The Munsters

For the 2022 film, see The Munsters (2022 film). For the Succession episode, see The Munsters (Succession).

The Munsters
File:The Munsters title card.png Season One opening, with Yvonne De Carlo featured behind the title
Created by	Allan Burns Chris Hayward
Developed by	Norm Liebmann Ed Haas
Starring	Fred Gwynne Yvonne De Carlo Al Lewis Beverley Owen (1964) Pat Priest (1964–66) Butch Patrick
Theme music composer	Jack Marshall Bob Mosher (unaired lyrics)
Opening theme	"The Munsters' Theme"
Ending theme	“The Munsters’ Theme”
Composer(s)	Jack Marshall
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	70 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Joe Connelly Bob Mosher
Production location(s)	Universal Studios, Universal City, California
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	23-26 minutes
Production company(s)	Kayro-Vue Productions Universal Television
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 24, 1964 (1964-09-24) – May 12, 1966 (1966-05-12)
Chronology
Related shows	The Munsters Today Mockingbird Lane
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

The Munsters is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series stars Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monster Herman Munster, Yvonne De Carlo as his vampire wife Lily, Al Lewis as Grandpa the aged vampire Count Dracula, Beverley Owen (later replaced by Pat Priest) as their niece Marilyn, and Butch Patrick as their werewolf-like son Eddie. The family pet, named "Spot", was a fire-breathing dragon.

Produced by the creators of Leave It to Beaver, the series was a satire of American suburban life, the wholesome television family fare of the era and traditional monster movies. It achieved higher Nielsen ratings than did the similarly macabre-themed The Addams Family, which aired concurrently on ABC.

In 1965, The Munsters was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series but lost to The Rogues. In the 21st century, it received several TV Land Award nominations, including one for Most Uninsurable Driver (Herman Munster).

The series originally aired on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on CBS from September 24, 1964 to May 12, 1966. Seventy episodes were produced. The show was canceled after ratings had dropped to a series low in the face of competition from ABC's Batman. Patrick said, "I think 'Batman' was to blame. 'Batman' just came along and took our ratings away." However, The Munsters found a large audience in syndication. A spinoff series ensued, as well as several films, including one with a theatrical release and several more recent attempts to reboot it.

Premise

The Munsters are a Transylvanian-American family living at 1313 Mockingbird Lane in the fictional city of Mockingbird Heights. The series' running gag is that the odd-looking family with strange tastes considers itself to be an average American family. Herman is the family's sole wage-earner, although Lily and Grandpa make short-lived attempts to earn money from time to time. While Herman is the head of the household, Lily also makes many decisions. According to episode 44 ("Happy 100th Anniversary"), they were married in 1865.

Other than Marilyn, the characters' costumes and appearances were based on the classic monsters of Universal Studios films of the 1930s and 1940s, including the iconic version of Frankenstein's monster developed by Jack Pierce for the 1931 Universal film Frankenstein. As Universal jointly produced The Munsters, the show was able to employ the copyrighted designs. Makeup for the series was credited to Bud Westmore, who pioneered many other makeup effects and designs for the studio's monsters after Pierce.

The show satirized the typical family sitcom formula of the era: the well-meaning father, the nurturing mother, the eccentric live-in relative, the naïve teenager and the precocious child. The show also references several real sitcoms. In episode 45, "Operation Herman", Lily tells Herman to have a father-son talk with Eddie because "a thing like this is up to the father. Anyone who's watched Father Knows Best for nine years ought to know that," to which Herman replies, "All right. But Donna Reed always handles things on her show." In episode 47, "John Doe Munster", Grandpa describes My Three Sons as being about a "crazy, mixed-up family that's always having weird adventures."

Al Lewis explained, "We can do a lot of satirical pointed things on society that you couldn't do on an ordinary show." Lewis also said, "Philosophically, the format is that in spite of the way people look to you physically, underneath there is a heart of gold.

The Munsters reflected changes in social attitudes during the civil-rights era, and in 2020 a speech that Herman makes to Eddie in the 1965 episode "Eddie's Nickname" went viral: "The lesson I want you to learn is that it doesn't matter what you look like. Whether you are tall or short; or fat or thin; or ugly or handsome—like your father—or you can be black, or yellow or white, it doesn't matter. What matters is the size of your heart and the strength of your character."

Cast

Main article: List of The Munsters characters

File:The Munsters Cast 1964.jpg

The cast of The Munsters in an early publicity photo. Standing, L–R: Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis. Sitting: Butch Patrick, Fred Gwynne, Beverley Owen

Regulars

• Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster
• Yvonne De Carlo as Lily Munster
• Al Lewis as Grandpa
• Butch Patrick as Eddie Munster
• Beverley Owen as Marilyn Munster (ep. 1–13)
• Pat Priest as Marilyn Munster (ep. 14–70)
• Mel Blanc Voice of The Raven
• Bob Hastings Voice of The Raven

Recurring characters

• Paul Lynde as Dr. Edward H. Dudley (ep. 4, 6, 19)
  • Dom DeLuise as Dr. Edward H. Dudley (ep. 55)
• John Carradine as Mr. Gateman, Herman's boss at the funeral parlor (ep. 37, 62)
• Chet Stratton as Clyde Thornton, Herman's coworker at the funeral parlor (ep. 53, 61)
• Bryan O'Byrne as Uriah, Calvin and another coworker at the funeral parlor

Production

Development

The idea of a family of comical monsters was first suggested to Universal Studios by animator Bob Clampett, who developed the idea from 1943 to 1945 as a series of cartoons. The project did not make progress until mid-1963 when a similar idea was submitted by The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends writers Allan Burns and Chris Hayward. The proposal was later handed to writers Norm Liebman and Ed Haas, who wrote a pilot script, Love Thy Monster.

