyme) Luckily a werewolf  mask falls on Barney and this scares Count Rockula.
 

                                        That is quite scary/ copyright Hanna and  Barbera

      The four of them escape ,but Rockula turns into a bat and catches up to them and stops them at the gate, Wilma has Barney fake being a rooster to scare him to think that the sun was coming up so Rockula flies back to his casket. (whimp)  The train shows up and they make it back home  (well that was an ending?)  But wait we have about 4 minutes of run time so... something is going to happen?  Yep, Count Rockula followed them in bat form (still a wimp) and surprises Wilma in the kitchen. Rockula pleads that she should be his wife ,and says that he will have servants to wait on her hand and foot and a nice fancy place to live. (take the deal! , what? Don't look at us like that)   Rockula offers to build a castle in Bedrock. Wilma says she will consider when he says her word will be his command. (she took the deal!) Then her conditions are : to stop sleeping all day, and other things he should do, this makes the count leave. (I see what her plan was )  It ends all happy with a Yabba Dabba do!
   
That's the special : Well it's not scary but it's the Flintstones so I guess it won't be it is quite pacey for a  46 minute special it doesn't drag.  It has some funny moments , and love the breaking 4th wall moments of Wilma and Frankenstone.  It's a great play off the Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster characters and  they are great characters.  It's a great watch you can find it on DVD  in the Flintstones:Prime-time specials collection -Volume 1, which also includes a few other specials.

 That's the lookback , tune in next time when the Flinstones meet Scooby and the Gang and learn to take off Count Rockula's mask.