Addams Family versus the Munsters!

[Haunted hearse]

I believe a poll was taken previously, either on the UMA or somewhere else, and the Munsters won hands down. For my money, the Munsters were far superior. The Addams Family was a little too weird, and the characters didn't seem very likable, even for a monster family! lol

JP

Superior?  We'll the whole point of the Munsters was to do an Addams family style comedy using the Universal Studios licensed monsters.  If you want to talk weird, how about a reanimated corpse wedded to Dracula's daughter, having a werewolf for a kid, and settling down with the King of the Vampires in a house in a typical middle class neighborhood during the mid 1960's.  Nothing all that weird there right?  Somehow, the neighbor's they had didn't find them all that normal, and were constantly gripping.  As far as the Addams family was concerned, I found them to be a very gracious family when it came to guests, and actually we'll mannered.  I would certainly have felt right at home visiting them.  I am talking about the 1960's sitcom family.  The later family, headed by Raul Julia were abit on the homicidal side, and you might put yourself at risk visiting them.

[Hepcat]

I believe a poll was taken previously, either on the UMA or somewhere else....

There was no poll on this subject taken on Universal Monster Army previously. I'm careful enough to check these things before starting a poll.

[Wolfman]

Superior?  We'll the whole point of the Munsters was to do an Addams family style comedy using the Universal Studios licensed monsters.  If you want to talk weird, how about a reanimated corpse wedded to Dracula's daughter, having a werewolf for a kid, and settling down with the King of the Vampires in a house in a typical middle class neighborhood during the mid 1960's.  Nothing all that weird there right?  Somehow, the neighbor's they had didn't find them all that normal, and were constantly gripping.  As far as the Addams family was concerned, I found them to be a very gracious family when it came to guests, and actually we'll mannered.  I would certainly have felt right at home visiting them.  I am talking about the 1960's sitcom family.  The later family, headed by Raul Julia were abit on the homicidal side, and you might put yourself at risk visiting them.

I would have felt more comfortable staying with the Munster family than the Addams family. The only thing I liked better about the Addams family was the song.

JP

[Street Worm]

Addams Family for me (but I liked them both)

[Flower]

I would have felt more comfortable staying with the Munster family than the Addams family. The only thing I liked better about the Addams family was the song.

JP

I've always heard that Univeral Monsters tend to stick together ... 

I did have a crush on Gomez Addams and had that awful sinking feeling that if I visited the Munsters that Herman would 'accidently' step on my toes. 

I did read that Yvonne De Carlo was told to play Lily Munster as 'Donna Reed' and she did a great job of it. Alas, I don't think that I could be a room with Donna Reed for very long.

For such popular 'cult' series .. they didn't do very well as each show only lasted for two seasons.

[Haunted hearse]

I've always heard that Univeral Monsters tend to stick together ... 

I did have a crush on Gomez Addams and had that awful sinking feeling that if I visited the Munsters that Herman would 'accidently' step on my toes. 

I did read that Yvonne De Carlo was told to play Lily Munster as 'Donna Reed' and she did a great job of it. Alas, I don't think that I could be a room with Donna Reed for very long.

For such popular 'cult' series .. they didn't do very well as each show only lasted for two seasons.

The truth is both shows were well written, had great settings, and  very talented cast members.  There's a reason these shows have cult followings.  Otherwise, like "my mother the Car", which made it only one season, these would have been forgotten footnotes in TV history.  What's amazing is that these shows got syndicated, as typically when it came to syndication, it was preferred that a show had at least five seasons.  By the way, even when they were able to bring back original cast members for reunion shows ("Munster's revenge" and the Addams Family Halloween reunion) the reunion shows were awful.  There's something that just clicked with both shows, in their original versions.

[Flower]

Funny .. I was just discussing the syndication issue a few minutes ago.  In the 60's the typical show such as The Addams Family or The Munsters produced 36 shows a season (I believe that this is down from 39 shows with 13 reruns) .. Today the typical program produces 22 shows a season with reruns and summer replacements .. so it would take 5 seasons for a show to hit the 'magic syndication number of 100.

I agree that both The Addams Family and The Munsters were well written and I feel that they should've (or wish that they had) longer runs.  Both shows had perfect casting too!

*Btw ~ I remember St. Elsewhere's 100th show (they had many inside jokes) and the first patient was called Cindy Cation.

[general gruesome]

I love both TV shows. I'm a fan of John Astin as well. I'd have to choose, 'The Munsters', but I love them both.

[Hepcat]

Here's the theme from the Addams Family show:

The Addams Family Intro Theme Song 1964 - 1966

[Monster Bob]

The Munsters was written on a six year old's level, the Addams Family was written on an adult's level, which is why at the time, The Munsters was so more popular with kids.

