Classic TV Christmas Festival Part 6: The Flintstones and Buffalo Bill

You might think these two shows couldn't be more dissimilar, but think again. Here are just a few of the ties that bind "The Flintstones" with "Buffalo Bill."

*They're both half-hour shows.
*They're both comedies.
*Each had a Christmas episode that is now available on DVD.
*Each had a Christmas episode that was padded and insubstantial enough to the point where I can't justify a distinct blog entry for either.

I'm not complaining about "Bill's" "Have Yourself a Very Degrading Episode," because I'm just thankful the series made it to DVD. It's not a bad installment per se. It's just not as sharp as the series is overall, and I wonder if it's one of those "Just had to do a Christmas show" deals, something contrived just to fit the season. The storyline revolves on a Big Reveal that was surely funnier and more shocking back then, and even Dabney Coleman's reactions (and his subsequent squirming in the final scene as he tries to deflect the situation) aren't enough to make this anything more than a disappointing Christmas episode when seen out of the series context.

"A Flintstones Christmas" doesn't quite have the same psychosexual angst, but it is also stretched a bit thin. There's a nice story in which Fred becomes a department store Santa (incidentally, "Macyrock"=not one of the series' more clever brand name substitutions) but winds up getting some help in his own house from the REAL St. Nick. I enjoyed this one as a kid, and I loved Fred's rendition of his "Merry Christmas is my favorite time of year" song.

Looking at it for the first time in years, though (I actually watched it on Boomerang, not on DVD), I'm disappointed at how padded it feels. Considering the show only had this one Xmas episode during its original run, you'd think they could have packed this one with yuletide fun without resorting to Fred singing not one, not twice, but 3 different times. It's an enjoyable way to get in the holiday spirit, though, and maybe I'm being a bit grouchy.

That's about all I have to say about "The Flintstones" and "Buffalo Bill," but perhaps I'll make an extended thesis comparing the two shows my big priority in 2009.