I met Al Lewis (grandpa) in NYC some years back. He lived and owned a bar/restaurant on Roosevelt Island and I and a friend happened to stroll in. He was there and very gracious. May he now be resting in peace.
Not only that, but "Phoebe" was removed because she looked too much like Morticia Addams actress at the time, Happy Derman was a bad casting choice and Beverly Owens was only in one season until she was replaced.
I saw that a photo from the original pilot was used for the page about the Munsters in a book about tv shows. I did not know why Eddie looked different thee until I saw the documentary.
This was the beginning of a 15 minute "demonstration film", not the entire pilot (only the first half of the script was filmed). Same with the second attempt...and that was filmed in black and white, as CBS didn't telecast any shows in color at the time they considered the second version....
There was a movie made after season 2 called Muster Go Home . I read the from ticket sales was going to be used for to make season 3, but it was not made anyway. Maybe why the author of the book said no one knows why it was canceled while the documentary said the cost of the set was so expensive it was canceled.
Supposedly, it was cancelled because Batman came out opposite of it and crushed it. When it was cancelled, Fred was not sad and said, "Now, everybody can watch Batman."
One other odd thing between the Munsters and Addams family is that the whole family is in the intro credit. In AF, only Morticia and Gomez are credited in the opening credits. Is that odd?
There was another Joan originally chosen to play Morticia Addams, Joan Huntington. The producers had chosen her from all the actresses tested. Someone decided they needed a more prominent actress and Carolyn Jones was brought in.
Wow, this is pretty bad. No wonder they changed the opening and shifted the cast. This would not have made it at all. Thank you for the bit of TV history though. Always interesting to see how "classics" started out. And Joan Marshall was the Prosecuting Attorney in the Star Trek Episode "Court Marshal."
They just reused some music from a Doris Day movie. They weren't going to pay to have music written for a pilot that may not be sold. This was just to give the TV executives a general idea.
Also, I watched the test pilot elsewhere on RUclips. Frankly, I thought Joan Marshall was terrible in this part - too "Halloweeny," if that makes any sense; she's just an actress wearing a weird costume and delivering her lines without any particular flair. (But at least she makes you appreciate more the job Yvonne De Carlo did.)
Why are they all blue? It makes sense for Herman, but since when are vampires and werwolves blue? Also, they overuse the laugh track, but I suppose that's just 1960's TV for you.
that's one great thing about pilots .you can make them then change before the series really gets made.i sure am glad that the didn't use the morticia look for the show .nice look .i think it would make the monsters and the addams family confusing
They often have similar shows running at the same time the Outer Limits and the Twilight Zone, Lost in Space and Star Trek and when Lost in Space went off the air Land of the Giants was similar. Gilligan's Island has 7 people stranded on an island similar to Lost in Space and Land of the Giants 7 people stranded on another planet.
Looks like they may have added appliances to Fred Gwynne's cheekbones to make them look larger when the series went into production. They should have done the same to Edward Herrmann, it was the one thing lacking in his portrayal.
THIS VIDEO IT'S REAL!!!! THIS IS THE ORIGINAL PILOT!!! LOOK.. Joan Marshall appeared in the 15 minute unaired pilot of The Munsters as Phoebe Munster (who strongly resembled Morticia Addams). Before the series was picked up, The Munsters was retooled and Marshall was replaced by actress Yvonne De Carlo. (this is from wikipedia so you know) :)
Horrible theme music...and terrible make-up on the actors. I am glad that they decided to film this show in black-n-white, even though color was becoming more available to everyone. The black-n-white format just gave it a certain charm and atmosphere...they have tried several times to redo and renew this show, but nothing will ever beat the original...or what I thought was the original.
This is a note I find for how much time they put into it. Back then the idea of spending a ton for a 30 minute TV show was apart of there problem. They had problems including most of the caste, and well they had the right guy, for Herman but wasn't looking convincing. Said and done it took them 6 hours to get there Herman ready. LOL
I second just about everyone else's comments about Joan Marshall, and would add another objection: She looks too young. According to the IMDb, Joan Marshall was in her early 30s when she did this pilot; Yvonne De Carlo was about 40 and much more convincing as a mother figure. Here, Marshall looks about the same age as Beverly Owen (which was in the fact the case). Yes, I know they're supposed to be aunt and niece, but still...
Backwards dude, Phoebe/ Joan Marshall was the first pilot and they scrapped her when the producers felt she resembled Morticia Addams too much, so they scrapped her and hired Yvonne De Carlo who came in as Lily Munster from the 2nd Pilot to the end of the series. Was a good move in my opinion too, even at 42 when she took the Lily role Yvonne De Carlo was a way more attractive woman then Joan Marshall.
