The Munsters

Grandpa Munster was a perverted old man behind the scenes.

Lol Lily Munster packed Batmilk yogurt for Herman’s lunch tonight.

I enjoy it as well. Lewis began in vaudeville and he is quite funny. One of my favorite episodes is when Marilyn has a date, and he tries to "rescue" her from the Munsters.

Munsters fun packs!

Our son became the Speaker of the House.

Herman Munster has major BDF

Herman Munster reminds me of Hugh Grant.

Loved The Munsters much better than The Addams Family although I did like them both.

The Munsters at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. 70 episodes.

The first Marilyn was prettier.

I love them and The Addams Family, why can't we just have good fun tv, now?

R10 Beverly Owen was the first Marilyn, and yes, she was very pretty. But she left after the first 13 episodes because she wanted to get married and have children.

Pat Priest as the second Marilyn - she was the one that lasted.

R13 Then they replaced her for the motion picture Munster's Go Home, which is basically the series finale.

Rob Zombie is working on a feature film version of The Munsters. I don't have much hope for it. His wife is playing Lily.

One thing I've noticed about the series is that the production values were very cinematic for about the first 13 or so episodes. High contrast shadows, unusual camera angles (for a TV show) and more details in the shots. Then it became a bit more standard in relation to other sitcoms at the time. Still, I loved the show.

This documentary about Fred Gwynne is interesting.

Pat Priest rocked!

So did Pat McCrotch

I’m doing a screen test for the part of Herman in the reboot.

Wish me luck!

I used to watch the Munsters and the Addams Family in syndication in the mid 1970s.

I always thought the Munsters was funnier.

I have Munster, Go Home on DVD. It's on Blu-ray, too.

I suppose if there was a contest to see who had the cooler theme song, the Addams Family would win (duh-duh-duh-DUH *snap* *snap*).

But I like the Munsters theme song from season two because it rocks...

I preferred the Munsters to the Addams Family, too. I think I was too young to understand the sarcasm and ironic "jokes" of the Addams family. The Munsters, OTOH, tried to be kind, earnest members of society.

I thought I was the only one who loved this silly, lovable show. Just hearing the intro theme music makes me 😊. Fred Gwynne had a difficult time because the make up and costume for Herman was very hot and he sweated so severely that he became weak and had to constantly drink fluids. Grandpa and Herman were very close friends on and off the set.

Hostess made Munsters Fun Packs snoballs

Marilyn no 2…Pat Priest…was the daughter of Ivy Baker Priest, the Treasurer of the US.

Pat priest was popular

The two Marilyns are pretty interchangeable. Anyhow I did think it was a cute gag, that she was the grotesquely ugly, pitiable one of the family.

R23 The opening theme was pretty groovy.

it’s fun to say “Pat Priest”

I detested Eddie Munster. I thought he was unbearable. Always whining about something.

Pat Priest as Sue Ann's sister Lila...

(R15) Rob Zombie is going to totally ruin it. His wife couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag. Going to do to it, what he did to the Halloween movies. He’s going to make it white trash. No thanks.

We do not need to know the OP's paltry background information, as if we are Munsters neophytes.

We are DLers.

We have watched every episode of the show to see if (if - HA!) any cum ever leaked out of Yvonne DeCarlo during the production.

It’s fucking hilarious!

I think both the Addams Family and Munsters paved the way toward accepting people who may look or act different from "normal people" are really just like everybody else. I'm guessing they were Hollywood's subtle way of making integration more acceptable during a time that it was a scary idea for a lot of people

The idea that Marilyn's putative ugliness ("She's not pretty like the rest of us," Eddie sadly wrote about her in a school report on his family) was the reason her boyfriends always ran away when they came to pick her up at the house was one of the funniest running gags on any sitcom of the 60s.

Even Marilyn believed it about herself.

I read in a book that Al Lewis (referred to as 'Grandpa') had hooked-up with Andrew Cunanan. There wasn't elaboration beyond one of Andrew's acquaintances hearing it from Andrew in a negative way.

The unaired pilot

Tonight my fave episode is on Cozi. The family go camping and grandpa turns himself into a wolf and forgets how to change back. 😆

Al Lewis once ran for governor of New York State on the Green Party line, securing them sufficient votes at that time to remain a recognized line party on the next ballot.

He was an old New York Jewish leftie.

R1, I heard he liked to eat poo.

No way R37. I knew the old bastard and no way this is true. BTW I don't mean any disrespect, he was grandpa to everyone.

Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis had worked together at least once before on television show "Car 54 Where Are You?

Watched reruns on MeTv and for some strange reason actually found young Fred Gwynne somewhat attractive.

More:

New York City Biograph Studio later became Gold Medal Studios, the largest film studio in USA outside of Los Angeles.

The television series Naked City, Car 54, Where Are You?, and East Side/West Side, and movies such as A Face in the Crowd, Odds Against Tomorrow, The Fugitive Kind, The Goddess, Pretty Boy Floyd, BUtterfield 8, The Incident, and John and Mary were filmed there.

Young Fred Gwynne

[quote]But I like the Munsters theme song from season two because it rocks

I love the wild 'n' crazy horn riff when Marilyn makes her appearance.

As the OP shows, those who are least literate enjoy their emojis.

Spooky music!

Television version colorized.

Yvoone De Carlo is sadly known by far to many for only playing Lili Munster on television. The good lady had a long career in films and stage..

I loved the show!! I grew up watching reruns in the 2000s. I loved how loving the munsters were and the gag where they thought they were all beautiful and normal and Marilyn was the strange looking one. 😂

Yvonne De Carlo--I'm Still Here, Follies,

At least with the Munsters one knew what the characters were supposed to be; Frankenstein, Dracula, Bride of Dracula, etc..

Never could figure out just what the Addams family characters were besides just strange. Yes you had Cousin It, Thing, that zombie butler. But neither Gomez or Morticia were "monsters", neither were their children.

^The Addams family weren't meant to be monsters per se; their charms were more subtle than that.

Agree OP, best show evah!

Al Lewis was a well-known scat queen.

R54, they were "dark" eccentrics. Based on a dark comic strip.

What is a scar Queen?

"What is a scar queen?"

They troll hospitals, Rose.

This show is what Yvonne De Carlo meant when she sang "First you're another sloe-eyed vamp, then someone's mother, then you're camp". This was the camp part of her career.

I really doubt a respectable and savvy organization like the Green Party of New York State would pick a known scat queen as their candidate for governor in such an important election.

The Green party is all about recycling. Al Lewis was into recycling food.

The Addams Family characters were based on the popular Charles Addams comic which ran in The New Yorker I think since the 1940’s or 50’s. They were just generally ghoulish creature people not connected to famous monster character types. They were more vague.

In accordance with his final wishes, Fred Gwynne was buried in an unmarked grave.

Over years some have bothered to sniff out final resting place of Mr. Gwynne.

John Schuck, who played Herman in the terrible 1980s syndicated Munsters reboot, was on the Gilbert Gottfried podcast recently and talked about the experience. He said he was getting divorced and it was the only job he ever took for the money.

The first rebooted episodes were single-camera like the original, then they turned it into a conventional three-camera sitcom with an audience. Due to the makeup and the effects, it took forever.

He apologized to Fred Gwynne when he saw him. Gwynne was very polite and complimentary, but Schuck said he could tell he was lying.

Did Herman Munster have a giant green cock?

Fred Gwynne *is* Big Daddy. With Elizabeth Ashley and Keir Dullea.

Sort of cheesy, but never the less rather good summation of Yvonne De Carlo's career.

For record Ms. De Carlo wasn't the first "Lilly Munster". Neither Al Lewis nor Fred Gwynne (among others connected with The Munsters) thought big Hollywood film star famous for her figure was going to be a good fit, but Yvonne De Carlo proved them all wrong.

R61

Sondheim wrote "I'm Still Here" for Yvonne De Carlo who played the first Carlotta Campion. First song wasn't working out well, and producers felt that Ms. De Carlo having been a big film star deserved a better song.

In interviews however Mr. Sondheim has stated inspiration for song came from life of Joan Crawford.

JC started out doing "sloe eyed vamp" roles in silent films. She then moved onto sound and became a famous movie star. Later on in her life becoming a camp caricature of herself doing "camp" films. Oh yes, JC also along the way became "someone's mother"....

Fred Gwynne is absolutely brilliant in his creating the Herman Munster character. It is so clever and rooted in the show's bizarre reality. Really the whole cast is great. I find it a very funny show. I loved it as a kid and it actually holds up fine.

I was watching an episode where the old 1930s-40s Warner Bros. character actor Allen Jenkins popped up as, what else, a cop!

I have noticed that a few old movies (particularly film noir) were written by Al Lewis. I presume it is the same one as our Grandpa.

I agree with you, R43. I never found Fred Gwynn to be attractive when I used to watch the Munsters or Car 54 Where Are You, as a kid. But in my adult years I find him to be handsome.