According to Burns, "We sort of stole the idea from Charles Addams and his New Yorker cartoons.... Because Universal owned the Frankenstein character and the Dracula character for movie rights, they decided to take their characters instead of the characters we had written."

While some executives believed that the series should be animated, others who argued for live action prevailed. In 1964, a live-action pilot titled "My Fair Munster" was filmed in color by MCA Television for CBS. Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis were the first to be cast early in February 1964. They had recently completed the series Car 54, Where Are You? and had good chemistry together. Beverly Owen was signed to play Marilyn, Joan Marshall was cast as Herman's wife Phoebe and "Happy" Nate Derman was cast as Eddie. A second pilot was ordered in April 1964 with Yvonne De Carlo replacing Marshall, and the character renamed Lily. For a third pilot, Derman was replaced by Butch Patrick. CBS liked both De Carlo and Patrick, but ordered a fourth pilot in which Eddie was less spoiled.

The show was produced by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, who were already known for creating the Leave It to Beaver television series. Prior to that, they had written many episodes of Amos 'n' Andy, a popular network radio program, during its half-hour comedy era.

Filming

Over the course of Season 1, the makeup for Herman, Lily and Grandpa was adjusted. Lily's hair originally had a large white streak, which was reduced in later episodes. Her necklace featured a bat instead of a star, and her eyebrows were angled more. Grandpa's makeup was exaggerated, including heavier eyebrows, and Herman's face was widened for a dopier and less human appearance. Gwynne also added a stutter whenever Herman was angry or wanted to make a point, and he frequently left his mouth open, adding to the effect of a goofy, less frightening figure.

Sets

Main article: Munster Mansion

The Munsters' home was a decaying Second Empire Victorian Gothic-style mansion located at 1313 Mockingbird Lane in Mockingbird Heights. The town's location is not specified in the series, but in later incarnations it is described as a small town outside Los Angeles.

Herman and Lily in the kitchen

The Munster home was located on the Universal Studios backlot. It was originally constructed with two other houses on Stage 12, the studio's largest soundstage, for the 1946 film So Goes My Love. After that film was completed, the sets were placed into storage until 1950, when they (along with other house sets built from stock units) were reassembled on Colonial Street. All three houses were seen in many television shows and films, including Leave It to Beaver.

In 1964, the house was redressed as the Munster home and a stone wall was added around the property. After The Munsters ended its run, the house was restored. It was the home of the family in Shirley (NBC, 1979–80).

In 1981, all of the homes on Colonial Street were moved from the north end of the lot to their present location. The former Munster house was used in Coach and, after another remodel, Desperate Housewives.

The interiors of the Munsters' mansion were filmed on Stages 30 and 32 at Universal Studios. The interior was riddled with dust, smoke and cobwebs. (When Lily "dusted" the house, her Electrolux emitted clouds of dust, which she applied to surfaces that would normally be cleaned). As a running gag, parts of the house would often be damaged, mostly by Herman's tantrums or clumsiness, but the damage would not last.

The Munster Koach

Props

In the fourth episode ("Rock-A-Bye Munster"), Lily buys a hot rod and a hearse from a used-car dealership and has them customized into one car (the Munster Koach) as Herman's birthday present. The Munster Koach and DRAG-U-LA (built by Grandpa in episode 36, "Hot Rod Herman") were designed by Tom Daniel and built by auto customizer George Barris for the show. The Munster Koach was a hot rod built on a lengthened 1926 Ford Model T chassis with a custom hearse body. It was 18 feet long and cost almost $20,000 to build. Barris also built the DRAG-U-LA, a dragster built from a coffin (according to Barris, a real coffin was purchased for the car), which Grandpa used to win back the Munster Koach after Herman lost it in a race.

Theme song

The instrumental theme song, titled "The Munsters' Theme", was composed by composer/arranger Jack Marshall. Described by writer Jon Burlingame as a "Bernard-Herrmann-meets-Duane-Eddy sound", the theme was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1965. The song's lyrics, which were written by coproducer Bob Mosher, were never aired on CBS.

Episodes

Pitch episode

The original cast in 1964

The first presentation was filmed in color and ran 16 minutes (later cut to just over 13 minutes). It was used to pitch the series to CBS and its affiliates. (The episode is available on the first season of The Munsters DVDs.) It never aired, but the script was reused as the basis for Episode 2, "My Fair Munster". The cast in the title sequence included Joan Marshall as Phoebe (instead of Lily), Beverley Owen as Marilyn, Nate "Happy" Derman as Eddie, Al Lewis as Grandpa and Fred Gwynne as Herman. Although the same house exterior was used, it was later changed to appear spookier for the series. This included adding the tower deck and Marilyn's deck, a new coat of paint and enlarging the living room. Although Grandpa had the same dungeon, Gwynne did not wear padding in the pitch episode, had a more protruding forehead, and was broad but thin. The most noticeable difference was his somber expression rather than his comic silliness during the series. Except for Marilyn, the family had a blue-green tint to their skin. The biggest character difference was that Eddie was portrayed by Derman as a nasty brat. Eddie, as played by Patrick, was mostly respectful.

