Betty Rubble
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth 'Betty' Jean Rubble (née McBricker) is a fictional character
in the television
animated series The Flintstones
and its spin-offs and live-action motion pictures. She is the black-haired
wife of caveman
Barney Rubble
and the adoptive mother of Bamm-Bamm Rubble
. Her best friends are her next-door neighbors, Fred
and Wilma Flintstone
.
Betty lives in the fictional prehistoric town of Bedrock
, a world where dinosaurs coexist with cavepeople
and the cavepeople enjoy primitive versions of modern conveniences such as telephone
s, automobile
s and washing machine
s.
Betty's personality was based on that of Trixie Norton, wife of Ed Norton on the 1950s television series The Honeymooners
; each of the four of the series' principal adult characters is an analogue of a Honeymooners character. Much like Trixie spent a lot of her time socializing with Alice Kramden, Betty spent a lot of her time socializing with Wilma, and the two would often end up working together to bail their husbands out of whatever scheme of Fred's had landed them in trouble.
series The Flintstone Kids depicts Betty as a child, the series seems to be mostly apocryphal, owing to its presenting Betty as a childhood friend of Fred and Barney (the original series asserts that they first met as young adults) and that the four enjoy watching Captain Caveman (The Flintstone Comedy Show
aserts that adult Betty is ignorant of Cavey's superhero identity when working with him at the Daily Granite newspaper). Still, the series' assertions that Betty was a childhood friend of Wilma and that her parents ran a convenience store
may be considered canon
.
As young adults, Betty and Wilma were employed as cigarette girls
/waitresses at a resort. There, they first met, and fell in love, with their future husbands, Fred and Barney. Eventually, Betty and Barney were married, presumably not long after Fred and Wilma.
Betty became a homemaker
, keeping house with such prehistoric aids as a baby mammoth
vacuum cleaner
, pelican
washing machine
, and so forth. Betty, much like Wilma, also enjoyed volunteering for various charitable/women's organizations in Bedrock, shopping, and (occasionally) meeting the celebrities of their world, including "Stony Curtis
", "Cary Granite
", and "Ann-Margrock". Betty at one time also had a job working for an 'old lady' who turned out to be a young lady in disguise and who was using Betty to pass counterfeit money; this was the only episode centered principally around Betty.
Around the fourth season of the original series, Betty and Barney found an abandoned infant on their doorstep, by the name of "Bamm-Bamm." After a court battle in which they defeated noted prehistoric lawyer "Perry Mason
ry", the couple were allowed to adopt Bamm-Bamm. The Rubbles never had children of their own.
When Bamm-Bamm was a teenager, Betty gained employment as a reporter for one of Bedrock's newspaper
s (or, more accurately, news-slabs), the Daily Granite (presumably a parody of the Daily Planet
of Superman
fame), under the editorial guidance of Lou Granite (presumably a parody of Lou Grant
of the contemporaneous eponymous series
, and formerly of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
). While employed there, she shared various adventures with prehistoric superhero
Captain Caveman, who (in a secret identity
) also works for the newspaper.
Later still, after Bamm-Bamm grew up and left home, Betty started a successful catering business with her neighbor and friend Wilma, before becoming a grandmother to Bamm-Bamm's twin children, Chip and Roxy.
voiced Betty in the original pilot titled The Flagstones, although she was busy with other projects at the time- (such as The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
) and was unable to sign on as a regular voice for the series. Bea Benaderet
voiced Betty from seasons one to four before resigning in 1964 due to the workload on Petticoat Junction
. Gerry Johnson
took over the role for the fifth and sixth seasons, as well as The Man Called Flintstone
film before taking leave shortly afterword. Gay Autterson Hartwig
, Julie McWhirter Dees
, Betty Jean Ward, and Grey DeLisle
have since all performed the role in later Flintstones media.
