Meet the voices behind 'The Flintstones' who appeared all over 1960s TV

You yabba-dabba-didn't know these actors appeared on so many sitcoms.

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Meet the Flintstones — the voices behind the Flintstones!
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Image: The Everett Collection

The Flintstones broke new ground like a dinosaur in Mr. Slate's quarry. In 1960, the cartoon made history as the first animated series in a primetime lineup. The ABC series appealed to the entire family, not just the kiddies chomping cereal, and stood as a brilliant sitcom in its own right, alongside contemporary programs on the schedule like My Three Sons and The Andy Griffith Show.

It's no wonder The Flintstones worked so well as an adult sitcom — most of the voice actors behind the characters worked on live-action sitcoms, too. In fact, just about all of them seemed to pop up on The Beverly Hillbillies alone.

While some of the Flintstones characters were portrayed by legendary voice actors who primarily worked off-camera, a few 'toons were brought to life by beloved stars of Petticoat Junction, The Carol Burnett Show and The Andy Griffith Show.

You can spot all of these Flintstones performers in 1960s television. Here are some examples of where they turned up.

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1. Alan Reed - Fred Flintstone

We begin, naturally, with Fred. Alan Reed had dozens of small live-action roles, mostly notably as Sally Tomato in Breakfast at Tiffany's. He logged plenty of TV gigs, too. He played the boss of an Elvis-like rock star on The Beverly Hillbillies ("Teenage Idol"), and turned up in Have Gun - Will TravelPeter Gunn and Make Room for Daddy. Here is Reed in the Batman episode "Penguin Sets a Trend," in which be played a military general at "The Hexagon."

2. Jean Vander Pyl - Wilma Flintstone

The voice of Jean Vander Pyl will forever be associated with both Wilma and Rosie the Robot on The Jetsons. The vast majority of her resume is Hanna-Barbera voice work, but she did make a handful of guest appearances on Leave It to Beaver. Here she is playing Mrs. Woods, the mother to Penny, Beaver's classmate with the blond bob hairdo.

3. Mel Blanc - Barney Rubble

No voice actor will likely ever have the impact of Mel Blanc. The brilliant performer was Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin the Martian, Pepé Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, the Tasmanian Devil… and that's just the Looney Tunes. Of course, he was Woody Woodpecker and Barney Rubble, too. "The Man of 1,000 Voices" rarely appeared onscreen as an actor, but he did turn up once as a driver on The Beverly Hillbillies ("Granny Learns to Drive").

4. Bea Benaderet - Betty Rubble

Pearl Bodine, Benaderet was a regular on The Beverly Hillbillies (though she was almost cast as Granny!) and she went on to headline her own rural-humor sitcom as the widowed Kate Bradley on Petticoat Junction. Alan Reed dropped by the Shady Rest Hotel in an episode of Petticoat. Sadly, Benaderet passed away in 1968.

5. Gerry Johnson - Betty Rubble

Johnson took over for Benaderet as Betty in 1964. She had just a few acting credits to her name, but you can catch her at the end of the Bewitched episode "Visions of Sugar Plums." In the charming Christmas tale, she and her husband (Bill Daily of The Bob Newhart Show and I Dream of Jeannie) turn up to adopt Bill Mumy!

Image: Sony Pictures Television

6. John Stephenson - Mr. Slate

Stephenson had a voice made for a pushy boss, so it was no wonder he appeared multiple times as different military men on Hogan's Heroes. Here we see him playing the spy Decker in "Bad Day in Berlin," but also played Professor Bauer, Captain Muller, Major Rudel, Major Kohler and an Inspector General on the WWII sitcom. You can also spot him in F TroopGomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Man from U.N.C.L.E.Perry Mason and Bonanza. And, yes, he too was on The Beverly Hillbillies.

7. Harvey Korman - The Great Gazoo

The brilliant comedian was an essential player on The Carol Burnett Show, and carried his role of Ed Higgins over to Mama's Family on a few special occasions. Did you know he was also the tiny floating green alien on The Flintstones?

8. Janet Waldo - Mrs. Slaghoople

Waldo is best remembered as Judy Jetson, but the experienced voice actor also provided many voices for The Flintstones, including teenage Pebbles and Mrs. Slaghoople. Here she is in a rare live-action performance, as a concerned daughter objecting to her mother's marriage on Petticoat Junction ("Young Love").

9. Howard Morris - Various voices

Mayberry's kooky, beloved Ernest T. Bass ("He's a nut!" Barney Fife declared on The Andy Griffith Show) gave life to dozens of colorful toons on The Flintstones, too many to list here. He was everything from Weirdley Gruesome to doctors, monkeys and birds on the animated series.

