Addams Family versus the Munsters!

[horrorhunter]

I think a big reason the Munsters get the edge is because  Herman, Grandpa & Eddie all represent the classic monsters of Frankenstein, Dracula & Wolfman, whereas the Addams Family is just a bunch of weirdos. Not that there's anything wrong with that. lol

JP

The king of macabre cartoonists, Charles Addams, begs to differ, good sir. His family cartoons appeared in The New Yorker all the way back from the 1940s, and began being collected in books in the '40s as well.



Of course they weren't known as The Addams Family until the TV show. All those years before that they were...just a bunch of weirdos. 

[Haunted hearse]

I think a big reason the Munsters get the edge is because  Herman, Grandpa & Eddie all represent the classic monsters of Frankenstein, Dracula & Wolfman, whereas the Addams Family is just a bunch of weirdos. Not that there's anything wrong with that. lol

JP

And just that they are an eccentric family, and not classic universal Monsters acting as a typical middle class family, is why the Addams family has more appeal to me.  I love the classic Universal monsters, and I love the sets and makeup, which is why I will watch the Munsters.  However: it's the difficulty of accepting the king of the vampires as a bumbling senior citizen, his daughter as a matronly housewife, and somehow the union of that daughter with a reanimated corpse bearing a werewolf as their offspring, which is why I accept the show as little more than a funny 1960's TV sitcom.  Basically the Cleaver family having an awesome Halloween party.  The Addams family strikes me as an eccentric family who choose to live their lives in their own fashion.  There isn't all that much suspension of belief involved, and I think the humor is a bit more sophisticated with the Addams family.  It's understandable that there are enough differences between the two that people have preferences, but most common complaint I've heard about the Addams Family being that they don't look like Horror film monsters, may be the reason I prefer the Addams family.

[Haunted hearse]

The king of macabre cartoonists, Charles Addams, begs to differ, good sir. His family cartoons appeared in The New Yorker all the way back from the 1940s, and began being collected in books in the '40s as well.



Of course they weren't known as The Addams Family until the TV show. All those years before that they were...just a bunch of weirdos. 

Charles Addams would name the characters as part of the development of the series for Television.  It also helps to understand that Universal was attempting to create a Addams Family type comedy with the Munsters, using their own copyrighted characters and images.

[Wolfman]

And just that they are an eccentric family, and not classic universal Monsters acting as a typical middle class family, is why the Addams family has more appeal to me.  I love the classic Universal monsters, and I love the sets and makeup, which is why I will watch the Munsters.  However: it's the difficulty of accepting the king of the vampires as a bumbling senior citizen, his daughter as a matronly housewife, and somehow the union of that daughter with a reanimated corpse bearing a werewolf as their offspring, which is why I accept the show as little more than a funny 1960's TV sitcom.  Basically the Cleaver family having an awesome Halloween party.  The Addams family strikes me as an eccentric family who choose to live their lives in their own fashion.  There isn't all that much suspension of belief involved, and I think the humor is a bit more sophisticated with the Addams family.  It's understandable that there are enough differences between the two that people have preferences, but most common complaint I've heard about the Addams Family being that they don't look like Horror film monsters, may be the reason I prefer the Addams family.

It doesn't bother me in the least that Grandpa stumbles around from time to time. Look at all the magic potions he comes up with. I think that more than makes up for it. I guess it bothers some people that our precious monsters are being made fun of. I don't look at it that way. I enjoy it for what it is, a comedy. As far as your comment that "There isn't all that much suspension of belief involved" goes, I don't know too many families that have a hand living inside a box. Jeez, maybe I need to get out more often if that's the case. lol

JP

[Hepcat]

And just that they are an eccentric family, and not classic universal Monsters acting as a typical middle class family, is why the Addams family has more appeal to me.  I love the classic Universal monsters, and I love the sets and makeup, which is why I will watch the Munsters.  However: it's the difficulty of accepting the king of the vampires as a bumbling senior citizen, his daughter as a matronly housewife, and somehow the union of that daughter with a reanimated corpse bearing a werewolf as their offspring, which is why I accept the show as little more than a funny 1960's TV sitcom.  Basically the Cleaver family having an awesome Halloween party.  The Addams family strikes me as an eccentric family who choose to live their lives in their own fashion.

Yes. That basically sums up why I prefer The Addams Family these days.

