Operation Switchover

Operation Switchover
Details
Show	The Flintstones
Season	4
Episode number	114
Original airdate	March 12, 1964 (ABC)
Crew
Animated by	Don Williams Harry Holt Hicks Lokey Bob Carr
Layout	Dick Bickenbach Walt Clinton Alex Ignatiev
Background	Art Lozzi Fernando Arce Linus Chao
Written by	Joanna Lee
Chronology
Previous	"Bachelor Daze"
Next	"Hop Happy"

"Operation Switchover" is the twenty-sixth episode of the fourth season and the one hundred and fourteenth overall episode of The Flintstones. It aired on March 12, 1964.

Synopsis

Fred makes fun of Wilma's housekeeping, leading them to switch jobs for one day.

Plot

Fred remarks that Wilma's household duties are nowhere near as exerting as his travails at the rock quarry and do not constitute a job. So, he is challenged by Wilma to exchange places with her for a day. She goes to the quarry in Fred's stead, while Fred stays at home and attends to Wilma's chores, which Fred maintains will be so easy that he will practically have a labor-free day. Calamity results on both fronts. Wilma is a klutz at operating a dinosaur-lift, with boulders falling on top of Mr. Slate, who orders Wilma to go home.

Meanwhile, between feeding Pebbles and Dino, doing laundry, and preparing dinner (with boiled rice overflowing and flooding the Flintstone house), Fred cannot adhere to Wilma's assigned schedule. Wilma telephones Fred, lies about doing such an efficient job for Slate that he granted to her an early quitting time, and says that she will be going to a movie with Betty, while Fred is too proud to admit that he is unable to handle Wilma's housework.

Some time after Wilma's telephone call, Fred is contacted by Hedda Rocker, a representative of Good Cavekeeping Magazine, which has declared Wilma as Housewife of the Year and will be visiting cave Flintstone with a photographer to survey Wilma's spit-and-polished residence and snap-shoot her picture. The prize is an all-expenses-paid week-long stay for two in Rock Vegas and $500. With insufficient time to find movie-viewing Wilma, Fred pleads with Barney and a group of friends- who have come as previously arranged to play poker in the Flintstone living room- to help to render the Flintstone home presentable and to prepare hors d'oeuvres.

For the hors d'oeuvres, Barney uses crackers and Dino's food, and Fred hides dirty dishes underneath coach and chair cushions, before dressing in Wilma's stretch-fabric clothes, donning a wig, and applying lipstick to become Mrs. Fred Flintstone and greet Rocker, who is entirely impressed with "Wilma" and "her" work. Fred rejoices when informed of winning the Rock Vegas vacation but shudders when he realizes that Wilma will be anything but pleased to see her name under the "dressed-in-drag" Fred's picture in the magazine.

Though embarrassed by the unflattering photograph, Wilma is happy to have won the Good Cavekeeping contest, and she and Fred both concede that neither is really capable of doing the other's job.

Characters

• Fred Flintstone
• Wilma Flintstone
• Barney Rubble
• Betty Rubble
• Pebbles Flintstone
• Bamm-Bamm Rubble
• Dino
• Mr. Slate
• Pearl Slaghoople (mentioned)
• Hedda Rocker (only appearance)
• Hugo (only appearance)
• Joe Rockhead
• Flash (only appearance)

Locations

Bedrock

• Flintstone home
• Slate Rock and Gravel Company

Other

• Rock Vegas (mentioned)

Objects

• Morning Blast news-slab
• Rock Bell Phone
• Shlump (last appearance)

Food

• Mountain Goatmeal (only appearance)
• Bronto-Sausages and Bronto-Eggs (only appearance)
• French Toast with Cactus Berry Jelly (only mentioned)

Animals

• Snorkasaurus
• Mammoth (as a masto-vacuum)
• Brontosaurus (as a bronto-crane, sausages and eggs)
• Stegosaurus (as a dino-mower)
• Mountain Goatasaurus (as oatmeal/mountain goatmeal)
• Gatorsaurus (as an ironing board)
• Fish (as a sandwich)
• Birds (as a hat and a feather duster)

Events

• Good Cavekeeping Contest

Vehicles

• Flintmobile

Cast

Alan Reed	Fred Flintstone
Jean Vander Pyl	Wilma Flintstone Pebbles Flintstone
Mel Blanc	Barney Rubble Dino
Bea Benaderet	Betty Rubble Lady in Office
Don Messick	Bamm-Bamm Rubble Charlie Duster Bird Alligator Man #2 Joe Rockhead Flash
John Stephenson	Mr. Slate Hat Bird Man #3
Janet Waldo	Hedda Rocker Woman #1 Girl
Doug Young	Joe Clock Bird Man #1

Notes/Trivia

• This was the last episode for Bea Benaderet to voice Betty Rubble until Gerry Johnson took over her role in the fifth and sixth seasons of the original series.
• Good Cavekeeping is a spoof of Good Housekeeping.
• The ingredients for "Barney's Best" hors d'oeuvres consists of one can of Dino's dog food, Shlump, some Tabasco sauce, a lot of chili, and some cactus salt. Spread on crackers.

Errors

• None known.