In the 1994 film
, Betty was portrayed by Rosie O'Donnell
, a casting decision somewhat controversial with fans as the plus-sized O'Donnell did not match Betty's slender figure from the animated series; O'Donnell reportedly won the role because she captured the high pitch laugh at her audition. Jane Krakowski
's version of the character in the second movie
was generally received better, though was largely overlooked owing to the film's poor overall reception.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
animated series The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
and its spin-offs and live-action motion pictures. She is the black-haired
Black hair
Black hair is the darkest and most common of all human hair colors globally. It is a dominant genetic trait, and it is found in people of all backgrounds and ethnicities. It has large amounts of eumelanin and is less dense than other hair colors. Black hair is known to be the shiniest of all hair...
wife of caveman
Caveman
A caveman or troglodyte is a stock character based upon widespread concepts of the way in which early prehistoric humans may have looked and behaved...
Barney Rubble
Barney Rubble
Bernard "Barney" Rubble is the deuteragonist of the television animated series The Flintstones. He is the diminutive blonde-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble...
and the adoptive mother of Bamm-Bamm Rubble
Bamm-Bamm Rubble
Bamm-Bamm Rubble is the adopted son of fictitious characters Barney and Betty Rubble. He is most famous in his infant form on the animated series The Flintstones, but has also appeared at various other ages, including as a teenager on the early 1970s spinoff The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show and as an...
. Her best friends are her next-door neighbors, Fred
Fred Flintstone
Frederick Joseph “Fred” Flintstone, also known as Fred W. Flintstone or Frederick J. Flintstone, is the protagonist of the animated sitcom The Flintstones, which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960-66. He is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles...
and Wilma Flintstone
Wilma Flintstone
Wilma Anna Flintstone is a fictional character in the television animated series The Flintstones. She was the red-headed wife of caveman Fred Flintstone, daughter of Pearl Slaghoople, mother of Pebbles Flintstone and a grandmother...
.
Betty lives in the fictional prehistoric town of Bedrock
Bedrock (The Flintstones)
Bedrock is the fictional prehistoric city, which is home to the characters of the animated television series, The Flintstones .- Size :...
, a world where dinosaurs coexist with cavepeople
Caveman
A caveman or troglodyte is a stock character based upon widespread concepts of the way in which early prehistoric humans may have looked and behaved...
and the cavepeople enjoy primitive versions of modern conveniences such as telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
s, automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s and washing machine
Washing machine
A washing machine is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets...
s.
Betty's personality was based on that of Trixie Norton, wife of Ed Norton on the 1950s television series The Honeymooners
The Honeymooners
The Honeymooners is an American situation comedy television show, based on a recurring 1951–'55 sketch of the same name. It originally aired on the DuMont network's Cavalcade of Stars and subsequently on the CBS network's The Jackie Gleason Show hosted by Jackie Gleason, and filmed before a live...
; each of the four of the series' principal adult characters is an analogue of a Honeymooners character. Much like Trixie spent a lot of her time socializing with Alice Kramden, Betty spent a lot of her time socializing with Wilma, and the two would often end up working together to bail their husbands out of whatever scheme of Fred's had landed them in trouble.
Character
Betty can be considered the least developed character in the show, as she is rarely seen not following the lead of either Barney or Wilma. In spite of this, Betty is shown to have a distinctly emotional marriage with Barney, which more often included pet names and obvious affection, as opposed to the more dynamic and energetic interaction between Fred and Wilma. The occasions when Betty leads the action are extremely scarce: one episode centers around her working undercover as a gentle old lady to earn money for a present for Barney, and on another occasion the plot for her and Wilma was led by her suspicions of Barney being involved with another woman (which turns out to be Fred in a disguise contrived in order to attend a ball game free of charge). This lack of protagonism (almost as background-set as supporting characters such as Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm or Dino, except for her more continuous presence) makes Betty less of a protagonist as is implied by the general concept of the show.Biography
While the mid-1980s spin-offSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
series The Flintstone Kids depicts Betty as a child, the series seems to be mostly apocryphal, owing to its presenting Betty as a childhood friend of Fred and Barney (the original series asserts that they first met as young adults) and that the four enjoy watching Captain Caveman (The Flintstone Comedy Show
The Flintstone Comedy Show (1980)
The Flintstone Comedy Show was a 90-minute Saturday morning animated series revival of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera and aired from November 22, 1980 to September 11, 1982 on NBC...