 

[Haunted hearse]

It doesn't bother me in the least that Grandpa stumbles around from time to time. Look at all the magic potions he comes up with. I think that more than makes up for it. I guess it bothers some people that our precious monsters are being made fun of. I don't look at it that way. I enjoy it for what it is, a comedy. As far as your comment that "There isn't all that much suspension of belief involved" goes, I don't know too many families that have a hand living inside a box. Jeez, maybe I need to get out more often if that's the case. lol

JP

Again, I love the Munsters for what they are, which is a monster themed family sitcom.  If it bothered me that the classic monsters were being made fun of, I would ignore the series.  However, do I prefer the way the monsters were treated in A&CMF?  Yes.  And yes, I have a whole lot less problem with the hand coming out of the box, than I do with a vampire that terrorized Europe being a bumbling senior citizen. 

[Wolfman]

Again, I love the Munsters for what they are, which is a monster themed family sitcom.  If it bothered me that the classic monsters were being made fun of, I would ignore the series.  However, do I prefer the way the monsters were treated in A&CMF?  Yes.  And yes, I have a whole lot less problem with the hand coming out of the box, than I do with a vampire that terrorized Europe being a bumbling senior citizen.

For me, the Munsters are a much more likable family. I could see spending a weekend there as opposed to staying with the Addams Family. I'd be afraid Wednesday would try to kill me. lol. They're both great shows though, that's for sure.

Hey, I see the Munsters have a 25-21 lead in the voting, you better get your vote in if you haven't already. I voted Munsters of course.

JP

[Haunted hearse]

For me, the Munsters are a much more likable family. I could see spending a weekend there as opposed to staying with the Addams Family. I'd be afraid Wednesday would try to kill me. lol. They're both great shows though, that's for sure.

Hey, I see the Munsters have a 25-21 lead in the voting, you better get your vote in if you haven't already. I voted Munsters of course.

JP

I'd be fine with the John Astin-Carolyn Jones Addams Family.  I would be afraid to spend the night with the Raul Julia- Anjelica Hustin Addams Family.

[Wolfman]

I'd be fine with the John Astin-Carolyn Jones Addams Family.  I would be afraid to spend the night with the Raul Julia- Anjelica Hustin Addams Family.

Either way, you'd still have Wednesday to contend with.

JP

[horrorhunter]

I had a crush on Wednesday when I was a kid. She was a hip little chick. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3jnymeJof4&feature=player_detailpage

Lurch was potentially dangerous due to extreme size and clumsiness. 

[Haunted hearse]

Either way, you'd still have Wednesday to contend with.

JP

The Wednesday from the series was peculiar but sweet.  In the film, I would fear her more than any other family member.

[horrorhunter]

Melissa Hunter is killin' it with these Adult Wednesday Addams vids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TQ2SQJXuSw&feature=player_detailpage

[Monster Bob]

As much as I love The Munsters (makeup, sets, Gwynne/Lewis, etc.), as an adult, the ADDAMS series is much more intelligently written. Most Munsters situations could be plugged into any 1960s sitcom. The actors are what raised the bar. The Munsters repeated gags ad nauseam. The best they could do for poor Lily was "The last time..." jokes, and with Grandpa it was "blood" jokes. The main trump The Munsters had over Addams was the budget- cars, a real house, Universal special effects, etc.

[Mord]

 I just don't get where Grandpa Munster became a "bumbling senior citizen". Grandpa was always the crafty, devious one getting the bumbling, but loveable, Herman out of trouble. I'm not really that comfortable pitting one childhood favorite against the other in the first place. The Addams Family had more brains, while The Munsters had more heart. If we got anything from "The Wizard of Oz", it's that both are worth pursuing.

[Haunted hearse]

I just don't get where Grandpa Munster became a "bumbling senior citizen". Grandpa was always the crafty, devious one getting the bumbling, but loveable, Herman out of trouble. I'm not really that comfortable pitting one childhood favorite against the other in the first place. The Addams Family had more brains, while The Munsters had more heart. If we got anything from "The Wizard of Oz", it's that both are worth pursuing.

Al Lewis was very funny as Grandpa.  The Whitman children books tried to claim Grandpa wasn't Dracula, but the series made it clear he was.  So yeah, there is a certain disconnect between the character played by Al Lewis, and the one played by either Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee.  Bumbling?  We'll his spells often went wrong and (say it along with me) hilarity ensues.  In Mockingbird Heights, the character was played more in the traditional blood thirsty manner, and many thought Eddie Izzard as Grandpa was the best thing about the 2012 reboot.  This does not mean I don't like the show for what it is, and why I have a modest collection of Munster memorabilia.  That the show is entertaining is a real testament to the creative forces behind the show, and all we have to do is look at "Munsters Today", to see how uninspired the series could be, when you remove the original creative forces that we're behind the 1960's series.