"The Babysitters" is the seventh episode of the first season of the original series, The Flintstones. It aired on November 11, 1960.
Synopsis
Fred & Barney agree to babysit Egbert, forcing them to miss going to a boxing match. They try to watch it on TV, but troublesome Egbert makes that difficult.
Plot
Fred is late getting Barney to work. Barney gets called to his boss's office. Barney's boss gives him tickets to the big fight in town. Barney tells Fred when Fred comes to pick him and they are both excited. Fred gets home and finds out that Wilma has volunteered he and Barney for baby sitting duty the same night because of a bridge club meeting. She makes Fred feel like a heel and he agrees to do it. Barney comes over and has had the same experience with Betty.
The girls head out for their bridge game and the guys turn on the TV to watch the fight and find out that it's been blacked out to within 25 miles of the fight. Fred gets an idea about how they can still watch the fights. They go to their friend's (Joe Rockhead) house and bust in to watch the fights since Joe isn't home. They get the baby, Egbert, to bed and Barney lets Joe's little dinosaur stay with the baby. Egbert takes off his cap and shirt and puts it on the dinosaur. The dinosaur runs out and Fred and Barney think that it's Egbert and chase it.
Joe comes home to find his door busted in and the baby there and Joe assumes the baby broke in and takes it to the police station. He tells the chief the story and gets locked up. Fred and Barney chase the dinosaur up a tree and try to get it down. A policeman comes by and they tell him that there is a baby in the tree and the policeman calls the fire department to get it down. They find out that it is actually a little dinosaur and the police haul Fred and Barney to jail.
Wilma and Betty see the news report about the baby in the tree and they see that Fred and Barney are arrested and then they see Egbert. They go to the station with Egbert's mother and she takes Egbert home. The girls leave the guys in the jail because Fred says that it would take too long to explain.
Characters
- Fred Flintstone
- Barney Rubble
- Lester (only appearance)
- Phil (only appearance)
- Matilda (only appearance, no lines)
- Miss Pebble (only appearance, no lines)
- Mr. Granite (only appearance)
- Mrs. Granite (only time mentioned)
- Edna Boulder (first appearance)
- Egbert Boulder (only appearance)
- Wilma Flintstone
- Betty Rubble
- Alice Blue Jeans (only appearance; no lines; TV screen)
- Joe Rockhead's pooch (only appearance; no lines)
- Boxing announcer (only appearance; TV screen)
- Rocky Gibraltar (only appearance; no lines; TV screen)
- Blarney Stone (only appearance; no lines; TV screen)
- Joe Rockhead (first appearance)
- Police sergeant (only appearance)
- Police officer (only appearance)
- Fire chief (only appearance)
Locations
- Bedrock
- Granite Building
- Flintstone home
- Joe Rockhead's home
- Police station
- Boulder home
- Fire department
Objects
- Sandwiches
Animals
- Pterodactyl (as a horn)
- Brontosaurus (as a pet)
Vehicles
Cast
| Alan Reed | Fred Flintstone |
|---|---|
| Jean Vander Pyl | Wilma Flintstone Egbert Boulder |
| Mel Blanc | Barney Rubble |
| Bea Benaderet | Betty Rubble |
| Daws Butler | Joe Rockhead Phil Sergeant Lester |
| Paul Frees | Mr. Granite TV Announcer Newscaster |
Notes/Trivia
- ABC originally broadcast this episode in black and white.
- Veteran voice-over artist Paul Frees provides the voice of Barney's boss, Mr. Granite (the only time we ever catch a glimpse of Barney's workplace), the TV announcer giving the boys the news that the fight's blacked out, and the TV newscaster revealing the baby-in-the-tree story was a hoax.
Errors
- The wives were supposed to be playing a bridge tournament, with Wilma implying there would be more than the three of them, but in the end, it only turned out to be Wilma, Betty, and Edna.
- Barney asks to go to the fifth floor, but when the elevator stops, it's on the seventh floor.
Template:Season 1 (The Flintstones (1960))