I loved when Grandpa referred to Herman as a, "schmuck".

Of Irish and English ancestry Fred Gwynne suppose could be best described as a male jolie laide.

The man was so much more than Herman Munster, but liked it or not after that show it was all some could ever see. Fred Gwynne was good in film Pet Cemetery, he just somehow fit as and old New Englander.

Have you met Uncle Gilbert, yet? The costume from The Creature From The Black Lagoon was actually recycled for this cameo.

R72

Different Al Lewis...

The Munsters was written and produced by the same 2 guys that wrote and produced Leave it to Beaver.

In the episode where Grandpa becomes a dog and Herman comes up with an idea to turn him back, Grandpa/Dog starts licking Herman's face. Herman giggles and tells him to stop because they're both boys and people will talk. Pretty risque for the 1960s.

A longtime friend, very familiar with my family, has referred to me as the Cousin Marilyn of my family.

I thought it was funny how the pet raven popped out of the koo koo clock and quipped “never more “ at just the right times! Hilarious!

[quote]In interviews however Mr. Sondheim has stated inspiration for song came from life of Joan Crawford.

I know that he has said this, but it doesn't quite fit. Sloe-eyed means dark, slanted eyes.

Early in her career, Yvonne was cast as ethnic characters: Indians, slave girls, etc. By the time she was in The Ten Commandments, she was also wife/mother.

Everyone has said that Sondheim had a conversation with Yvonne before writing "I'm Still Here" and I think it's based on her. I think Joan Crawford was inserted when they started talking about a movie version.

[quote]I thought it was funny how the pet raven popped out of the koo koo clock and quipped “never more “ at just the right times! Hilarious!

And there was also Igor the bat and Spot (dragon?) who lived underneath the stairs but occasionally escaped and chased cars

Yes, Igor was the bat. He was Grandpa’s sidekick. Spot he dragon! 😝

[quote] A longtime friend, very familiar with my family, has referred to me as the Cousin Marilyn of my family.

At first glance, that is a compliment (you're the good looking one in the family). But if you think about it, it could also be taken the other way (looking at it from the Minsters' POV).

You should ask your friend to elaborate!

R85, it was wholly a compliment, but unrelated to my appearance. He was telling me that I was the lone rational one in the bunch.

The CNN show History of the Sitcom notes both The Munsters and The Addams Family were metaphors for changing demographics in the suburbs (ie blacks and Jews). The difference being that The Munsters really wanted to fit in while The Addams family had no desire to change for others.

I never got that before but i makes sense now.

R82

Methinks "sloe-eyed" as it relates to early film referred also to actresses who had "dark" looks, were cast as "vamps". It may have also had something to do with heavy eye make-up used in early film days as well.

Yvonne De Carlo, Joan Crawford, Myrna Loy, Ava Gardner, and other actresses back in day were considered "sloe eyed vamps" or cast as such.

Even as Lili Munster the heavy eye make-up used gives Yvonne De Carlo a "sloe eyed" look.

Fred was excellent in My Cousin Vinny.

Did anybody see Mockingbird Lane with Eddie Izzard as Grandpa and Jerry O’Connell as Herman?

I remember liking it enough and hoping it would head to series.

I just looked it up and discovered it was directed by Bryan Singer.

I have heard so many bad things about Grandpa Munster.

Like, they put him in the dungeon laboratory for a reason.

Actually, while Al Lewis and Fred were great in the series, Yvonne cemented the cast.

Was Yvonne gay-friendly; she seemed pretty conservative?

Grandpa was hilarious in the series

It's funny how you can never think of "The Munsters" without thinking of "The Addams Family" and vice versa. It's the same thing with "Bewitched" and "I Dream Of Jeannie". Were there any other shows that had that same similarity/competition?

Though believe later on Elizabeth Montgomery and Barbara Eden patched things up the former was not a fan of "I Dream of Jeannie" when it launched. Ms. Montgomery considered IDOJ a rip-off of Bewitched, which in some ways was true.

[quote]Was Yvonne gay-friendly; she seemed pretty conservative?

Yvonne was a hardcore Republican. Not sure how she felt about the gays.

r98, was going to say that. Conservative.

I loved how Lily always had a backstory for Grandpa and Herman in anything they did. Marilyn always loved that.

R98

We keep going down same path with this GOP thing and old Hollywood.

Yes, many if not majority of those involved or adjacent to Golden Age Hollywood were hardcore GOP.