They should have here also put Joan in the white-dress outfit that Lilly usually wears- - just to see! That might have MAYBE made a difference in the Morticia resemblance. Just say'n.
@Wade I hate the adams family! They killed off my favourite character just so they could save their precious Morticia Adams, fearing that she might descend from the show so they choose Phoebe instead. *slams desk super hard* *desk rattles*
@@NickMcRyan they just didn't scrap her, they liquidate her from the show so she wouldn't get paid and it all goes to morticia addams....... *throws glass bottle on basement floor* *glass bottle shatters*
This is weird on so many levels, most notably the different actors. Although, Joan Marshall in this role is like my ideal look in a woman. But the color vs black and white, the weird makeup for Herman, and him laying one on Phoebe would have made for a much different show. I like the more innocent approach they took with it.
i saw ths for the first time when i brough the first season of the munster if i didn buy it then i wouldn have knw about ths pilot plus after the shot they replaced eddie and lily a
This was the pilot to the original show that premiered in 1964. It is definitely not recent. 3 of those actors played in the actual show. You have obviously never seen the Munsters. I think the color threw you.
It would have never aired as is ' it was only 15 minutes and had music that came from a movie. The pilot for Big Bang Theory never aired either because of the changes made in the characters .
Not necessarily the greatest, but it was kinda cute in a way. Guess it did not work too well with the test market, so they went with the one we're all familiar with today.
Joanne, in my opinion, looked way hotter than Yyvonne, but she looks identical to Morticia Addams. Yyvone made the Lily character her own, and with the makeup and bubbly personality, there is a stark difference between her and the more calm Morticia. Oh my god, what did they do to Eddie? His original actor looked HORRIBLE!
I actually like this one alot better. It's so different it almost seems fake. There's just kind of something unsettling about it. Phoebe's mannerisms. The slowness of pace. Al Lewis's clumsy, creepy movement. Eddie Munster's acting choice. Herman's initial somberness. A lot of the camera work and angles, the fact that it is in color, and definitely the music. Something very eerie about it indeed
I met Al Lewis (grandpa) in NYC some years back. He lived and owned a bar/restaurant on Roosevelt Island and I and a friend happened to stroll in. He was there and very gracious. May he now be resting in peace.
Absolutely right! I am a New Yorker who grew up there
no
whatever
It was in Greenish Village but all good lol
@@katevalentine7075 His Italian restaurant was in Greenwich Village at the corner of Bleeker and Leroy Streets
So different from the eventual results. Glad that it was redone as the resulting cast had an excellent chemistry with each other.
Not only that, but "Phoebe" was removed because she looked too much like Morticia Addams actress at the time, Happy Derman was a bad casting choice and Beverly Owens was only in one season until she was replaced.
I am glade they made adjustments after the pilot. I can understand why the pilot was never shown on tele. It is available on DVD as a curiosity.
Learning color was an option for some shows back then is so weird. I feel there is a timelessness to being black and white
"Phoebe" is gorgeous.
Joan Marshall was in a Star Trek TOS episode too.
She was a beautiful woman.🌹
Beautiful alright...so i don't understand why she wasn't chosen
Fred Gwynne was too cool walking at the end.
Joan Marshall I Love You R.I.P.
I saw that a photo from the original pilot was used for the page about the Munsters in a book about tv shows. I did not know why Eddie looked different thee until I saw the documentary.
Yes, but it's a pilot - a test. It's a beginning, not an end result.
If they’d stuck with this, it wouldn’t have lasted a season.
1:20 My favorite moment!
Very interesting that not only was Joan Marshall replaced with Yvonne De Carlo, the character's name was changed from Phoebe to Lily.
This was the beginning of a 15 minute "demonstration film", not the entire pilot (only the first half of the script was filmed). Same with the second attempt...and that was filmed in black and white, as CBS didn't telecast any shows in color at the time they considered the second version....
I think the wierdest thing about this is the majority of the music is from the Doris Day film The Thrill Of It All.
There was a movie made after season 2 called Muster Go Home . I read the from ticket sales was going to be used for to make season 3, but it was not made anyway. Maybe why the author of the book said no one knows why it was canceled while the documentary said the cost of the set was so expensive it was canceled.
Supposedly, it was cancelled because Batman came out opposite of it and crushed it. When it was cancelled, Fred was not sad and said, "Now, everybody can watch Batman."
