Tobacco Documents Online

June 24, 1994 Louise Dunbar Reader's Digest Association Reader's Digest Road Pleasantville, N.Y. 10570 Dear Louise: I was unable to confirm that Bowman Gray made the decision to sponsor The Flintstones, as told in the anecdote you sent from Joe Barbera's new book, My Life in 'Toons. We did find, however, the same recount in Sennett's The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity (pages enclosed). The history of the company by Dr. Nannie M. Tilley, The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco CompanX (UNC Press) has no reference to this program. It does indicate that Bowman Gray, Jr. became chairman of the company on Oct. 8, 1959, and that the Esty agency did work for the company during this time. Within company records, we did find in the minutes of the annual stockholders' meeting on April 12, 1961, a report of television sponsorships (copy enclosed), which noted: "Last fall we added an adult comedy cartoon series, The Flintstones, and this has been well received." As the list of sponsorships indicates, all programs sponsored by the company were considered adult programming. A number of news reports and articles have implied that Reynolds Tobacco sponsored the cartoon show because of their presumption that it would have youth appeal. As the annual meeting minutes and a little research show, Reynolds Tobacco sponsored the show to appeal to an adult audience. As some of the materials I've enclosed indicate, the show was modeled after Jackie Gleason's popular sitcom, The Honeymooners. Besides being billed as the first adult cartoon show, The Flintstones featured adult themes, including marital squabbles, family rivalries and job difficulties. The show aired during prime time at 8:30 p.m., not among youth programming. A sponsor for the fall TV seasons in 1960 and 1961, Winston alternated sponsorship each week with Miles Laboratories, Inc.'s One-a-Day Vitamins and Alka-Seltzer, both also adult products. (Note, Miles' youth vitamin, Chocks, was not advertised on the program.) While The Flintstones later evolved into a children's show, Winston was no longer a sponsor, having dropped its sponsorship after the initial two seasons. I appreciate very much your giving me the opportunity to share this material with you to set the record straight on Reynolds Tobacco's intent in sponsoring The Flintstones. Please feel free to call me at 910-741-7674 if you have additional questions. Sincerely, Peggy Carter Manager - Media Relations Enclosures