The Monster from the Tar Pits

For the title of this episode from The Flintstone Kids, see The Monster from the Tar Pits.

The Monster from the Tar Pits
Details
Show	The Flintstones
Season	1
Episode number	6
Production number	P-14
Original airdate	November 4, 1960 (ABC)
Recording Date	June 22, 1960
Crew
Animated by	Kenneth Muse
Layout	Walt Clinton
Background	Robert Gentle
Written by	Warren Foster
Chronology
Previous	"The Split Personality"
Next	"The Babysitters"

"The Monster from the Tar Pits" is the sixth episode of the first season of the original series, The Flintstones. It aired on November 4, 1960.

Synopsis

When a cheap film company comes to Bedrock, Fred gets the role of stand-in for Gary Granite, but the role and treatment he gets is less glamorous than he imagined.

Plot

Miracle Pictures plans to make a low-budget horror film, The Monster from the Tar Pits, starring Hollyrock heartthrobs Gary Granite, Rock Pile, and Wednesday Tuesday (or is it Tuesday Wednesday?).

A bespectacled, beatnik director is commissioned by a mogul named Sandstone to find a real town in which to produce the "flick", and from a map is Bedrock the selection, of course! Bedrock folk flock to audition for roles as extras in the movie, and while Fred berates his fellow citizens for their easily bedazzled furor over the production, he secretly attends the final casting session and is given the job of doubling for Gary Granite as the title creature.

His ego inflated at the prospect of outdoing Granite and becoming a superior movie celebrity, Fred goes home in his monster suit and brags to Wilma, Barney, and Betty. Wilma is so scared by Fred's costume, that she faints! On the set of the production, Fred undergoes the grueling indignities of being bombarded by real boulders (fake ones are beyond budget), whacked by an authentic club (a padded club is also too expensive), and walking into a tar pit with only his waving hand remaining unsubmerged.

The film crew quickly departs Bedrock, leaving Fred still in the tar pit, where Barney finds him. Despite the disappointment at not being anything more than Granite's "fall guy", Fred is excited when news of a coming sequel- also to be shot in Bedrock- is heard on the radio, and he rushes to find his tar monster costume.

Characters

• Fred Flintstone
• Wilma Flintstone
• Barney Rubble
• Betty Rubble
• Director (only appearance)
• Mr. Sandstone (only appearance)
• Airport announcer (only appearance)
• Stanley (voice only; only time heard)
• Wednesday Tuesday (only appearance, no lines)
• Gary Granite (first appearance)
• Rock Pile (only appearance, no lines)
• Prop man (only appearance)
• Police officer

Locations

Hollyrock (first appearance)

• Miracle Pictures (first appearance)

Bedrock

• Flintstone home
• Rubble home
• Rocky's Cafe
• Bedrock Airport
• Bedrock Bowl (mentioned)
• Tar Pit

Objects

• Monster costume (only appearance)
• Rock Bell Phone
• Rock Radio
• Billiard Table
• Musical instruments

Food

• Bronto-Ribs
• Pterodactyl Drumsticks

Animals

• Brontosaurus (as Bronto-Ribs)
• Pelicansaurus (as a washing machine)
• Pterodactyl (as Pterodactyl Drumsticks)
• Mammoth (as a vacuum cleaner)
• Dogasaurus

Birds

• Blue-Bellied Kingfisher
• Yellow-Throated Oriole

Vehicles

• Flintmobile

Media

• The Monster from the Tar Pits (movie)

Cast

Alan Reed	Fred Flintstone Pelican Ad Lib Voice
Jean Vander Pyl	Wilma Flintstone Ad Lib Voice
Mel Blanc	Barney Rubble Airport Announcer
Bea Benaderet	Betty Rubble Announcer
Bob Hopkins	Gary Granite Mr. Sandstone
Jerry Mann	Director

Notes/Trivia

• Gary Granite and Rock Pile are parodies of two popular Hollywood actors, Cary Grant and Rock Hudson.
• The Monster from the Tar Pits is a spoof on the 1954 Universal classic horror film, Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Errors

• During the episode, Wednesday Tuesday wasn't given a nose, due to an error by Hanna-Barbera animator Kenneth Muse.
• A little yellow speck appears in front of Barney's eyes when he is talking to Betty at the auditions.