"The Picnic" is the thirteenth episode of the second season and the forty-first overall episode of the original series, The Flintstones. It aired on December 15, 1961.
Synopsis[]
Fred decides to change partners for the annual field day games so that he can win the prized trophy - to the annoyance of his usual partner Barney.
Plot[]
While playing bridge with Wilma at the home of Joe and Rita Rockhead, Fred peruses Joe's treasures, large, first-place trophies assembled on a multi-shelf, and covets Joe's athletic success. Joe, with a partner, has been the recurring victor in the annual Water Buffalo Lodge picnic competitions, while the prize cups won by partners Fred and Barney are so small that Wilma uses them for sewing thimbles! Fred says that Barney is "a nice guy who finishes last", and once, just once, Fred would like to be the first-place recipient of the largest trophy, even if it means being despicable.
When Fred learns that Joe has not yet selected a partner for the next picnic, he acts to secure this position, by telephoning Rockhead at 3:45 A.M. and proposing partnership to the half-asleep, groggy champion. Wanting to return to bed and willing to agree to anything that Fred says so that Fred ends the nocturnal conversation, Joe commits himself to Fred's suggestion, a mistake that he regrets almost immediately! Barney is naturally displeased by Fred's rejection of him and punches Fred in the eye.
At the picnic, Fred is unable to control his enthusiasm at being partner with the expected repeat champion and collides during a premature victory-cheer with a tree branch while being carried by Joe in the piggyback race. A sprinting event with partners' legs tied together is also a disaster for Fred and Joe when Fred diverts his team into a river and emerges from the water without Rockhead but with a purple crocodile. Fred then fouls the tug-of-war when he releases his grip on his and Joe's side of the rope to rub his hands together, and Rockhead dissolves his association with Fred as he is sinking into the mud.
Barney, having not chosen a replacement partner, volunteers to be Fred's teammate in the decisive wheelbarrow race. Fred becomes exhausted of energy halfway through the event and cannot push Barney in the wheelbarrow any further, and Barney acts to remedy the situation by trading positions with Fred. When their wheelbarrow falls apart, they persevere, with Fred acting as a human wheelbarrow! Fred and Barney pass Rockhead and Rockhead's new partner and win the race and the overall competition, largely by Barney's determination to be the true, first-place chum to Flintstone.
Characters[]
- Fred Flintstone
- Wilma Flintstone
- Barney Rubble
- Betty Rubble
- Dino
- Mr. Slate
- Joe Rockhead
- Rita Rockhead (first appearance)
Locations[]
Bedrock[]
- Flintstone home
- Joe Rockhead's home
- Supermarket
Objects[]
- Joe Rockhead's trophies (only appearance)
- Trophy
- Cuckoo Clock
- Rock Bell Phone
Food[]
- Pterodactyl Drumsticks
- Bronto-Steak
- Rockwheat Bread
Animals[]
- Snorkasaurus
- Turtlesaurus (as a shopping cart)
- Gatorsaurus
- Brontosaurus (as a Bronto-Steak)
- Pterodactyl (as Pterodactyl drumsticks)
- Sawfish (as a bread slicer)
Vehicles[]
Events[]
The Annual Loyal Order of Water Buffalo Picnic[]
- Four-Legged Race
- Tug-o-War
- Wheelbarrow Race
Cast[]
| Alan Reed | Fred Flintstone Guy #1 |
|---|---|
| Jean Vander Pyl | Wilma Flintstone |
| Mel Blanc | Barney Rubble Dino Turtle Official Cuckoo Bird Alligator Guy #3 Voice #1 |
| Bea Benaderet | Betty Rubble Rita Rockhead |
| John Stephenson | Joe Rockhead Emcee Guy #2 |
Notes/Trivia[]
- Joe Rockhead has quite a large part in this episode, implying we'd see a lot more of him in future episodes. However, he's used very infrequently for the rest of series. He shows up in "Impractical Joker", "The Birthday Party" (voiced by Howard Morris rather than John Stephenson) and, unnamed but evident in appearance and voice in one of the last episodes, "Curtain Call at Bedrock" and "My Fair Freddy".
- One of the other Lodge guys is Charlie.
- Joe mentions Fred's uncle in Texas, who has not yet made an appearance.
- Joe Rockhead is a member of the Lodge and his wife's name is Rita.
Allusions[]
- The term Grand Poobah alluded to the character of Pooh Bah in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado.
Errors[]
- None known.
| 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" |