I tend to prefer the Munsters, probably for the reasons other prefer the Addams Family. The dynamic of normal people who looked weird appealed more to me than the genuine weirdness of the Addamses. And I liked how the things in the Munsters that were really weird integrated into the normality, like the stuff with Grandpa’s experiments, or relatives and such. They may look different and have different backgrounds and customs, but, ultimately, they’re all just like us.
I also remember thinking that I could be Marilyn’s boyfriend and I wouldn’t freak out. While I could never really be even friends with Wednesday Addams. Too sadistic.
As a kid I always liked the Munsters better. I mean they had a Dracula AND a Frankenstein. As I got older, I started to appreciate the Addamses more, particularly around the time of the theatrical movies. Today, i could easily enjoy either.
The Munsters were much funnier. Fred Gwynne had recently finished his brilliant comedic role in Car 54, Where Are You. The Munsters reunited Fred with Al Lewis from Car 54. Yvonne De Carlo did a wonderful job as Lilly. The casting for the kids could have been stronger.
I liked the Adams Family. It just didn’t have as strong a comedic cast. Jackie Coogan was the best commedian in that show.
Along with not designing the Monkeemobile, Barris also did not design the Knightrider car (the work of Michael Scheffe) or The Dukes’ General Lee. The Barris shop did do some modifications on The Knightrider car for one of the later seasons.
The first two Monkeemobiles were built by Mr. Jeffries and Dick Dean. Less than a year later, Mr. Dean built a third one for Barris.
It would be easier to blame Barris for promoting such false claims if so many others who did not do adequate research hadn’t done so as well. The ease with which the internet spreads information - factual or otherwise - has only made matters worse in this regard.
As far as The Munsters vs. The Addams, I never liked the former family and have long considered that show as unwatchable as any sitcom ever produced. The Koach was kinda cool, but not featured in very many episodes. This is my favorite picture of it:
That’s Butch Patrick in make-up at the Hollywood Bowl for a performance by The Munsters singing group in 1965. Photo by John Derek.
The Addams’ had some wit, plus Ted Cassidy as Lurch and the divine Carolyn Jones as Morticia. It was still a sitcom, but at least it was a little different. I did not care much for the movies - don’t think I was ever able to finish watching the second one - but Raul Julia and Christina Ricci were both upgrades from the TV cast. As far as weird (as opposed to monstrous) families go, I prefer Spider Baby (1967).
Not even close. The first TV couple to sleep in the same bed was Johnny and Mary Kay Stearns on the 1947 show Mary Kay and Johnny on the Dumont Network.
