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Munster Madness
Alongside the “Addams Family,” television in the late 1960’s was also treated to a helping of Universal Monsters. Herman, Lilly, Grandpa, and Eddie took up residence at 1313 Mockingbird Lane (courtesy of CBS) from 1964-1966 for a total of 70 half-hour (approximately) episodes.
The show, created by the same team behind “Leave it to Beaver,” further carried Universal Monsters’ theme that humans are the real monsters, juxtaposing Herman and his family as “normal” and the rest of society as not that great looking, but always emphasizing that those looks don’t matter.
“The Munsters,” like “The Addams Family,” was filmed in black and white, contributing to the termination of both series. “Munsters” further follows a similar path through the TV graveyard in finding more favor in syndication and launching several spin-off projects
Munster Movies
Five made-for-TV movie adaptations of “The Munsters” were made between 1966 and 1996.
“Munsters Go Home,” (1966), saw the fearsome family find their way to England, introduced the coffin bodied race car “Dragula,” and was the only version of the of the 1960’s series to be seen in color (a color concept pilot of the series exists, but was never aired). It was also one of two films featuring most of the original cast (only Marilyn Munster was recast).
“The Mini Munsters” was a 1972 ABC animated hour long feature. Aside from Grandpa (Al Lewis) the remaining family members found new voices from different actors than those appearing in the original series. Intended as a launch pad for a “Munsters” animated television series, the mini-movie, unfortunately, failed to find favor and cartoon Munsters never materialized.
1981’s “Munsters Revenge” reunited Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo, and Al Lewis (Herman, Lilly, Grandpa) but recast Marilyn and Eddie. Ravaging robot versions of Grandpa and Herman are created to rob Egyptian antiquities.
“Here Come the Munsters” adds a Jekyll and Hyde element to the franchise with an all-new cast in 1995.
The final film for the franchise was made in 1996. In “The Munster’s Scary Little Christmas,” Grandpa manages
capture Santa and a holiday home decoration ensues. A new cast was selected for this Munster movie as well.
While the Wayans brothers boasted of a brand new Munsters movie (announced in 2004), their efforts have yet to materialize.
Television Terrors
In addition to the 1964-1966 successful series, “The Munsters” has seen additional attempts at TV land resurrection.
“The Munsters Today” (1988-1991) saw the family reawaken after Grandpa’s lab mishap saw them slumber for 22 years. A new cast brought Herman, Lilly, Eddy, and Marilyn into the 1980’s for a total of 72 episodes.
Bryan Fuller fulfilled a fearsome pilot for NBC in 2012. “1313 Mockingbird Lane” reimagined a more macabre, sinister and gritty Munster family, with Eddie Izzard performing an eerie and energized Grandpa. The plan for a new series never progressed past pilot status, allegedly due to the dark nature of Fuller’s vision.
Another return to television?
More recently in 2017, it was announced that comedian and talk show host Seth Meyers (as producer) has plans to reenergize Herman’s neck bolts with another modern Munster make-over, this time set in Brooklyn, New York. Jill Kargman (“Odd Mom Out”) will be writing the new episodes in half-hour increments.
As Friday the 13th unfolds this year, look upon a future filled with fearsome fun from fabled horror-fed comedy franchises. Hopes are high for the new MGM animated production of Charles Addams creepy and kooky first family of fear. Meeting modern Munsters from Brooklyn brings both fear of failure and hope of horror happiness returning to television. While more info is yet to be unearthed on either project, both broker the bonus that this kind of eerie entertainment is finally finding its way under the reboot microscope.
Source and images: Wikipedia: Addams Family, Munsters, Bravo, Slash Film, Classic Movie Monsters, YouTube
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