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5 times you saw Fred Flintstone in TV and movies while The Flintstones was on air
Fred Flintstone was there the first time we saw Cousin Itt.
Fred Flintstone hollering "Yabba dabba doo!" is among one of classic TV's favorite catchphrases, uttered by kids and adults alike as The Flintstones became the first-ever primetime cartoon and reached everybody in the audience. Originally airing from 1960 to 1966, The Flintstones grew to be so much more than just that single series, spawning popular spin-offs and even live-action movies well into modern times.
Yes, the modern Stone Age family has basically never gone out of vogue, and with Fred as the patriarch, he often becomes the face of the cherished TV family. The actor behind the animated character is likely much less familiar to audiences, but Alan Reed actually got his start in the '30s and '40s and by the 1950s could be found playing a recurring character across two different sitcoms, performing as the boss J.B. Hafter on both Mr. Adams and Eve and The Bob Cummings Show. That decade he made numerous appearances on hit shows, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Donna Reed Show, Make Room for Daddy and Have Gun – Will Travel.
Once The Flintstones debuted in 1960, Reed took on more and more voicework, but he also continued taking guest roles on hit TV shows, memorably appearing a handful of times in roles fans of The Flintstones likely never connected to the prehistoric patriarch who bowled us all over in the Sixties when The Flintstones changed the rules in television's most coveted time slot.
That's why we wanted to take a look back through Reed's most memorable appearances in TV and movies during the exact same period that The Flintstones rocked television history. Keep reading to find out when Fred Flintstone shared scenes with Rob Petrie, Lucy, Lurch and more.
1. An auctioneer on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1963)
What is that thing Alan Reed is auctioning off on The Dick Van Dyke Show? Whatever it is, Laura Petrie wants it! But don't worry if you think it doesn't fit their home. In the third season episode "The Masterpiece," Rob accidentally buys an ugly clown painting instead.
2. Sally Tomato in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
When Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) visits Sally Tomato in prison, he gives her the weather report, but Paul Varjak suspects Sally's "snow flurries" in New Orleans may be about something other than the weather. (How could you do that to Holly, Fred?)
Image: Paramount Pictures
3. Counter guy on The Lucy Show (1963)
In "Lucy Visits the White House," Lucy gets the prestigious invitation after building a replica of the White House out of sugar cubes. The only trouble is, it gets destroyed before she can show it, so she runs to Alan Reed as a counter guy, hoping to buy some sugar.
4. Park commissioner on The Addams Family (1965)
The very first time we meet Cousin Itt on The Addams Family, Fred Flintstone also has a prominent part as a park commissioner. In "Cousin Itt Visits the Addams Family," Reed confuses Gomez's intent to recommend Cousin Itt as the perfect zoo curator with the notion that Cousin Itt belongs in a cage as an exotic animal. It was indeed a kooky appearance.
Image: MGM Television
5. A flaky councilman on My Favorite Martian (1963)
In "The Awful Truth," Tim gets Uncle Martin to grant him the power to read minds. Among the many ways he hopes to benefit from this new ability is during an interview with a councilman played by Alan Reed. Tim's working on a story and he's hoping he can read Reed's mind to identify the politican's actual intentions. The only trouble is, Reed's politician is such a flake, even he doesn't know his own true intentions, so Tim can't get the read he needs. (You can almost hear Reed channel the Great Gazoo when Tim leaves without the info he wants, "Toodle-loo, dum-dum!")
Image: The Jack and Florence Chertok Trust
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