The Munsters first premiered in 1964 and introduced viewers to a family of friendly, benign monsters who view themselves as a typical average family, a spooky twist on the wholesome family sitcoms popular at the time.
Nearly 60 years later and The Munsters remains of the most popular TV shows of all time and still resonates with audiences today. Various attempts have been made to reboot The Munsters through the years, including the 1988 sequel series The Munsters Today and the 2012 Mockingbird Lane remake. Additionally, a movie reboot is in the works, written and directed by Rob Zombie, and is slated to premiere in October 2022.
10 Mel Blanc Was The Voice Of The Raven
Fans of The Munsters will remember the cuckoo bird clock in the family’s living room, but instead of a little bird popping out, it was a raven that would exclaim “Nevermore,” a reference to the Edgar Allen Poe poem The Raven.
The man behind the raven was famed voice actor and radio personality Mel Blanc, “The Man of 1,000 Voices.” Blanc created over 500 voices for various projects and was the most sought-after voice actor then; his famous characters include Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Barney Rubble, Mr. Spacely, and even Granny.
9 The Lost Pilot Of The Munsters
Most fans of the show recognize the episode “My Fair Munster” as the one where Grandpa creates a love potion to help Marilyn with her boyfriend troubles. However, this is also the title of the unaired pilot that has rarely been seen.
The original pilot episode was filmed in color and featured different actors in the roles of Lily and Eddie; the character of Lily was called Phoebe in the pilot. However, CBS wasn’t happy with what they saw, and changes were made to resemble the show fans are familiar with.
8 Fred Gwynne & Al Lewis Worked Together Before The Show
Before Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis were Herman and Grandpa, the two actors co-starred in the police comedy sitcom Car 54, Where Are You?.
The show ran for two seasons from 1961 to 1963 and followed the adventures of two mismatched New York police officers. The two actors’ familiarity is evident in their performances on The Munsters, which helps sell the tight family dynamic that is the core of the show. Car 54, Where Are You? won the 1962 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy.
7 The Connection Between Grandpa & Frankenstein’s Labs
One of the most iconic sets in movie history is Dr. Frankenstein’s Lab in 1931’s Frankenstein. The man behind the set’s design was Kenneth Strickfaden, the famous special effects specialist at the time, who is credited for creating the sets for more than a hundred movies.
Strickfaden was also the head of the special effects crew for The Munsters and is credited with designing Grandpa’s lab. Many of the props used in Grandpa’s laboratory were similar to those used in the movie, connecting the show to the film that inspired the Herman Munster character.
6 Why The Munsters Was Shot In Black & White
Even though TV shows were being filmed and played in color when The Munsters premiered in 1964, the show was filmed in black and white. This was because of multiple reasons; however, the main one was cost; it was cheaper to film a show in black and white than in color.
Other reasons included that the original pilot turned down by CBS was shot in color; execs were concerned kids would find the show too scary if the spooky characters were in color. However, the black and white setup worked in the show’s favor since it felt like the classic black and white Universal monster movies that inspired some of the show’s characters.
5 The Addams Family Coincidence
The Munsters and The Addams Family have also been compared since the shows first hit the air. Both shows follow the misadventures of loving yet spooky families who live outside the covenantal norms.
As a coincidence, The Munsters and The Addams Family premiered on their respective networks on the same day. While this does appear as if CBS was completing ABC, the networks were unaware they were both producing spooky-themed family sitcoms. It is a common misconception that one was a rip-off of the other, but that was never the case.
4 Gwynne And Lewis Were Concerned About Working With Yvonne De Carlo
It’s difficult to imagine anyone else in the role of Lily Munster other than Yvonne De Carlo; the chemistry between her and Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis is part of what made The Munsters fun to watch. So it may surprise some fans that Gwynne and Lewis were apprehensive about De Carlo being cast in the role of Lily.
It had nothing to do with bad blood between the actors; rather than they were concerned that her background in dramatic roles, such as 1956’s The Ten Commandments, for example, was going to clash with their comedic styles. However, De Carlo soon proved herself to be a versatile actor, and her chemistry with the rest cast was undeniable.
3 Building The Drag-U-La Was Sneaky Business
One of the iconic elements of the show was the Drag-U-La; even though it only appeared in one episode, it was immediately a fan favorite and has inspired various recreations through the years; Hard Rock musician Rob Zombie even titled one of his songs after Grandpa’s spooky car.
The Drag-U-La was built with a real coffin, but some legal issues forced the show’s team to get creative. In North Hollywood, it was illegal to purchase a coffin without a death certificate, so project engineer George Barris made a deal with a funeral director to purchase a casket with cash, which Barris would pick up after dark by the funeral home’s back door.
2 The Munsters Comic Books
The popularity of The Munsters opened up the market for merchandise featuring everyone’s favorite friendly monsters. Cracking into the comic book industry wasn’t going to be that easy due to a rule set by the Comics Code Authority that prohibited all depictions of vampires from comic books.
However, Gold Key Comics was an independent company that worked outside the Comics Code Authority and printed 16 issues of The Munsters comic books from 1965 to 1968. The covers featured full-color pictures of the cast and stills from the show.
1 The Cowardly Lion Was The First Choice For To Play Grandpa
Before Al Lewis was offered to play the vampiric Grandpa on The Munsters, the role was first offered to Bert Lahr, famous for his performance in The Wizard of Oz as the Cowardly Lion; there is not much information on why Lahr turned down the role.
Fred Gwynne and Butch Patrick weren’t the creators’ first picks either; the role of Herman Munster was initially offered to John Carradine, known for his work on Westerns, and child actor Billy Mumy was in mind to play Eddie Munster.