The
Munsters Uneven Second Season Still Full of Fun Treats
by
Kristin Battestella
At
once The Munsters seems
like a short-lived show with two seasons worth of spooky shtick –
if you've seen one episode with lovable monster Herman, vampire
housewife Lily, The Count Grandpa mad scientist, unfortunately normal
niece Marilyn, and little werewolf son Eddie then you've seen them
all. However, with thirty-two episodes for the Second 1965-66 season,
The Munsters both
strays from its affable formula yet provides enough hair-brained fun
for triple the time of today's shorter, ten or thirteen episode
seasons.
Lying
down on the job, getting mistaken for a customer – The Munsters'
funeral parlor jokes continue this season in “Herman's Child
Psychology.” The family gathers around the dusty organ for a sing a
long and nice father and son moments turn into bemusing reverse
psychology as peer pressure puts Eddie in a mini rebellion phase.
It's a simple premise, but this cool refresher even kids that these
kinds of things are supposed to work on Leave it to Beaver.
Likewise, everyone struggles to all fit on the couch for a family
photo and end up victims of the powder poof in “Herman Munster,
Shutterbug.” Lily knows Herman dabbling in photography will be
botched somehow, and sure enough, the clan ends up humorously held
hostage after Herman inadvertently snaps bank robbers in the act. Of
course, the crooks can't handle The Munsters at home, but Grandpa
sides with Herman and Marilyn with Lily when the couple both secretly
take second jobs to buy each other 1865 anniversary gifts in “Happy
100th Anniversary.” Not only do they scare the employment agency,
but the two end up working side by side – but in their welding
masks. Granted, The Munsters repeats
on the moonlighting jobs, and gosh it sure was easy to get work for a
week back then. However, parallel scenes, charming quips, mistaken
hijinks, and men versus women in the same workplace combine for some
preposterous, memorable laughter. Grandpa says the dripping
with class Munsters must frighten the common man and that's why they
can't get a renter for their guest room in “Lily's Star Boarder.”
Of course, jealous man of the house Herman objects to the idea,
snoops, and jumps to a totally wrong conclusion about their secretive
guest. Rather than a crooked swindle, here The Munsters smartly
puts an outsider in the mansion and lets the happenstance ensue.
Unfortunately, the court thinks Herman hitting his head and
getting amnesia is a Candid Camera stunt in “John Doe
Munster.” Lily and Grandpa must go to the adoption judge over comic
book reading Herman – who doesn't recognize his family. However, he
does think Mrs. Munster is a cute cookie and is willing to go home
with her if he gets his own TV set!
Meetings
with the Mayor, creature sightings, and pesky reporters make for an
interesting mix of humor and politics when Grandpa's anti-voting
machine and Spot's running away clash in “Underground Munster.”
Whispers of corruption, red tape, and a politician really throwing
dynamite on the situation add to the race against the clock, and The
Munsters gets better
midway through the season as secret passages in the dungeon lead to
the discovery of an old fort in “The Treasure of Mockingbird
Heights.” Labels such as “playpen” and “hobby room” on the
ye olde prison stocks delight Herman and Grandpa – not to mention
the map to buried pirate treasure. After all, the boys agree such
luck doesn't happen to this kind of nice, normal family. Teamwork,
humorous obstacles, surprises, and suspicions keep the two-hander
cracks fun. Unfortunately, Eddie's being bullied and Herman faces
practical jokers at work in “Herman's Peace Offensive.” While
doing the right thing, not resorting to violence, proper parenting,
and standing up to bullies are basic sitcom topics, The Munsters'
unique brand adds witty
gags alongside parlor zest and father/son boxing gone awry. The
lessons are learned – although innocent Herman mixes with horse
racing bookies instead of discouraging Eddie from gambling in “Herman
Picks a Winner.” Fred Gwynne also goes sans monster makeup after
“disfiguring” stray lightning in “Just Another Pretty Face,”
making for one of the most memorable Munster episodes. It's
Herman complete with all the same mannerisms, but the repulsed family
takes him to the doctor and considers plastic surgery. Poor Herman
feels Hollywood flashy in a regular suit and too embarrassed to go to
the parlor, but his original Dr. Frankenstein blueprints and some mad
scientist twists bring rectifying delights. Likewise, “Zombo”
provides great horror within the horror as Eddie becomes obsessed
with the titular host's show – only to be shocked and disappointed
at the behind the scenes fakery and “This is television”
cardboard veneer. Here The Munsters uses
the spooky bad horror expected of the era to wink at their own comedy
as well as the still relatively new vogue of television.