The pilot title sequence had light, happy music borrowed from the Doris Day movie The Thrill of It All instead of the instrumental rock theme. It was also decided that Marshall too closely resembled Morticia Addams and that Derman was too nasty as Eddie, so both were replaced. On the basis of the first presentation, the new series, still not completely cast, was announced by CBS on February 18, 1964. A second black-and-white presentation was filmed with DeCarlo and Patrick. In this version, Eddie appeared with a more normal look, although his hairstyle was later altered to include a pronounced widow's peak.

Marineland Carnival (1965 Easter special)

During the first season, the Munster family appeared in an Easter special when they visited Marineland of the Pacific in Palos Verdes, California, to get a new pet for Eddie. Shot on videotape, the episode aired just once on CBS on April 18, and was long thought lost until a copy was donated to the Paley Center in New York in 1997.

Episode list

Main article: List of The Munsters episodes

The following is an episode list for the CBS sitcom The Munsters. The series broadcast on September 24, 1964, and ended on May 12, 1966. Munster, Go Home! was a feature-length film released on June 15, 1966, as a spin-off from the main series. (Robert Pine, long before his regular series role in "CHiPs," appeared in it as a suitor for Marilyn, the "ugly black sheep" of the family.) A second spin-off, called The Munsters' Revenge, aired on television 15 years later on February 27, 1981, but with the same three leads.

Series overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
	1	38	September 24, 1964	June 10, 1965
	2	32	September 16, 1965	May 12, 1966

Episodes

Pilot episodes

Title	Original air date
"My Fair Munster"	Unaired
Filmed in color.
"My Fair Munster"	Unaired
A second version of the pilot, filmed in monochrome grayscales. This story later became the second episode of the first season.

