The Munsters: The Complete Series [DVD]

I am very glad I upgraded my "Munsters" Collection. I previously purchased the Season 1 Set from 2004. That edition featured double-sided discs; which can be very easily damaged. After reading the reviews for the original Season 2 set (in a difficult to use "Herman's Head" case), I decided not to purchase it. Universal obviously listened to customers and re-issued the entire series in one Collector's Box. Now, all the episodes are available on 12 single-sided discs. Moreover, this set is loaded with delightful bonus features. This collection of complete Munsters Madness is well worth the upgrade; and at a very affordable price, too. "The Munsters" can be viewed as a clever twist on the traditional TV "family Sitcom" or as a satire of society's inability to accept those who are different from "the norm." The "outside world" views The Munsters as a ghoulish family of freaks. The Munsters are, in fact, a functional and very loving family. Herman (the fabulous Fred Gwynne) is the most loveable "Frankenstein's Monster" you will ever encounter. Grandpa (the incomparable Al Lewis) is a wild and wacky Dracula who has, figuratively and literally, gone batty! Gwynne and Lewis are a great comedy team, and many of the episodes revolve around Herman and Grandpa's merry, madcap misadventures. Lily ( the beautiful and cool Yvonne De Carlo), Grandpa's "Vampira"-like daughter and Herman's devoted wife, is the level-headed and loving center of The Munster family. Herman and Lily have a son named Eddie (Butch Patrick) who appears to be half wearwolf and half vampire. There is also Lily's "unfortunate" niece Marilyn (played by Beverly Owen for the first 13 episodes, and then by Pat Priest for the rest of the series). Blonde, girl next door Marilyn is considered the real "freak" of The Munster Family. All of poor Marilyn's boyfriends run away; scared to death of her family! This collection features two versions of the episode "Family Portrait"; the original in Black and White; and a colorized version for comparison. "Family Portrait" is the last episode to feature Beverly Owen as Marilyn. The very unhappy Owen left the series, but I doubt anybody noticed or cared when Pat Priest immediately replaced her. Season 1 is complete on six discs; including a vastly different "unaired color pilot" that does not include Yvonne De Carlo or Butch Patrick. This "unaired color pilot" (actually only half of the second episode that aired in black and white as "My Fair Munster") was probably used as a "test film" to show CBS executives. Season 2 is complete on 4 discs. Disc 5 & 6 of Season 2 are devoted to Bonus Features; including the documentary "The Munsters: America's First Family Of Fright," full-length biographies of Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis, and Yvonne De Carlo, and two subsequent "Munsters Movies" produced after the series: "Munster, Go Home!" and "The Munsters' Revenge", both in color.

Arrived on time in great condition can't wait to watch

Love them

Great fun for kids and good memories for adults clean tv series

Pleased to add to my collection

"The Munsters: The Complete Series" is an excellent box set, beginning with the packaging and its raised lettering in the front and on top. Fred Gwynne (Herman Munster) and Al Lewis (Grandpa) played off each other very well, having previously worked together in the TV series "Car 54, Where Are You?" A fascinating bonus feature is the 15-minute pilot episode, filmed in color. The silly incidental music was later replaced by the classic instrumental Munsters' theme, written by composer/arranger Jack Marshall. The pilot episode included Joan Marshall as Phoebe Munster, and Nate "Happy" Derman as Eddie Munster. Phoebe looked eerily similar to Morticia Addams, as played by Carolyn Jones. Phoebe was very subservient to Herman. Yvonne De Carlo, who effortlessly made the transition from movies to television, was spookily perfect as Herman's wife, Lily Munster. Lily was strong willed, and kept the child-like Herman in line. "Happy" Derman played Eddie Munster as a young werewolf, with pointed ears, long fangs and sharp claws, who panted and growled a lot. He would never be able to attend public school. Butch Patrick's character of Eddie Munster was more of a human-werewolf hybrid, who was able to make some friends in school. In fact, in the episode "Eddie's Nickname," the other kids only made fun of Eddie because he was the shortest student in his class, calling him Shorty. Herman had a meaningful father-to-son talk about that subject. To me, it summed up why the Munsters are so beloved. Herman to Eddie: "The lesson I want you to learn is, it doesn't matter what you look like. You can be tall or short, or fat or thin, or ugly or handsome like your father, or you can be black or yellow or white, it doesn't matter. What does matter is the size of your heart, and the strength of your character." The episodes in the second season became even more bizarre. They also featured more physical comedy, especially with regards to Herman's super-human strength, and his ability to take punishment. In the episode "John Doe Munster," a huge safe falls on Herman's head. Herman isn't physically injured, but he does develop amnesia. In "Just Another Pretty Face," due to an accident in Grandpa's lab, Herman's face becomes disfigured, at least by Munsters' standards. Fred Gwynne appears without the Munster makeup on his face, for most of the episode. Near the end of the episode, Herman is hit by lightning, which restores his original facial features. Due to the rigors of applying that makeup, and wearing the heavy boots and bulky clothes, playing Herman took a physical toll on Fred Gwynne. In addition to that, Fred was wary of being typecast as Herman Munster for the rest of his career. The success of "Batman" caused a ratings drop for "The Munsters," which led to their cancellation after the second season. Fred, Al and Yvonne did appear in the theatrical movie "Munster, Go Home!" (1966), and the made-for-TV movie "The Munsters' Revenge" in 1981. Fortunately, both of those movies are included as bonus features in this box set. In addition, biographies of Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis and Yvonne De Carlo are also included in disc 6 of season two. Also included is the best bonus feature about the Munsters, "America's First Family Of Fright." After watching this box set, it's easy to see why a TV show that debuted fifty years ago, and only lasted two seasons, is so fondly remembered.

