The Flintstones: Original voice actors had a deadly common denominator

The Flintstones facts

The original actors who voiced The Flintstones were Alan Reed, Mel Blanc, Jean Vander Pyl and Bea Benaderet. Acting and lending their voices to cartoon characters was not the only thing these four entertainers had in common.

Vander Pyl was the last and oldest of the group to die, and upon her death, one of her sons, Michael O Meara, made the following statement.

"Everybody on the Flintstones smoked, and all of them ended up dying of smoking-related diseases….. That little cute laugh that Betty and Wilma did with their mouths closed. They came up with that because when they laughed normally, being smokers, they coughed."

Those who enjoyed and continue to watch the popular cartoon would never have suspected the closed-mouth giggle was not written into the script and was a warning of future health-related issues.

Jean Vander Pyl's story

Jean Vander Pyl was born on October 11, 1919, and lived the longest of the four voice actors. In addition to voicing Wilma, she lent her voice to Pebbles Flintstone and Rosie, the robot maid on The Jetsons. She was also Nurse LaRue, Lola Glamour, Goldie, and other animated characters in Top Cat. She voiced Winsome Witch on The Secret Squirrel Show and Ogee on The Magilla Gorilla Show. The actress was a lifelong smoker who died of lung cancer at age 79 on April 10, 1999, at her home in Dana Point, California.

The saga of Alan Reed

Alan Reed was the first to voice Fred Flintstone on The Flintstones and various spinoff series over the years. He also appeared in many films, including Days of Glory, Nob Hill, The Tarnished Angels, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Viva Zapata! Reed was also in numerous television and radio shows. In 1967, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, and his bladder was later removed. The cancer never returned, but Reed developed emphysema from smoking and, on June 14, 1977, died at St. Vincent Medical Center (Los Angeles). He had a heart attack just two months before his 70th birthday.

The iconic Mel Blanc

Mel Blanc was born Melvin Jerome Blanc on May 30, 1908, in San Francisco, California. He was known as the man of a thousand voices and well known for voicing cartoon characters, including Barney Rubble, Yosemite Sam, Bugs Bunny, the Road Runner Woody Woodpecker, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, and more. Blanc began smoking at the age of eight and, in adulthood, became a chain smoker who smoked a pack of cigarettes daily. This only caught up to him decades later. He died of heart disease and emphysema on July 10, 1989, at the age of 81.

Bea Benedaret's tale

Bea Benaderet was the first and youngest of The Flintstones voice actors to pass away. She was born on April 4, 1906, and more details related to her demise are available than the others. Benedaret had roles in two popular television series at the time of her death. She portrayed Cousin Pearl Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies and Kate Bradley on Petticoat Junction.

In addition to Betty Rubble, the actress voiced female supporting characters for Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes animated shorts. She was Witch Hazel in Bewitched Bunny (1954) and the widowed hen Miss Prissy in several Foghorn Leghorn cartoons.

Benedaret developed a spot on her lung but refused immediate treatment to continue season 5 of Petticoat Junction. She cut back on her habit of smoking multiple packs of cigarettes a day, but it was too late. A tumor was found on her lung, and it was inoperable. Benaderet died on October 13, 1968. How tragic that these four talented voice actors for The Flintstones paid such a price for their common vice.

The Flintstones can be seen on MeTV Tunes, so check your local listings.