The Munsters 

A family of friendly monsters have misadventures, never quite understanding why people react to them so strangely.

Creators:

Ed Haas, Norm Liebmann

Stars:

Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis, Yvonne De Carlo

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Fred Gwynne	...	Herman Munster / ... 72 episodes, 1964-2004
Al Lewis	...	Grandpa 72 episodes, 1964-2004
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Lily Munster 71 episodes, 1964-1987
Butch Patrick	...	Eddie Munster 71 episodes, 1964-1987
Pat Priest	...	Marilyn Munster 57 episodes, 1964-1966

Storyline

The Munsters are a weird but honest family. Herman (the father) is Frankenstein's monster. Lily (his wife) and Grandpa (her father) are vampires. Eddie (their little son) is a werewolf. Marilyn (their niece) is the only normal one (that is the ugly duck of the family).

---

Plot Keywords:

sitcom | monster | frankenstein | spoof | character name in series title | 

---

Taglines:

Cross their welcome mat and you're apt to die laughing! Monstrous fun with Fred Gwynne, Yvonne DeCarlo, Al Lewis. (season 1)

---

Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Horror

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 September 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Meet the Munsters

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS,Kayro-Vue Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (70 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

After the pilot was filmed, CBS execs insisted on re-casting the role of Lily Munster. Initially, both Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis balked at the notion of the part going to Yvonne De Carlo. However, later both Gwynne and Lewis agreed De Carlo was a great comedic actress.

---

Goofs

The Munsters regard their niece Marilyn (who looks like the ideal beauty of non-monster people) as ugly and deformed, yet everyone else in the town of Mockingbird Heights basically looks like Marilyn. The Munsters also watch movies and regard then-popular stars such as Frank Sinatra and Rock Hudson as ideal men, and Grandpa's beauty potions always conjure up a beauty who looks something like Marilyn. Shouldn't their concept of beauty be horrible monsters, in accordance with the premise that Marilyn is an ugly duckling? Nor do the Munsters seem to be aware that they look radically different from non-monster people, despite interacting with them on a daily basis.

---

Quotes

Lily Munster: Grandpa, if you want the ketchup, just say "Please pass the ketchup", not "Shoot me the plasma!"

---

Crazy Credits

In the un-broadcast pilot The Munsters: My Fair Munster: Unaired Pilot 1 (2004), Nate Derman, who played Eddie Munster, is listed in the opening credits as "Happy Derman."

---

Connections

Referenced in RuPaul's Drag Race: The Snatch Game (2011)

User Reviews

A TV treasure

Being only 27 years old I was not around when this series was actually being made but I remember watching this series in the eighties when I was around 9-12 years old. I remember enjoying every minute of it.

The catchy theme tune, the spooky house, the dinosaur under the stairs, Grandpa's experiments and the brilliant central performance from Fred Gwynne all added up to a terrific half hour comedy.

Watching it ten years on it seems a little more cheesy than I first remember it to be - but it is one of those shows I will always fondly remember.