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Before George O'Hanlon was George Jetson, he was rejected by Hanna-Barbera
George O'Hanlon got a second shot to be in a Hanna-Barbera production.
With the impact and lasting presence that The Jetsons has in the mind of the fans, it can be easy to forget that the actual series' lifetime was relatively short. The original series lasted only twenty-four episodes before it was canceled. However, did you know that George O'Hanlon, the voice of patriarch George Jetson, was actually originally slated to play another enigmatic cartoon character?
According to an article in the Thousand Oaks Star, O'Hanlon was originally geared to play the role of Fred Flintstone of The Flintstones. Unfortunately, the merge wouldn't come to pass and Hanna-Barbera rejected O'Hanlon. Shockingly, it wasn't their decision, but rather, the network's.
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The article stated, "In 1959, he [O'Hanlon] was the first choice of Joe Barbera to be the voice of Fred Flintstone in The Flintstones. He made a tape that Barbera liked, but network executives in New York did not. O'Hanlon was dropped and Alan Reed got the part."
Still, all hope was not lost, as Barbera was so impressed with O'Hanlon that he kept him in mind. The article continued, "A couple of years later, Barbera came up with an idea for The Jetsons, a spin-off of The Flintstones. Again, he tapped O'Hanlon for the lead role, and this time he got it." Of course, though the show would end far too soon, it would return decades later, in addition to a number of film adaptations and television specials.
Nancy O'Hanlon, George's wife, offered this wise comment regarding the situation: "But you know something. even though only twenty-four episodes were made, The Jetsons never were off the air for the next 22 years."
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roman_Holidays
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=joe+mcdoakes+shorts
The shorts are narrated by Art Gilmore (who also did the intros for Highway Patrol and for many game shows over the years, and were directed by Richard L. Bare (the director from Green Acres)...
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Thanks for spotting my typo. I did a new caption.
