Issue 56

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TidbiTs® Remembers Our Favorite Cartoons, Part two

by Kathy WolfeThis week, Tidbits continues reminiscing about our best-loved animated series. We hope we hit on your Saturday morning favorite! • Who knows how a cartoon with a dog named Too Much would have fared? Probably not as well as Scooby Doo, the name Hanna and Barbera opted to use for the lovable Great Dane. Originally, Daphne was to be known as Kelly, Fred as Geoff, Velma as Linda, and Shaggy as W.W. The program was slated to be called “W-Who’s S-S-Scared” with a sheepdog named Too Much. As the CBS producer was reviewing the artwork, he was listening to a Frank Sinatra re-cording of “Strangers in the Night,” and the lyr-ics reminded him of “Scooby-dooby-doo.” The sheepdog was axed and the Great Dane was in.• Do you recognize the names of Lazy, Clumsy, Brainy, Harmony, Greedy and Jokey? No, they’re not part of the Seven Dwarfs, they are the Smurfs, those blue-hued creatures created by a Belgian cartoonist named Peyo. Although they were first seen in 1958, they didn’t appear in North America until 1981 when the series was picked up by NBC. Papa Smurf and his crew won several Emmy Awards before their cancellation in 1990. • “Oh curses, foiled again!” was the line regularly delivered by arch villain Snidely Whip-lash on “The Dudley Do-right Show.” Canadian Mountie Do-right spent his time riding his horse backwards across the countryside, rescuing the

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DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I was wondering what kind of medicine to give a cat that has asthma. My cat “Jack” had an asthma attack last night. Are there any home remedies I can use? -- Cathy S., via e-mail

DEAR CATHY: Only your veterinarian can determine the right medicine to give to your cat. It’s very important that you take Jack to the vet for a complete checkup in the next few days. (If he seems distressed or continues to have trouble breathing, take him to vet right away.)

Tell the vet the symptoms Jack had during his asthma attack -- any wheezing, distress or odd behavior before the attack, and any weakness or lethargy before, during or after. If he has shown the symptoms before, describe when they occurred and the intensity.

Don’t try to diagnose Jack’s problem yourself,

Asthmatic Cat Needs Veterinarian’s OpinionBy Sam Mazzotta

and don’t try a home remedy until a proper diagnosis has been made. There are some very important reasons for this. First, cats can “wheeze” due to something as benign as a hairball, or as serious as an undiagnosed heart problem. Only your vet can tell. Second, the type of problem, and its extent, is a big part of determining what medicine to give the cat. Only your vet can do this.

This is not to put down home remedies for pets. Many owners swear by homeopathic remedies developed to treat common pet issues like anxiety, and every cat owner knows how most cats react to catnip -- an herb that can be grown on a windowsill. But most acute illnesses need professional medical diagnosis and treatment so Jack can recover quickly and return to a healthy norm.

TM

Send your tips, questions and comments to Paws Corner, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-

6475, or e-mail them to pawscorner@hotmail.com.(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.

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“The Bugs Bunny Show” featured a chorus line of cartoon characters singing, “Overture, curtains, lights. This is it, the night of nights.” There would be “no more rehearsing and nursing the part.” Their moment had arrived - “On with the show, this is it.”

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Sliding-Glass Door Won’t Glide FreelyBy Samantha Mazzotta

(c) 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.

“If you are facing a dusty bookshelf and don’t want to just spread dust around, try this handy hint: Cover your vacuum cleaner hose with a leg of pantyhose, and vac the dust right off the shelves. You can stir it up with a feather duster, or get right on the books or shelf. The hose will let air and dust through, but won’t suck up any small items on the shelf.” -- R.F. in Pennsylvania

“I love to clip coupons, which I take to the store in a reusable plastic envelope. To remember to use the coupons, when I get to the store, I take out my debit card and put it in the envelope with the coupons. This way, I can’t pay without being reminded to whip out those little money-savers!” -- Y.L. in South Carolina

If you need to truss a chicken or turkey, just use dental floss. Make sure it’s not flavored, though. Unless you like that kind of thing.

