★ 7 / 10
**_The first Munsters movie features the unique family
Wuchak
**_The first Munsters movie features the unique family in vibrant color_** Herman inherits an estate in England and so the Munsters travel there, but soon…
**_The first Munsters movie features the unique family in vibrant color_**
Herman inherits an estate in England and so the Munsters travel there, but soon discover that the surviving family members of the property are antagonistic toward him, not to mention something nefarious is going on.
“Munster Go Home” (1966) is rather unique in being one of the very few movie adaptations of a TV show featuring the original cast done around the same time as the series. The show ran two seasons and ended on May 12th while this flick came out on August 6th. Of course, the big draw is that it’s in impressive color.
The only member of the main cast who isn’t present is Pat Priest, who played Marilyn. Since she was over 30 years-old at the time, Universal chose Debbie Watson, who was only 17 during shooting, which better fit the idea of Marilyn being 19 in the story.
While it failed at the box office, it fulfilled its purpose, which was to introduce the characters to foreign audiences in preparation for international syndication of the 70-episode show.
The flick works simply because it’s the first time the characters are featured in vibrant color. A sequel debuted fifteen years later, “The Munsters’ Revenge,” minus Butch Patrick as Eddie, with yet another actress playing Marilyn (the best one yet). I favor the second movie for all-around entertainment whilst most viewers seem to prefer this one.
As with the TV series and second movie, it's the charm of Fred Gwynne & Al Lewis and their camaraderie that makes anything with them in it amusing and endearing. There are other highlights, of course, such as the ship journey across the Atlantic, the hot rods and the race.
It runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in the backlot of Universal Studios in the Los Angeles area with the racing scenes done at the Paramount Ranch Racetrack in Agoura Hills, California, which is a 37-minute drive due west.
GRADE: B
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★ 7 / 10
En-Ga-Land Swings Like The Pit And the Pendulum Do
DeanNYC
I'm sure someone will correct this if it's wrong, but I think the title of this motion picture is a parody of the film title "Lassie Come Home," a picture also…
I'm sure someone will correct this if it's wrong, but I think the title of this motion picture is a parody of the film title "Lassie Come Home," a picture also set in England, which introduced another, eventual, TV star to the world, that most intelligent of all collies, and one that was currently on television at that time.
Fred Gwynne, Yvonne de Carlo, Al Lewis and Butch Patrick are all on hand to reprise their roles from the black and white series, but here in full Paramount color. Plus we have Debbie Watson, perhaps best known for taking the movie series role of "Tammy" and bringing it to the small screen, here takes the role of niece Marilyn, played by Beverly Owen and Pat Priest on the show, to the big screen.
The plot is a stretch, even for this 1960s comedy - Herman inherits a piece of property in Great Britain and tows the family from Mockingbird Lane across the pond to claim it. Of course, the stiff upper lips that occupy said property are unamused and attempt to scare off the newcomers. But how does one scare a family of monsters?
To me, the most interesting thing about this film is seeing some long time actors and TV stars almost randomly turning up in this plot. Bernard Fox, Samantha's Warlock physician Dr. Bombay from "Bewitched" is here. Richard Dawson, who at the time was a star of "Hogan's Heroes" and eventually "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," long before his "Match Game" and "Family Feud" days is in the mix. And Robert Pine, who is best remembered as commanding officer to Ponch and Jon from "CHiPs" is a love interest for Marilyn!
The film really feels like two films are going on: our sitcom characters doing what they usually do (and there is a cross country auto race, with Herman driving the famed "Drag-u-la" vehicle - while the Munster Koach also makes a cameo), and then we have the locals just plotting how to rid themselves of these unwanted outsiders. Hermione Gingold, Terry-Thomas and a completely unrecognizable John Carradine as a manservant populate that group.
Tons of sight gags, typical sitcom dialog and all the slapstick you could want from what is basically an extended and full color episode of the series.
If you are a fan of the series this film is based on and most especially if you enjoyed that program more than the similarly themed series "The Addams Family," you should get a kick out of this film.
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6.4/10
3.5K
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Gosh. Does that Cast list on the left mean that Debbie Watson is now on an olympic team?