Back To Index Munsters: Complete Second Season
 Barnes & Noble The afterlife has been good to The Munsters. Although the series lasted only two seasons, Herman Munster and his brood live on, thanks to syndication, TV Land, and now DVD. The frighteningly funny second season comprises a whopping 32 episodes, a prodigious output that took its toll on the cast, who required hours in makeup for each episode. This behind-the-scenes insight comes from "Americas First Family of Fright," one of four documentaries included on this three-disc set, which also notes that the smash success of the upstart Batman TV show -- which debuted in January 1966 -- doomed the series. Like ABC’s similarly short-lived ghoul comedy, The Addams Family, The Munsters were spared the indignity of a jumping-the-crypt moment. Car 54, Where Are You? veteran Fred Gwynne leads the ensemble as Herman, with screen beauty Yvonne De Carlo as his vampire wife, Lily, and Al Lewis as batty Grandpa. Butch Patrick returns as the wolfish Eddie for Season 2, and Pat Priest replaces Beverly Owen as Marilyn, the lovely and seemingly "normal" niece whom the family loves nonetheless. Aside from the fact that the Munsters are monsters, they remain every bit as functional as the Cleavers, and the show adheres strictly to sitcom fundamentals, albeit with macabre twists. "Happy 100th Anniversary" involves your basic marital misunderstanding; Eddy feels unloved and decides to run away, leading to "Hermans Child Psychology"; later, Eddy enters Herman in a rodeo in "Bronco-Bustin Munster" and brings out the senior Munster’s competitive instincts when he idolizes TV horror show host "Zombo." Louis Nye has a great turn as the TV ghoul in that one, one of many memorable character bits that grace the season. The great Irwin Charone’s hilarious dive out the window as "Herman’s Driving Instructor" is another classic bit of ‘60s TV business. Also making memorable appearances this season are Dom DeLuise (Hermans doctor in "Pretty Face"), Frank Gorshin (a shady used car salesman in "Herman, the Tire Kicker") and Harvey Korman (doing his German professor shtick in "Prehistoric Munster"). As for Gwynne, two of his finest half hours are the benchmark episodes "Just Another Pretty Face," which allowed him to appear without makeup, and "A Visit from Johann," in which he doubles as Hermans primitive and undomesticated cousin. Although more than 40 years old, The Munsters is one of those rare vintage series that will play as well with nostalgic parents as it will for their own little monsters. Donald LiebensonCustomer ReviewsWrite your own online review > Interested in the song lyrics? - Check out themostlyrics.com! Looking For A DVD? - Check out dvd-a-rama.com! |
|
|||||||
| �2006 CD-A-RAMA.com. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy • Contact Us |
||||||||
