History: Meet the Munsters [dramaturg's desk]

This Week in History: September 19–25

It was this week in 1964 that television was changed when a unique family named the Munsters moved into 1313 Mockingbird Lane: at 7:30 p.m. on September 24, “The Munsters” premiered on CBS.

In the 1950s and ’60s, horror films experienced a renaissance with television programs dedicated to rerunning classic scary movies. And in September 1964, both “The Addams Family” and “The Munsters” reached American homes for the first time, combining the genres of horror and situation comedy. And while both series debuted the same week—they also went off the air in the same week in 1966—”The Munsters” had elements that “The Addams Family” lacked: the Munsters are distinctly reminiscent of iconic Universal Studios monsters like Count Dracula and Frankenstein’s creature, but the characters believe they are just a typical American family. Writing in The New York Times the day after the first episode aired, Jack Gould added that the element that “enables the Munsters to bridge plausibly the gap between their existence and the more familiar life of their neighbors” is the inclusion of niece Marilyn Munster, whom the family worries is too plain (to most viewers, she would seem like a beautiful blonde).

The cast was led by Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Al Lewis as Grandpa, both alumni of the series “Car 54, Where Are You?” who had also appeared multiple times on Broadway: Gwynne, who played the patriarch who bore a striking resemblance to Frankenstein’s monster, had a powerful baritone singing voice, which he put to use in musicals like Meredith Willson’s Here’s Love. Successful film actress Yvonne De Carlo—who went on to play Carlotta Campion and sing “I’m Still Here” in the original production of Follies—played Lily Munster as maternal and assertive. After one of the show’s multiple pilots, producers decided to drop Joan Marshall as Mrs. Munster, then named Phoebe (who, as “Munsters” historian Stephen Cox points out, “in retrospect [...] hued much closer to that of Carolyn Jones’s ‘Morticia’ on The Addams Family“), and De Carlo did a film test to audition for the role. CBS vice president Mike Dann commented in a memo that De Carlo’s “[screen] test is completely satisfactory. She overacted a little but obviously that’s from inadequate direction. She’s just over the hill, but still sexy enough to have some extra interest.” And while the expensive sets and elaborate makeup definitely helped make “The Munsters” compelling, the factor truly responsible for the show’s success was its unforgettable cast of characters. And even though the show only ran for two seasons, it left an indelible mark on popular culture. Perhaps Yvonne De Carlo best sums up the phenomenon of the program: “The popularity of The Munsters, though not surprising, is most pleasing. The show just keeps coming back. I’ve had so many roles over the years, in film, on the stage . . . but I guess I’ll always be known as Lily Munster.”

Russell M. Dembin is a theatre educator and freelance dramaturg. Past production dramaturgy credits include the Drama Desk-nominated world premiere of Underground and the U.S. premiere of GBS at The Clockwork Theatre; the New York premiere of “Finding the Way” at Manhattan Theatre Source; and Annie Get Your Gun at Albany’s Park Playhouse, which featured a historically accurate recreation of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and an accompanying exhibition, “Annie Oakley: A Natur’l History,” in honor of Annie Oakley’s 150th birthday. You can reach him at Russ.Dembin@thecallboard.com.