Viewers
also get to see more of the funeral parlor after Herman's publication
of “Going out to Pasture” in “The Mortician Monthly” for
“Cyrano de Munster.” When he turns to ghost writing love letters
for a co-worker and Lily finds out, well, The Munsters add
its own spin on the familiar theme. And imagine, back then,
one had to look up people's addresses in the phone book! Dr.
Frankenstein IV stops by in “A Visit from Johann,” and Gwynne
does double monster duty again as the eponymous but less
sophisticated Herman lookalike. Johann, however, escapes the dungeon
and ends up on a switcharoo honeymoon weekend with Lily. Alas, it's
Herman ruining Grandpa's go kart birthday gift for Eddie that brings
the father and son-in-law to war in “A House Divided.” Booby
traps and elaborate alarms lead to the divvy of mansion property with
competing televisions, rival organ music, and newspaper squabbles.
Instead of cruel crooks, the bemusing nasty stems from the
territorial escalating, and rather than some kind of scam, the car
accident victim of the jaywalking Herman tries to settle in “Herman's
Lawsuit.” Her lawyer sees their lifestyle and thinks The Munsters
destitute, but the out of touch family doesn't realize they are the
ones being paid! The unplanned series finale “A Visit from the
Teacher” sees Grandpa's crazy invention to save electricity, Herman
electrocuted while trying to fix the toaster, and Eddie's school
essay about his zany family – bemusingly summing up The Munsters
in a little episode about
nothing but them being themselves. Of course, the school
officials think it is all just a disturbing fantasy until they end up
trapped in the coffin phone booth, and The Munsters think it is
nothing but plain old jealousy when others don't appreciate their
good-natured hospitality.
Generally,
The Munsters' episodes
have a Munster moniker in their title, and the names of each half
hour pretty much giveaway that show's entire plot. However the titles
aren't shown in the episode's credits this season, and Year Two is
slow to start with the same unnecessary
gimmicks and dancing bears. Repeat bank heists and people fleeing in
super speed get old fast and detract from the family humor this show
does best. Rather than takings cues from its own brand, The
Munsters relies
on too many then-references and jokes that will fall flat for
audiences mid-century unfamiliar. Quoting other television shows in
attempted self-awareness doesn't work when the family themselves
behave inconsistently and out of character from episode to episode.
One and all happily go to the beach without negative comments on
sunshine and nice weather, Herman says he never won an award when he
just did win the episode prior – isn't grilling wolf burgers a
little cannibalistic? Dated stereotypes and an evil Russian trawler
in “Herman the Master Spy” add to the unevenness in the first
half of the season, almost as if the show doesn't know what to do
beyond putting the family in outlandish stunts such as “Bronco
Bustin' Munster.” Fun individual moments like Herman's clumsy,
house damaging, not so athletic grace in “Herman, Coach of the
Year” are like every other sports episode, and attempted, ahead of
their time comments on gay marriage, cross-dressing, and male to
female body switches come off as woefully unsmooth. The hypnosis and
hiccup gags in “Herman's Sorority Caper” do enough alongside the
drive-in showing “The Beast That Ate Lower New Jersey,” however,
frat boys abducting Herman and sorority shower traps dampen the fun,
and The Munsters often
resorts to such dumb turns rather than fully embracing its potential
for unique, spooky horror treats. “Big
Heap Herman” piles on stereotypical Native American portrayals –
with Native Americans complaining about their faux village tourism
and putting on stereotypical Native American portrayals. There's
promise with tiny cabin births and little ladders for physical gags,
but somehow it all comes down to two vampires walking through the
desert. Say what?
