The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone
| The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ray Patterson |
| Starring | Henry Corden Mel Blanc Jean Vander Pyl Gay Autterson John Stephenson |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Alex Lovy |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Hanna-Barbera Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original airing | October 30, 1979 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Flintstones: Little Big League (1978) |
| Followed by | The Flintstones' New Neighbors (1980) |
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 Tuesday October 30, 1979 on NBC.
Contents |
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 Show, the TV special The Flintstones' New Neighbors or The Flintstone Comedy Show. Frankenstone was one of Ted Cassidy's final roles before his death shortly after the film's release.
[edit] Voices
- Henry Corden - Fred Flintstone
- Mel Blanc - Barney Rubble, Dino, Officer Reilly
- Jean Vander Pyl - Wilma Flintstone, Gladys (the housekeeper)
- Gay Autterson - Betty Rubble
- Ted Cassidy - Frankenstone
- Casey Kasem - Monty Marble
- Don Messick - Igor (Charlie the chauffer)
- John Stephenson - Count Rockula, Police Chief
- Lennie Weinrib - Mr. Silika
[edit] Home media releases
The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone was released on VHS 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.
