Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Details
Show	The Flintstones
Season	2
Episode number	60
Production number	P-60
Original airdate	April 27, 1962 (ABC)
Recording Date	January 15, 1962
Crew
Animated by	Kenneth Muse Jerry Hathcock
Layout	Dick Bickenbach Walt Clinton
Background	Robert Gentle Art Lozzi Fernando Montealegre (known as Montealegre) Richard H. Thomas
Written by	Larry Markes
Chronology
Previous	"Latin Lover"
Next	"Dino Goes Hollyrock"

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is the thirty-second episode of the second season and the sixtieth overall episode of the original series, The Flintstones. It aired on April 27, 1962.

Synopsis

Fred becomes a Little League umpire, but is unprepared for the intensity of the competition among the kids' parents.

Plot

Fred hears thumps, from his house's roof, of what he believes is hail- in July. Actually, impact of baseballs on the roof is the source of the sound, baseballs batted from the street by practicing youngsters of the Stone Age Pee-Wee League. Their coach: Barney. Their team name: the Giants, despite their minuscule size.

Arnold the rock-newspaper delivery boy and Mr. Slate's son, Eugene, are some of the Giants, and Fred is persuaded to umpire their practice game, proving with his "big mouth" and overbearing manner to be an excellent umpire prospect for the Bug Leagues. Barney introduces Fred to a Major League Baseball representative, who will hire Fred to officiate in the Major Leagues pending Fred's performance as umpire at a Pee-Wee League game upon which the fathers of Bedrock, including Mr. Slate, base their respect of their sons and which Fred is urged to officiate with favoritism to the home team.

The Major League representative pep-talks Fred to be without bias, unwavering, abrasive, and eager to be hated if that is the result of his unquestionable honesty, and in the Pee-Wee League game against the Grittsburg Pyrites, Fred's crucial decision in a runner/catcher "close call" at home plate is honest and true- and contrary to the Giants, who lose the game. Fred is bombarded by soda pop bottles by the irate fathers of the Giants, and an anonymous person throws a note attached to a rock through a Flintstone home window, saying, "Reverse your decision-- or else."

The Giants march to Fred's door to apologize for their fathers' poor sportsmanship, and Fred joins the boys in appearing before the fathers of Bedrock and informing them that the Giants will found their own, secret sandlot and play baseball entirely for fun- without adult interference.

Characters

• Fred Flintstone
• Wilma Flintstone
• Barney Rubble
• Betty Rubble
• Dino
• Arnold
• Mr. Slate
• Eugene Slate (only appearance)
• Clarence (only appearance)
• Melvin (only appearance)
• Norman (only appearance)
• Sandy (only appearance)
• J. Walter Amalgam (only appearance)
• Red Blabbermouth (only appearance)

Locations

Bedrock

• Flintstone home
• Bedrock Rock Quarry

Objects

• Daily Slate news-slabs
• Official Pee-Wee League Baseball (only appearance)
• Baseballs
• Baseball bats
• Baseball gloves
• News-slab
• The Power of Positive Umpiring book (only appearance)

Food

• Glass soda-pop bottles (only appearance)
• Yabba-Dabba-Dewberry Pie (only appearance)
• Bronto-Soup

Animals

• Snorkasaurus
• Pterodactyl
• Brontosaurus (as a Bronto-Crane and Bronto-Soup)

Vehicles

• Flintmobile

Cast

Alan Reed	Fred Flintstone
Jean Vander Pyl	Wilma Flintstone Clarence Melvin Norman Sandy
Mel Blanc	Barney Rubble Dino Sniper Brontosaurus
Bea Benaderet	Betty Rubble Eugene Slate
Hal Smith	J. Walter Amalgam Pa Red Blabbermouth
John Stephenson	Mr. Slate Arnold's Father
Don Messick	Arnold Kid #2

Notes/Trivia

• Per the title, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is an early-20th century Tin Pan Alley song which is traditionally sung during the seventh-inning stretch of a baseball game.
• The calendar says it is July, yet Arnold (who is a brunette this time) is in school.
• The Grittsburg Pyrites are the opponents of the Bedrock Pee Wee Baseball Team (The Giants).
• The boys on the team are 7 years old. Besides Eugene, some of the other boys are Clarence, Melvin, Norman, and Sandy.
• The title refers to the 1949 Frank Sinatra film of the same name.

Errors

• Fred is reading aloud from the book on how to be an umpire and comes to the line "continued next page" but then turns the page backwards to the previous page.