Product Details

• Format: Animated, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Turner Home Ent
• VHS Release Date: September 26, 1995
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302874300
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,585 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Fred takes on a moonlighting job as the local department store Santa. He does so well, that Santa's elves ask him to fill in when the real Santa is sick.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still a sentimental favorite after nearly forty years, January 4, 2003

By 

B.C. Scribe "trekviewer" (Brooklyn Center, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How the Flintstones Saved Christmas [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Fred as Santa - you knew it had to happen with that belly! A Christmas holiday show that I enjoy watching regularly as a part of my Christmas Eve ritual. The simplistic story is easy to understand for children and enjoyable for adults that have fond childhood memories of 'The Flintstones' as well. When Fred plays a department store Santa his performance is so convincing that some elves come forward to recruit him in order to save Christmas! There's very little of the normal slapstick we see in these animated shows but there are still the usual laughs and what's more important Fred actually does something right - though the real Santa has to bail him out in the end. A Christmas tradition that "Baby-boomers" can pass on to their children and hope they continue.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Christmas Childhood Memory, February 11, 2000

By 

Anthony G Pizza "trivialtony" (FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How the Flintstones Saved Christmas [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This has been one of my favorite Christmas episode of any series since I first saw it as a rerun 30 years ago. It draws on the power of past Christmas shows like Art Carney's classic Twilight Zone episode, "Night of The Meek," and has influenced pieces as modern as Tim Allen's 1994 holiday hit "The Santa Clause."

Fred takes a second job as a department store Santa and is a hit, leading the children in songs and stories (including one about Dino, his pet dinosaur). Meanwhile, two of the real Santa's elves summon Fred to replace the real, ill Santa on the big night.

The scenes where cartoon curmugeon Fred delivers the toys is among the sweetest in the history of this beloved show. Fred joyously sings and shouts Christmas greetings in foreign languages, while toys (including Pebbles dolls, no doubt on sale back in 1964) fall like snow on the Pyramids, Eiffel Tower, and Leaning Tower of Pisa. (forget logic, it's Christmas!) The final scene, a minor Christmas miracle, and signoff Christmas wish from the cast is unforgettable and heartwarming remember 35 years and any number of reruns later. This video is short (35 minutes, including some HB previews) but so Christmas sweet - highly recommended for holiday warmth.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much Deeper Than We Might Think, November 11, 2000

By 

Sean Ares Hirsch - See all my reviews

This review is from: How the Flintstones Saved Christmas [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Allright. It's not literature, but even us hard core English Majors have a weakness for shows like this around Christmas. The truth is, this Christmas Special carries more weight than we might think. Like a great deal of society, Fred's first concern is making some extra money for Christmas. (His first concern is his immediate environment.) When he becomes the mall's Santa (through a comical Fred Flintstone incident), his concerns expand. (He goes from thinking beyond his immediate environment to the children in the mall.) "Those kids need a Santa, and I love being Santa for them." Now this next thing passes plausibility, but most media these days do, and at least this does it to keep within a certain pattern. And at least this step beyond plausibility has a legendary background. The real Santa gets ill, and he is so impressed with Fred's work that he asks him to do the annual world deliveries. Whatever Fred's faults are in other episodes, he does NOT fall from duty. (So Fred's concerns have gone from his immediate environment, to the children in the mall, to the whole world.) But the author does not stop here. Fred forgets his own presents, and Santa pulls himself out of his sick bed to make sure Fred gets them. It would seem that we almost have a touch of the Holy Spirit that sows good will among men. Since Fred showed such kindness and concern for his fellow man, someone showed kindness and concern to him. This video does indeed deserve a place in the classic museum of Christmas videos.