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The Roman Holidays
We know that Hanna Barbera had two wildly successful period pieces in the
prehistoric Flintstones and the futuristic Jetsons, but did you
know that they attempted to milk the concept a third time for an animated series
set during the reign of the ancient Roman empire?
The Roman Holidays debuted in 1973 and was set in 63 A.D. Dave
Willock and Shirley Mitchell starred as the voices of Gus and Laurie Holiday.
Their children, Precocia and Happius, were played by Pamelyn Ferdin and Stanley
Livingston. The family had a pet relevant to the times (as was the case with
Dino in the Flintstone family)--a lion named Brutus, voiced by Daws
Butler.
Dom Deluise also appeared as Mr. Evictus, a neighbor.
The show lasted just one season and has never appeared in syndication.
Perhaps its failure to thrive had much to do with the familiarity of the premise
and the fact that, by 1973, the novelty of said premise had worn pretty thin.
Even so, do you think that if a series like this had predated The
Flintstones and The Jetsons, it would have been as popular as either
of those classics... or more? Who
knows?
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