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39 Comments

NertzToMertz 19 months ago

I’m surprised the information provided here (credited to the MeTV Staff) has so many mistakes. And the commentary by various people also has a bunch of errors. To focus on one – the voice of Fred’s mother-in-law, Pearl Slaghoople (apparently her name was not mentioned until the Janet Waldo episodes). There are several mistakes on this page about who voiced that role.

Verna Felton voiced the role for 4 episodes, 1962-1963, and Janet Waldo provided the voice for 10 episodes, 1963-1966. It took approximately four minutes on imdb.com to get this information.
Verna Felton was a fantastic character actress who began working on stage at age 9 (to support the family after her father’s death). She continued on to have a nearly 70 year career (1900 to 1967) on stage, radio, film and television. Much of her work was voiceover work, including the Fairy Godmother in Disney’s Cinderella (1950), introducing the song “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo.”

My personal favorite of her performances is as the no-nonsense maid on I LOVE LUCY in the episode called LUCY HIRES A MAID. She’s hilarious.
TimAsaro 19 months ago
you forgot Verna Felton who also play Wilma's mother

Cathie 32 months ago
I like Bea Benaderet as Blanche Morton, but I liked the fussy 2nd Harry better than the 1st.
She always helped Gracie, no matter how crazy the scheme.
Cathie 32 months ago
The only voice I can listen to, for Fred Flintstone, is Alan Reed. He's Fred Flintstone. It's the voice I grew up on. No other actor will do
David 32 months ago
Technically while we're at it Gay Autterson Harwig the 3rd Betty Rubble made her appearance as a switchboard operator in " a man from UNCLE"
David 32 months ago
Janet Waldo was never the teenage pebbles she was Judy Jetson. Sally struthers, Mickey Stevens and Russi Taylor was the teenage pebbles.
TVvuer69 David 19 months ago
Actually, it was in "Gloom Groom" (season 4), the episode Fred had the dream his daughter was going to marry Arnold the paperboy, in which Janet Waldo voiced a teenage Pebbles. But of course, she was most famous for being the voice of Judy Jetson.
David 32 months ago
Why is that they keep crediting Janet Waldo as Wilma's mother when Verna Felton was her voice in the original series. Janet only voiced her in two specials in the 90s. I yabba Dabba Doo and hollyrock a bye baby. Verna was well known actress as well.
JoeyZone11 38 months ago
Surprised the great Alan Melvin isn't on this list.
barber1059 39 months ago
What is his dinosaur’s name at the stone quarry
I believe it was Lulubelle.
jay 50 months ago
how come on some episodes after Bea B. left the show, Jerry Johnson's name is NOT listed in the end credits of the show?
David jay 32 months ago
Maybe because it was list under Gerry Johnson. Her name always was credited.
David jay 32 months ago
In season 4 Bea's name was not credited.
JoeSHill 50 months ago
"THE FLINTSTONES" voice cast was, without a doubt, mega-talented people-the kind, that no longer exists in an entertainment system today that has become too severely corporate and bland. but Hanna-Barbera Productions had THE finest voice people in the business- and most of the voice cast of "THE FLINTSTONES" were later used on another Hanna-Barbera series called "WHERE'S HUDDLES" for CBS Primetime in Summer 1970.
purplemintpatty 50 months ago
Mel Blanc gave Dino his voice, not Don Messick. Just looked it up.
David purplemintpatty 32 months ago
I see a lot of era's in their information 😂
cmurf1960 purplemintpatty 30 months ago
Correct. Wrong pet. Don Messick voiced Astro on The Jetsons and Sccoby-Doo.
JohnBates 50 months ago
John Stephenson also did the voiceover at the end of the 1960's Dragnet episodes.
RobCertSDSCascap 54 months ago
#8- She was teenage Pebbles in one episode of The Flintstones.
Not to be confused with Sally Struthers nor Mickey Stevens.
David RobCertSDSCascap 32 months ago
Or russi Taylor in 1980s reboot version of the Flintstone comedy show
RobCertSDSCascap 54 months ago
#8- Verna Felton was a much better Pearl Slaghoople.
#3- Mel did a hilarious "Do you know me?" commercial for American Express!
David RobCertSDSCascap 32 months ago
Exactly she voiced her in the entire original series.
Claude 54 months ago
They left out the second voice of Fred - after Alan Reed.
Can't recall his name right now.
RobCertSDSCascap Claude 54 months ago
Henry Corden.
JoeGuenther 54 months ago
Mel Blanc was most definitely on tv regularly as a cast member of the Jack Benny program.

VaughnBaskin 54 months ago
And don't forget about Don Messick, who did the voice for Dino and Hoppy too!
David VaughnBaskin 32 months ago
Mel Blanc was Dino
VaughnBaskin David 32 months ago
But then he got replaced by Don David.
Don Messick also voiced Bamm-Bamm.
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