Dated 1 APR 2005:
An experimental color season 2 Munsters episode title has been found. Universal says they came very close to producing the second season in colour but were too stingy.

I am kind or glad they were stingy I like it better in b/w

Ironically, the episode title is "Big Heap Herman," and not "Heap Big Herman."

:D

I am kind or glad they were stingy I like it better in b/w
Agreed.

Me too. I think color would have killed the series faster than Batman did. Nobody would follow the plot of the episode, people would just stare at their faces.

And also too, there weren't even title boards for Season 2.

I thought the date would give it away. :)
The colour pilot looked OK to me. I would have liked to see it in colour.

I'm in the camp of people who prefers color if given a choice. To me, black and white is lifeless.
I heard mentioned that one of the things that took away from the Munsters' ratings other than Batman was that shows that had just adapted to color were more of a draw to audiences, leaving the remaining shows still in black and white looking outmoded.

The Munsters had a bad time-slot (7:30). Batman Part 2 episodes aired on ABC opposite to The Munsters. Then, at 8:00, kids as well as adults would turn over back to CBS to watch Gilligan's Island, then My Three Sons at 8:30.

Why didn't CBS move the Munsters to another night? It was a show that gave them good ratings initially and it had popularity. In that timeslot instead put one of the lousy shows that weren't catching on, were deserving the axe and definiately were going to be pulled off the air, anyway.
The anti-color posts on this thread has me hesitant about posting any more colorized photos on the "More colorized photos" thread.

I think it was all for the best. Fred, Yvonne and Al were tired of their roles and wanted to move on.

I do like the colorized pictures, but I don't think the episodes should be colorized. If they were shot and shown in color to begin with, that would have been one thing, (then we wouldn't even be talking about it,) but they weren't. As I said before, it's possible that colorization would destroy it for me because they'd likely make Herman really green instead of light blue, with a cast of green. It would be a complete distraction.

I think it was in the movie "Weird Science" that showed a colorized clip of the original Frankenstein movie. The monster was GREEN! It looked rediculous. I'm afraid the Munsters being colorized would have the similar results.

I think it's a moot point, though. I doubt that Universal would put that kind of money into the show. It's possible that the success of the Wayans Brothers movie will likely have something to do with how Universal treats the franchise. Who knows, the movie might be good... :)

My best,
Dirt
MunsterKoach.com (http:/www.MunsterKoach.com)

Why didn't CBS move the Munsters to another night? It was a show that gave them good ratings initially and it had popularity. In that timeslot instead put one of the lousy shows that weren't catching on, were deserving the axe and definiately were going to be pulled off the air, anyway.
The anti-color posts on this thread has me hesitant about posting any more colorized photos on the "More colorized photos" thread.
Don't be hesitant!
I personally like seeing the color pics but still think the show was great in b/w. I think it gives it the creepy feeling of the old
horror films from long ago. Probably what they were aiming at. That and saving $$$ :) .

Here's how I envision The Munsters to be like in color. Now I know in the series, they were a light blue/gray color, but here is what I really think they should look like, if the show were colorised.

* Herman would be green. There's no bones about that, he's green! Perferably a light green, not dark green like in Herman Picks a Winner.
* Lily would be a white pale blue color because of her Dracula heritage.
* Grandpa is white as a cloud because he is Dracula.
* Marilyn is of course, normal caucasian flesh tone.
* Eddie is a pale caucasian flesh tone, becuase of his Wolf/Dracula/Frankenstein heritage.

I think only Fred was tired of the role. The A&E Biography for Yvonne at least made it sound like she would have loved to go on with her new found success and popularity.

I think I'm also in the minority of preferring that the Munsters had been in color. I think it would be cool to see the episodes colorized too, at least just to see what it'd be like.

I think only Fred was tired of the role. The A&E Biography for Yvonne at least made it sound like she would have loved to go on with her new found success and popularity.


I thought YD was an established screen star and singer prior to the show?

Yeah, FG was happy but that left 4 other people unemployed.

I'd rather see Fred Gwynne happy, rather than frail and dying. That's why I'm glad they didn't go on for a third or fourth season. The extreme heat and heavy make-up still affected Fred even in his old age, he still suffered back-aches from doing the series. Also he had to get cortisone shots in his neck. I don't know what those are, but Al Lewis said Fred was in a lot of pain when he recieved them.

I thought YD was an established screen star and singer prior to the show?


She was, but by that time in 1964, she and her husband had fallen on hard times. He had been nearly killed as a stunt man and they really needed money. Her A&E Biography is good, but if you ever get a chance, I really recommend reading her autobiography from 1987, Yvonne. I really enjoyed it when I read it a few years ago, although you'll probably come away from it not seeing her so much as Lily Munster anymore.

I do like the colorized pictures, but I don't think the episodes should be colorized. If they were shot and shown in color to begin with, that would have been one thing, (then we wouldn't even be talking about it,) but they weren't.
Oh, I totally agree. I wasn't implying the episodes be colourised. The colourised versions of Gilligan's Island (and other conversions for that matter) are terrible. I'm wondering if new technology will make the colourised versions of Bewitched look as good as the filmed in colour episodes of Gilligan's Island.

She was, but by that time in 1964, she and her husband had fallen on hard times. He had been nearly killed as a stunt man and they really needed money. Her A&E Biography is good, but if you ever get a chance, I really recommend reading her autobiography from 1987, Yvonne. I really enjoyed it when I read it a few years ago, although you'll probably come away from it not seeing her so much as Lily Munster anymore.
I see.
I did a Google search of images of YD and the 1st pic they offer certainly was un-Lily-like. :D .
I've heard her singing voice and it's beautiful. And what a pretty woman, too.

I'd rather see Fred Gwynne happy, rather than frail and dying. That's why I'm glad they didn't go on for a third or fourth season. The extreme heat and heavy make-up still affected Fred even in his old age, he still suffered back-aches from doing the series. Also he had to get cortisone shots in his neck. I don't know what those are, but Al Lewis said Fred was in a lot of pain when he recieved them.
I was just making an observation about the cast and work.

I imagine these days there are major improvements in make up and foam-lightweight and breathable!

Cortisone is a steroid and helps with pain and swelling. And Y E S they hurt .

When John Schuk played Herman Munster in The Munsters Today, they had John gain a lot of weight so that he wouldn't wear as much padding as Fred Gwynne did. Maybe if Fred was a little heavier, he wouldn't have had to wear all that padding. But I don't think Fred liked being overweight, any photo or movie I have seen him in, he's always been thin.