"The Prowler" is the fourteenth episode of the first season of the original series, The Flintstones. It aired on December 30, 1960.
Synopsis[]
With a prowler going around, Wilma and Betty take judo lessons, so Fred pretends to be the prowler to get them scared.
Plot[]
When he learns that Wilma wants to join Betty at judo lessons offered for a fee by an Oriental named Rockimoto Hashimoto, Fred is furious, in that the implication is that Wilma will use her judo prowess to protect her husband from home intruders. Liberal-minded Barney is pleased that his wife is learning judo and refuses to adhere to Fred's directive that he forbids Betty to continue her lessons. Fred makes a bet with Barney that despite her new self-defense techniques, Betty will scream for help from Barney and hide under her bed when a prowler (Fred with a mask) invades the Rubble home by night.
Should this happen, Betty must cease her judo lessons. If Betty does not cower fearfully; if Betty uses judo to fight the prowler (Fred), Fred pledges to pay for Betty's further lessons. What Fred does not realize is that a real prowler is targeting the Rubble and Flintstone homes on the same night as his fakery. Barney helps "burglar" Fred to enter the Rubbles' house to scare Betty, who although screaming and asking for Barney's aid in subduing the interloper, successfully judo-fights Fred, who flees for home- and there encounters the real prowler, who forcefully expels his presumed competition from the place!
After Barney admits to Betty that Fred was pretending to be the prowler to scare her, Betty telephones Wilma to inform her of Fred's plot, and Wilma uses some of the judo techniques taught to her by Betty to throw the real prowler, whom she believes to be Fred, through a wall. Wilma then sees Fred and the prowler side-by-side, becomes frightened, and hides under her bed. Barney and Betty join Fred, and they all hide under the bed with Wilma- and the prowler decides to flee from his unusual victims. At Fred's expense, Flintstones and Rubbles all attend Rockimoto's judo school - and so too (privately) does the prowler!
Characters[]
- Fred Flintstone
- Wilma Flintstone
- Barney Rubble
- Betty Rubble
- Rockimoto Hashimoto (only appearance)
- The Prowler (only appearance)
Locations[]
Bedrock[]
- Flintstone home
- Rubble home
- Rockimoto Judo (only appearance)
Objects[]
- Bedrock Bugle news-slab
- Chisel
- Rock Bell Phone
- Pillows
- Barney's Croquet Set
Food[]
- 3½ hour Soft Boiled Dodo Egg
- Rockwheat Toast
- Salt
Animals[]
- Beeasaurus (as a shaver)
- Dodo Bird (as a hard-boiled egg)
- Stegosaurus (as a lawn mower)
- Clamasaurus (shell only)
Vehicles[]
Cast[]
| Alan Reed | Fred Flintstone |
|---|---|
| Jean Vander Pyl | Wilma Flintstone |
| Mel Blanc | Barney Rubble Rockimoto Hashimoto |
| Bea Benaderet | Betty Rubble |
| Maxie Rosenbloom | Prowler |
Notes/Trivia[]
- This is the first time the news-slab has been identified by name (if one doesn't count Sunday News in "The Flintstone Flyer".
- There's a short scene in the middle of the episode (Barney trying to help Fred break into his own house disguised as the Prowler) in which Barney speaks in his 'later' Mel Blanc voice- as opposed to his 'nasal' Mel Blanc voice of the first half of the first season. This was supposedly due to the producers having to work around Blanc's hospitalization after a near-fatal car accident- which also explains why five episodes over the cusp of the first and second seasons feature Daws Butler as the voice of Barney. This scene can be edited out in it's entirety and the episode will still make sense.
- This is the only episode written by producer Joseph Barbera.
- Fred's voice actor, Alan Reed, did a Maxie Rosenbottom impersonation of the character of the same name.
- This is the only episode in the series that has not aired on MeTV, likely as a result of negative stereotypes associated with Rockimoto Hashimoto. However, it aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang until April 2023.
- On Tubi, there is a disclaimer before this episode is shown because of the stereotypes of the Rockimoto Hashimoto character.
- Presumably because of the stereotypes, this episode is rated TV-14 on Max.
Errors[]
- None known.
| Season 1 of The Flintstones |
|---|
| "The Flagstones" • "The Flintstone Flyer" • "Hot Lips Hannigan" • "The Swimming Pool" • "No Help Wanted" • "The Split Personality" • "The Monster from the Tar Pits" • "The Babysitters" • "At the Races" • "The Engagement Ring" • "Hollyrock, Here I Come" • "The Golf Champion" • "The Sweepstakes Ticket" • "The Drive-In" • "The Prowler" • "The Girls' Night Out" • "Arthur Quarry's Dance Class" • "The Big Bank Robbery" • "The Snorkasaurus Hunter" • "The Hot Piano" • "The Hypnotist" • "Love Letters on the Rocks" • "The Tycoon" • "The Astra' Nuts" • "The Long, Long Weekend" • "In the Dough" • "The Good Scout" • "Rooms for Rent" • "Fred Flintstone: Before and After" |