He
may speak a bit of Spanish and basic French, but Herman Munster's
family knows he is a big boob who can get lost on the way home and
needs his inflatable sea horsey to go scuba diving. Herman wants to
impress his family at all times and be their hero but still have time
to catch up on Little Orphan Annie. He's 152 and in the prime
of his life yet afraid a hair cut will ruin his rugged Steve McQueen
look. Herman falls for every trick in the book, as in “Herman, the
Tire Kicker” when he uses his $375 bonus to inadvertently buy a hot
lemon for Marilyn. However, he laughs at his own jokes, too – which
makes Herman all the more lovable whether the pun is stellar or
corny. In “Will Success Spoil Herman Munster?” Herman plays
guitar and sings a song, leading to radio stardom that naturally gets
the better of him. Gwynne's simplest slapstick actions and solo
physical humor are always good fun, and this season the majority of
episodes focus on Herman. He only cracks the mirror twice and school
professors take Herman for a missing link in “Prehistoric Munster,”
but when offered a happy hour drink, he agrees to a hot fudge sundae
with pecans on top – and kicks back four of them. Although I wish
we saw more of him at the funeral parlor, about his work Herman says,
“I really dig it.” When promoted to driving the Hearst for
“Herman's Driving Test,” he discovers his license expired 20
years ago, which means good old law abiding Herman has been driving
almost the entire series without a license! Tsk tsk. Of course, Lily
gets unnecessarily jealous and easily angry at Herman despite their
long lasting marriage – she wore a black veil and held their
wedding reception in the family mausoleum. They aren't seen in that
shocking double bed together as much, but Lily keeps herself classy
with braids, a black parasol, and an old fashioned bathing suit at
the beach. Her iconic dress actually changes quite a bit, but hello,
tiara! Lily puts out her best bone china for guests and makes
everyone's favorite owl egg omelet brunch complete with bat milk
yogurt, salamander salad, vulture livers, and cream of buzzard soup.
Ever the loving aunt, she calls home from the movies to check on
Marilyn – if only because the western movie massacre was
disappointing thanks to all the fake blood. Lily paints, sculpts, and
although she enjoys having the lights out and needing a candle during
nighttime storms, she also want the television back ASAP. She gets
very upset when Herman turns handsome – er gruesome and often lays
down the law with her family. While early on Yvonne De Carlo doesn't
have much to do besides yell at Herman, Lily has her spotlight when
late Cousin Wolverine sends The Munsters a 10,000 inheritance in “The
Most Beautiful Ghoul in the World.” Lily and Marilyn open a beauty
parlor to rival Grandpa and Herman's latest experiment, however
Lily's Old World beauty techniques make regular folks' heads turn –
and sue Lily for disastrous results.
Fortunately,
ever wise Grandpa says there's no sense crying over spilled blood!
Even without his crystal ball, he knows Herman will goof up his
experiments or turn his well intended pills and potions into a family
mishap. While Grandpa does antagonize Herman with cowardly taunts and
experiments on him even when he runs out of anesthetic, they also
look through old photo albums together and their mad scientist team
ups do help...occasionally. Grandpa turns into numerous animals,
disguises himself to fool Herman, and uses his trick index finger as
a lighter or key. We don't often see his pet bat Igor, but Grandpa
plays checkers with a ghost – who won't pay up when he loses –
and has some interesting Tesla style energy, wireless, and lighting
designs that unfortunately backfire. When not focusing on Herman The
Munsters does seem more rounded
this season with ensemble moments and great wisecracks from Al Lewis.