“Get a wonderful shine to your hair by rinsing it with cool water and vinegar. Don’t worry about the smell; it goes away quickly, leaving your tresses shiny and lustrous. I do this once a week and get comments on my hair all the time.” -- D.E. in Massachusetts

If you have mineral deposits in a narrow-neck vase, try using a denture-cleaning tablet. Add a small amount of water to the vase (enough to cover the deposits), then drop in the tablet, breaking it up as needed. Let it sit overnight or as the package directs, and rinse well.

To freshen old plastic flowers, spray with hairspray.

(c) 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.

When you write about fixing gutters or stuff on the roof, you always say to secure yourself with a rope so you don’t fall. But where ex-actly is a person supposed to secure the rope? -- Dale J., Dothan, Ala.

A: Many home repair guides will tell you to secure the rope to a sturdy feature -- like the chimney. I’m not too comfortable with telling people to tie a rope around their chimney, be-cause they’re not always as sturdy and secure as one might think. A chimney that’s crumbling or leaning is definitely unsafe (in a lot of ways, not the least of which is to the roof worker).

For a roof with a low pitch (an angle that’s not too steep), roof brackets can be installed dur-

ing repair work. These are slipped underneath shingles, about a foot and a half up the roof eave, and nailed directly into a rafter (so they are anchored securely). Multiple brackets are spaced about 4 feet apart.

During the job, your safety rope (or ideally, a roof safety harness) is attached to a brack-et. The rope itself should not be so long that you can’t pull yourself back onto the roof or over to the ladder should you slip off the edge. Once the job is finished, the brackets are re-moved and the shingles cemented back down.

Again, the brackets work most effectively on low-pitch roofs. If your home’s roof is very steep, or if the roof is several stories up, don’t attempt roof repairs yourself. Contact a pro-fessional roofer to handle the job -- he’ll have the tools, the helpers and the safety equipment to match what your roof requires.

HOME TIP: Tape a flashlight to the wall or floor joist near the entrance to the attic, so it will immediately be available for you to use when checking dark corners.

fair damsel in distress Nell Fenwick, whom Snidely frequently lashed to the railroad tracks. • Before he was Elmer Fudd, he was known as Egghead, and was created by Tex Avery with an egg-shaped head on a pudgy body with a bulbous nose. After a little re-designing, Elmer as we know him made his debut opposite Bugs Bunny in the 1940 cartoon feature “A Wild Hare.”• Can you name your favorite Loony Tunes character associated with these catchphrases? The first one is easy: “Be vewy, vewy quiet, I’m hunting wabbits,” belonged to big game hunter Elmer Fudd. Bugs Bunny frequently asked Fudd, “What’s up, Doc?” How about “You’re desthpi-cable!” That belonged to a lisping Daffy Duck, while “Sufferin’ succotash!” was the trademark of Sylvester the Cat, created in 1945. Sylvester was continually in pursuit of Tweety Bird, who, “tawt he taw a putty tat,” and Porky Pig wrapped things up with, “Th-th-that’s all, folks!”• When we hear the name Tweety, an innocent, wide-eyed yellow canary comes to mind. But that’s not the way he was first created. In his ini-tial stages, he was pink and named Orson, and was a bad-tempered bird that harassed putty tats. Bob Clampett, the cartoonist who transformed Orson into Tweety in 1942, based his creation on his own unbecoming baby pictures. Clampett was also the creator of Beany and his sea serpent pal Cecil, and contributed to the design of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.• Daffy Duck is actually older than Bugs Bunny. Daffy was first seen in the 1937 cartoon feature “Porky’s Duck Hunt,” while Bugs didn’t come along until 1938’s “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” Bugs didn’t say, “What’s up, Doc?” until the 1940 fea-ture “A Wild Hare.”• A smelly little skunk loved Paris in the spring-time and continually sought a love of his own. Pepe LePew was introduced in 1945, but with a different name, “Stinky.” In later features, Pepe spent his time pursuing what he thought was a female skunk, but in actuality was a black cat who had squeezed under a freshly-painted fence, resulting in a white stripe down her back. Pepe was the star of “For Scent-imental Reasons,” winner of the Academy Award in 1959 for Best Short Subject Cartoons. • Jonny Quest hit the small screen in 1964, star-ring the 11-year-old title character, his U.S. gov-ernment scientist father, Dr. Benton Quest, their bodyguard and pilot Race Bannon, adopted In-dian son Hadji, and the bulldog, Bandit. It dif-fered from other Saturday morning fare in that it was a serious program, full of danger and espio-nage. Dr. Quest adopted Hadji shortly after the boy saved his life by thwarting an assassination

