The Munsters in Color: 9 Examples Since 1964

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Written By Chris Well

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While The Munsters are obviously way better looking in black & white, there have actually been lots of times they were shown in color.

How well do you know 1960s Sitcom The Munsters? In the pantheon of sitcom families, there are few (if any) as memorable as The Munsters. With 70 episodes airing on the CBS network across two seasons (1964-1966), the show featured Herman and Lily Munster, Grandpa, Eddie Munster, and Marilyn Munster. Airing only two seasons, the show has continued to delight viewers through reruns and a series of reunions, revisits, and reboots.

Below, find several examples of how the family returned to the screen. And—as some might be disappointed to hear—appeared in color…

Related:

#1 My Fair Munster: Unaired Pilot (1964)

The creators of The Munsters—Allan Burns and Chris Hayward—had previously worked together as writers for cartoons, including The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. (Click here to learn about the weirdly tangled creator credits.)

In the 1960s, color TV was becoming more widespread. As such, the pilot for The Munsters was shot in color—but, after test screenings, executives decided to go with black and white. Although this never aired, the script was repurposed for episode two, “My Fair Munster.” (With an updated cast, updated makeup effects—and shot in black& white.)

Below, check out the first appearance of The Munsters onscreen to pitch the series to CBS and its affiliates.

The Munsters Unaired Pilot

#2 Munster, Go Home! (1966)

The Munsters was cancelled after two seasons—for which which some have blamed Batman. However, presumably when the producers thought the show was still headed for another season, they shot the theatrical film Munster, Go Home! In it, Herman inherits a fortune and a mansion from his uncle, a British earl. The family journeys across the pond to the England and stumbles across a counterfeiting operation. Below, check out the movie’s trailer. Not only was it in color—it’s also a little odd for their antics to be devoid of all the canned laughter. (It’s also odd we’re looking at yet a third actress playing Marilyn.)

RELATED: 'Munster, Go Home!' Coming To Blu-ray

Munster, Go Home! (1966) - Official Trailer

#3 The Mini-Munsters (1973)

In 1973, ABC created an animated pilot feature called The Mini-Munsters. Al Lewis voiced his old character in it. This one-hour animated TV-movie was part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie ran on the Saturday Morning circuit. Below, check out the special. As was a somewhat regular part of the orginak series, it includes crime.

RELATED: The Munsters: 10 Crime Stories

Mini-Munsters Cartoon 1973

#4 The Munsters’ Revenge (1981)

In 1981, members of the original cast were reunited for the TV movie titled The Munsters’ Revenge. Sid Caesar plays an evil genius at a wax museum who creates robots of Herman and Grandpa to rob an exhibit of Egyptian antiques. Below check out a video of the trailer. It might be a dumb story, but seeing members of the original cast still makes this a lot of fun.

The Munsters’ Revenge Trailer 1981

#5 The Munsters Today (1988-1991)

In 1988, the series was rebooted as The Munsters Today, which lasted three seasons. One interesting feature is that this show was presented as a real-time sequel to the original series—the 22-year gap between the two shows was the result of an accident in Grandpa’s experiment that put the family to sleep. That event was rolled out in the unaired pilot, but mentioned in the theme song. Now awake in the 1980s, the family has to learn to live in the new era. Below, watch the opening theme. By the way—I like the cast a lot, but the show’s writing and production make it hard for me to watch reruns.

Munsters Today Season 1 Opening With Mary Ellen Dunbar

#6 Here Come the Munsters (1995)

A TV movie that aired in 1995, Here Come the Munsters tells us right off why The Munsters moved from Transylvania to the United States. Once in the U.S., the family searches for Marilyn’s missing parents. Below, watch a promo for the movie. This film is difficult to find a copy these days, but I remember really liking it.

Here Come The Munsters - Promo (1995)

#7 The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas (1996)

It’s Christmas—Grandpa accidently captures Santa Claus and some elves, Lily tries to win the home decorating competition, and Marilyn invites family and friends from the “old country” to stay for the holidays. Oddly, this was soon after the previous film, but this TV movie features an entirely different cast. Also, I just realized I’ve never seen this. I wonder if it’s any good? Below, check out a promo from the SyFy channel.

Sci-Fi Channel promo for The Munster's Scary Little Christmas movie!!

#8 Mockingbird Lane (2012)

The 2012 dramedy pilot Mockingbird Lane was developed by Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller. The pilot aired as a Halloween special, and NBC did not pick up the series. I bought a copy of the episode from Amazon—I remember liking it. Below, watch a network promo for the premiere.

MOCKINGBIRD LANE - Munsters Reboot | PREVIEW | HD

#9 The Munsters (2022)

In 2021, Rob Zombie was hired to write and direct a Munsters movie, which will receive a theatrical release while also being streamed on Peacock. The film is scheduled for fall 2022. Below, watch a teaser trailer for the film. It promises to be in color! (And yes, this is what inspired this entire blog post.)

The Munsters | Rob Zombie Vision (Written & Directed) | Teaser Trailer

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Chris Well

Chris Well been a writer pretty much his entire life. (Well, since his childhood.) Over the years, he has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio, and books. He now is the chief of the website Monster Complex, celebrating monster stories in lit and pop culture. He also writes horror comedy fiction that embraces Universal Monsters, 1960s sitcoms, 1980s action movies, and the X-Files.

https://chriswell.substack.com/
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