"The Beauty Contest" is the eleventh episode of the second season and the thirty-ninth overall episode of the original series, The Flintstones. It aired on December 1, 1961.
Synopsis[]
Fred and Barney are named as judges for the annual beauty contest of their club but struggle to keep it a secret from their wives. Though ultimately it is Wilma and Betty who steal the show.
Plot[]
A Water Buffalo Lodge beauty contest is Fred and Barney's latest adventure. Theirs were the only two names placed inside of the King Buffalo's hat to be picked "at random" as the judges in the contest; no other Lodge brothers would be stupid enough to agree to judge feminine pulchritude in their hometown!
Not only must Fred and Barney endeavor to keep their pivotal role in the contest a secret from Wilma and Betty- who would never allow them to participate in that capacity in the event, but they are also intimidated, Fred by Mr. Slate, who wants homely daughter Bessie Slate to be the contest victor, and Barney by a gangster named Big Louie, who desires his girlfriend, Cookie, to be "in the winner's circle or else", to base their decision on their own personal welfare.
They decide to tie Bessie and Cookie so that they both win. Wilma and Betty are extremely suspicious that Fred and Barney are hiding something, when Wilma receives telephone calls from girls wanting to give "measurements" to Fred and Betty is visited by sexy, young women wishing to meet Barney. Wilma and Betty follow Fred and Barney to the Water Buffalo Lodge on the night of the beauty contest and peek through the rear door of the building to see a bevy of bathing-suited beauties preparing to show their ample bodies to the judges. Wilma finds out that it is in fact a beauty contest. Knowing Fred and Barney are in the audience (but not knowing they are the judges and not knowing the danger they are in.) and feeling giddy, suggests to Betty they join in and walk on stage with the rest of the girls.
Wilma and Betty remove their respective jewelry and dress in bathing suits and heels and the house wives are revealed to be incredibly Beautiful. Dressed in Their Swimsuits, Wilma and Betty are Gorgeous with beautiful, toned figures and elegant legs. Despite suggesting the trick and looking quite gorgeous themselves, Wilma gets a bit nervous and giddy at the prospect of actually taking part in a Beauty Contest. Saying through giggles, "Oh, Betty, this is ridiculous." Betty tells her they can't back out now. With new confidence and excited at the prospect of showing their natural beauty to the world, the Flintstone and Rubble wives surprise their men, who have no choice but to declare their marital partners as the beauty contest Queens, and the four must flee the wrath of everyone else inside the Lodge - including Slate and Big Louie.
Wilma and Betty are disqualified from winning because they are married to the judges, but Fred and Barney ought never to forget that the women whom they married are, to them, the most beautiful females in the Stone Age world. Wilma and Betty, still swimsuit clad with crowns on their heads, are happy of both having their husbands love and devotion and proving themselves two beautiful women, smile and sit pretty as the episode ends.
Characters[]
- Fred Flintstone
- Wilma Flintstone
- Barney Rubble
- Betty Rubble
- Dino
- Mr. Slate
- Sam Slagheap
- Bessie Slate (only mentioned)
- Big Louie (only appearance)
- Cookie (only appearance)
- Jean Charlie (only appearance)
Locations[]
Bedrock[]
Objects[]
- Water Buffalo Lodge hats
- Rock Bell Phone
Food[]
- Pterodactyl Eggs
- Fruit
Animals[]
- Snorkasaurus
- Brontosaurus (as a Bronto-Crane and a traffic sign changer)
- Mammoth (as a shower and a sink)
- Pterodactyl (as Pterodactyl eggs)
Vehicles[]
- Flintmobile
- Betty's car
Events[]
- The Water Buffalo Lodge Beauty Contest
Cast[]
| Alan Reed | Fred Flintstone Man #2 |
|---|---|
| Jean Vander Pyl | Wilma Flintstone Girl #1 |
| Mel Blanc | Barney Rubble Dino Bird |
| Bea Benaderet | Betty Rubble Cookie Girl #2 |
| John Stephenson | Mr. Slate Charlie Sam Slagheap Fellow Guy Man #3 |
| Leo De Lyon | John Charlie Lucky Lodge Member Man #1 Big Louie |
Notes/Trivia[]
- Mr. Slate has a daughter named Bessie.
- This is the first episode in which Dino plays an active role.
- Big Louie telling Cookie, "Say hello/goodbye, Cookie." and she says, "Hello/goodbye Cookie." is a nod to George Burns and Gracie Allen.
- Sam Slagheap is known this time as King Buffalo.
- Wilma and Betty entering the contest is a clearly to show case that they are indeed two beautiful, attractive women.
- We never find out what the consequences were from Mr. Slate to Fred and from Big Louie to Barney for their respective candidates not being chosen as the winner.
Errors[]
- Wilma's bathing suit really just looks like her standard outfit, minus her pearl necklace.
| Season 2 of The Flintstones |
|---|
| "The Hit Songwriters" • "Droop-Along Flintstone" • "The Missing Bus" • "Alvin Brickrock Presents" • "Fred Flintstone Woos Again" • "The Rock Quarry Story" • "The Soft Touchables" • "Flintstone of Prinstone" • "The Little White Lie" • "Social Climbers" • "The Beauty Contest" • "The Masquerade Ball" • "The Picnic" • "The House Guest" • "The X-Ray Story" • "The Gambler" • "A Star is Almost Born" • "The Entertainer" • "Wilma's Vanishing Money" • "Feudin' and Fussin'" • "Impractical Joker" • "Operation Barney" • "The Happy Household" • "Fred Strikes Out" • "This is Your Lifesaver" • "Trouble-in-Law" • "The Mailman Cometh" • "The Rock Vegas Story" • "Divided We Sail" • "Kleptomaniac Caper" • "Latin Lover" • "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" |