It’s that old question: what’s the best – The Munsters or The Addams Family?  I love both programmes and have watched them since as far back as I can remember.  My favourite, though, is The Munsters.  I guess because they’re a family of actual monsters, whereas the Addams family are just, well… weird.  No disrespect to the Addams family, that’s a great show too, but the residents of 1313 Mockingbird Lane are my personal choice. 

Herman (Fred Gwynne)  is the father, a Frankenstein’s monster whose bumbling antics create a great deal of the plot in their misadventures.  Yvonne De Carlo plays his wife, Lily – a vampire keeping the family on track.  Her father, Grandpa (Al Lewis) is Count Dracula, with a nice sideline in magic and mad science, in his laboratory basement.  Young Eddie (Butch Patrick) is the son, who’s also a werewolf.  Cousin Marilyn (Pat Priest) is the black sheep of the family, as she’s the only one that looks normal.  All of them are bemused why the world is so surprised at their appearance.

The Munsters is a classic TV show.  Though some of the gags and plots are a little dated now, this series oozes charm.  It reminds me of my Halloween celebrations many years ago, also evoking an innocent American age of the early 60’s (whether that’s real or imaginary).  No, it’s not scary, but it is enormous family fun.

And yes, I always had a crush on Yvonne De Carlo as Lily Munster…