Grandpa loves the operations on Dr. Kildare and
thinks My Three Sons is
a “weird fantastic adventure,” but he gets lassoed into
his own scam when a wealthy widow is searching for him in “Grandpa's
Lost Wife.” The yacht and thoroughbreds were too good to be true,
and Grandpa goes back to sitting at the kitchen table reading
“Playghoul.” What kind of message is that for dear Eddie? He
buries Grandpa in the sand at the beach, has a surfboard in the shape
of a coffin, and picks up a new pet snake named Elmer. Eddie
also wins a track race on his own despite Herman wanting to take
coaching credit or Grandpa cheating with magic. He's reluctant to
take mystery potions to improve his organ lessons, and such tricks
yield unintended jazz results when Eddie is forced to play the
trumpet in “The Musician.” While Eddie remains a plot point or
moral example as needed, Butch Patrick still generally appears at the
dinner table or for a pet mention and then disappears until the end
of an episode. For every stride The Munsters makes
in giving him something to do, the gags still take over any character
development. Sure, he slides down the banister with his Woof Woof or
takes a pole to the kitchen and has cool stairs in his room. However,
home from school trouble is told rather than seen, and the robot
companion in “Eddie's Brother” becomes more about Herman playing
favorites. Unlike other sitcoms of the era, The Munsters
never adds more children to its
nucleus – but the series also should have paid more attention to
the youth it had. I suspect they could have written Eddie out
as off to boarding school or with relatives in Transylvania and the
series wouldn't have changed much.
Naturally,
Pat Priest as Marilyn fairs little better, coming and going with off
screen exposition despite providing sound advice amid the haywire.
She listens to Lily's this or that and has some funny moments with
Grandpa – although the family whispers about what could have scared
her pregnant mother into making her look like that. The Munsters have
high hopes, however, making her dresses out of left over lining
fabric from the funeral parlor and storing them in her hope chest
made with cedar from the parlor's “Forever Yours” casket model.
When not helping in the kitchen and serving tea or sour lemonade,
Marilyn stays home and studies rather than going out with the clan –
but at least she has some scenes of her own and gets to say she is
home for a big test instead of being name dropped as an afterthought.
Why couldn't Marilyn be the focus of the driving test episode? Even
for her birthday in “The Fregosi Emerald” – complete with a
cursed ring, sow's ear purse, and a tarantula skin wallet with a
picture of Herman inside it – Marilyn has the same old jinx and bad
dates. Fortunately, she actually has a storyline of her own in “A
Man for Marilyn.” Herman scares a boy by saying they would love to
have him for dinner, but Grandpa turns a frog into a prince while
Lily literally ropes in a passerby and dresses Marilyn up in a black
lace wedding gown. After all, “Happy the bride the moon shines on,
dear!” It's a cute little episode that makes most of The
Munsters' built in Marilyn gag. This sophomore year there are
also less guests with more self contained stories, but fun choice
appearances nearer the end of the season include Dom DeLuise as Dr.
Dudley, Harvey Korman again, Batman's The
Riddler Frank Gorshin, and mom Bonnie Franklin from One Day
at a Time. John Carradine also returns as deadpan funeral
director Mr.Gateman, telling “Mrs. M” he is in a gay mood and
famous for his sense of humor – and he confesses that the parlor
runs better without Herman.
The
Munsters debuts new
credits and a tricked out theme for Year Two, however the crash sound
when Herman breaks through the front door is occasionally absent, and
sometimes the show starts cold while other times a title card is
presented. The volume is once again uneven, and some animal effects
are better than others are. While make up and fashion changes are
understandable, the special effects seem reduced this season, with
less objects broken and cheaper looking travel facades, poor water
and boat photography, silly rodeo footage, and seriously fake
forestry. Fortunately, the Munster Mansion is less cobwebbed, making
it just a little bit easier to see everything, including a new guest
room with an upstairs candlestick phone that seems to be where
Marilyn's room was in the front gable. Herman and Lily's master suite
leads to the covered widow's walk on the right of the house, and
décor such as the trick knight at the top of the stairs, a growling
tiger blanket, and a crooked, dusty “Home Sweet Home” sign set
the quirky, quaint mood. That big house, however, has only has one
bathroom hear tell. The cranky clock raven has a handful of snarky
quips, but Kitty and its lion roar only appears a few times,
erroneously as both a ginger and a black cat. However, sort of
dragon, kind of dinosaur Spot and his tail are more visual this go
round, with talk of him stealing car bumpers because he has an iron
deficiency and other critical plot moments almost making him more
important than Eddie! The pyrotechnics under the stairs come in handy
grilling hot dogs, too, while the smoke, fog, and grayscale schemes
keep the 1313 Mockingbird Lane lawn looking creepy fun for a
nighttime dig. But hell, I want to open a shop with only $5,000
capital! And $20 bail? Hot damn. All the family's ideas, information,
and schemes come from their daily newspaper, too, and it's easy to
enjoy the nostalgia on The Munsters thanks
to old laboratory gadgetry, flashbulb cameras, tape recorders,
period radios, and giant bags of snail mail.
