Munster, Go Home! (1966)

Memorable, crazy movie

Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

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 "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.

Theatrical farewell to Herman, Lily, Grandpa and the gang features many of the same talents behind the popular 1960s television show "The Munsters", but this misadventure seems a little bereft of imagination--perhaps a laugh-track might have helped? The ghoulish clan inherits a British estate, and Herman gets involved in a slapstick auto race. Debbie Watson is the one newcomer to the cast (taking over for Pat Priest as niece Marilyn), but not even a jovial Fred Gwynne or the glinty-eyed Al Lewis can raise this script from the crypt. Maybe filming the family in color was a technical error--it takes the edge off the Universal/monster movie satire which the TV show nailed without effort. This one strains for laughs, and ends on a whimper. *1/2 from ****

I'm surprised at the number of glowing reviews about this movie. Despite the only interesting aspect of the movie, which is its being in color, that stylish Munster magic is totally missing. I suppose they had to travel to make the time go by faster, but going to England really makes this romp rather stilted. The actors are giving their best, but rehashing jokes and situations from the TV seems rather sad. Not sure who the writers were but they totally missed the boat on this one and makes me wonder if they ever saw an episode from the TV show. And to recast Marilyn with a bland actress really screwed up the chemistry. Besides seeing the house and the characters in color, there's not much to keep your attention here, unless you're 12.

This film appeared at the height of the Swinging London movement of the mid-Sixties, when even Batman made a televised visit to Britain. A cross section of British funnymen came aboard to welcome America's improbably sweet family of ghouls to the old country. (And never mind that the name "Munster" is Irish and not English). Fred Gwynne never looked back after making this final appearance as Frankenstein's monster, so bitter was he at the lingering pain performing the role caused him. It's a shame, because he was never better than in this lightweight role of goofy old Herman.As he was in "Car 54", Al Lewis is Gwynne's sidekick, gleefully gnawing on the scenery as an over-the-top sendup of Dracula. Frankenstein vs. Dracula sounds like one of those high-concept films only the hard core will watch, but these two made it work.I saw this film in the theater during its first run and continue to enjoy it on its occasional TV appearances. Often these are during the run-up to Halloween, when "Munster Go Home" acts as an antidote to the depressing run of horror films.