Season 1 (1964–65)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date
1	1	"Munster Masquerade"	September 24, 1964 (1964-09-24)
Marilyn's boyfriend, Tom Daily, invites the Munster clan to a masquerade. Eddie (Butch Patrick) remains at home with Mrs. Morton as his sitter. Marilyn (Beverley Owen) goes as Priscilla, Lily (Yvonne DeCarlo) is Little Bo Peep, Grandpa (Al Lewis) is Napoleon and Herman (Fred Gwynne) is King Arthur in a suit of shining armor. Guest Stars: Mabel Albertson as Agnes Daly, Frank Wilcox as Albert Daly, Lurene Tuttle as Mrs. Morton and Linden Chiles as Tom Daily
2	2	"My Fair Munster"	October 1, 1964 (1964-10-01)
Concerned over Marilyn's difficulty in keeping boyfriends, Grandpa cooks up a love potion and slips it into her oatmeal. But when Marilyn refuses to eat breakfast, the potion ends up in the wrong mouths. Guest Star: John Fiedler as Warren Bloom the Mailman
3	3	"Walk on the Mild Side"	October 8, 1964 (1964-10-08)
Suffering from insomnia caused by high electrical bills, Herman begins going on midnight walks. When other walkers see him, they are scared telling the police that a monster is free at the park along with a dangerous thief. This causes Police Commissioner Ludlow to send Police Chief W.R. Harris to find the culprit under threat of being reassigned to the "most desolate, deserted, law-forsaken part of town." Meanwhile, Grandpa invents an "enlarging machine" in order to help Eddie grow. Guest Star: Cliff Norton as Police Chief W.R. Harris
4	4	"Rock-A-Bye Munster"	October 15, 1964 (1964-10-15)
Herman and Grandpa eavesdrop on Lily and Marilyn and get the impression that Lily is pregnant. But the playmate whom she is expecting for Eddie is just Dr. Dudley's son, Elmer. Guest Stars: Paul Lynde as Dr. Dudley, Sid Melton as Diamond Jim, Peter Robbins as Elmer Dudley
5	5	"Pike's Pique"	October 22, 1964 (1964-10-22)
The city's gas department wants to run a pipeline 25 feet (7.6 m) under the Munsters's house. Unfortunately, at that level, it runs straight into Grandpa's laboratory. Guest Stars: Richard Deacon as Borden T. Pike, Pat Harrington as Sonny Harkness, Jane Withers as Mrs. Fanny Pike
6	6	"Low-Cal Munster"	October 29, 1964 (1964-10-29)
Herman wants to attend a reunion of his Army buddies, but he cannot fit into his uniform. Since Lily doe not want him to go, they make a deal that if Herman can lose enough weight to fit into the uniform, she will allow him to attend. Unfortunately, Herman starts his diet just as Thanksgiving is approaching--and a hunger-stricken Herman can be potentially dangerous.... Guest Stars: Paul Lynde as Dr. Dudley, Michael Jackson as TV Announcer
7	7	"Tin Can Man"	November 11, 1964 (1964-11-11)
Eddie is in danger of being expelled from school. His only chance to prevent this is doing a great project for the school's science fair.
8	8	"Herman the Great"	November 12, 1964 (1964-11-12)
After Herman decides he must start to put some money aside for Eddie's college education, he takes a job as a professional wrestler called the Masked Marvel, after he demonstrates his superhuman strength for Eddie's friend, the son of a pro wrestling manager. Guest Stars: Gene LeBell as Tarzan McGirk, Billy Varga as Strangler Murphy
9	9	"Knock Wood, Here Comes Charlie"	November 19, 1964 (1964-11-19)
Herman's twin brother Charlie, a fast-talking con artist, comes to town and ends up staying at the Munster home against Herman's wishes and tries to bilk Lily out of the money that was left to her by selling her a worthless "invention" that converts sea water into uranium. Guest Star: Mike Mazurki as Leo "Knuckles" Kraus
10	10	"Autumn Croakus"	November 26, 1964 (1964-11-26)
Feeling lonely, Grandpa contacts a matrimonial agency that promises to find him a mate. The agency sends over an attractive elderly woman who proves not to be quite as harmless as she looks. Guest Star: Neil Hamilton as Malcolm
11	11	"The Midnight Ride of Herman Munster"	December 3, 1964 (1964-12-03)
Herman falls asleep in the back of his car, leaving the keys in the ignition. The car is stolen by a couple of bank robbers who are unaware that Herman is lying in the back seat. Guest Star: Maxie Rosenbloom as Big Louie
12	12	"The Sleeping Cutie"	December 10, 1964 (1964-12-10)
In an attempt to cure Marilyn of insomnia, Grandpa accidentally gives her a Sleeping Beauty potion--and she now cannot wake up until she is kissed by a prince. Guest Stars: Gavin MacLeod as Paul Newmar, John Hoyt as George Spelvin
13	13	"Family Portrait"	December 17, 1964 (1964-12-17)
The Munsters have been chosen by Event Magazine as the average American family. Insulted by being labeled average, Grandpa disappears, jeopardizing the photo opportunity and the prize money that accompanies it. This is the last episode with Beverley Owen as Marilyn. The colorized version of this episode was released as a single DVD October 7, 2008. Both the original black and white and colorized version were on the same DVD. Guest Star: Harvey Korman as Lennie Bates
14	14	"Grandpa Leaves Home"	December 24, 1964 (1964-12-24)
Grandpa feels neglected and decides to move out. Lily and Herman believe it to be a mere ploy to get attention and expect that he will soon come slinking back. This is the first episode with Pat Priest as Marilyn, appearing only in the "tag" scene. Guest Star: Robert Strauss as the Manager
15	15	"Herman's Rival"	December 31, 1964 (1964-12-31)
Lily thinks that Herman has lost his savings to a bad investment when, in fact, he lent it to her brother, the Wolf Man.
16	16	"Grandpa's Call of the Wild"	January 7, 1965 (1965-01-07)
Herman takes the family on a camping trip. After a dinner by the campfire, Grandpa hears the howls of the wolves and reminisces about his days in the old country. Herman and Lilly tell Grandpa not to do it after what happened last time. After another wolf howl upon the other Munsters going to sleep, Grandpa starts howling as well. The next morning, Grandpa is missing until the other Munsters find Grandpa in the form of a Transylvanian Wolf within the custody of the local rangers. Now the Munsters must get Grandpa out of the camping grounds and back to the house in order to use one of the potions to get Grandpa back to normal.
