62 years ago today, “The Munsters” debuted on CBS Television. While “The Addams Family” was released first (just six days before on CBS), “The Munsters” is my favorite. The initial pilot was filmed in color with a different tone and characterizations than the final show that was eventually approved by the network brass.
As Phoebe, Joan Marshall’s daughter of Dracula character was more in line with Vampira and Morticia Addams.
Played as if her face had just been frozen by Botox, there was very little warmth in the Phoebe character.
Eddie, the son, was ironically portrayed by Happy Derman. This little snarling brat was anything but happy. There was zero appeal or warmth for this character. Recasting fixed both problems.
Phoebe became Lily and would be played by Hollywood star and glamour girl Yvonne DeCarlo, shown with former beau Robert Stack below:
Both Fred Gwynne (Herman) and Al Lewis (Grandpa) bristled at the thought of DeCarlo, assuming she couldn’t handle the comedy while bringing an attitude to the set. As Lewis would later admit, they were both wrong. Dead wrong! Eddie was recast with Butch Patrick, who played an ordinary little boy who just happened to have pointed ears and a werewolf for a teddy bear.
The opening credit sequence set the tone for the show; it satirized the typical “Leave It To Beaver” intro to each family member while adding a warm comedic touch. Gwynn’s characterization of Herman was more bumbling and lovable in the revamped show. The network brass decided to go with black and white instead of color, since it added about $10k per episode. It was the right choice, as the black and white cinematography fits in better with the Universal Studio monsters with which the show spoofs.
As if those changes weren’t enough, there would be one more.
As she described in the documentary “The Munsters: America’s First Family of Fright,” actress Beverley Owen was getting ready to move to New York to be with her boyfriend when she got the call for the Munsters pilot. With doubts that it would ever make it to fruition, she agreed to play the “normal” niece of Herman and Lily Munster. Desolate at being stuck on the west coast while her honey was in the east, Gwynne and Lewis helped Owen get out of her contract.
Pat Priest took over the role, with her first episode airing on December 24, 1964. Many didn’t even notice the change as the two bore a striking resemblance to each other. Another bonus of hiring Priest was that she was able to fit into Owen’s wardrobe, saving the production a fair amount of money.
Who was better? I like both of them for different reasons, but have to vote for Priest as the best choice for Marilyn. Owen’s characterization had a touch more glamour and smarts to her, making it a bit harder to believe that she isn’t aware of her beauty as Marilyn, or that her family are truly the odd looking ones not her. Priest brought a certain naiveté and genuine warmth to the role which were missing when Owen was part of the family.
By the third season, the opening theme was a bit jazzier and the credits were filmed on the porch instead of in the foyer of the gothic Munster mansion.
A popular stop on the Universal Studios tour was the Munster Home, as seen in this poorly composed shot from September 1965:
In all fairness, the trams didn’t always give the best vantage points for photos. Here’s another one showing iconic 1313 Mockingbird Lane street numbers on the exterior pillars of the home, circa March 1966:
Lasting only two seasons, the show is still remembered. TV and film reboots have failed, and I would attribute this to two things: the cast and the superior writing. The chemistry between Gwynne and Lewis is unmatched, and DeCarlo held it all together as the matriarch with a touch of Hollywood glamour. The original show also had a family warmth and appeal that is hard to reproduce. There were moral lessons that were seamlessly presented that when looked at today, are still valuable and heartwarming without being in your face or cloying. NECA has recently released 7" action figures of both Herman and Grandpa; they quickly sold out!
It is amazing how much detail is captured at this small size:
Each figure comes with a generous amount of props that will make fans of the show remember the specific episodes that inspired them:
Hey NECA; how about a Lily, Marilyn, and Eddie?
Happy Anniversary, Munsters!
See more Classic TV & Movie photos at my main website.