CARTOONS, Part II (continued):

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G lfBits Play better golf with JACK NICKLAUS

Name the last Royals pitcher before Zack Greinke in 2009 to strike out at least 200 batters in a season.

During the 1940s, three different Yan-kees won the A.L.

Most Valuable Player Award. Name two of them.

Entering 2010, how many consecutive seasons has the University of Florida football team lost to at least one team in the SEC West Division?

In what season did fans begin voting for starters to the NBA’s All-Star Game?

How many consecutive seasons (through 2009-10) have the Detroit Red Wings made the NHL playoffs?

Who holds the Ultimate Fighting Cham-pionship record for most number of con-secutive title defenses?

When was the last time that Germany’s men’s soccer team failed to be in the fi-nal four teams of the World Cup?

(c) 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.

QUESTION: Is it possible to get wet macular degeneration from a scratch on the left eye during cataract surgery, or could it have been a cyst that caused wet macular degeneration? I am 85, and my right eye is perfect. I had cataract surgery on that eye also. -- C.

ANSWER: A scratch on the eye isn’t likely to cause macular degeneration. The possibility of cataract surgery leading to macular degeneration is a remote one. More than 6,000 people who had had a cataract removed were followed for five years after the operation. Slightly more people who had the operation developed macular degeneration, dry or wet, in the operated eye than did a similar group of people who had not had an operation. This isn’t proof that cataract surgery leads to macular degeneration. The same risks that cause cataracts also cause macular degeneration. The numbers that do develop it after cataract removal are small. A cause-and-effect relationship has not been proven.

I am not clear what you mean by a cyst causing the degeneration. In what part of the eye was the cyst? I have not seen a link between cysts and macular degeneration.

The retina is the back layer of the eye, the layer that converts incoming images into nerve

To Your Good Health

By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

Macular Degeneration and Cataractssignals that can be transmitted to the brain so we can see. The macula is a small, round area of the retina where there’s an aggregation of cells that are essential for central vision -- the kind of vision needed to read a paper, watch TV and drive. Dry macular degeneration, accounting for 85 percent to 90 percent of cases, is a wasting away of macular cells. Wet macular degeneration results from a sprouting of blood vessels in that region. Those newly formed blood vessels leak fluid and destroy macular vision. Procedures are available that can halt the progression of wet macular degeneration.

The booklet on macular degeneration explains both kinds and what is available to help those with this common eye problem. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue -- No. 701W, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Canada. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

***

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My son-in-law insists on lifting his small children by their arms. I am terrified that he will pull their arms out of joint. I know this isn’t the proper way to lift children. Would you give your opinion about this so I can show him? Maybe he will listen to you. -- A Worried Grandpa

ANSWER: Sons-in-law should listen to their fathers- and mothers-in-law. They have experience in child-rearing. Lifting young children by grabbing onto their hands or arms can cause the radius (the larger of the two lower arm bones) to slip away from the ligament that keeps it in place. This disruption has the name “nursemaid’s elbow.” I guess nursemaids must have lifted children in this way. It’s painful for the child, and the bone has to be manipulated back in place.

Children who are 5 and older aren’t in danger of this happening.

***(c) 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.

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water. The whale lost some skin and blubber, but was otherwise unharmed; the couple were lucky to still have a seaworthy craft and made it safely back to the harbor.

Statistics show that the average 5-year-old boy today weighs about 10 percent more and the average 5-year-old girl about 8 percent more than children of the same age in the 1980s.

Those who study such things say that the word “daisy” started out as “day’s eye” and was shortened over the years. Similarly, “God be with you” became “goodbye” and “whole be thou” became “hello.”