17	17	"All-Star Munster"	January 14, 1965 (1965-01-14)
Herman goes to Marilyn's college to straighten out a tuition matter. In searching for the dean's office, he wanders into the gym and is mistaken for a basketball star who is supposed to tryout that day. Guest Star: Pat Buttram as Pop Mallory
18	18	"If a Martian Answers, Hang Up"	January 21, 1965 (1965-01-21)
When Herman fools around with a ham radio in Grandpa's dungeon, he believes (mistakenly) that he has actually contacted Martians. Guest Star: Herbert Rudley as Captain Halbert
19	19	"Eddie's Nickname"	January 28, 1965 (1965-01-28)
Eddie wants to quit school because all the kids there call him Shorty. Grandpa tries to brew a potion to make Eddie grow six inches (152 mm) overnight. Guest Star: Paul Lynde as Dr. Dudley
20	20	"Bats of a Feather"	February 4, 1965 (1965-02-04)
Eddie needs an impressive pet to take to the school pet fair. When Igor the bat gets insulted by one of Herman's wisecracks and flies away, Grandpa changes himself into a bat to impersonate Igor. Guest Star: Alvy Moore as Dr. Grant
21	21	"Don't Bank on Herman"	February 11, 1965 (1965-02-11)
When Herman and Grandpa go to the bank to make a withdrawal, they are instead mistaken for bank robbers and handed $18,000 in cash.
22	22	"Dance With Me, Herman"	February 18, 1965 (1965-02-18)
In order to accompany Marilyn to her school dance, Herman decides to take up dancing lessons. Guest Star: Don Rickles as "Doc" Happy Havemeyer
23	23	"Follow That Munster"	February 25, 1965 (1965-02-25)
Herman sneaks out each night to train to become a detective. Lily suspects him of having an affair--and she hires the very detective agency where Herman is working to have him followed.
24	24	"Love Locked Out"	March 4, 1965 (1965-03-04)
After Herman gets home late from an office party, Lily locks Herman out of their bedroom. When they are unable to reconcile, Lily and Herman seek counseling.
25	25	"Come Back, Little Googie"	March 11, 1965 (1965-03-11)
Grandpa is under the impression that he has accidentally turned Eddie's friend Googie into a monkey. Guest Star: Billy Mumy as Googie Miller
26	26	"Far Out Munsters"	March 18, 1965 (1965-03-18)
A rock group called The Standells pays the Munsters an exorbitant fee to use their house for the weekend. But the Munsters are unable to adjust to the cleanliness of their hotel, and they return home--to find a wild party. At the party the Standells perform a cover of The Beatles's "I Want to Hold Your Hand," Herman improvises a beatnik poem, and Lily sings the English folksong "He's Gone Away" while playing the harp. (Actress Yvonne DeCarlo did her own singing in this episode.) Guest Stars: The Standells as Themselves, Zalman King as Bearded Man
27	27	"Munsters on the Move"	March 25, 1965 (1965-03-25)
In order to accept a promotion, Herman has to shuffle his family off to Buffalo. Eddie refuses to go. Grandpa has already sold the house to a wrecking company, so the Munsters have no choice but to wage war.
28	28	"Movie Star Munster"	April 1, 1965 (1965-04-01)
A pair of con artists wants to stage a phony accident as an insurance scam. When they stumble upon Herman, they realize they have found the perfect patsy. Guest Star: Jesse White as J.R. Finlater
29	29	"Herman the Rookie"	April 8, 1965 (1965-04-08)
Leo Durocher, manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, needs a power hitter for his team. When he gets conked on the head by one of Herman's line drives from eight blocks away, he believes he has his man. Guest Stars: Leo Durocher as Himself, Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch as Himself
30	30	"Country Club Munsters"	April 15, 1965 (1965-04-15)
The Munsters win a membership to the highly exclusive Mockingbird Heights Country Club, but the membership board wants to get a close look at the family to see if they meet the club's standards.
31	31	"Love Comes to Mockingbird Heights"	April 22, 1965 (1965-04-22)
The Munsters receive $180,000 in gold doubloons from Uncle Gilbert in Transylvania. When their bank's assistant manager arrives to pick up the money for deposit, he falls for Marilyn.
32	32	"Mummy Munster"	April 29, 1965 (1965-04-29)
Herman arranges to meet Marilyn at the natural history museum. But he accidentally gets himself locked inside an Egyptian sarcophagus, where a sleeping pill he had taken earlier kicks in. Guest Stars: Philip Ober as Dr. Wilkerson, Pat Harrington, Jr. as Thatcher
33	33	"Lily Munster, Girl Model"	May 6, 1965 (1965-05-06)
Feeling useless, Lily searches for a job. She lands a position as a fashion model, causing Herman to become wildly jealous and transform himself into a swinging playboy. Guest Star: Roger C. Carmel as Laszlo Brastoff
34	34	"Munster the Magnificent"	May 13, 1965 (1965-05-13)
Eddie volunteers Herman as a performer for his school's talent night. Since Herman has no discernible talent, Grandpa conjures up a pair of magic ballet shoes that will make him a gifted dancer, but Eddie already has him billed as a magic act. Guest Star: Dave Ketchum as Master of Ceremonies
35	35	"Herman's Happy Valley"	May 20, 1965 (1965-05-20)
Herman purchases 10 acres (40,000 m2) in Happy Holiday Valley through a magazine ad. It turns out to be a patch of wasteland in a broken-down ghost town, so the Munsters absolutely adore it.
36	36	"Hot Rod Herman"	May 27, 1965 (1965-05-27)
Believing that his father is the greatest driver in the world, Eddie volunteers Herman and his car, the Munster Koach, for a drag race.
37	37	"Herman's Raise"	June 4, 1965 (1965-06-04)
Egged on by Lily, Herman demands a raise from his boss Mr. Gateman. He is promptly fired. Fearing Lily's reaction, he pretends still to be going to work, when he is actually trying out new jobs. Guest Stars: John Carradine as Mr. Gateman, Benny Rubin as Tom Fong
38	38	"Yes, Galen, There Is a Herman"	June 10, 1965 (1965-06-10)
Herman saves the life of a young boy, Galen, by bending the bars his head is stuck between. They become close friends, but Galen's parents think Uncle Herman is a figment of the boy's imagination. Guest Stars: Brian Nash as Galen Stewart, Harvey Korman as Dr. Leinbach

