Here’s another double feature of mine featuring the weird and eccentric sitcom family of the ‘60s (besides the Addams), the Munsters. Whereas the Addams where seemingly normal looking people acting atrociously and expressing interest in the dark and goth, the Munsters were, well, monsters acting in the typical “Leave It to Beaver” family way of life expected in the ‘60s. There’s the lovable but oafish husband Herman, the Frankenstein monster; Lily, the dotting but firm vampiric wife; their adorable werewolf son Eddie; Grandpa, mad scientist and vampire; and cousin Marilyn, the black sheep of the family ironically because she’s “normal”. But let’s not get too far into the premise of the show; point is the movies featured, Munster, Go Home! and The Munsters’ Revenge, are about this different and well-known family.
After The Munsters was canceled in 1966 after only two seasons containing 70 episodes, the series was shortly followed by a box office failure movie Munster, Go Home! Essentially the movie, plot being that Herman inherits a title and an estate in England and how his despicable relatives try to be rid of him and his family, comes off more as an extended episode of the show. The movie is in color and features all the same actors portraying the family members, with the exception of Marilyn Munster being played by Debbie Watson (during the series, Marilyn was played by two actresses: Beverley Owen and Pat Priest). Low budget, the use of green screens, poor sets and cheap special effects are plentiful. Considering it was the ‘60s, such things are probably of the norm and to be expected and I may be asking for too much, but still I assume to be impressed by some aspect of the movie. However, when it comes to the storyline and the characters, I am content. I do enjoy the show and maybe if the movie had been split into three separate episodes I may be more forgiving. I remember coming across this movie for the first time when I was younger and being shocked that I was seeing these characters in Technicolor, and then being distrot when I would watch the show and would never come across an episode that was in color. Watching it again after such a long time, a new thing that upsets me is that I didn’t find Marilyn as pretty as she should be. She should’ve been a total fox, but this Watson girl was just fine. Disappointment considering she’s the love interest of the British racecar driver Roger (Robert Pine) who was quite the luscious-lipped cutie. Putting that aside, the movie is still in all good fun as of the show, and it was interesting to see the family on a legit adventure in England rather than facing a daily mundane problem in their home.
The second movie, The Munsters’ Revenge, is a big return for these characters to television, the movie being created fifteen years after the serie’s end. Mind you the film is fifteen years later, not the characters, remaining the same age as before. The family was supposed to be weird back in the 60’s, but they are even more awkward compared to the times of 1981. Being a tv-made film, it was still a total flop, predictably. While the first movie held the campiness of the sitcom, the sequel lacked the show’s charm or a strong plotline (being that Herman and Grandpa are falsely accused of crimes and must clear their names but foiling the plans of a monster-robots wielding conman). Yeah… and on top of that the film was shot fairly poor. There’s times when there would be awkward silences as if the actors are waiting for a laugh track, or the composer just didn’t feel like creating anymore background music. And at one point you were even able to see the end of the pet dragon, Spike’s, tail. The film did manage to obtain the original Herman (Fred Gwynne), Grandpa (Al Lewis), and Lily (Yvonne De Carlo), but Eddie and Marilyn were replaced by different actors, K.C. Martel & Jo McDonnell. Gwynne and Lewis seemed like time hadn’t gone by at all, but De Carlo aged tremendously, maybe because she wears the least amount of makeup between the three. Her appearance was superfluous as well; she neglected to carry the storyline in any fashion. In fact, Uncle Phantom of the Opera had more screen time than her. And what a nuisance! His sporadic appearance throughout the movie was literally for him to belt operatically and to constantly show that he can break glass. Pain to my ears. As for this new Marilyn, get out of here! Unlike the other Marilyns who were sweet and cute, this one was extremely bossy and definitely not 19-years-old. Actually, the Marilyn from the first movie, Debbie Watson, would have been the same age as McDonnell (30) at the time of filming, so why not just use her again? Oh, McDonnell was also a poor actress, on top of that. Yeah, I said it. The only redeeming thing about the movie is that Herman was as endearing as ever; very little saving grace.
Unless you’re already a fan of the tv show, I wouldn’t recommend watching these movies. To be precise, you must be a regular fan to watch the first movie and a die-hard fan to watch the second movie. Sitcoms often have a hard time transitioning from show to movie, and these were no exception. So why would I make them a part of my movie collection? Because I am an old fan and they do hold a place in my heart for sake of sentimentality, and they are nice to watch at this time of year.
For more information on these movies, click on the links below:
Munster, Go Home!: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060726/
The Munsters' Revenge: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082778/
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