That being said as noted many times on various DL thread, including by those who lived in same era Republican party then was not what it has become of late.

r97, ya think so? Eden was a wooden actress on IDOJ. Sam was fleshed out much better. I don't think Barbara was a good actress at all. Maybe her appearance on the Andy Griffith was her best role, otherwise she's a wooden fake.

I was on the set of the Munsters as a kid in 1965. All I really remember was tons of artificial dust everywhere. They had just finished filming a scene with a giant egg on the kitchen table.. Not sure which episode it was.

I also recall that the dragon’s lair under the stairs was wide open. It was disappointing to see it only was a few feet deep.

R101, No the majority were liberal, and you are right, the GOP was a different animal back then. Completely different than what we see now. I'd say 60% lib, 40% con. Conservation was a big GOP talking point. Nowadays, not at all.

R103 tell me more

R102

Wasn't so much acting skills (or lack thereof), but basic premise IDOJ was nearly a direct point for point rip off of Bewitched.

Both super natural females were attractive blondes who were forbidden (if not bullied) by their mortal husbands (early on Jeannie's master), from being themselves, etc...

Sam had an "evil" cousin, Jeannie had a wicked sister (both cases were brunettes). Jeannie's mother (played by Barbara Eden) didn't like Mr. Nelson, Endora.. well you get the picture.

R106, the big difference was that Bewitched had a much larger bench of supporting characters (Endora, Larry Tate, the Kravitzs, Aunt Clara, Doctor Bombay, Mrs. Stephens, Tabitha, Uncle Arthur...even Darrin's ex fiancee made three appearances), while IDOJ only had Major Healey (wonderful) and Major Bellows (awful).

R106, that's plain as day. My point is Eden is not that good of an actress. She was hammy in IDOJ. It doesn't hold up as well as Bewitched. The blind "Master" schtick is weak and misogynistic, Sam, on the other hand was strong, and had a will of her own.

[quote] The blind "Master" schtick is weak and misogynistic

She was his genie, you idiot!

Fuck Jenie! This is the Munsters! ASSHOLES!

Ghouls, ghouls, you’re both assholes!

r110, yeah, I get that. Not gonna fly anymore. But yes, let's get back to the Munsters. Lily going to work for the modeling agency is one of the best episodes.

You’ll think asshole while I shove my foot up urs!

The family bringing The Dragula to the race track is another fave.

Uncle Al was a great tipper to the boys.

Was Al really into scat??

R103, my visit there was summer of ‘65, right after Universal opened for tours. Back then they would take you onto the active soundstages and into real peoples’ offices. In addition to MUNSTERS, saw all the interiors for MCHALES NAVY, VIRGINIAN, HELLFIGHTERS, WAGON TRAIN and other Universal shows of the time. They took us in to Alfred Hitchcock’s and Edith Head’s actual offices when they out to lunch. Even got to eat in the studio commissary. Incredible thrill for me as a young kid from back East.

What kind of a self-respecting gay man would suck off that old communist Al Lewis?

Maybe because he was known as Al 15-inches Lewis.

Maybe.

In addition to the verbal gags, The Munsters often had some great visual gags as well although they sometimes went by so fast, you could miss them. Speaking of Spot, there was one scene where Lily is saying "Bad Spot! Bad!" and when someone asks what's wrong, Lily says Spot got out and was chasing cars again - and then proceeds to try to drag a car's bumper out of the house.

I'm sure it's been asked, but why was Marilyn referred to as Marilyn Munster and yet, in an episode, Herman speaks about Marilyn's looks and says "she's YOUR niece".

Interesting, R121, you're right. She's definitely Lily's niece, they've made several other references to that before. She should be Marilyn Dracula, as that is Lily's maiden name.

R107

That was Col. Dr. Alfred Bellows, who was Major Nelson's superior.

Dr. Bellows was played by gay actor Hayden Rorke who lived with his life partner television director Justus Addiss. Barbara Eden along with rest of cast from IDOJ often attended parties at the Rorke/Addiss home.

Both Hayden Rorke and Jstus Addiss were native New Yorkers, HR was born and raised in Brooklyn, while JA across the East River in Manhattan.

For being "unabashedly gay" though they lived better part of their lives together Hayden Rorke was buried next to his mother, while am not sure about Justus Addiss. He predeceased his partner by 8 years, but that is all can fine online.