Season 2 (1965–66)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date
39	1	"Herman's Child Psychology"	September 16, 1965 (1965-09-16)
Eddie thinks his family no longer loves him because they do not treat him cruelly. When he decides to run away, Herman uses a little child psychology, which naturally backfires. Circumstances eventually lead to Herman's getting involved with a dancing bear.
40	2	"Herman the Master Spy"	September 23, 1965 (1965-09-23)
A Russian fishing trawler picks up a scuba-diving Herman in its haul of fish and mistakes him for the missing link. For at least the last 25 years in syndication, the scene that shows an exterior shot of what were then the KNXT-TV studios (the station's call sign is now KCBS-TV) studios and Herman reading a story about the trawler has been edited out. But on the Boomerang cable channel, on October 17, 2011, the episode was shown intact.
41	3	"Bronco Bustin' Munster"	September 30, 1965 (1965-09-30)
Eddie's misguided regard for his father's natural abilities, prompts the young Munster to enter Herman in the bucking bronco contest at the local rodeo.
42	4	"Herman Munster, Shutterbug"	October 7, 1965 (1965-10-07)
Herman takes up photography and accidentally snaps a picture of two men escaping from a bank robbery. The robbers track him down and decide to hole up with the Munsters until the heat is off.
43	5	"Herman, Coach of the Year"	October 14, 1965 (1965-10-14)
When Eddie is called Lead Foot by the other kids on his track team, Herman offers to become his coach. Guest Star: Emmaline Henry as Gwendoline (uncredited)
44	6	"Happy 100th Anniversary"	October 21, 1965 (1965-10-21)
Herman and Lily want to buy each other elaborate gifts for their 100th Anniversary. Without either telling the other, they both take night jobs as ship welders to make extra money. Guest Stars: Vinton Hayworth as Bank Manager, Foster Brooks as Admiral
45	7	"Operation Herman"	October 28, 1965 (1965-10-28)
When Herman visits the hospital to see Eddie, who is having his tonsils out, he is mistaken for an accident victim and is immediately given a dose of laughing gas.
46	8	"Lily's Star Boarder"	November 4, 1965 (1965-11-04)
Herman becomes insanely jealous of Chester, a mysterious boarder whom Lily has bought into the household in yet another of her schemes to make a little extra cash.
47	9	"John Doe Munster"	November 11, 1965 (1965-11-11)
A 300-pound safe drops on Herman's head, causing him to develop amnesia. In order to get him released into her custody, Lily petitions the court to adopt Herman as her son.
48	10	"A Man for Marilyn"	November 18, 1965 (1965-11-18)
To provide poor, unfortunate Marilyn with a future husband, Grandpa tries to turn a frog into a prince. Conveniently, he chooses a nearsighted frog who will not be put off by Marilyn's "hideous" looks.
49	11	"Herman's Driving Test"	November 25, 1965 (1965-11-25)
Herman gets promoted to hearse driver and has to renew his driver's license. This requires him to take a road test, which he flunks. Grandpa convinces him that he would have better luck taking the test in a one-horse town.
50	12	"Will Success Spoil Herman Munster?"	December 9, 1965 (1965-12-09)
Eddie borrows a tape recorder belonging to the disc-jockey father of one of his friends. Herman records a song that the disc jockey plays on his radio show the next day. It becomes an instant hit. Guest Star: Gary Owens as Dick Willet
51	13	"Underground Munster"	December 16, 1965 (1965-12-16)
The Munsters's pet Spot runs away and is mistaken for a dangerous monster when he is sighted in the sewer. When Herman goes down the manhole to search for Spot, he too is mistaken for a dangerous monster.
52	14	"The Treasure of Mockingbird Heights"	December 23, 1965 (1965-12-23)
While searching for a fuse box in the dungeon, Herman and Grandpa discover a secret chamber and a clue to the pirate treasure hidden on the Munsters's property. Upon finding the treasure, they end up fighting over its ownership, and Lily has to intervene.
53	15	"Herman's Peace Offensive"	December 30, 1965 (1965-12-30)
Herman advises Eddie to turn the other cheek when he gets pushed around by a bully. Then Herman is the victim of a practical joke at work. Grandpa takes the situation in hand by teaching both Eddie and Herman how to box.
54	16	"Herman Picks a Winner"	January 6, 1966 (1966-01-06)
Trying to teach Eddie about the folly of gambling, Herman bets the money in Eddie's piggy bank on a long shot. When the horse comes in a winner, it ruins Herman's lesson and entangles him in organized crime. Guest Stars: Charlie Callas as Lefty, Barton MacLane as Big Roy
55	17	"Just Another Pretty Face"	January 13, 1966 (1966-01-13)
A lightning bolt from one of Grandpa's experiments strikes Herman in the head, disfiguring him so severely that he ends up resembling the actor Fred Gwynne from Car 54, Where Are You? The "disfigured" Herman is actually Fred Gwynne himself, but without the severe makeup work, modeled on Jack P. Pierce's makeup format for Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein "Monster," that Gwynne had to undergo when he acted out the character of Herman. This episode was remade for The Munsters Today, which starred John Schuck as Herman. Guest Star: Dom DeLuise as Dr. Dudley
56	18	"Big Heap Herman"	January 20, 1966 (1966-01-20)
The Munsters are heading for a vacation in Buffalo Valley when Herman gets off for a rest stop at Indian Flats. He wanders into the village of a Native American tribe where he is mistaken for an ancient spirit.
57	19	"The Most Beautiful Ghoul in the World"	January 28, 1966 (1966-01-28)
With inheritance money from Cousin Wolverine, Grandpa and Herman develop an invention for transmitting wireless electricity while Lily and Marilyn open their own beauty salon. Both endeavors turn out to be disasters.
58	20	"Grandpa's Lost Wife"	February 3, 1966 (1966-02-03)
A lady in Sioux City, Iowa, has placed an advertisement offering a reward for the return of her lost husband--Grandpa. Grandpa claims to have never seen the woman before in his life.
59	21	"The Fregosi Emerald"	February 10, 1966 (1966-02-10)
Eddie gives Marilyn a ring he found in the attic as a birthday present. Grandpa recognizes it as the Fregosi Emerald, a centuries-old ring with a Transylvanian curse.
60	22	"Zombo"	February 17, 1966 (1966-02-17)
Eddie, an avid fan of ghoulish TV host Zombo, becomes the winner of the 'Why I Like Zombo Contest' and gets to be on the Zombo show. Herman becomes jealous of Eddie's new hero and wants to appear equally outlandish. Guest Stars: Louis Nye as Zombo, Gary Owens as Zombo Announcer
61	23	"Cyrano de Munster"	February 24, 1966 (1966-02-24)
After Herman has his poetry published in The Mortician Monthly, a shy co-worker named Clyde asks him to compose love letters to help him attract the attention of a young lady.
62	24	"The Musician"	March 3, 1966 (1966-03-03)
Grandpa's magic transforms Eddie from a rotten trumpet player into a classical music virtuoso. But when Eddie needs to duplicate the performance for Herman's boss, Grandpa cannot remember the exact formula of the potion. Guest Star: John Carradine as Mr. Gateman
63	25	"Prehistoric Munster"	March 10, 1966 (1966-03-10)
Marilyn wants to sculpt a clay bust in Herman's likeness. When she tells her art professor that the sculpture represents a living person, he plans to make a bundle from his discovery of a missing link. Guest Stars: Harvey Korman as Professor Fagenspahen, George Petrie as Professor Hansen
64	26	"A Visit from Johann"	March 17, 1966 (1966-03-17)
Dr. Victor Frankenstein IV from Germany visits Mockingbird Heights and brings with him Johann, Herman's look-alike cousin, who is far less civilized than Herman. Fred Gwynne acted out a dual role as Johann, whose behavior is similar to Boris Karloff's in the 1931 film version of Frankenstein complete with a fear of fire. Guest Star: John Abbott as Dr. Victor Frankenstein IV
65	27	"Eddie's Brother"	March 24, 1966 (1966-03-24)
Eddie longs for the companionship of a younger brother, so Grandpa builds him a robot named Boris. But Eddie becomes resentful when Boris's good behavior garners all of Herman's attention and admiration.
66	28	"Herman, the Tire Kicker"	March 31, 1966 (1966-03-31)
Herman buys an old Chevrolet convertible for Marilyn from a fly-by-night used-car dealer. Once he gets it home, it turns out to be a piece of junk. Herman later finds out that the piece of junk is also stolen. Guest Star: Frank Gorshin as Fair Deal Dan
67	29	"A House Divided"	April 7, 1966 (1966-04-07)
A massive argument erupts between Grandpa and Herman after Herman accidentally destroys a go-cart the two of them constructed for Eddie.
68	30	"Herman's Sorority Caper"	April 14, 1966 (1966-04-14)
To cure Herman of his hiccups, Grandpa puts him into a trance. When a couple of fraternity pledges are sent to spend a night in the Munster house, they mistake him for a dummy and bring him to a sorority house. Guest star Ken Osmond had previously acted out Eddie Haskell in Leave It to Beaver, whose creators/producers Joseph Connelly and Robert "Bob" Mosher also produced The Munsters. Guest Stars: Bonnie Franklin as Janice, Ken Osmond as John
69	31	"Herman's Lawsuit"	April 21, 1966 (1966-04-21)
When Herman gets hit by a car, he emerges unscathed--but the car is totaled. The driver assumes she has disfigured Herman, and her attorney suggests that she try to settle with him for $10,000. Herman assumes that this is the amount he owes for the damage to the car. Herman's fake hairpiece falls off while he is lying down on the road after getting hit by the car.
70	32	"A Visit from the Teacher"	May 12, 1966 (1966-05-12)
When Eddie reads a school composition entitled "My Parents: An Average American Family" to his class, his teacher believes the boy is exhibiting symptoms of an overactive imagination. Note: This episode serves as the unofficial finale of the series after its cancellation.

