The Munsters

Being only 27 years old I was not around when this series was actually being made but I remember watching this series in the eighties when I was around 9-12 years old. I remember enjoying every minute of it.

The catchy theme tune, the spooky house, the dinosaur under the stairs, Grandpa's experiments and the brilliant central performance from Fred Gwynne all added up to a terrific half hour comedy.

Watching it ten years on it seems a little more cheesy than I first remember it to be - but it is one of those shows I will always fondly remember.

One of the greatest television shows of all time in My opinion is the Munsters! The show starred legendary actors Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, Beverley Owen, Pat Priest, Butch Patrick, and Mel Blanc! First I will want to commentate about the characters and the actors who played them and then I will talk about why I think this program is one of the best. I am just thrilled about how these actors are in this great series. Fred Gwynne was just incredible. Being a large fellow already was something but becoming Herman Munster he became huge! I was so surprised how agile he was. He had such a charming personality as well. Yvonne De Carlo was already a beautiful woman but I thought that she was so neat as Lily! Her character is one the most beautiful woman character that I haven seen on the screen! Al Lewis' Grandpa is such a hilarious charmer. He is arguably the most talented actor of all time. Beverley Owen and Pat Priest both gave the Marilyn character great personality. My favorite is Owen's Marilyn. Butch Patrick's Eddie was good a very good personality as well. Mel Blanc's raven was cute! The other animal characters such as Kitty and Spot were also cute. I loved the guest stars that appeared in the shows. The sets such as the Munsters' house and such all looked realistic. I loved the spookiness of the series and how it was like Halloween all the time! In My opinion each and every episode was great and funny. The theme music by Jack Marshall was also very good. I think that this series is just wonderful and that in My opinion its arguably the greatest one ever. If you can watch this show on TV strongly I recommend it and I also strongly recommend that you head over to Amazon.com and purchase the First Complete Season of The Munsters on DVD! I strongly recommend The Munsters!

I'm not sure which aired first: "The Addams Family" or "The Munsters," but I always had the impression that "The Munsters" was trying to copy "The Addams Family." Of course, none of that mattered to me as a kid. In fact, I liked "The Munsters" more; partially because I saw more episodes of it and partially because I thought it was funnier. Both shows were off the air before I was even born, so I was watching reruns.

"The Munsters" were led by Herman Munster (Fred Gwynne) who can probably be remembered as the judge in the movie "My Cousin Vinny." He was the funniest and most prominent character. I loved when he would laugh and stomp his feet and shake the entire house. The other Munsters were Grandpa (Al Lewis), Lily (Yvonne De Carlo), Eddie (Butch Patrick), and Marilyn (played by Pat Priest and Beverly Owen). None of them were as large, literally and figuratively, as Herman Munster.

This show can easily be dismissed as being so stupid it's funny, but there's more to it than just obvious jokes with a laugh track. The cast was fabulous but also talented; many having Hollywood careers or television experience prior to the show. Look at all the reincarnations (sorry) of the show and then compare the cast to the original set. No contest. Also the sets and costumes were really cool, who doesn't like Granpa's dungeon or their telephone "booth" or the Munstermobile? Some of the story lines were hilarious but my person favorite is "A House Divided." The only regret I have is that it didn't go on for one more season, who knows, maybe it would have been in ghoulish color!

Although I liked the Addams Family quite a bit, the Munsters were it for me. Let's face it, grandpa make the show: without him a lot of the flavor would have been lost. I felt that he should have been on much more than he was. Marilyn, on the other hand, could have completely disappeared and I would never have noticed. Of course, the entire cast was great, the jokes were side splittingly corny, and the atmosphere of the house was nice and spooky.