Les monstres

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.

I think the problem with TV sitcoms these days is that 90% of the them are filmed in front of studio audiences. Save for the cable-TV comedies, adventurous shows like "The Munsters" don't get made today. They went OUTSIDE, they drove around. Everything wasn't confined to the sets, although their house was a doozy and I loved it every time action took place down in Grandpa's basement. What a bunch of great characters these were (with kudos to Al Lewis and--God bless him--Fred Gwynne). Many of the episodes--such as the classic one where Eddie runs amok on a popular ghoul-TV program, "Zombo"--are still very pointed today, and just as funny. Herman's super strength was always good for a colorful sight-gag, Yvonne De Carlo's Lily was the perfect straight-face for Herman's antics. And don't forget that Drag-U-La...what a beauty!

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.

The simultaneous runs of Munsters and Addams Family doomed both to two-season lifespans. Much of the audience became polarized. Munsters fans would not watch Addams Family and vice versa, but if either show had been on without the other it would have attracted almost the full audience of the other.

Either could have become a major, long-running classic. Addams Family had the better chance, being a comedy/social commentary of the type that later became the major hits, All in the Family and The Simpsons. But Munsters also could also have had its seasons in the sun. After scrapping the ill-conceived and twice miscast role of Marilyn, the enormous talent and charisma of Fred Gwynne and his chemistry with Al Lewis (good friends off-camera, too) could have carried that show for many years.

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!