Strangely,
Episode Seven “Operation Herman” is not included with The
Munsters on Netflix. The
doctoring may be unfunny, and Herman breaks the hospital rules to
bring him Woof Woof when Eddie gets his tonsils removed, but even
with the dose of laughing gas, it looks to be just a simple oversight
rather than anything offensive. Streaming options, affordable series
DVDS with perks, and retro reruns on networks like Cozi TV make it
easy to catch The Munsters or
the color follow up features Munster, Go Home and
The Munsters' Revenge. I
am however hesitant to move on to the sequel series The
Munsters Today. Despite running
longer than The Munsters, I'm
just too tepid about all that eighties neon! The Second Season
of The Munsters starts with a
lot of the same old same old. At times, the series seems out of steam
and parodies its own parody with repetitive plots. Perhaps such
simplicity is expected from a sixties show with so many
episodes yet seemingly so few innate possibilities. Fortunately, The
Munsters still has plenty of
memorable delights in this second leg, and one and all can
continue the creepy family fun marathon year round.
The Falling –
Game
of Thrones'
Maisie Williams leads a group of hysterical English schoolgirls in
this 2014 period mystery complete with creepy folk tunes, beautiful
landscapes, and old time school bells. The similarities with Picnic
at Hanging Rock are
also apparent with latent BFFs, a budding blonde, the awkward
brunette, the chubby girl playing an instrument, and a science girl
in glasses. They sit outside with umbrellas with their pretty
teacher, swans, and stopped watches while resentful older crones roll
their eyes, and its discomforting to see virgin girls in pigtails
discuss orgasms and solving one's pregnancy problems via spells,
knitting needles, and a medical book – with icky tips from your
brother, too. Maisie's Lydia talks sophisticated but remains a little
girl hiding in a nursery cupboard perhaps unaware of why she wants
her pretty friend to herself. She browbeats her smoking, washed up
mother – the unrecognizable Maxine Peake (Silk)
– and is too full of herself to consider her mother's reasons.
There should have been more of the adult perspectives bolstering the
school and religious structure against the natural, tree loving girls
growing up too soon. These teens are trying to be shocking,
rebellious, and acting out vicariously – regrets, sexual activity,
unhealthy obsessions, and experimentation escalate into fainting fits
and faux orgasmic hysteria. Unfortunately, unnecessary music video
styled transitions, subliminal strobe inserts, and modern meta
interference detract from the repression and grief while external
music and spinning cameras make the fainting spells laughable. Did
they practice falling? How many flopping on the floor takes were
there? Characters calmly step over the girls on the floor, and
bemusing “thud” closed captioning accents Lydia's falling and
taking everything off the table with her. The middle aged women have
a good laugh over these young kids thinking they are older and
misunderstood, and faculty debates on science and attention seeking
are much better – are the occult, local lay lines, nearby
supernatural trees to blame? Do you ostracize one or hospitalize the
entire class? Faking or follower questions layer the second half
alongside school consequences, perception versus reality, lesbian
whispers, and sexual violence. Although the medical testings feel
glossed over, the intercut eye twitching, body language, and question
and answer psychiatry suggest more – as do other shockers dropped
in the last ten minutes. Writer and director Carol Morley's (Dreams
of a Life)
long form narrative does get away from itself, and this try hard
can't always be taken seriously. However, this tale both glorifies
femininity and vilifies budding women and the spinster the way
society both pedestals and shames, adding enough food for thought to
some of the inadvertent chuckles. 
