# Munsters vs. Addams Family **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2002, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535 "2002-07-12T01:50:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/1 "2002-07-12T01:50:16Z")
I’ve always been meaning to ask… Which came first? The Munsters or Addams Family? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/2 "2002-07-12T02:54:08Z")
The Addams Family premiered Sept. 18, 1964. The Munsters on Sept. 24, 1964. IIRC, The Addams Family was in production first and spies stole the idea to make the Munsters. FTR, The Addams Family is MUCH funnier. (IMHO) ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/3 "2002-07-12T03:13:20Z")
The Addams Family is funnier, more subtle, more clever, and more consistent in its mythos/storytelling. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/4 "2002-07-12T03:19:19Z")
Yeah, but the Munsters had a cooler [car.](http://www.legacydiecast.com/xq/asp/make.Munster%27s/classification.25/qx/makeListing.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/5 "2002-07-12T03:23:13Z")
From books I’ve read, most of the Munster scripts were rewrites of old Leave It To Beaver episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/6 "2002-07-12T10:58:57Z")
Plus, Charles Addams’ New Yorker cartoons of the Addams Family (not named until the television series) go back to 1937. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/7 "2002-07-12T11:27:19Z")
> [@](#): > > From books I’ve read, most of the Munster scripts were rewrites of old Leave It To Beaver episodes. Do you have any examples of this? ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/8 "2002-07-12T13:29:17Z")
But which did better in the ratings? The Munsters got to the big screen back in the '60s, so I’m guessing they had more viewers. (I actually saw that darn movie when it was first released, but I can’t remember the title to save my life.) ---
**Author:** ![Zappo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b3f665/32.png) [@Zappo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zappo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/9 "2002-07-12T14:32:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Harvey The Heavy \* > \*\* > > Do you have any examples of this? \*\* No evidence for the assertion that the Munsters shows were reworked Beaver scripts, but Bill Connely and Bob Mosher created both programs. It’s entirely possible they recycled some ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/10 "2002-07-12T18:54:03Z")
IIRC, one of the reasons Universal did _The Munsters_ was to keep/renew the trademark for the makeup designs for Frankenstein and thier other classic monsters. ---
**Author:** ![roadrunner70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@roadrunner70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roadrunner70)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/11 "2002-07-12T19:00:23Z")
Morticia, suspecting Gomez of being unfaithful: “Gomez, do you know what the penalty for bigamy is in this state?” Gomez, without missing a beat: “I would imagine it’s having two wives!” _rimshot_ ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/12 "2002-07-13T03:46:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dr. Rieux \* > \*\*IIRC, one of the reasons Universal did _The Munsters_ was to keep/renew the trademark for the makeup designs for Frankenstein and thier other classic monsters. \*\* Such activity is not how a copyright is kept or renewed. The copyright on Universal’s visual conception of the Frankenstein monster derived from their 1931 movie _Frankenstein_, whose copyright was renewed by Universal in 1959, several years before _The Munsters_. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/13 "2002-07-13T06:15:19Z")
I thing _The Addams Family_ is a much better show, but I’ve only seen reruns, and I don’t know what was more popular in the 60s. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/14 "2002-07-13T07:19:04Z")
IIRC, the Munsters movie was _Munster Go Home_ ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/15 "2002-07-13T11:35:59Z")
The Addams Family was brilliant and wonderful The Munsters sucked goat ass. Just felt I needed to share. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/16 "2002-07-13T14:47:47Z")
Addams family without a doubt. They were first concieved as a complete counter to American family values, anti-mush and anti-sentimentality. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/17 "2002-07-13T16:14:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by casdave \* > They were first concieved as a complete counter to American family values, anti-mush and anti-sentimentality. Bingo, plus the Munsters kept going out of their way to seem normal and whitebread and if they ran into a “normal” that freaked out at their unusual appearance, then it was the normal’s fault. Of course, neither of them were exactly Shakespeare, relying on dumb running gags and whatnot. The laugh track, when used, was more irritating than anything else. Were we supposed to believe that an actual studio audience would chuckle when Morticia says “Thank you, Thing” for the eighth time? In any event, the Addams movies rocked. Damn shame about Raul Julia, his last movie being (blech) _Street Fighter_, and all. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/18 "2002-07-13T21:19:26Z")
The Addams family, while campy, were more surreal and just weird, without becoming cliched. The bed of nails, the bell pulls. Plus everything was actually very glamorous. And the movies with Raul Julia and Christina Ricci were the best! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/19 "2002-07-13T21:28:40Z")
Oh yeah, The Addams Family had Lurch. Best damned butler. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Jeffrey\_Hartnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/77aa72/32.png) [@Jeffrey\_Hartnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeffrey_Hartnett)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535/20 "2002-07-13T22:26:13Z")
I enjoyed the Addams Family much more then the Munsters. However, I agree with Iawoot that the Munsters had the cooler car. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/munsters-vs-addams-family/118535.md?page=2)