Thought for the Day: “To avoid situations in which you might make mistakes may be the biggest mistake of all.” -- Peter McWilliams

By Samantha Weaver

It was librarian and essayist Frederick Saunders who made the following sage observation: “Pride, like laudanum and other poisonous medicines, is beneficial in small, though injurious in large, quantities. No man who is not pleased with himself, even in a personal sense, can please others.”

Earthquakes occur at a rate of roughly one every minute around the world. About eight of those every year are considered to be major, registering above 7.0 on the Richter Scale.

If you’re a sailor you’re probably familiar with the hazards of being out on the water: high seas, storms, hidden reefs. You probably wouldn’t count whales among the dangers, but you’d be wrong. It seems that on a recent day sail out of Table Bay Harbor in South Africa, a couple on a 30-foot sailboat were whale-watching when one got too close for comfort. A 40-ton whale they had been viewing breached right next to the boat and landed on the deck, breaking off the mast and then thrashing around before sliding back into the (c) 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.

To Your Good Health

By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.attempt on the good doctor’s life. Originally, the family pet was intended to be a monkey, but the producers settled on the mischievous bulldog be-fore production began. • Jim Backus gained fame for his role as ec-centric millionaire Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” but in the car-toon world, he was the voice behind the myopic Mr. Magoo, a character created in 1949, whose nearsightedness got him into all sorts of troubles. Don Adams, star of another 1960s sitcom, “Get Smart,” voiced cartoon penguin Tennessee Tuxe-do as well. Tennessee lived at the Megapolis Zoo, along with his best friend Chumley the Walrus. • Singer/songwriter Ross Bagdasarian came up with an innovative idea in 1958 while experi-menting with speeds on a record player. He used his own voice recorded at half speed and played back at normal speed to create the Chipmunks: Simon, Theodore and Alvin. Bagdasarian took on the stage name of David Seville, named for the city in Spain where he had been stationed during World War II. His blockbuster hit “The Chipmunk Song” (“Christmas, Don’t Be Late”) sold 4.5 million records in seven weeks and paved the way for the CBS program, “The Alvin Show,” which premiered in 1961. The success of the Chipmunks continues to this day, carried on by Bagdasarian’s son, Ross Jr. • It’s TV Guide’s opinion that Sponge Bob Squarepants is the ninth greatest cartoon charac-ter of all time. Created by marine biologist Ste-phen Hillenburg, a teacher at the Orange County Ocean Institute, this bright yellow sea sponge lives in a two-bedroom pineapple in the com-munity of Bikini Bottom. He shares his abode with his pet snail, Gary, (who meows like a cat), and enjoys working at the Krusty Krab. His best friend is a pink starfish named Patrick Star who lives under a nearby rock. The series premiered in 1999 and continues as one of viewers’ favor-ites.• You may not recognize the name of Dan Cas-tellaneta, but you’ve probably heard his voice. He speaks the words of Homer Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Barney Gumble and others on the long-running series “The Simpsons.” Premier-ing in 1989, it is now the longest-running prime-time entertainment series and has won 25 Emmy Awards.

CARTOONS, Part II (continued):

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Q: I just finished reading the book “One Day” by David Nicholls and absolutely

loved it. Is it being made into a movie? -- Darla E., via e-mail

A: I loved the book as well and am happy to report that the movie

adaptation is currently filming in England. Anne Hathaway stars as Emma, and Jim Sturgess is Dexter. The film will follow the story of Dex and Em, two university classmates who meet on graduation night in 1988, and fall in and out of each other’s life over the next two decades. In a clever storytelling convention, each chapter lets the reader explore the protagonists’ lives on July 15 of each year, beginning on that fateful day after graduation.

***

Q: Dustin Hoffman has always been one of my favorite actors. What does he

have coming up? -- Julie F., Denver

A: HBO landed the award-winning actor for its new series, “Luck,” which is about

the horseracing world: the owners, jockeys and gamblers. Filming begins this fall, and the show co-stars Dennis Farina and Nick Nolte. The pilot episode will be directed by Michael Mann, of “Miami Vice,” “Heat” and “Public Enemies” fame.