The House on Sorority Row
– Pranks and murders on campus, oh my! This 1983 cult slasher opens
with a risky pregnancy, pulsing heartbeats, and emergency scalpels
before trading the stormy past and blue patinas for some sunny
eighties happiness. Everything is so young, beautiful, and
babealicious when you graduate from college! It's still fun to see
retro cars or rad vans, huge cameras, records, waterbeds, fluorescent
fashions, and colorful wallpaper – though there's too much teal and
pink for my tastes. Coiffed older women also look quite forties with
floppy satin bow shirts and stockings, visually creating a
generational divide to represent the living in the past mentalities
or old fashioned thinking – they'll be no goodbye parties, beer, or
horny and useless frat boys in this house! While there is no chubby
gal with glasses, there are some ugly guys used for humor and
splatter, and in true eighties horror movie requirement, there is a
girl too old to be in pigtails alongside the sex and boobs. Why don't
these graduated girls just leave instead of pranking the old lady
that wants them to abide the rules of her house? Not to mention they
are some pretty poor party hosts – one should always wait to kill
somebody till after the festivities so arriving guest don't interfere
in your getting rid of the body blundering. Creaking rocking chairs,
nursery rhyme music, creepy jester dolls, and a nasty looking cane
perfect for bludgeoning accent the good girl versus bad girl slaps,
gun play, and deserved turnabouts. Granted, there are some chuckles
thanks to stupid actions, some identity of the murderer obviousness,
and an overall tameness on what is now a cliché genre formula.
Perhaps the one by one kills are predictable – there's a dame alone
in the dark basement, because, of course – however the suspense,
shadows, and unseen killer editing are well done. The primary
location intensifies the bathroom traps, warped mothering, and well
paced pursuits while surprise color, angles, and apparitions add to
the solid final act. Although the gore isn't elaborate for the sake
of it, there are some bloody, creative moments, and this fun, half a
million dollar ninety minutes does everything it sets out to do
without resorting to today's in your face spectacle.
Picnic at Hanging Rock – The
Criterion blu-ray has almost two hours more features discussing this
1975 Australian spooky drama based on the Joan Lindsay novel about
schoolgirls gone missing in 1900. The innocent white lace and
valentine wishes are soon to be ill foreboding thanks to eerie music
and budding whispers. These girls tighten each others corsets in
parallel shots with mirrors, BFF poetry, latent suggestions, and
repression abound. The seventies breezy fits the late Victoria
ruffles, hats, and parasols – gloves are permitted to be removed
for this excursion! Capable Aussie help and buttoned up British elite
mark a strong class divide, and pretty mountain vistas, wild
vegetation, and rocky mazes contrast the lovely yet out of place
English manor. Straightforward, controlled camerawork captures the
society at home, but surreal, swooning outdoor panoramas invoke
Bermuda Triangle suggestions alongside dreamy voiceovers, rolling
cloud rumbles, and red symbolism. Insects, reptiles, swans, disturbed
bird migrations, fickle horses, watches stopping at noon – the
metaphysical or transcendental signs imply something beyond mere
coming of age and sexual awakening. Trance like magnetic lures
radiating from the titular nooks and crannies stir these Gibson Girl
naps, and askew slow motion reflects this layered beauty meets
danger. The enchanting blonde, the nerdy girl with glasses, an
awkward brunette, and the complaining chubby girl – standard horror
stereotypes today – all talk as if they are up to something naughty
with self-aware doomed to die chats before scandalously removing
their shoes and stockings. A flirty French teacher, the severe math
teacher in red reciting lava flow build up and volcano rising
statistics with an uncomfortable kinky – we don't see what happens.
However, hearing the screams and watching the resulting hysterics
make it creepier. Incomplete searches, Victorian speculation, and
unreliable witnesses muddle the investigation, but most importantly,
doctors assure the survivors are still chaste. Such delicate
interrogations and polite society leave newspapers and angry
townsfolk wondering while the school faces its own fallout with
withdrawals, unpaid terms, drinking, and guilt. Yes, there's some
artistic license with absent families, poor forensics, and missing
evidence ignored. Surprising connections, however, and good twists in
the final forty minutes keep this damn disturbing – and it's all
done without gore or effects. The innate power of suggestion, period
restraints, and our own social expectations drum up all kinds of
unknown possibilities, and I don't know how anyone doesn't consider
this a horror movie.
