| The Munsters |
Article Index for The Munsters |
Shopping Munsters |
Articles about The Munsters |
Website Links For Munsters |
Information AboutThe Munsters |
''The Munsters'' is an 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 " Ghoul ish" appearance. The original idea came from Animator Bob Clampett , who wanted to do a Cartoon involving a family of monsters living in Suburbia . In the 1940s, he sent the idea to Movie Studio executives, but never got a reply. In the early 1960s, the idea was submitted to Universal Studios by '' Rocky & Bullwinkle '' writers, Allan Burns and Chris Hayward . For some time, there were some studio people who wanted the series to use cartoons and others who wanted actors. Finally, a script was commissioned by Universal, using actors, and when the finished product was seen, cartoons lost out. The show aired at night, once a week in Black-and-white , on the CBS Television network from 1964 to 1966 for 70 episodes. It was cancelled after ratings dropped to an all-time low, due to the premiere of ABC's '' Batman '', which was in full Color . ''The Munsters'' have continued in Syndication ever since. It was popular enough to warrant a spin-off series and several movies. A contemporary television show, '' The Addams Family '', which was also about a Supernatural family and premiered five days earlier, is often considered a rival although ''The Munsters'' had higher Nielsen Ratings . THE PILOT The first as Grandpa and Fred Gwynne as Herman. They used the same house (exterior), but slight changes were made to it, such as adding the tower deck, Marilyn's deck, a new coat of paint, and the Living Room inside was made much larger. Grandpa had the same Dungeon . Herman did not have padding and was broad but thin. Most noticeable was his sombre, almost sad face much of the time, unlike his comical happiness during the series. Eddie was a nasty brat. All characters, except Marilyn, had a blue Tint to their skin. Marilyn was Phoebe's niece. The title sequence had light happy music (it came from an old Doris Day movie) instead of the more appropriate zany theme that was to come. The pilot is available on the complete first season of "The Munsters" DVD s. It was decided that Joan Marshall looked too much like Morticia Addams and that Happy Derman was too nasty as Eddie, so both were replaced. On the basis of the first pilot, the new series, still not completely cast, was announced by CBS on February 18 , 1964 . A second Black-and-white pilot was made (which was $10,000 cheaper per episode) with the new actors. In this pilot, Eddie ( Butch Patrick ) looked too "normal", so his Hairstyle was altered to include a Widow's Peak , and he was given Fangs . CHARACTERS ''The Munsters'' Lily Munster She was portrayed by Yvonne De Carlo , who was cast for the role in March 1964 . When she was first cast, Gwynne and Lewis went to the producers and complained because De Carlo was a professional actress of long standing and they were worried that she would not fit in. Possibly, they were also worried that her talent would upstage them. However, after a few shows, they had to admit they had been wrong, and all got on well. 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 appears in one episode. Lily is the voice of reason in the Munster household, often relied upon to set problems right, and she is often the mediator between Herman and Grampa's squabbling. Lily is mainly a Housewife , and her duties included spreading garbage around the Mansion and "dusting" via a Vacuum Cleaner operating in reverse so that it blows dirt about in the house which has nine rooms and a dungeon. During the course of the series, Lily works as a Welder in a Shipyard , a Fashion Model , and a Palm Reader in a Tea Room . One time, she forces Herman to give her some money so that she and Marilyn can open a Beauty Parlor , but this soon goes out of business, as Lily assumes her clientele wants to look more like her. These Part Time jobs never seem to stick, and Lily would be back to being a homemaker by the next episode. Once, when she thinks Herman is going broke, she gets a job to help out, keeping this a secret, lest it wound Herman's pride. Lily is a beautiful and slender 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 '' Bride Of Frankenstein ''. Lily usually dresses in an ankle-length white gown that appears faded and old, sometimes covering up with a scarf. Her Necklace features a bat-shaped Medallion . When away from the Munster house, she sometimes wears a long silver cape with a hood. Lily was 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 appeared in the second pilot and all other episodes. For the role, Yvonne de Carlo had to wear a wig that weighed 20 pounds (9kg). Herman Munster Portrayed by Fred Gwynne , Herman is a good-natured buffoon. Although 150 years old, he behaves rather childishly, often throwing temper tantrums. He is employed by the Gateman, Goodbury and Graves Funeral Parlor , (where Mr Gateman is played by John Carradine in "Herman's Raise"), having started out as a humble "nail boy." Although it is not stated what he does, it can be inferred that he is a Gravedigger , 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 and colour (green) out of the ordinary (considering some of the customers the parlor deals with, Herman ''is'' nothing out of the ordinary). Herman is incredibly strong, once lifting a solid metal demolition ball casually with one hand. A number of times, cars have run into him without doing any damage to him. A safe fell on his head (John Doe Munster) and though it did not hurt him, it gave him amnesia. When asked how much he weighs, Herman says: "Three spins", meaning the pointer on the weighing machine goes around three times. In the episode "Herman's lawsuit", his driving licence gives his weight as 380 (lbs), height as 7 ft 6 ins and eyes brown. Herman (and the rest of the family) considers himself handsome though if he can crack a mirror by looking at it, once even cracking a shiny frying pan he looked into. Despite looking like a monster, Herman is childlike in personality and has petulant temper tantrums if things don't go his way. An unfortunate habit is stamping or jumping on the floor which brings down lumps of ceiling. In one episode, Lily tells Eddie outright 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 have been married for one hundred years. Herman's family has been mentioned several times but more siblings have been added through the years. In the original series he has a twin brother, Charlie, who speaks with an English-sounding accent and is a Scam Artist . In '' The Munsters Today '', he is given a younger brother named Frank. And in the 1995 movie, '' Here Come The Munsters '' he is given a sister named Elsa who resembles the Bride Of Frankenstein . She is also married to Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde . In the series, Herman's costume and appearance matched the Popular Image Of The Monster (flat head, ill-fitting black suit and Electrode s protruding from the neck), invented for the original 1931 Universal Studios film, '' Frankenstein ''. Herman wore so much padding and layers of clothes that despite drinking gallons of Lemonade and taking Salt Tablets between takes and using an air hose between neck and costume, he sweated so much that he continuously lost weight, becoming dangerously thin. On the DVD, Al Lewis said that Fred Gwynne suffered terribly for the role. Grandpa Portrayed by Al Lewis , and usually called "Grandpa". Although his Given Name is said to be Sam Dracula, although in '' The Munsters Today '' it is said to be Vladimir 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 (though he talks of knowing Nero, etc. so may be just given to boasting) and has been married several times; although his wives are all dead, he still keeps in touch with them. His identity as Count Dracula is established in two episodes, Mr. Gateman refers to him as "Count Dracula" when he comes to dinner and to hear Eddie play the trumpet (episode: The Musician), he's also refers to himself as "Count Dracula" when he makes a Collect Call to Transylvania , and the Telephone Operator recognizes his voice immediately. In the same episode he says 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. Despite this, Grandpa and Herman are actually very close friends, and most of the episodes of the series revolve around their zany schemes, usually ending with Lily chewing them out or fixing the problem. In one episode Lily said if it wasn't for Herman he would be living in a cave though this may be exaggerated. Eddie Munster Portrayed by Butch Patrick , who was cast in March 1964, Eddie is a typical All-America n boy Werewolf , but in some episodes he has shown some signs of being part vampire. Most noticed is the fact that he sleeps in a coffin. He attends Elementary School , and aside from his pointed ears, severe Widow's Peak , and Fauntleroy suit, he is a normal kid. His full name is Edward Wolfgang Munster. Butch is not in the original pilot episode of The Munsters. The actor cast, Happy Derman, played a more aggressively wolfish boy. Butch would appear in all other episodes to follow. Marilyn Munster Marilyn was originally played by Beverley Owen who was 30 years old at the time. She was meant to be a copy of Marilyn Monroe (similar in name to Marilyn Munster) and had to wear a blonde wig for the part. According to Al Lewis in a 2001 interview with Pittsburgh radio's Doug Hoerth, Owen was having relationship problems in that she missed her boyfriend who was 3,000 miles away (from Los Angeles) in New York City. After Lewis and Fred Gwynne petitioned the studio, the actress was let go. The role was taken over in episode 14 by Pat Priest after Owen left to marry Jon Stone . Pat Priest looked enough like Beverley Owen that many never even noticed that the role was played by another actress (including Al Lewis). It also helped the studio in that she was Owen's size and so fitted into all her old clothes. Marilyn is the daughter of one of Lily's sisters, and lives with the Munsters through the entire series. The reason Marilyn lives with the Munsters is never explained. Although she is Lily's niece, 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 is the daughter of Herman's sister instead. She is a fetching young blonde, the only member of the family who is not ghoulish in appearance. 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. Despite standing out amongst the cast more than any other character, Marilyn was the least developed character in the series. She was never the main character in any episode, and she usually acted as a catalyst for Herman and Grandpa's antics. Their pets