I loved watching "The Munsters" as a kid growing up in the 60's and have enjoyed seeing it again sporadically in syndication over the years since. It still surprises me that this great show only ran for 2 seasons. In recent years seeing it played on cable retro TV stations, I was very disappointed that the episodes were edited (for time), and that's partly what motivated me to buy the complete series on DVD. And it certainly was worth it. The acting, physical comedy and sight gags, makeup and even the special effects (for a TV show of its day) all made this show a classic. And the network deciding to film it in B&W instead of color (for cost savings) was the best decision they ever made. While it's very interesting to see some of the pilot in color, it just doesn't come across the same. The series was stellar and each episode holds up incredibly well, and the documentary/bios on Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis, Yvonne DeCarlo and the series as a whole, make the special feature extras outstanding. While some may appreciate the inclusion of the two movies made after the series ended: "Munster, Go Home" (1966) and "Munsters Revenge" (1981), I could have done without them. "Munster, Go Home" pales in comparison to the TV series, but at least it was made immediately afterwards and Gwynne, Lewis, DeCarlo and Patrick (they should have also kept Pat Priest as Marilyn) all look the same and they do try hard to recapture a very tiny bit of the energy, gags and chemistry of the TV show--albeit unsuccessfully. However, "Munsters Revenge" was truly awful in every way--acting, storyline, makeup, special effects . . . In my opinion, they should have ended on a high note and stopped with the end of the TV series. But aside from those critiques, this is a near perfect collection of all things Munsters and a must-have for lovers of the show.

There have been many great TV controversies: Mary Ann vs. Ginger, Jeannie vs. Samantha, Old Darrin vs. New Darrin, Kirk vs. Picard. But none of them have aroused as much passion as The Munsters vs. The Addams Family. Don't get me wrong: I love both shows. But I find the Munsters a little easier to identify with. While the Addamses were rich eccentrics, the Munsters were more blue-collar. Herman worked in a funeral parlor, and the family coped with difficulties most families have experienced: they worried about having enough money to pay taxes, bills, and their niece Marilyn's college tuition. While "The Munsters" may have lacked "The Addams Family"'s wit and sophistication, it benefited from the unique chemistry of an exceptionally talented cast: Fred Gwynne brought just the right goofy charm to the gentle giant Herman; irresistible ham Al Lewis chewed the scenery as elder statesman Grampa (a Transylvanian count with a Brooklyn accent?; Yvonne de Carlo was appropriately deadpan as long-suffering wife Lily (no matter how much Herman ranted about being "head of the household," it was clear who wore the cape in that family); and Butch Patrick hit all the right notes as son Eddie. The replacement of Beverly Owens by Pat Priest in the role of Marilyn was barely noticed by fans; both ladies were more than adequate as the family "misfit," who helped anchor the show in reality. The series enjoyed star turns by a number of talented guest stars: Paul Lynde, Dom Deluise, Harvey Korman, Joyce Jameson, Barton McLane, Don Rickles, Barbara Babcock, and best of all the great John Carradine in two appearances as Mr. Gateman, Herman's boss at the funeral parlor. Like the Addams, underneath the ghoulish exterior the Munsters were a warm, loving family with strong values who always did the right thing. The show's visual style was almost as old-fashioned as its values, harkening back not only to the Universal horror franchises of the 1930s and 1940s but to the Mack Sennett farces of the early silent era. This boxed set consists of all 70 episodes of the series' all too brief run, as well as the rarely seen pilot (in color) and one color episode. Spread out over 12 discs, the set also includes four documentaries originally seen on A&E's "Biography" series and two movies, "Munster Go Home!" and "The Munsters' Revenge," the latter especially noticeable for a star turn by Sid Caesar and a comedic style that owed much to Mel Brooks movies. This is a set that will delight classic TV fans, lovers of slapstick humor, and devotees of the occult.

This is just the tops. I originally saw the Munsters when i was small child when it originally ran on British TV. I was in awe, these guys and gals were so spooky and gothic (based on universals horror icons at the time, Frankenstiens monster, Dracula, the werewolf). All shot in black and white and this only adds to its appeal, like the original universal films. So yes its a spoof taking the Munsters to be you average American family (not), they think they are tho! Lots and lots of adventures with then all getting up to mischief and lots of tight spots. I am watching these with my young daughter, we laugh out loud and are total fans. There are some great extras on the last disc, a full documentary and individual documentaries on Fred Gwynne, Yvonne DeCarlo and Al Lewis. These dvds are priceless and you get the complete works, get this while its still around totally recommended.

Le condizioni del prodotto warehouse sono superiori alla descrizione.

Audio únicamente en versión original, sin subtítulos

So happy I have these episodes to watch again as I remember back in the 80s growing up in the UK as a kid this show was on in the early evening around 6pm on TV and looking forward to the The Munsters to see what crazy antics Herman Munsters but especially Grandpa would get up to whilst the rest of the family tried to get on with normal life trying to fit into the neighborhood. There were great writers and talented actors back in the Golden age of Hollywood sadly lacking today as comedy shows are so restricted now they are Not funny . This is the complete series but be aware not the newly released version that has one episode in colour, the pilot and both movies. If a fan of shows like Mister Ed, I love Lucy, The Addams Family than The Munsters is one for your collection as you can sit down, chill out and have a good laugh with the First family of fright.

c est dommage mais la saison 1 n est pas en vf ni en vostf sauf la saison 2 et les telefilms