question rather than an Imponderable. But as we tried to research the mystery of Barney’s profession, we found that even self-professed “Flintstones” fanatics couldn’t agree on the answer.
And we are not the only ones besieged. By accident, we called Hanna-Barbera before the animation house’s opening hours. Before we could ask the question, the security guard said, “I know why you’re calling. You want to know what Barney Rubble did for a living. He worked at the quarry. But why don’t you call back after opening hours?” The security guard remarked that he gets many calls from inebriated “Flintstones” fans in the middle of the night, pleading for Barney’s vocation before they nod off for the evening.
We did call back, and spoke to Carol Keis, of Hanna-Barbera public relations, who told us that this Imponderable is indeed the company’s most frequently asked question of all Flintstone trivia. She confirmed that the most commonly accepted answer is that Barney worked at Fred’s employer, Bedrock Quarry & Gravel:
However, out of 166 half-hours from 1960–1966, there were episodic changes from time to time. Barney has also been seen as a repossessor, he’s done top secret work, and he’s been a geological engineer.
As for the manner in which Barney’s occupation was revealed, it was never concretely established (no pun intended) [sure]. It revealed itself according to the occupation set up for each episode.
Most startling of all, Barney actually played Fred’s boss at the quarry in one episode. Sure, the lack of continuity is distressing. But then we suspend our disbelief enough to swallow that Wile E. Coyote can recover right after the Road Runner drops a safe on Coyote’s head from atop a mountain peak, too.
Hanna-Barbera does not have official archives, so Keis couldn’t assure us that she hadn’t neglected one of Barney Rubble’s jobs. Can anyone remember any more?
Submitted by Rob Burnett of New York, New York.
WHY ARE THERE EIGHTEEN HOLES ON A GOLF COURSE?
----
I n Scotland, the home of golf, courses were originally designed with varying numbers of holes, depending on the parcel of land available. Some golf courses, according to U.S. Golf Association Librarian Janet Seagle, had as few as five holes.
The most prestigious golf club, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, originally had twenty-two holes. On October 4, 1764, its original course, which had contained eleven holes out and eleven holes in, was reduced to eighteen holes total in order to lengthen them and make St. Andrews more challenging. As a desire to codify the game grew, eighteen holes was adopted as the standard after the St. Andrews model.
HOW DO THE NETWORKS SELL ADVERTISING TIME WHEN LIVE PROGRAMS RUN LONGER THAN SCHEDULED?
----
W ho knows how long the Academy Awards will last? Or the Super Bowl? Certainly, the networks don’t. With thirty-second commercial spots fetching hundreds of thousands of dollars, you can be assured that big money is at stake. Obviously, networks would like to sell commercials during overruns, but how can they sell time when they don’t know if they are going to have it? And what about the local affiliate, which usually airs its own ads at 11:00 PM , when the Academy Awards is just getting to the important nominations?
When they air an event that they know has the potential to run past its allotted time, the networks try to sell advertising spots on a contingency basis. ABC might approach Kraft and say: “Do you want to buy a spot on the Oscars after the third hour?” Kraft would argue that ABC can’t guarantee placement of the ad (sometimes the Oscar broadcast almost comes in on time). ABC would counter with a reduced price—something on the order of a 30 percent discount—to compensate Kraft for the possibility that the commercial will not air. ABC is happy that it has eked out some gravy for commercial time it would have otherwise
And we are not the only ones besieged. By accident, we called Hanna-Barbera before the animation house’s opening hours. Before we could ask the question, the security guard said, “I know why you’re calling. You want to know what Barney Rubble did for a living. He worked at the quarry. But why don’t you call back after opening hours?” The security guard remarked that he gets many calls from inebriated “Flintstones” fans in the middle of the night, pleading for Barney’s vocation before they nod off for the evening.
We did call back, and spoke to Carol Keis, of Hanna-Barbera public relations, who told us that this Imponderable is indeed the company’s most frequently asked question of all Flintstone trivia. She confirmed that the most commonly accepted answer is that Barney worked at Fred’s employer, Bedrock Quarry & Gravel:
However, out of 166 half-hours from 1960–1966, there were episodic changes from time to time. Barney has also been seen as a repossessor, he’s done top secret work, and he’s been a geological engineer.
As for the manner in which Barney’s occupation was revealed, it was never concretely established (no pun intended) [sure]. It revealed itself according to the occupation set up for each episode.
Most startling of all, Barney actually played Fred’s boss at the quarry in one episode. Sure, the lack of continuity is distressing. But then we suspend our disbelief enough to swallow that Wile E. Coyote can recover right after the Road Runner drops a safe on Coyote’s head from atop a mountain peak, too.
Hanna-Barbera does not have official archives, so Keis couldn’t assure us that she hadn’t neglected one of Barney Rubble’s jobs. Can anyone remember any more?
Submitted by Rob Burnett of New York, New York.
WHY ARE THERE EIGHTEEN HOLES ON A GOLF COURSE?
----
I n Scotland, the home of golf, courses were originally designed with varying numbers of holes, depending on the parcel of land available. Some golf courses, according to U.S. Golf Association Librarian Janet Seagle, had as few as five holes.
The most prestigious golf club, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, originally had twenty-two holes. On October 4, 1764, its original course, which had contained eleven holes out and eleven holes in, was reduced to eighteen holes total in order to lengthen them and make St. Andrews more challenging. As a desire to codify the game grew, eighteen holes was adopted as the standard after the St. Andrews model.
HOW DO THE NETWORKS SELL ADVERTISING TIME WHEN LIVE PROGRAMS RUN LONGER THAN SCHEDULED?
----
W ho knows how long the Academy Awards will last? Or the Super Bowl? Certainly, the networks don’t. With thirty-second commercial spots fetching hundreds of thousands of dollars, you can be assured that big money is at stake. Obviously, networks would like to sell commercials during overruns, but how can they sell time when they don’t know if they are going to have it? And what about the local affiliate, which usually airs its own ads at 11:00 PM , when the Academy Awards is just getting to the important nominations?
When they air an event that they know has the potential to run past its allotted time, the networks try to sell advertising spots on a contingency basis. ABC might approach Kraft and say: “Do you want to buy a spot on the Oscars after the third hour?” Kraft would argue that ABC can’t guarantee placement of the ad (sometimes the Oscar broadcast almost comes in on time). ABC would counter with a reduced price—something on the order of a 30 percent discount—to compensate Kraft for the possibility that the commercial will not air. ABC is happy that it has eked out some gravy for commercial time it would have otherwise
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