Syndication

The series entered syndication on local stations after its original run. In the 1990s, it aired on Nick at Nite and on TV Land from 1990 to 1998. In October 2011, the series was picked up by Cartoon Network's sister channel Boomerang and ran through the entire month of October that year for Halloween along with The Addams Family.

On October 5, 2015, Cozi TV began airing the series on weeknights and in a two-hour block on Sunday evenings.

Reception

Ratings

• 1964–1965: #18 (24.7 rating) – Tied with Gilligan's Island
• 1965–1966: #61 (no rating given, 30.7 share)

TV appearances in character

Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis appeared in full makeup and costumes riding in the Munster Koach in the 1964 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Gwynne made solo appearances in character on The Red Skelton Show in April 1965, in the special Murray The K – It's What's Happening, Baby in June 1965 and on and The Danny Kaye Show in April 1966.

Franchise

Film

Main article: The Munsters (film series)

Several Munsters movies were released. Two featuring original cast members include Munster, Go Home! (1966), and The Munsters' Revenge (1981). A television film titled Here Come the Munsters aired in 1995, and The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas was released in 1996. A feature film titled The Munsters was released on September 22, 2022.

TV

The Mini-Munsters

Main article: The Mini-Munsters

In 1973, ABC aired an animated one-hour special, The Mini-Munsters, based on characters from the original series.

