The Munsters
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Munsters | |
|---|---|
 The Munsters - Herman, Lily, Grandpa, Marilyn and Eddie |
|
| Genre | Situation comedy |
| Creator(s) | Allan Burns Chris Hayward |
| Developer(s) | Norm Liebmann Ed Haas |
| Starring | Fred Gwynne Yvonne De Carlo Al Lewis Pat Priest Butch Patrick |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 70 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural sound |
| Original run | September 24, 1964 – September 1, 1966 |
| Links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
The Munsters was a 1960s American television sitcom, depicting the home life of a family of horror movie monsters. Much of the humor derived from the fact that they did not have the slightest idea that they were in any way different from their neighbors. Comedy also came from their daily interaction with modern-day society, and the usual horrified or frightened reactions of those around them at their ghoulish appearance.
It first aired Thursday nights in black-and-white on the CBS network from September 24, 1964 to September 1, 1966 for 70 episodes, and continued in syndication thereafter. The Munsters was filmed in black-and-white, though the never-aired pilot episode was filmed at least partially in color. The fictional family lived at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, Mockingbird Heights. It was popular enough to warrant a spin-off series and several movies. Often it is considered a rival to the television show, The Addams Family, which was also about an unusual American family and was broadcast at the same time.
The show was produced by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, who were, prior to that time, known for creating the television series Leave it to Beaver. Prior to that, they wrote over 1,500 episodes of Amos 'n' Andy, a presence on network radio for nearly its entire history.
While its humor was usually broad, the series was visually sophisticated, particularly for an early-sixties sitcom. The Munsters' home was a burnt, crumbling Gothic mansion, riddled with smoke, filthy with dust and cobwebs. Rich, shadowy photography echoed James Whale's expressionistic Frankenstein films, emphasizing the family's ghoulishness. The moving camera (a rarity in television comedies even today) often paused on busy compositions, focusing on multiple characters amid detailed settings. Then, of course, there's the charmingly grotesque appearances of the Munsters themselves, recalling classic Universal horror.
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[edit] Characters
[edit] The Munsters
[edit] Lily Munster
Portrayed by Yvonne DeCarlo, Lily is the matriarch of the Munster family. Her maiden name is Dracula. She is the wife of Herman Munster, the daughter of Sam Dracula (aka Grandpa) and the mother of Eddie Munster. She is very close with her niece Marilyn. She has a werewolf for a brother, who appeared in one episode. Lily is the voice of reason in the Munster household, often relied upon to set problems right, and she was often the mediator between Herman and Grampa's squabbling.
Lily was mainly a housekeeper and her duties included spreading garbage around the mansion and "dusting" via a vacuum cleaner operating in reverse so that it blows dirt about. During the course of the series Lily has had jobs as a welder in a shipyard, a fashion model, and a palm reader in a tea room. One time, she forced Herman to give her some money so that she and Marilyn could open a beauty parlor, but this soon went out of business as Lily assumed her clientele would want to look more like her. These part time jobs never seemed to stick and Lily would be back to being a homemaker by the next episode. Once when she thought Herman was going broke she got a job to help out, keeping this a secret lest it wound Herman's pride.
Lily is a beautiful and slender caucasian woman who appears to be in her middle-age years, although she is actually hundreds of years old. Her skin is green, which repelled some people. Later incarnations of the character, played by different actresses, would change her skin from green to pale white. A white streak in her hair recalls the monster's mate from The Bride of Frankenstein, as portrayed by Elsa Lanchester. Lily was usually dressed in an ankle-length white gown that appeared faded and old, sometimes covering up with a scarf. Her necklace featured a bat-shaped medallion. When away from the Munster house, she would sometimes wear a long silver cape with a hood.
Lily is not in the original pilot episode of The Munsters. Instead, Herman is married to a much more gothic looking wife named Phoebe, played by Joan Marshall. The producers scrapped the Phoebe character after deciding she seemed almost an exact double of the Morticia Addams character on The Addams Family. Lily appears in the second pilot and all other episodes.
[edit] Herman Munster
Portrayed by Fred Gwynne, Herman was a buffoon. Although 150 years old, he behaves rather childishly, often throwing temper tantrums. He is employed by the Gateman, Goodbury and Graves funeral parlor, having started out as a humble "nail boy." We never know exactly what he does, though one can infer he is a grave digger, from the jokes Herman makes. He also gets a promotion to hearse driver in one episode where he has to get his driver's license renewed, only to find out he is starting out driving the "economy model" hearse which uses a horse; Herman's co-workers sometimes remark on his height and strength but otherwise do not appear to find his appearance out of the ordinary.
