Movie Info
Movie Name: Munster, Go Home!
Studio: Universal Pictures
Genre(s): Comedy/Horror
Release Date(s): June 15, 1966 (Premiere)/August 6, 1966 (US)
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
The Munsters hit the high seas!
Herman Munster (Fred Gwynne) learns the patriarch of his adopted family Cavanaugh Munster has left him estate Munster Hall and his title of Lord Munster. Traveling to England, the Munsters learn that all is not right at Munster Hall. Their cousins Grace (Jeanne Arnold) and Freddie (Terry-Thomas) had hoped to be gain the fortune along with their mother Lady Effigie (Hermione Gingold). Now, it’s Munster vs. Munster in an attempt to get the manor, but Herman and Grandpa (Al Lewis) could find the secret of Munster Hall! Plus, the hideous Marilyn (Debbie Watson) hopes she can finally find true love despite her appearance when she meets Roger Moresby (Robert Pine).
Directed by Earl Bellamy, Munster, Go Home! is a comedy monster movie. The film spins off The Munsters series which ran on CBS from September 24, 1964 to May 12, 1966. The film was a critical and financial failure upon its release.
Munster, Go Home! really had a dual purpose. It was to keep the franchise going and meant to give the series an international introduction since there was big money in syndication. The movie largely plays out like the typical Munster show with similar plots to a TV series. If you like The Munsters, you’ll probably like Munster, Go Home!, but if you don’t, don’t expect anything new.
The only thing that scares Lily is Grandpa’s driving
I was always on the Munsters bandwagon when I was little. I believe I was actually introduced to The Munsters before The Addams Family so I had a softer spot for them (though I recognize that The Addams Family was probably a superior show). As a fan of the classic monsters of Universal, The Munsters gave a bit of that fix. Here, the story is a bit too long, but it does have a bit of an Abbott & Costello feel to it because of the style of the comedy. It is pretty mundane.
The cast returned for the film minus Pat priest who played Marilyn (she was replaced by Debbie Watson). Gwynn, Lewis, and Yvonne De Carlo always gave their all in their roles and it is their commitment to the goofy material that works. Gwynn has some fun with his past acting by even calling for Car 54 at one point during the movie. The movie has some recognizable supporting actors as well. Robert Pine plays the love interest, John Carradine plays the crusty butler Cruikshank, Richard Dawson appears as Joey, and Bernard Fox plays the snooty Squire Lester Moresby.
Wacky Races…
One big difference between the series and the movie is that the movie was shot in color…and it doesn’t help the final product. The “color” Munsters (or I guess colour if they are visiting England) are creepier than they should be. The makeup just doesn’t necessarily work on screen. It does work to make the absurdity of these “monsters” walking around among people more extreme because they stand out physically even more.
Munster, Go Home! is a quick, simple comedy. The movie isn’t very good, but it is also quite harmless and goofy in the same way the quirky series played out. The Munsters continued to pop-up on occasion like with The Munsters’ Revenge in 1981, The Munsters Today (1988-1991), and a failed pilot Mockingbird Lane (which aired as a special in 2012).
