The Munsters: 10 Crime Stories
It seemed like every week the Munsters ran into bank robbers, con artists, and smugglers
Classic comedy series The Munsters (1964-1966), featured a regular, suburban family that just happened to also be related to the Universal Monsters. Herman Munster (a patchwork Frankenstein’s Monster) and Lily Munster (the daughter of Count Dracula) were joined by Eddie Munster (who was part werewolf and part vampire), Grandpa Munster (who was Dracula), and their “homely” niece, Marilyn, who passed for human.
One of the fun oddities of the series that surely the Munsters came across more criminal activity than any other sitcom family of the era. I mean, sure, there were crime stories on I Love Lucy, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and I’m sure even Father Knows Best and My Three Sons. But the Munsters tangled with crooks a lot. Take a look at the clips below…
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Herman and the bank robbers
Soooo…in “The Midnight Ride of Herman Munster,” Herman falls asleep in the car—which then gets stolen by bank robbers while Herman is asleep inside. And when he wake up, they mistake him for their getaway driver.
The Munsters taken hostage
In “Herman Munster, Shutterbug,” Herman has a new hobby—photography! Naturally, he accidentally takes a photo of a bank robbery in progress, which leads to the criminals taking the family hostage.
Herman stops a mugger
When Herman has trouble sleeping in “A Walk on the Mild Side,” he takes a moonlight stroll in the same park where there have been a series of muggings.
Herman catches the crooks
When the Munsters rent out a room to “Lily’s Star Boarder,” Herman gets jealous and jumps to the ironic conclusion that their renters is a crook spying on their nice neighbors.
Herman the movie star
In “Movie Star Munster,” a pair of swindlers convince Herman they’re going to put him in a movie—when the actual plan is to injure him (or worse) and collect the insurance money.
Absolutely no rhythm
In “Dance With Me, Herman,” Herman is hoping to learn how to dance in time for Marilyn’s school dance—and registers at a crooked dance school run by guest star Don Rickles. (Fortunately, they decide he must be an undercover cop, because nobody really dances that badly.)
Trapped in the bank vault
In “Don’t Bank on Herman,” Herman is mistaken for a bank robber and given way too much money for his withdrawal. Hoping to remedy the situation, Herman and Grandpa return the bank with the money in the middle of the night—and find themselves locked inside the vault. Fortunately, the real bank robbers are in the act of breaking in…
Charlie’s invention
In the Munsters episode “Knock Wood Here Comes Charlie” we discover that Herman has a TWIN BROTHER—and he’s a con artist! Seriously, this is a great episode, when Charlie tries to con Lily out of her grandmother’s inheritance. (We learn in a later episode that there were even more of Doctor Frankenstein’s creations.)
Herman is conned into buying a car
In “Herman, The Tire Kicker,” Herman is determined to buy a used car for Marilyn. Naturally, Herman is swindled by Frank Gorshin (who would soon suit up as Batman’s The Riddler).
Grandpa wants a wife
In “Autumn Croakus,” a lonely Grandpa decides he wants to marry again. Unfortunately the matrimonial agency is a front for a black widow operation that marries rich men and then murders them for their money.
ABOUT 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 (portrayed by Fred Gwynne and Yvonne De Carlo), Grandpa (Al Lewis), Eddie Munster (Butch Patrick), and Marilyn Munster (first by Beverley Owen, then Pat Priest). Despite airing only two seasons, the show has continued to delight viewers through reruns and a series of reunions, revisits, and reboots.
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