In one episode, Lily outright states to Eddie that "Dr. Frankenstein" made Herman. Herman was built in Germany, adopted by the Munster family of England, then relocated to Transylvania, where he married Lily. Herman served in the U.S. Army during World War II. As of the second season, he and Lily had been married for one hundred years. Herman also has a twin brother, Charlie, who speaks with an English-sounding accent and is a scam artist.
In the series Herman's costume and appearance concurred with the traditional Universal Studios' version of Frankenstein's monster. This popular image of the monster with a flat head, ill-fitting black suit and electrodes protruding from the neck was invented for the Universal Studios film version of Frankenstein.
[edit] Grandpa
Portrayed by Al Lewis, and usually called "Grandpa". Although his given name is said to be Sam Dracula, he is commonly (and incorrectly) referred to by viewers as "Grandpa Munster"; he is Lily's father, rather than Herman's. He is a mad scientist and keeps a laboratory in the cellar of the house. Various potions and magic spells that he devises there are central to many of the show's stories. He appears to be able to naturally transform into a wolf as well as a bat. He is at least 400 years old and has been married several times; although his wives are all dead, he still keeps in touch with them. His identity as Count Dracula was established in two episodes, Mr Gateman refers to him as "Count Dracula" when he comes to dinner and to hear Eddie play the trumpet he's also refers to himself as "Count Dracula" when he makes a collect call to Transylvania, and states his name as such to the operator on duty, who recognizes the Count immediately. He used to play poker with Jack the Ripper, from whom he won the cursed Fregosi Emerald. Grandpa's trademark is his extremely sarcastic personality, especially when insulting his son-in-law Herman.
[edit] Eddie Munster
Portrayed by Butch Patrick; a typical all-American boy werewolf of elementary school age, aside from his green skin and pointed ears. His full name is Edward Wolfgang Munster. Butch Patrick is not in the original pilot episode of The Munsters. The actor cast, Happy Derman, plays a more aggressively wolfish boy. Butch Patrick would appear in all other episodes to follow.
[edit] Marilyn Munster
Originally portrayed by Beverley Owen, with the role being taken over by Pat Priest after Owen left to marry Jon Stone, she is the daughter of one of Lily's sisters, and lives with the Munsters through the entire series. Marilyn is a fetching young blonde, and the only member of the family that is not ghoulish in appearance. The reason Marilyn lives with her aunt and uncle is not explained by the series. In one episode it is hinted that she was bitten by Grandpa and this resulted in her looking like she does. The family is vaguely ashamed of their relationship to such an "ugly" person, although they treat her with kindness, and even Marilyn is aware of her "plain-ness". She bemoans that she keeps scaring off potential boyfriends, having no idea that the youths are in fact frightened away by her family. She attends Westbury College. Although the daughter of Lily's sister, she is always referred to as "Marilyn Munster". (While the character was being developed, her name was Marilyn Mundane.) In one of the movies, Marilyn was the daughter of Herman's sister instead.
[edit] Their pets
- Spot - A fire-breathing dragon living under the staircase. Though never fully appearing on camera, his eyes could be seen glowing in the darkness beneath as a hinged section of the stair steps swung open by tilting backward one of the bannister newels.
- Igor - A bat who lives in Grandpa's lab and assists with his work.
- Kittycat - An average-sized black cat who roars like a lion.
- Charlie - A talking raven who lives in the cuckoo clock in the living room (usually voiced by Mel Blanc).
- Goldfish - They devour food like ravenous piranhas.
- Elmer - A snake that lived beneath the garbage bin in the backyard.
[edit] Other relatives
- Charlie Munster - Herman's twin brother
- Ronald Dracula - Grandpa's younger cousin, a vampire
- Lester Dracula - Lily's brother, a werewolf
- Uncle Gilbert - Otherwise known as the Creature from the Black Lagoon
- Uncle Boris and Aunt Mina - Never depicted, said to live in Death Valley
- Cousin Phantom - Otherwise known as the Phantom of the Opera. Has a bad habit of shattering fragile objects with his voice when hitting high notes.
- Humphrey - A cousin of Grandpa's, who Grandpa hasn't spoken to since he stole his aspirin during the Black Plague.
[edit] Episodes
See The Munsters Episode List.
The series was split over two seasons.
[edit] Spinoff series
- The Munsters Today ran from 1988 to 1991. It involved the family being re-awoken in the 1980s, and having to adapt to (the then) modern life. It proved highly unpopular among fans of the original series.
[edit] Films
Several Munster films were released, two with the original cast.
- Munster, Go Home ~ (1966) The Munsters go to England to claim the Munster Hall after the death of an old relative. The film starred the series' cast with the exception of Pat Priest who was replaced by Universal Pictures by their contract player Debbie Watson in a controversial move that was not well received by fans of the series, although most enjoyed the film and the chance to see the Munsters in color during their original 1960's run for the first and only time.