***

Q: I have a question that I have been wondering about for two years. Why

was “Boston Legal” canceled? I have heard it was due to low ratings, which I have a hard time believing since so many people watched

and enjoyed it. I have to wonder if some of the storylines were too controversial and ruffled some feathers? - Monnie F., via e-mail

A: Writer and creator David E. Kelley told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in December

2008: “ABC didn’t want us back. We had to fight to get back on with 13 [episodes]. It’s not a product they care to market. Five years into the show, if anyone has ever seen the show at ABC, they’ve yet to bring it to my attention,” he said.

David speculated the lack of promotion had to do with the fact that 20th Century Fox produced the show, not ABC itself, so ABC

didn’t share in the profits. “Even though our numbers are solid, not huge, I think the conventional wisdom at ABC, and I don’t know this, but I’m guessing they continue to believe they can develop their own product and get that [rating] number, and then also share in the profits.”

***

Q: Can you tell me if Timothy Hutton is the son of Jim

Hutton of the “Ellery Queen” TV mystery series of old? -- Rae S., via e-mail

A: Film and television star Jim Hutton is indeed the father of “Leverage” star

Timothy Hutton. Jim gained fame on projects such as “The Green Berets,” “Hellfighters,” “Walk, Don’t Run” and “Bachelor in Paradise.” In 1975, Jim landed the role he is perhaps best-known for, that of the titular character in “Ellery Queen.” He passed away of liver cancer in 1979 at the age of 45.

Ann Hathaway

(c) 2010 King Features Synd.,

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Theme SongsHow many times has a catchy little theme song gotten stuck in your head? Here’s a stroll down memory lane, remembering some of those car-toon jingles that we loved to hum.

• Many of us know that Spiderman “does whatever a spider can.” But what comes after “spins a web, any size”? It’s “catches thieves just like flies!” His superhuman strength is ex-plained in verse two of the theme song. “Listen, Bud. He’s got radioactive blood.”

• The little blue Smurfs administered good advice when they sang to their viewers, “Next time you’re feeling blue, just let a smile begin, happy things will come to you.”

• If you didn’t know all the names of the Jet-son family, they were given to you in the theme song, “Meet George Jetson, Jane his wife, daughter Judy, his boy Elroy.”

• A bear of very little brain lived deep in the Hundred-Acre Wood. This “tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff” was, of course, Winnie the Pooh, that “willy nilly silly old bear.”

• He was “one tough Gazookus which hates all Palookas.” He “biffed ‘em and buffed ‘em and always out-roughed ‘em.” Who sang these words during the opening of his program? Pop-eye, of course!

• There were no words to sing along to for “Jonny Quest.” A 20-member jazz band, heavy on the drums, provided the music for this car-toon.

• When do you need to “step aside or you might end up in a heap?” That would be “when you’re on a highway and the Roadrunner goes ‘Beep! Beep!’”

• “He always says ‘Hello’ and he’s really glad to meetcha. The children all love him so.” Who is he? He’s Casper the Friendly Ghost, created in the late 1930s and hitting the screen in 1950.

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Answers:1. Kevin Appier struck out 207 in 1996.2. Spud Chandler (‘43), Joe DiMaggio (1941, ‘47) and Joe Gordon (‘42).3. Eleven consecutive years.4. It was the 1974-75 season.5. Nineteen seasons.6. Middleweight Anderson Silva, with six consecutive defenses.7. It was 1998.

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Up-To-Date Financial News

We’re poised to hit the 1 million mark this year when it comes to home foreclosures, 100,000 more than last year. Whether it’s being caused by unemployment, or by lenders who aren’t cooperating with hom-eowners in getting revised loans written, or lend-ers who are snowed under by the number of refi-nance applications they already have, the bottom line is that there are many houses that are sitting empty. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle: When too many houses in a neighborhood are empty, the values in the whole neighborhood suffer. Hom-eowners find that they can’t sell for enough to pay off their mortgage. When they walk away, the cycle continues.At the same time, if you’re in the market to buy, be careful if you consider buying a foreclosed home. Don’t let the low prices blind you to the realities.The biggest thing to consider when buying a foreclosed home: Whoever owned it didn’t get to foreclosure overnight. It was likely a long, drawn-out financial decline, during which time needed repairs might not have been made. Ad-ditionally the house could have remained empty for a very long time, possibly more than a year.

