The Addams Family - the contemporary of this show - was more about a wealthy family that seemed not quite human in spite of very human looking members. They did have some family members such as cousin It that seemed decidedly not human - covered in hair ( He seemed to be all hair) and speaking in gibberish.
The Munsters were different. They depended upon a salary to keep food on the table - or whatever it was that nourished them. One time, when Lily wants to buy a gift for Herman, she figures the only way their budget can handle it is for her to work nights as a welder. But the Munsters appeared decidedly non -human. Herman (Fred Gwynne in his most famous role...I wonder how he felt about that?) looks like the Frankenstein monster as he was seen in the movies. Lily (Yvonne DeCarlo), his wife is either "The Bride of Frankenstein" (I guess in this reality those two kids work things out) or a daughter of Dracula. What weighs heavily in favor of the Daughter of Dracula is that her father (Al Lewis), known as Grandpa, is definitely a vampire, but he is also a mad scientist. Eddie, Herman and Lily's son, looks like a miniature wolfman. Finally, there is cousin Marilyn who looks like your classically beautiful and completely human blonde. She is blind to the weirdness in her family, and the rest of the Munsters feel sorry for her because she is unattractive by their standards, and that means it will be difficult for her to find a husband - still a huge milestone in 1960s America for a young woman.
Too late to make a long story short, the Addams family is a normal looking family that is spooky, the Munsters are a spooky looking family that wants to be normal, and considers themselves normal. When the PTA or the school administration comes over to talk about their son, they are very interested and produce their best spider cookies. When Herman's boss pays a visit, played to perfection by the -by that time - rather prune faced emotionally embalmed John Carradine , the whole family is at attention. They NEED Herman's salary. Just like the Clampetts in The Beverly Hillbillies, they always misunderstand every interaction with the "normal" world.
Two matters of interest. This show seems to be a bit of a knock off of "Car 64 Where Are You?" since Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis were in that show playing people of similar disposition, except they were entirely human and they were cops. The other point of interest - Marilyn should be attracting normal guys. But the one time she does attract a suitor who wants to elope with her, his interest is entirely financial, and pertains to a formula for turning water into gasoline that Granpa invented. Is this show telling us not to judge a book by its cover? That someone who "looks" different, maybe even scary by our own standards, may be the most decent person you will ever meet? I don't know. Could be.
The Munsters were different. They depended upon a salary to keep food on the table - or whatever it was that nourished them. One time, when Lily wants to buy a gift for Herman, she figures the only way their budget can handle it is for her to work nights as a welder. But the Munsters appeared decidedly non -human. Herman (Fred Gwynne in his most famous role...I wonder how he felt about that?) looks like the Frankenstein monster as he was seen in the movies. Lily (Yvonne DeCarlo), his wife is either "The Bride of Frankenstein" (I guess in this reality those two kids work things out) or a daughter of Dracula. What weighs heavily in favor of the Daughter of Dracula is that her father (Al Lewis), known as Grandpa, is definitely a vampire, but he is also a mad scientist. Eddie, Herman and Lily's son, looks like a miniature wolfman. Finally, there is cousin Marilyn who looks like your classically beautiful and completely human blonde. She is blind to the weirdness in her family, and the rest of the Munsters feel sorry for her because she is unattractive by their standards, and that means it will be difficult for her to find a husband - still a huge milestone in 1960s America for a young woman.
Too late to make a long story short, the Addams family is a normal looking family that is spooky, the Munsters are a spooky looking family that wants to be normal, and considers themselves normal. When the PTA or the school administration comes over to talk about their son, they are very interested and produce their best spider cookies. When Herman's boss pays a visit, played to perfection by the -by that time - rather prune faced emotionally embalmed John Carradine , the whole family is at attention. They NEED Herman's salary. Just like the Clampetts in The Beverly Hillbillies, they always misunderstand every interaction with the "normal" world.
Two matters of interest. This show seems to be a bit of a knock off of "Car 64 Where Are You?" since Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis were in that show playing people of similar disposition, except they were entirely human and they were cops. The other point of interest - Marilyn should be attracting normal guys. But the one time she does attract a suitor who wants to elope with her, his interest is entirely financial, and pertains to a formula for turning water into gasoline that Granpa invented. Is this show telling us not to judge a book by its cover? That someone who "looks" different, maybe even scary by our own standards, may be the most decent person you will ever meet? I don't know. Could be.