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, 1964-1966
Butch Patrick	...	Eddie Munster 71 episodes, 1964-1966
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).

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Plot Keywords:

sitcom | monster | spoof | husband wife relationship | family relationships | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Beverley Owen played the part of Marilyn for the first 13 episodes. She was in love with her fiancée in New York and agreed to do the show thinking it would be a flop from the outlandish premise. When it became a hit, she was constantly crying from having to be in LA while her boyfriend Jon Stone was in New York. The other cast members asked the producers to release her from her contract so she could get married and they did. She was replaced by Pat Priest, who looked so much like Beverly Owen, viewers never knew the difference. Beverley Owen would get divorced from Jon Stone eight years later, and would never appear on screen again after those initial 13 episodes.

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Goofs

Throughout the series, in most scenes featuring flying bats or levitating people, the wires are visible.

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Quotes

Lily Munster: Oh, Marilyn... the circles under your eyes. How lovely you look today.

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Crazy Credits

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

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Connections

Referenced in Amityville Playhouse (2015)

User Reviews

Props to the Actors

Credit where credit is due: Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo and Al Lewis are what keep you coming back to the Munsters. Yes, the look of the show (Universal Horror all the way) is great, the writing often clever, the numerous sight gags usually entertaining. But if you didn't have good (very good) acting from the leads this show would have tanked.

Boiled down, the Munsters is a typical family sitcom in a bizarre setting. And while most of the episodes are fun, if feather-light, it didn't take long until the first clunker (#14: Grandpa Leaves Home). And that wasn't the last one but, thankfully, it's in the minority. The reason, again, is that Herman, Lily and Grandpa (along with the kids and numerous guest star appearances) are, frankly, endearing. You become so fond of them that some episodes actually become touching (Happy 100th Anniversary).

Only 70 episodes but that was about the limit of what you could crank out without it becoming painful. Too many sitcoms run on past their welcome. This one managed not to.

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)

Color:

Black and White