The Munsters | |
---|---|
Season One opening from The Munsters.
|
|
Created by |
Allan Burns Chris Hayward |
Developed by | Norm Liebmann Ed Haas |
Starring |
Fred Gwynne Yvonne De Carlo Al Lewis Beverley Owen (1964) Pat Priest (1964–66) Butch Patrick |
Theme music composer |
Jack Marshall Bob Mosher (unaired lyrics) |
Opening theme | "The Munsters' Theme" |
Composer(s) | Jack Marshall |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 70 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Producer(s) |
Joe Connelly Bob Mosher |
Location(s) | Universal Studios, Universal City, California |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Production company(s) | Kayro-Vue Productions Universal Television |
Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution (current) |
Release | |
Original network | CBS |
Picture format | Black-and-white 35 mm film |
Audio format | Monaural |
Original release | September 24, 1964 | – May 12, 1966
Chronology | |
Followed by |
The Munsters Today Mockingbird Lane |
The Munsters is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters starring Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monster-type head-of-the-household Herman Munster, Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster, Al Lewis as Grandpa and Beverly Owen (later re-placed by Pat Priest) as their teenage niece, and Butch Patrick as son Eddie Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and the wholesome family fare of the era, and was produced by the creators of Leave It to Beaver. It ran concurrently with the similarly macabre themed The Addams Family (that aired on ABC) and achieved higher figures in the Nielsen ratings.
The series originally aired on Thursday at 7:30 pm on CBS from September 24, 1964, to May 12, 1966; 70 episodes were produced. It was cancelled after ratings dropped to a series low, due to the premiere of ABC's Batman, which was in color. Though ratings were low during its initial two-year run, The Munsters found a large audience in syndication. This popularity warranted a spin-off series, as well as several films, including one with a theatrical release.