The Munsters
The Munsters was an American television sitcom, depicting the home life of a family of horror movie monsters. Much of the humor derived from the fact that they did not have the slightest idea that they were in any way different from their neighbors. Comedy also came from their daily interaction with modern-day society, and the usual horrified or frightened reactions of those around them at their ghoulish appearance.
Related Topics:
American - Television - Sitcom - Horror movie - Monster
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It first aired on the CBS network from 1964 to 1966, and in continual syndication thereafter. The Munsters was filmed in black-and-white. According to the series, they lived at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, Mockingbird Heights.
Related Topics:
CBS - 1964 - 1966 - Black-and-white
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The family:
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- Lily Dracula Munster (Yvonne De Carlo), a homemaker; she wore goth-style makeup, decades before it became fashionable. A white streak in her hair clearly identifies her as The Bride of Frankenstein , as portrayed by Elsa Lanchester in the James Whale film.
- Herman Munster (Fred Gwynne); bears a distinct resemblance to Frankenstein's monster as portrayed by Boris Karloff. For a man of 150, he behaves rather childishly, often throwing temper tantrums. He has an unspecified job at a local funeral parlor.
- Dracula (Al Lewis), commonly called Grandpa; he is a mad scientist and keeps a laboratory. Various potions and magic spells that he devises there make up a large amount of the plot devices. He appears to be able to naturally transform into a wolf as well as a bat. He is at least 400 years old.
- Edward "Eddie" Wolfgang Munster (Butch Patrick); a typical all-American boy werewolf of elementary school age.
- Marilyn Munster (Beverley Owen/Pat Priest); the daughter of one of Lily's sisters, niece Marilyn is young, blonde, and pretty. The family is vaguely ashamed of their relationship to such an ugly person, and even Marilyn is "aware" of her "plain-ness" and bemoans that she keeps scaring off potential boyfriends. She lives with the Munsters and attends Westbury College.
- Spot, an immense fire-breathing dragon. He lives under the stairs; a section of them is hinged and opens up when one of the griffins on the balusters at the bottom is tilted back.
- Igor, a bat (or perhaps a transformed vampire) who lives in Grandpa's lab and assists with his work.
- Kittycat, an average-sized black cat who roars like a lion.
- An unnamed talking raven who lives in the cuckoo clock in the living room (usually voiced by Mel Blanc).
And their pets:
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Several television movies were spun off from the series. The series itself was remade in 1988 with a different cast, and the title The Munsters Today. In 1995, another revival attempt with yet another set of actors was made, which resulted in a made-for-TV movie, Here Come the Munsters.
Related Topics:
Television - Movie - 1988 - The Munsters Today - Here Come the Munsters
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The original series began with Beverley Owen in the role of Marilyn; however, the actress reportedly did not want to do the series, having been compelled to do it under her contract with Universal Studios. After 13 episodes were filmed, she succeeded in arranging to leave the series, and the role was taken over by near-lookalike Pat Priest.
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Many spin-off products were produced, including toys and several record albums.
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The show is often compared with The Addams Family, which began and ended almost simultaneously with it.
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Latest news on the munsters
More from the Munsters
Just stole this from our P.R. department, hehehe. Feel free to take and adapt for your own use.***The Munsters TV Show Celebrates 40 Years TV?s The Munsters celebrate 40 years at 1313 Mockingbird Lane this September with the introduction of the first-everHalloween village with The Munsters theme and a model of Grandpa Munster?s "Dragula" dragster.Niles, Illinois August 31, 2004? The Munsters, America?s most frighteningly funny family, have continued to attract some of the most loyal television program fans over the past 40 years, a pretty impressive feat considering the show only ran for 38 episodes. Similar to the characters on The Munsters, these fans aren?t your normal fans who are satisfied merely watching the syndicated programs on television. Oleg Krylov who grew up with The Munsters says, "We Munsters fans are nearly as wacky as the characters themselves". The term enthusiastic is an understatement for The Munsters fans, some of whom have even gone to the great lengths of building homes that are exact replicas of the Munsters house as well as cars that look exactly like the Grandpa?s coffin shaped "Dragula" dragster.Fans celebrate The Munsters 40th year at 1313 Mockingbird Lane this September, with the introduction of the first ever, The Munsters Halloween collectible village. Authorized by Universal Studios and available only from Hawthorne Village, this new Munsters collectible is one of the most anticipated items for avid Munster fans everywhere. Friends will be as green as Herman when they catch a glimpse of The Munsters Halloween Village that features character figurines, spooky sound effects, and eerie glowing lights. Free highly collectible character figurines of Herman, Lily, Grandpa and Eddie, are included along with a 6- piece jack-o?-lantern lamplight set, a $65.00 value.Not all of The Munsters fans have room for a life-size version of Grandpa?s "Dragula" dragster, the ghoulish car designed by George Barris. However they can still show their loyalty with an Ertl die-cast collectible version by Hamilton Authenticated. The 1:18 scale model features a "coffin" body on a tube chassis, radiator, tombstone grille, bat-shaped forced air scoops, and metal organ exhaust pipes just like those on Grandpa?s original "Dragula" dragster.Exclusivity only increases the desirability and potential value of The Munsters collectibles. The first-ever, limited edition The Munsters Halloween Village mentioned here is a exclusive acquisition of collectiblestoday.com and its affiliates, the leading international provider for limited-edition collectibles, through an exclusive arrangement and officially authorized by Universal Studios. The Munsters collectible village,Grandpa?s "Dragula" dragster and more movie and TV -themed collectibles are available at Collectibles Today, The Bradford Exchange?s online marketing arm.Collectibles Today is the premier Internet shopping site for unique, quality collectibles and giftware from the finest companies worldwide, offering collecting expertise, excellence and excitement for collectors as they pursue their passion for collecting. Collectibles Today is the online marketing arm of The Bradford Exchange and its affiliates, the leading international provider of fine limited-edition collectibles. This founding relationship endows Collectibles Today with a heritage of almost three decades of experience in the collectibles market, with a sterling reputation for superior quality and exceptional customer service unparalleled in the industry. No other online collectibles company sells to more collectors with more fine products than Collectibles Today; and no other online collectibles company has the resources and industry knowledge to consistently identify, encourage and spearhead new trends in collecting. Just as The Bradford Exchange laid the first cornerstone for the present day collectibles market, so now Collectibles Today is leading the collectibles industry and collectors into an exciting new future.###
Be a Halloweenie
So call me cynical. I really didn't think the Munsters Halloween Village was going to do very well, because really. Who decorates the inside of their house? Do people really invite trick-or-treaters into their house? Well, I suppose people do throw halloween costume parties... The point of that whole bit just sets me up to say, "I was wrong." The Munsters Village is the third bestseller on our site. It's done so well that Bradford is already humming with new ideas for next Halloween. :) In other news, I was perusing the public library yesterday (when was the last time you went to a library? Until yesterday, it was two years for me!), and I came across the book: "The Urge to Splurge: A Social History of Shopping." If you've been with our program for a long time, you may know that I'm fascinated by consumerism. Check it out if you get a chance, it's a good read. Author is Laura Byrne Paquet. Here's a library of congress link because I'm not linking you to Amazon, sheesh. :)
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