Is Foreclosed Home Really a Bargain?This means that mold could be present, perhaps the result of flooding from frozen and cracked pipes. Animals (even the human kind) could have gotten in and done damage.Check the HUD foreclosure website (www.hud.gov/homes) and see if you’re interested in any of the homes listed. Study the reviewer’s notes. Look for mentions of mold, flood dam-age, lead paint and missing appliances, furnace or central A/C unit. The home could have seri-ous damage that’s not apparent from a drive-by look.Sign up with a HUD counselor. Call 1-800-569-4287 to find one near you. The counseling service is free, but extra services are not. Be sure you know what is included in the counsel-ing.If you find a foreclosed home that you like and that doesn’t have too many problems, don’t put yourself in a potentially bad position when it comes to taking out a loan. Do your homework first, as not all lenders will finance a foreclo-sure, and you could pay higher interest for a loan. Even though HUD will have inspected the property, hire your own inspector.

(c) 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.

Theme Songs (continued):

• He was “strong as he can be.” But he frequently forgot to “watch out for that tree.” He was George of the Jungle, a not-so-bright, loincloth-clad parody of Tarzan. The program aired for only 17 episodes in 1967.

• Words spoken over the final movement of Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” provided the opening for the “Lone Ranger” series. The ani-mated version of the 1930s radio program aired from 1966 to 1968. “Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!” was the cry of this “daring and resourceful masked rider of the Plains” who “led the fight for law and order in the early West” along with his fearless Indian friend Tonto.

• The “world’s most fearsome fighting team” were “really hip” according to the theme song. These green “heroes in a half-shell” were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Leonardo, Mi-chelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, named af-ter four Renaissance artists. They started bat-tling crime from their home in the storm sewers of New York City in 1987.

• How did that modern Stone Age family, the Flintstones, ride with the family down the street? It was “through the courtesy of Fred’s two feet!”

• Josie and the Pussycats had “no time for purrs and pats” as they donned their “long tails and ears for hats.” This all-girl pop music group toured the word in their leopard-print leotards, encountering all sorts of adventures with mis-cellaneous villains. Each episode featured a Pussycats song played during the girls’ various chase scenes.

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PICKS OF THE WEEKMovies due out the week of August 9th, 2010

“Temple Grandin” (Unrated) -- “Temple Grandin” is one of those little gems of a film that most people haven’t heard of or seen -- but should. Unless you have HBO, you’ve probably never heard of this delightful biopic.Claire Danes stars as Temple Grandin, a woman born in 1947 with classic autism, one of the most severe forms of the affliction. At the time, autism was diagnosed as a type of schizophrenia and mothers were blamed for the child’s condition, often being accused of being too cold and unfeeling toward the child.When Temple is finally properly diagnosed with autism, her mother (Julia Ormond) rejects the doctor’s suggestion to institutionalize the girl and

instead devotes her energies to raising Temple to live a normal, fulfilling life.And Temple does just that. She not only attends u n i v e r s i t y ,

eventually earning a Ph.D, she also becomes the foremost designer of humane slaughterhouses.“Temple Grandin” is a better-than-average biopic, mostly because it treats the subject with gentle humor and respect, and doesn’t fall into the trap of sentimentality or hagiography. Claire Danes’

performance is brilliant, and she definitely deserves an Emmy.If after watching the film, you want to learn more about Temple Grandin, I strongly recommend renting a copy of Errol Morris’ documentary series “First Person.” One of the episodes is devoted to Temple, and she tells her story in her own words as to how her autism gave her a unique insight and empathy toward cows, and how it gave her the ability to design the slaughterhouses so humanely and efficiently.

