Munster Masquerade (24 Sep. 1964)

The Munsters are invited to a masquerade dance party.

Director:

Lawrence Dobkin

Writers:

Joe Connelly, Bob Mosher,

Stars:

Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, Beverley Owen

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Lily Munster
Al Lewis	...	Grandpa
Beverley Owen	...	Marilyn Munster
Butch Patrick	...	Eddie Munster
Fred Gwynne	...	Herman Munster
Linden Chiles	...	Tom Daly
Mabel Albertson	...	Agnes Daly
Frank Wilcox	...	Albert Daly
Lurene Tuttle	...	Mrs. Morton
Walter Woolf King	...	George Washington
Nina Roman	...	The Harem Girl
Paul Bradley	...	The 1st Guest
Berniece Dalton	...	The 2nd Guest
Roy Darmour	...	The 3rd Guest

Storyline

Marilyn's hanging out with Tom Daly, a young man from a good family. She's very happy with him, but he hasn't met Marilyn's family. So, Tom's family sends an invitation to Herman and Lily, for a masquerade dance party. But Grandpa hasn't been invited, and Lily intercedes and calls to Mrs. Daly, asking if Grandpa can go to the party too. Surprised, Mrs. Daly says that there's no problem if that Grandpa person assists to the party. Mrs. Daly tells her husband about the matter. They're suspecting about Munsters' good manners. Herman disguises himself as King Arthur, wearing a heavy armor. Lily disguises herself as a shepherdess (quoting Herman, she looks "positively awful") and Marilyn is a pilgrim. Grandpa disguises himself as Napoleon, mixing up the potions of Marlon Brando and Charles de Gaulle. At the party, things aren't going so good, because Mr. Daly hasn't talk with Herman. Besides, Grandpa is behaving in an eccentric way with Mrs. Daly. Marilyn encourages his uncle to talk with ...

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Plot Keywords:

party | masquerade | prize

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 September 1964 (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 25 min (PAL)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the Masquerade Party when Lily is dancing, her partner mentions that she is light on her feet, and we see that she is, in fact, floating in the air, a foot or two off the ground. The wires lifting her are visible during the dialogue.

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Quotes

Herman Munster: [Lily is dressed as Little Bo Peep] Lily! You've scared me out of a century's growth!

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Connections

References Désirée (1954)

User Reviews

A great beginning

Probably due to shows like "My Favorite Martian", which debuted in 1963, the year before "The Munsters", the market was ripe for shows that placed fantastical characters in typical sitcoms. Three such shows first aired in 1964. ABC had "The Addams Family" and "Bewitched", and CBS had "The Munsters" (NBC got into the game a year later with "I Dream of Jeannie"). I don't know the history of how two horror sitcom families emerged at exactly the same time, but if you're going to do fantastical characters in a sitcom world, and you don't want to copy "My Favorite Martian" by doing aliens, a horror family is certainly a good idea.

"Munster Masquerade", the first episode aired, was a great way to introduce the basic premise to the audience. The Munsters believe that they're normal and that it's the rest of the world that's off-kilter. The family primarily consists of Herman, a Frankenstein monster; his wife Lily, the Bride of Frankenstein, of course; Grandpa, a vampire; Eddie, a wolfboy; and Marilyn. Marilyn, Herman and Lily's niece, is not a monster. She's a normal, attractive human woman, a fact that causes Herman and Lily much worry. They see her as such an unfortunately frightening, ugly child. This is a great joke that helps continually emphasize the Munsters effectively "upside down/backwards" world.

Others around them do not agree with The Munsters' worldview and tend to treat them like what they are--a family of horror icons living in what's essentially a haunted house. So the problem arises of how to account for The Munsters' appearance when they interact with the "normal" world. The solution here is to have them attend a masquerade party given by Marilyn's boyfriend. Among other things, the masquerade party in this episode allows a nice series of jokes based on Marilyn's boyfriend's father costuming himself as a Frankenstein monster.

Of course, the humor in "The Munsters" is of the cornball variety, complete with an over-exaggerated laugh track. That was the name of the game in 1960s sitcoms, at least, and either you find it charming in its own way or you avoid these shows. I find it charming, especially when it's a horror sitcom.