If a Martian Answers, Hang Up (21 Jan. 1965)

Herman has a new Ham radio and picks up two friends of Eddie playing Spacemen on their walkie talkies. Thinking Martians have landed, he and Grandpa go out searching for spaceships using the latter's radio direction finder.

Director:

Norman Abbott

Writers:

Joe Connelly, Bob Mosher,

Stars:

Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Fred Gwynne	...	Herman Munster
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Lily Munster
Al Lewis	...	Grandpa
Pat Priest	...	Marilyn Munster
Butch Patrick	...	Eddie Munster
Herbert Rudley	...	Capt. Halbert
Dort Clark	...	Mr. Andrews
Ronnie Dapo	...	Roger
Pat Rosson	...	Walt
Larry Thor	...	The 2nd Man
Ray Montgomery	...	The 1st Man

Storyline

Herman has a new Ham radio and picks up two friends of Eddie playing Spacemen on their walkie talkies. Thinking Martians have landed, he and Grandpa go out searching for spaceships using the latter's radio direction finder.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to napoleon

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 January 1965 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 30, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kayro-Vue Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Martian seen at the end of the episode is the Helosian from The Outer Limits's episode 'O.B.I.T.'

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Quotes

Grandpa: I got it in here somewhere, let me see, what do we have here? Heh. Oh, a rabbit's foot carried by General Custer. Oh, Mother's day card from Lizzie Borden. Compas off the Titanic. Ah! Here it is!
[cackles with glee]
Grandpa: My radio direction finder.
Herman Munster: Direction finder? Grandpa, that's just an old fashioned divining rod!
Grandpa: True, true, heh, but I had it transistorized last month!
[dials show that the direction finder can be set to find Water, Girls, Metal and Flying Objects]

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Connections

References The Outer Limits (1963)

User Reviews

"Earth To Mars!" "Earth To Mars!"

Ham radios apparently were a hit item back in the mid '60s, at least according to the beginning of this episode when some feds go over an application for one - the Munsters. "To be able to communicate with people around the world" was a new and exciting adventure. Little did they know the world of personal computers lay ahead

Anyway, two of Eddie's friends, Roger and Walt, have new walkie-talkies and pretend they space guys. Herman accidentally tunes into their wave length and thinks these are actual Martians! He is so excited, he can't sleep and thinks he is on the verge of the biggest scientific breakthrough in history. A Nobel Prize will be his, he thinks.

This was another solid episode with good laughs The kids got space outfits and a fake flying saucer as a gift from one of their dads, so when Herman finally meets up with this aliens, thanks to grandpa's super diving rod, they really get excited! What happens in that scene is a classic!

By the way, Grandpa's diving rod had setting not just for water but for flying objects, metal and girls.