DOG OF THE WEEK“Furry Vengeance” (PG) -- Sometimes I imagine that Brendan Fraser’s idea of a perfect evening is having someone jangle a set of car keys just out of his reach whilst chiming, “Oooo! Shiny-Shiny!” It’s the only way I can justify in my mind why he makes such stupid movie choices.“Furry Vengeance” is about a guy (Fraser) who takes a job overseeing the development of a subdivision in Oregon. The wee woodland creatures aren’t too happy about having their forest mowed down, so they band together and find ways to attack Brendan Fraser’s crotch. By the end of the film, Fraser’s character learns Important Lessons About Family and The Environment. You, however, will want to hunt Fraser’s crotch down and finish the job.

TV SERIES“Friday Night Lights” The Fourth Season

“Ugly Betty” The Complete Fourth and Final Season

“Dexter” The Complete Season Four“Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends” Season Four

“Cougar Town” Complete First Season“Keeping Up with the Kardashians” The

Complete Third Season“Batman: The Brave and the Bold” Season

One, Part One“One Tree Hill” The Complete Seventh Season

(c) 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.

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1. Quincy 2. CindyJean Vander Pyl spoke all of Wilma’s lines.• Family pets included the Flintstones’ pet di-nosaur, Dino, (voiced by Mel Blanc), and the seldom seen saber-toothed Baby Puss. The Rubbles owned a “Hopparoo” appropriately named Hoppy. • Before she was Betty Rubble, she was Betty Jean McBricker. Wilmas’s maiden name was Slaghoople.• In 1962, Fred and Wilma welcomed

their bundle of joy, Pebbles. Although original-ly slated to be a boy, the producers recognized that a girl might trigger a merchandise line. Sure enough, the Ideal Toy Company introduced both a 12-inch and a 16-inch Baby Pebbles doll shortly afterward. During the fourth season, an abandoned baby was dropped on the doorstep of Barney and Betty Rubble, and Bamm-Bamm became the playmate of Pebbles Flintstone.• This series generated the production of three breakfast cereals, Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Peb-bles and Dino Pebbles. Although Dino Pebbles were discontinued, they later reappeared as

Marshmallow Mania Pebbles. Still alive and well is the “Flintstones Complete” line of chil-dren’s multivitamins. • Fred was an accomplished bowler who went to great lengths to improve this skill, even tak-ing ballet lessons on the sly. This earned him the nickname of Twinkle Toes from his bowl-ing team.• Wilma used many “modern” appliances, such as a baby woolly mastodon for a vacuum clean-er and a washing machine that consisted of a pelican’s beak full of soapy water. The family’s shower was an adult woolly mammoth spray-ing water with its trunk.• “The Flintstones” was initially sponsored by Winston cigarettes, and Fred and Barney could even be seen smoking them at the end of the program. However, after Pebbles was born, the network made the switch to Motorola and Welch’s grape juice.

the Flintstones Yabba-dabba-doo! This week, Tidbits visits the town of Bedrock, and a “page right out of his-tory”! • There were 166 episodes of everybody’s favorite modern Stone Age family, the Flint-stones. The names of the Flagstones and the Gladstones were considered before the family name was settled upon prior to its 1960 pre-miere. • The cartoon was based on a popular 1950s series, “The Honeymooners,” with Fred mod-eled after Ralph Kramden and the good-na-tured pal Barney Rubble after Ed Norton. The two friends both worked at the Slate Rock and Gravel Company Quarry. They were also faith-ful members of the Loyal Order of Water Buf-falos Lodge. One episode of the series featured Wilma and Betty, curious about the lodge’s ac-tivities, wearing disguises in an attempt to join the lodge. To gain entry, they were required to speak the secret passwords, “Ack Acka Dak! Dak Daka Ack!” Do you remember the name of the Grand Poobah of the Water Buffalos? Die-hard fans will recall it was Sam Slagheap. • Alan Reed, the voice of Fred, came up with the trademark phrase “Yabba-dabba-doo.” Reed claimed that it was borrowed from the Bryl-creem commercial slogan, “A little dab’ll do ya.” This wasn’t Reed’s first shot in show busi-ness. He had already starred opposite Marlon Brando in “Viva Zapata!,” a 1952 biographical film about a Mexican revolutionary. • Mel Blanc was the voice behind Barney, and