aserts that adult Betty is ignorant of Cavey's superhero identity when working with him at the Daily Granite newspaper). Still, the series' assertions that Betty was a childhood friend of Wilma and that her parents ran a convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
may be considered canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
.
As young adults, Betty and Wilma were employed as cigarette girls
Cigarette girl (person)
Cigarette girl refers to a person that sells or provides cigarettes from a tray held by a neck strap. They may also carry cigars, and many novelty items like lighted roses, lighted jewelry, and lighted yoyo's on their trays....
/waitresses at a resort. There, they first met, and fell in love, with their future husbands, Fred and Barney. Eventually, Betty and Barney were married, presumably not long after Fred and Wilma.
Betty became a homemaker
Homemaker
Homemaking is a mainly American term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping or household management...
, keeping house with such prehistoric aids as a baby mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
vacuum cleaner
Vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
, pelican
Pelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
washing machine
Washing machine
A washing machine is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets...
, and so forth. Betty, much like Wilma, also enjoyed volunteering for various charitable/women's organizations in Bedrock, shopping, and (occasionally) meeting the celebrities of their world, including "Stony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
", "Cary Granite
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
", and "Ann-Margrock". Betty at one time also had a job working for an 'old lady' who turned out to be a young lady in disguise and who was using Betty to pass counterfeit money; this was the only episode centered principally around Betty.
Around the fourth season of the original series, Betty and Barney found an abandoned infant on their doorstep, by the name of "Bamm-Bamm." After a court battle in which they defeated noted prehistoric lawyer "Perry Mason
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
ry", the couple were allowed to adopt Bamm-Bamm. The Rubbles never had children of their own.
When Bamm-Bamm was a teenager, Betty gained employment as a reporter for one of Bedrock's newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s (or, more accurately, news-slabs), the Daily Granite (presumably a parody of the Daily Planet
Daily Planet
The Daily Planet is a fictional broadsheet newspaper in the , appearing mostly in the stories of Superman. The building's original features were based upon the AT&T Huron Road Building in Cleveland, Ohio...
of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
fame), under the editorial guidance of Lou Granite (presumably a parody of Lou Grant
Lou Grant (fictional character)
Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Edward Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was Mary Tyler Moore , in which the character was the news director at the fictional television station WJM-TV...
of the contemporaneous eponymous series
Lou Grant (TV series)
Lou Grant is an American television drama series starring Ed Asner in the titular role as a newspaper editor. Unusual in American television, this drama series was a spinoff from a sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Aired from 1977 to 1982, Lou Grant won 13 Emmy Awards, including "Outstanding Drama...
, and formerly of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
). While employed there, she shared various adventures with prehistoric superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
Captain Caveman, who (in a secret identity
Secret identity
A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate persona , while keeping their true identity hidden. The character also may wear a disguise...
) also works for the newspaper.
Later still, after Bamm-Bamm grew up and left home, Betty started a successful catering business with her neighbor and friend Wilma, before becoming a grandmother to Bamm-Bamm's twin children, Chip and Roxy.
Portrayal
June ForayJune Foray
June Foray is an American voice actress, best known as the voice of many animated characters...
voiced Betty in the original pilot titled The Flagstones, although she was busy with other projects at the time- (such as The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959 to June 28, 1964 on the ABC and NBC television networks...
