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Butch Patrick almost didn't play Eddie Munster on The Munsters due to original casting choices. The show used traditional movie monsters in suburban American settings, making the Munsters unique. Butch Patrick's portrayal of Eddie Munster as a relatable, fun-loving child resonated with audiences.

It may surprise some fans of The Munsters that Butch Patrick almost didn't play the memorable role of Eddie Munster. The 1960s family sitcom The Munsters took the classic suburban American show tropes and used traditional movie monsters as the vehicle. The Munster family, comprised of Herman (Fred Gwynne), Lily (Yvonne De Carlo), Grandpa (Al Lewis), Marilyn (Beverley Owen and Pat Priest), and Eddie Munster (Butch Patrick) are just like any other family, except that they look like the Universal movie monsters.

Eddie Munster, the only child of Herman and Lily, is part-werewolf. He's a precocious young boy who loves his parents, and frequently talks about how great his father is.

Butch Patrick turns 70 today, but he still exhibits the same youthful exuberance he brought to The Munsters as Eddie Munster from 1964 to 1966. From child actor to the classic series’ de facto delegate, I had the pleasure of speaking with Patrick about his unconventional career, The Munsters‘ legacy, and more at NorthEast Comic Con’s Collectibles Extravaganza.

Patrick stumbled into acting. While accompanying his little sister to a print modeling shoot, the photographer asked to take his photo as well. “He took some pictures of me afterward, and he put one in his window. About a month later, a producer and a director were walking by. They were casting a movie, and they still needed the youngest son of Eddie Albert and Jane Wyatt. I wound up getting the movie. It was a great little B-movie called The Two Little Bears.”

He continues, “I went for an interview and got hired,...