- The Munsters' Revenge ~ (1981) A TV movie. The owner of a museum with a Munsters exhibit makes robots of Herman and Grandpa and uses them to rob a bank. Gwynne, De Carlo, and Lewis recreated their roles but Eddie and Marilyn were played by new young performers.
- Here Come the Munsters ~ (1995) A TV movie. The family search for Herman's brother-in-law Norman Hyde, only to find out that he has turned himself into Brent Jekyll, who is running for congress, and Grandpa must make a formula to change him back. The film featured a cameo scene of DeCarlo, Lewis, Priest, and Patrick as a bickering family in restaurant.
- The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas ~ (1996) Grandpa has accidentally captured Santa Claus and two of his elves, while Lily is trying to win the local neighborhood Christmas home decorating competition, and Marilyn has invited family and friends from the "old country" to stay for Christmas.
- The Munsters ~ In production, probably due for a 2007 release date.
[edit] Comic book
Gold Key produced a "Munsters" comic book. When it first appeared, the Comics Code Authority still forbade the appearance of vampires in comic books. Lily and Grandpa were permitted without apparent objection.
[edit] The Munstermobile
George Barris built two automobiles for the show: "The Munster Koach", a hot rod built on a lengthened 1923 Ford Model T chassis with a custom hearse body, and Dragula (which inspired a Rob Zombie song by the same name), which was a drag car built from a coffin, which Grandpa used to win back "The Munster Koach" after Herman lost it in a race. (According to Barris, a real coffin was, in fact, purchased for the car.) In real life Yvonne de Carlo drove a Jaguar sedan fitted with custom-made "spooky" ornaments, for example spider webs on the rims. She had to give up on it, as the car was repeatedly vandalized by fans hunting for souvenirs.
[edit] A false first for married television characters
Herman and Lily Munster are often mistakenly offered as the first television couple to share the same bed. The Munsters showed Herman and Lily first sharing a bed in the episode "Autumn Croakus" on November 26, 1964. But, in reality, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet showed Ozzie and Harriet Nelson together in their queen-size bed many times in the 1952-1966 series. Still, the first-couple-in-same-bed award goes to a 1947 appearance by Mary Kay and Johnny in an episode of November 18, 1947, on the Dumont network.
[edit] The many faces of the Munster family
- In the color pilot episode the role of Lilly Munster was played by Joan Marshall and Eddie was played by Nate "Happy" Derman.
- The first television movie, The Munsters' Revenge, reunited DeCarlo, Gwynne, and Lewis. Jo McDonnell and KC Martel played Marilyn and Eddie.
- Yet another cast appeared in the made-for-tv movies Here Come the Munsters and The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas. Yvonne DeCarlo, Al Lewis, Pat Priest, and Butch Patrick make a cameo appearance in the first of these as restaurant guests.
- A revival of the show, The Munsters Today ran from 1988 to 1991. It featured John Schuck (Herman) Lee Meriwether (Lily), Howard Morton (Grandpa), Jason Marsden (Eddie), and Mary-Ellen Dunbar and Hilary Van Dyke (Marilyn).
- With the death of Yvonne DeCarlo in 2007, Butch Patrick (Eddie), Beverley Owen (Marilyn), and Pat Priest (Marilyn) are now the three remaining living members of the original program's main cast.
[edit] Marilyn Munster
Of the cast of the Munsters, in all its incarnations, the role of Marilyn Munster was the character recast most frequently. The original series began with Beverley Owen in the role of Marilyn. According to Al Lewis in a 2001 interview with Pittsburgh radio's Doug Hoerth, Owen was having relationship problems that diverted her attention away from the series. After Lewis and Fred Gwynne petitioned the studio, the actress was let go. The role was taken over in episode 14 by Pat Priest. Immediately after the show ended, the cast began filming a feature film, Munster, Go Home!. Producers replaced Pat Priest with teenage actress Debbie Watson. Priest commented on the DVD interview that she was devastated at the producer's decision not to include the then-30-year-old actress. In the revival show, The Munsters Today, the first Marilyn (Mary-Ellen Dunbar) only lasted one episode.
[edit] In popular culture
- The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XI" from season 12 started out with the Simpsons as the Munsters, who were then killed by an angry mob, except Lisa.
- The Munster's Victorian home (although now altered) can be seen in ABC's Desperate Housewives. It was also the home of the family in Shirley (ABC, 1979-80).
- In the sitcom Roseanne, main character Roseanne Conner's son D.J. is often described as looking like Eddie Munster.