) and was unable to sign on as a regular voice for the series. Bea Benaderet
Bea Benaderet
Bea Benaderet was an American actress born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, California. She is best remembered for her wide variety of television work, which included a starring role in the 1960s television series Petticoat Junction and Green Acres as Shady Rest Hotel owner Kate...
voiced Betty from seasons one to four before resigning in 1964 due to the workload on Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction is an American situation comedy produced by Filmways which originally aired on CBS from 1963 to 1970. The series is one of three interrelated shows about rural characters created by Paul Henning; the others are The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres.The setting for the series...
. Gerry Johnson
Gerry Johnson
Gerry Johnson was an American actress who provided the voice of Betty Rubble in seasons five and six of the US cartoon series The Flintstones...
took over the role for the fifth and sixth seasons, as well as The Man Called Flintstone
The Man Called Flintstone
The Man Called Flintstone is a 1966 American animated musical comedy film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and released by Columbia Pictures. It was the second Hanna-Barbera feature, after Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!...
film before taking leave shortly afterword. Gay Autterson Hartwig
Gay Hartwig (Autterson)
Gay Hartwig is an American actress who has done voice-overs for the following programs by Hanna-Barbera:* The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show - Betty Rubble, Wiggy, Cindy* The Flintstone Comedy Hour - Betty Rubble, Wiggy, Cindy...
, Julie McWhirter Dees
Julie McWhirter
Julie McWhirter is an Indiana-born voice actress and impressionist best known for her work as Kanga in "Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore". Her voice acting also includes numerous Hanna-Barbera cartoons, such as Jeannie, Jabberjaw, Casper and the Angels, Drak Pack and The Smurfs...
, Betty Jean Ward, and Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle is an American voice actress, singer-songwriter, and comedienne. To date, she has released four solo albums and has featured on the tribute album Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash and film soundtrack of Loggerheads...
have since all performed the role in later Flintstones media.
In the 1994 film
The Flintstones (film)
The Flintstones is a 1994 American live-action comedy film based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon television series of the same name about a Stone-Age man, his family and his best friend. The film was directed by Brian Levant, written by Tom S. Parker, Jim Jennewein and Steven E...
, Betty was portrayed by Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
, a casting decision somewhat controversial with fans as the plus-sized O'Donnell did not match Betty's slender figure from the animated series; O'Donnell reportedly won the role because she captured the high pitch laugh at her audition. Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
's version of the character in the second movie
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas is a 2000 comedy film and prequel to 1994's The Flintstones based on the hit cartoon series of the same name, produced by Amblin Entertainment and Hanna-Barbera and distributed by Universal Studios...
was generally received better, though was largely overlooked owing to the film's poor overall reception.
Crossovers
- Betty has been seen in the Dexter's LaboratoryDexter's LaboratoryDexter's Laboratory is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Cartoon Network Studios . The show is about a boy named Dexter who has an enormous secret laboratory filled with an endless collection of his inventions...
episode Dad is Disturbed talking to Dexter's Mom, but was tied up by Dexter's Dad.
- Betty has been seen in the I Am WeaselI Am WeaselI Am Weasel is an American animated television series produced by Cartoon Network Studios in co-production with Hanna-Barbera, created by David Feiss, and broadcast on Cartoon Network....
episode I Am My Lifetime, where she is placed in the Retirement Home for Sidekicks (which is actually Baboon's trailer).
- In the Comedy CentralComedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
animated film The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! is an animated direct-to-DVD American comedy film written and produced by original writers and executive producers Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein and directed by Greg Franklin...
, she can be seen trying to kill Toot Braunstein (she misses and shoots a dinosaur instead), for finding out that her husband Barney RubbleBarney RubbleBernard "Barney" Rubble is the deuteragonist of the television animated series The Flintstones. He is the diminutive blonde-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble...
cheated on her and got Toot impregnated (Toot's baby is revealed to be Bamm-Bamm RubbleBamm-Bamm RubbleBamm-Bamm Rubble is the adopted son of fictitious characters Barney and Betty Rubble. He is most famous in his infant form on the animated series The Flintstones, but has also appeared at various other ages, including as a teenager on the early 1970s spinoff The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show and as an...
).