The Munsters was conceived as a parody of traditional family sitcoms and produced by the guys who created and often wrote "Leave it to Beaver". The original opening was clearly a takeoff on "The Donna Reed Show". Unfortunately, that meant that a lot of the early jokes were lame takeoffs on sitcom lines. The writing got better as the first season wore on. The Addams Family had a little more sophistication, but got weirder in its second season and less funny. Both were shot by cheap studios---Universal for "The Munsters", Filmways for "The Addams Family".

DeCarlo had been taking whatever she could get to pay the medical bills for her disabled stuntman husband. She was grateful for "The Munsters" and was no diva, but she was never close to people and didn't keep up with the cast after it ended. She and Butch Patrick did reconcile years later near her death.

[quote] Leave it to Beaver

Ward, you were pretty hard on the Beaver yesterday.

-June

R116 let's just say, when he leaned in for a kiss, and people turned away, it was for a reason.

The Munsters had the coolest cars - the Munster Koach and Grandpa's Drag-u-la dragsters.

[quote]Did anybody see Mockingbird Lane with Eddie Izzard as Grandpa and Jerry O’Connell as Herman?

Yes, and I liked it quite a bit. But being a Bryan Fuller project, it was doomed because although he comes up with great concepts for shows, he can't stick with anything.

Remember this episode?

I’ve never listened to an Adam Carrolla podcast, but someone told me he grew up with the grandson of Al Lewis. Occasionally, Al would give them a ride somewhere and attempt to slap the shit out of them. Imagine Grandpa Munster throwing hands at you!

Lick my beaver

Gee, I can't imagine somebody wanting to bitch slap Adam Carrolla.

Lily was kind of harsh on Herman.

Al Lewis looks like Corey Feldman’s grandfather.

Put R133 down as OK with child abuse.

I know what I would have done with Adam Carolla.

R137, if you were Al Lewis, you would sneak into the bathroom after he left for a snack.

R138 are you insinuating Al Lewis had a shit eating fetish??

It’s Munster time on COZI!

R121 R122 the same with Granny on the Beverly Hillbillies, she was Jed’s mother-in-law, but everyone still calls her Granny Clampett.

R141. She was Daisy Moses. Her daughter, Rose Ellen married Jed.

Team Addams Family. Way classier.

Nice documentary with lots of cast members interviewed.

R17 Thanks for that documentary. I remember reading that he was raised in a very wealthy family but I never knew about the personal tragedies with his children. Interesting that the Executive Producer was Ken Burns. I didn't think he did anything but historical pieces.

Fred Gwynne was very handsome with a BDF. Al Lewis was a jerk. He made the rounds of radio and TV shows to tout the show and instead he came off like a foul-mouthed pimp. He thought he was bigger than he was. Never mentioned any of the other players in The Munsters, only talked about his own history.

Thanks, R144, that was enjoyable. It was also the first time I heard from Pat Priest about how she felt being replaced in the movie.

Did Al eat shit??

I watch Munsters every Sunday evening on Cozi. They’re funny and relaxing.

Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis were friends for decades...they even starred in Car 54, Where are you ? before the Munsters.

And who will kiss my ruby lips?

I love Munsters on Sundays

I HATED this and the Addams Family. They were so fucking stupid. When I realized that the Addamses were derived from cartoons that ran in the New Yorker that we’re actually quite cool and sophisticated I could hardly believe it.

[quote]I’ve been watching this old shit every evening on Cozi-TV. It’s kinda hilarious. Very early-to-mid 60s. It’s stupid but a lot of the gags and one liners are funny. Grandpa Munster played by Al Lewis is a hoot. Tonight’s episode included the one where Herman & Lily are getting ready to celebrate their 100th wedding anniversary. 1865-1965.

One hopes this Frau-adjacent poster has shuffled off somewhere else by now. What a sad post.

Fuck off cunt flap

You’re hemorrhoid adjacent

This thread reminded me of an episode of "Say Yes to the Dress".

The bride to be was a beautiful African American woman who wanted to wear a black dress to her wedding. The parents who were there when she was shopping (and who I assume were paying for the dress) were strongly against.

So, trying on dresses, the bride comes out wearing this black wedding dress and the father takes one look and says "That looks like what you would wear to a party at 1313 Mockingbird Lane".

The Countess LuAnn reading Alex McCord for her "Herman Munster shoes" is an iconic Real Housewives moment.

The feature film "Munster Go Home" is also highly enjoyable. It was filmed right after the second season and is great fun.

I like it on a double bill with either "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken", or the "Batman" feature based on the tv show, all from 1966.

I’m watching viewers 10 favorite episodes on Cozi right now.

Car 54 Where Are You?

Fred Gwynne sings