Other relatives
PRODUCTION The show was produced by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher , who were already known for creating the '' Leave It To Beaver '' television series. 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. ''The Munsters'' was filmed in Black-and-white , though the never-aired pilot episode was filmed in Color . The Munstermobile ", a Hot Rod built on a lengthened 1923 Ford Model T chassis with a custom hearse body. It was 18 feet long and cost almost $20,000 to build. Barris also built the DRAG-U-LA (which inspired a Rob Zombie song By The Same Name ), a dragster 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. The Munster Mansion The original home of the Munster family was depicted on the show at 1313 Mockingbird Lane in Mockingbird Heights. In reality, the exterior shots were filmed on the Universal Studios backlot. The house was built in 1946 for the movie ''So Goes My Love''. It was then put into storage for several years. Then sometime in the fifties it along with other Facades was assembled with other homes on the back lot which was called River Road. Until production of ''The Munsters'' in 1964 the house could be seen as a back drop on many shows including '' Leave It To Beaver ''. Today it has been remodeled and as featured on '' Desperate Housewives '' and located on Colonial Street in the backlot. The interiors were contained entirely on an enclosed Sound Stage . In the spring of 2001, Sandra and Charles McKee of Waxahachie, Texas began construction of a fully livable recreation of the Munster home, inside and out. With initial construction completed in 2002, cast alumni Al Lewis and Butch Patrick appeared at the public grand opening. Lewis exclaimed, with tears in his eyes, "This brings back warm memories." The house comes equipped with a grand staircase (which opens up to reveal Spot), a rotating suit of armor, trap doors, secret passages, Grandpa's electric chair, a pipe organ, raven Cuckoo Clock , a crooked bat Weather Vane on the roof and even a dungeon complete with trap door. Since then, the McKees have opened their private home to the public for two nights each year on the weekend of Halloween . Since the death of Lewis, Pat Priest has returned to appear multiple times. The Munster Mansion Halloween Bash each year selects a local charity and donates all proceeds from the event. EPISODES See Also: List of The Munsters episodes SPINOFF SERIES '' The Munsters Today '' ran from 1988 to 1991 and lasted for 72 episodes. The unaired pilot episode, written by Lloyd J Schwartz , explained the 22 year gap through an accident in Grandpa's lab that put the family to sleep. They awake in the late 1980s and have to adapt to modern life in the 80s. It featured John Schuck (Herman), Lee Meriwether as Lily, Howard Morton (Grandpa) and Jason Marsden (Eddie). Marilyn was portrayed by Mary-Ellen Dunbar in the first episode, and by Hilary Van Dyke thereafter. The show used many props and set pieces from the original series, and also reworked some old story-lines. From the second series onwards, the show developed a more modern approach, with colorful new costumes and more contemporary storylines, as the Munsters embrace their new lives. FILMS Several Munster films were released, two with the original cast.
COMIC BOOK Gold Key produced a "Munsters" Comic Book which ran 16 issues from 1965 to 1968 and had photo covers, from the TV series. When it first appeared, the Comics Code Authority still forbade the appearance of Vampire s in comic books. Lily and Grandpa were permitted without apparent objection. A FALSE FIRST Herman and Lily Munster are often mistakenly named as the first couple to share the same bed on American television, in the episode "Autumn Croakus" on November 26, 1964. In reality, that distinction goes to '' Mary Kay And Johnny '', in an episode aired on November 18, 1947 on the DuMont Network . The first television couple to share a bed when the actors were not married in real life was Samantha and Darrin Stephens of '' Bewitched '', on October 22, 1964. IN POPULAR CULTURE
OTHER APPEARANCES ''The Munsters'' appeared in a series of commercials that advertised Cheerios and the importance of safety in the workplace. The actors of the show also appeared in parades in the Munster Koach during the show's run. DVD RELEASES Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released both series on DVD in Region 1. REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|