[Haunted hearse]

The Munsters was written on a six year old's level, the Addams Family was written on an adult's level, which is why at the time, The Munsters was so more popular with kids.

Strangely enough I think Charles Addams (who played a part in the shows creation) regarded the "Addams Family" as a kids show.  The family in the show were a lot more friendly and easier to be with for your typical television watcher of the time, than the darker version found in the New Yorker cartoons.  If any of the Munsters creative team had said it was their intention to write the show for primarily 6 year olds, I'd like to see that.  I always thought that the team, who'd been sucessful with "Leave it to beaver", were actually shooting for entertainment for the entire family, and not just first graders.  When it came to "Batman", who's popularity was a big part of the reason for the cancellation of both series, they intended the show to appeal to audiences on more then one level.  There would be adveture for the small kids, and campy humor for the adults.  Regarding something more recently, we have (shudder) Jar Jar Binks.  That character was definately intended for small children.  When the film came out, my now 21 year old daughter adored the character.  At present?  She can't stand to look at the character.  I honestly can't think of a time or age, since the Munsters were originally seen, that I have ever considered the show too childlike or silly to be watched, like I did for a while with "Batman".

[Flower]

It seems that Uncle Fester has a restaurant too. Maybe we should do a road trip and compare his place (in Turkey) with Grandpa's in Greenwich Village?

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g298661-d2192629-r137766465-Uncle_Fester_s_Restaurant_Bar-Gumbet_Bodrum_Peninsula_Mugla_Province_Turkish_Aeg.html

[jimm]

Used to be the Munsters by a landslide when I was younger. Now I appreciate the subtleties of the Addams family more, guess its a push...

[Monster Bob]

  Strangely enough I think Charles Addams (who played a part in the shows creation) regarded the "Addams Family" as a kids show.  The family in the show were a lot more friendly and easier to be with for your typical television watcher of the time, than the darker version found in the New Yorker cartoons.  If any of the Munsters creative team had said it was their intention to write the show for primarily 6 year olds, I'd like to see that.  I always thought that the team, who'd been sucessful with "Leave it to beaver", were actually shooting for entertainment for the entire family, and not just first graders.  When it came to "Batman", who's popularity was a big part of the reason for the cancellation of both series, they intended the show to appeal to audiences on more then one level.  There would be adveture for the small kids, and campy humor for the adults.  Regarding something more recently, we have (shudder) Jar Jar Binks.  That character was definately intended for small children.  When the film came out, my now 21 year old daughter adored the character.  At present?  She can't stand to look at the character.  I honestly can't think of a time or age, since the Munsters were originally seen, that I have ever considered the show too childlike or silly to be watched, like I did for a while with "Batman".

Chas Addams may have the considered it a kid's show, but in my mind there was just too much sexual innuendo for the time to be considered anything but adult comedy. Even the word "sex" was used in several episodes, pretty heavy stuff for little kids. I suppose it could be said it was playing on two levels, but I remember not "getting" a lot of the humor on its first run, and not appreciating it until much later in life.

The Munsters, on the other hand, was all slapstick and one liners, as if written for kids. I remember many adults at the time thinking it was "stupid". And look at the merchandising- most of it was specifically aimed at the kiddie set.

[Haunted hearse]

Chas Addams may have the considered it a kid's show, but in my mind there was just too much sexual innuendo for the time to be considered anything but adult comedy. Even the word "sex" was used in several episodes, pretty heavy stuff for little kids. I suppose it could be said it was playing on two levels, but I remember not "getting" a lot of the humor on its first run, and not appreciating it until much later in life.

The Munsters, on the other hand, was all slapstick and one liners, as if written for kids. I remember many adults at the time thinking it was "stupid". And look at the merchandising- most of it was specifically aimed at the kiddie set.

I guess adults don't enjoy slapstick humor and one liners. Does that mean that Laurel and hardy comedies are just kiddie fare, because they weren't up to the film product created by Orson Welles or James Whale?  So the real question was why "The Munsters" weren't scheduled for Saturday morning, since it was a network show intended only for six graders?  And I guess those pictures of Marylyn photographed in front of the Munster Koach, were intended to be published  in "Jack and Jill Magazine".  There were stories that had Herman and Lily having marital problems, you know, problems only small children have to deal with.  And what small child of the sixites didn't enjoy the episodes which included mushy stuff?  As far as merchandising was concerned, I don't recall that the Aurora Model of the Addams family House and "Thing Bank" were only sold in adult novelty shops.
Was the Addams Family a more sophisticated show?  I'd say yes.  But to dismiss the Munsters as only a kid show I think does tremendous diservice to the very talented cast and writers, not to mention the great atmosphere found in the show, which have been a big part that there have long fans of this show of all ages.