The Munsters Today

Main article: The Munsters Today

A first-run syndication television series titled The Munsters Today ran from 1988 to 1991 and lasted for 72 episodes. The unaired pilot episode, written by Lloyd J. Schwartz, explained the 22-year gap with an accident in Grandpa's lab that put the family to sleep. They awake in the late 1980s and must adapt to their new surroundings. The show features John Schuck (Herman), Lee Meriwether (Lily), Howard Morton (Grandpa) and Jason Marsden (Eddie). Marilyn was portrayed by Mary-Ellen Dunbar in the unaired pilot and by Hilary Van Dyke thereafter.

Mockingbird Lane

Main article: Mockingbird Lane

A reboot by Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller was developed for NBC as a one-hour drama with "spectacular visuals." NBC ordered a pilot episode, and announced in January 2012 that it would be called Mockingbird Lane, a reference to the Munsters' address. NBC ultimately canceled plans for Mockingbird Lane to be produced as a weekly series, but later announced that the pilot episode would air in late October 2012 as a Halloween special. The cancellation resulted from disagreements on the show's dark nature and inconsistent tone.

Unrealized projects

• In August 2004, it was announced that Keenen Ivory, Shawn and Marlon Wayans had signed a deal to write and produce a modern-day film featuring the Munsters, but that they would not appear in it.
• In August 2017, it was announced that Seth Meyers was developing a modern-day interpretation of the series for NBC. The show would place the Munsters in Brooklyn, New York, where they try to adapt to life as an ordinary family. However, the show was not produced.

Music

In 1998, Rob Zombie released the single "Dragula". Its title was taken from the name of Grandpa's dragster DRAG-U-LA. The music video mimics, in parts, the Munsters taking a ride in the car.

A sample of the show's theme-song guitar riff was used in the song "Uma Thurman" by Fall Out Boy.

Home media

Between 2004 and 2008, Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the entire series on DVD in Regions 1 & 2.

DVD Name	Ep#	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4	Additional Information
Season 1	38	August 24, 2004 February 5, 2013 (re-released)	October 17, 2005	November 30, 2006	Original unaired pilot Dual-sided discs (Region 1 only)
Season 2	32	October 25, 2005 February 5, 2013 (re-released)	May 1, 2006	October 25, 2006	America's First Family of Fright Fred Gwynne: More Than a Munster Yvonne De Carlo: Gilded Lily Al Lewis: Forever Grandpa Dual-sided discs (Region 1 only)
The Complete Series	70	October 7, 2008 September 13, 2016 (re-released)	N/A	N/A	Original unaired pilot America's First Family of Fright Fred Gwynne: More Than a Munster Yvonne De Carlo: Gilded Lily Al Lewis: Forever Grandpa "Family Portrait" (colorized version) Munster, Go Home The Munsters' Revenge 12 single-sided discs
The Complete Series (Closed Casket Collection)	70	N/A	October 8, 2007		Original unaired pilot America's First Family of Fright Fred Gwynne: More Than a Munster Yvonne De Carlo: Gilded Lily Al Lewis: Forever Grandpa 12 single-sided discs
The Complete Series				August 3, 2016	The Munsters' Revenge Here Come the Munsters 12 single-sided discs

The "Family Portrait" episode in color, which was absent from the Season 1 and 2 standalone box sets, was released on a standalone Region 1 DVD on October 7, 2008.

Merchandise

Gold Key Comics produced a Munsters comic book that ran for 16 issues from 1965 to 1968 and featured photo covers from the TV series. When the series first appeared, the Comics Code Authority still forbade the appearance of vampires in comic books. However, because Gold Key was not a member of the Comics Magazine Association of America, it was not obligated to conform to the Comics Code, and Lily and Grandpa appeared in the comics without controversy.

Other merchandise included a set of rubber squeaky toys, Colorforms, and an Aurora model kit of the living room and family. AMT produced model kits of the Munster Koach and DRAG-U-LA. The Aurora model of the living room featured Herman in his electric chair, Eddie squatting in front of the fire, Lily knitting and Grandpa hanging in a bat-like manner from the rafters. Marilyn was not included. ERTL later produced a very detailed 1:18 scale diecast of the Munster Koach. Mattel issued two Herman Munster dolls: one was a talking doll and the other was a hand puppet (both with rings that could be pulled to make them talk utilizing Gwynne's actual voice) that were issued from 1964 until around 1968.

A video game based on The Munsters was published by Again, Again (a division of Alternative Software) in 1989. It was available for the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, MSX, and MS-DOS, but it was criticized by the gaming press because of its short length and lackluster gameplay.

In 1990, Atari Corporation released Midnight Mutants for the Atari 7800, featuring Al Lewis' likeness in his Grampa Munster character on the box and label. However, as Atari had reached an agreement with Universal, they could not call him Grampa Munster, so he was simply called Grampa.

In 1966, a three-reel View-Master set featuring The Munsters episode "The Most Beautiful Ghoul in the World" was released, accompanied by a booklet containing drawings and additional text. The set is notable because the photographs provide rare color views of the characters and sets, including house interiors, Grandpa's dungeon laboratory and the characters' heavy greenish-white facial makeup.

See also

• Vampire films
• List of vampire television series

Bibliography

• Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher. (1964). The Munsters. Hollywood: Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).
• The Munsters: A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane.

External links

• The Munsters at IMDb
• The Munsters Episode Guide