One other odd thing between the Munsters and Addams family is that the whole family is in the intro credit. In AF, only Morticia and Gomez are credited in the opening credits. Is that odd?
Lol indeed.. X3
Then Fester was in the intro
Jackie Coogan was given a screen credit in the intro during Season 2.
*Joan Marshall was a Beauty herself too
There was another Joan originally chosen to play Morticia Addams, Joan Huntington. The producers had chosen her from all the actresses tested. Someone decided they needed a more prominent actress and Carolyn Jones was brought in.
You mean.. Yvonne De Carlo... Carolyn Jones was in the Adams Family
The Addams Family had their own Joan (Huntington) that almost played Morticia like the Munsters had a Joan (Marshall) that almost played Mrs. Munster.
Glad they changed it to Lily....so much better....=)
Yeah, she was way hotter.
@kitpenguin8 Wanna bet,the original pilot was shot in color but was retooled later as a b&w series and they recast Lily & Eddie,thank god.
Wow, this is pretty bad. No wonder they changed the opening and shifted the cast. This would not have made it at all.
Thank you for the bit of TV history though. Always interesting to see how "classics" started out.
And Joan Marshall was the Prosecuting Attorney in the Star Trek Episode "Court Marshal."
Grandpa, you shouldn't try to bite your own daughter. That's incest.
The Munsters premiered today (September 24) in 1963 on CBS.
mkl62 1964
Nope, you're both wrong. It was 1965 on CBS
@@phillytvdirector No, you are wrong . The show ran from 1964 to 1966
OMG, Joan Marshall is gorgeous! But what's up with the music???
They just reused some music from a Doris Day movie. They weren't going to pay to have music written for a pilot that may not be sold. This was just to give the TV executives a general idea.
Finally a munsters theme video without every comment saying “ItWaSaGiThAaLlAlOnG”
Nah, the actual/final theme song was too good, it's gonna be hard to replace that.
@KayleeKatastrophe66
I prefer the 1964 version, too. But this is interesting, thanks for putting it up!
Also, I watched the test pilot elsewhere on RUclips. Frankly, I thought Joan Marshall was terrible in this part - too "Halloweeny," if that makes any sense; she's just an actress wearing a weird costume and delivering her lines without any particular flair. (But at least she makes you appreciate more the job Yvonne De Carlo did.)
lol you can see the wig cap on Beverly Owen! Also thank goodness they changed the way Herman looks.
Phoebe was good for a thriller movie, not for a comedy sitcom. It's a dark version of Lily/Morticia Addams.
Why are they all blue? It makes sense for Herman, but since when are vampires and werwolves blue? Also, they overuse the laugh track, but I suppose that's just 1960's TV for you.
Happy looked like an idiot and he didn't make anyone happy either! ;-)
that's one great thing about pilots .you can make them then change before the series really gets made.i sure am glad that the didn't use the morticia look for the show .nice look .i think it would make the monsters and the addams family confusing
They often have similar shows running at the same time the Outer Limits and the Twilight Zone, Lost in Space and Star Trek and when Lost in Space went off the air Land of the Giants was similar. Gilligan's Island has 7 people stranded on an island similar to Lost in Space and Land of the Giants 7 people stranded on another planet.
I'm happy they changed it...😀😀😀
Looks like they may have added appliances to Fred Gwynne's cheekbones to make them look larger when the series went into production. They should have done the same to Edward Herrmann, it was the one thing lacking in his portrayal.
This was the pilot episode. Its on the complete 1st season DVD.
Phoebe is a copy to morticia Adams..?
September 24, 1964.
THIS VIDEO IT'S REAL!!!! THIS IS THE ORIGINAL PILOT!!! LOOK..
Joan Marshall appeared in the 15 minute unaired pilot of The Munsters as Phoebe Munster (who strongly resembled Morticia Addams). Before the series was picked up, The Munsters was retooled and Marshall was replaced by actress Yvonne De Carlo.
(this is from wikipedia so you know) :)
Actually Joan was pretty hot...she looked the part of a vampire..
Not as hot as Lily.
Production costs quickly prohibited filming in COLOR and it became B&W or nothing.
These were supposed to be the munsters? Wild... straight up.
@kitpenguin8 Do a little research, the original pilot WAS shot in color.
This intro is better than the whole Rob Zombie trailer. By like, a mile.
You mean they put laugh tracks IN the intro?! What a lawless and reckless era
What happen With Lily????
she would come later when they rethought the idea of this show. You must realize this came first.
I remember rob zombie on howard stern talkin about this and they were dyin laughin about happy derman
Horrible theme music...and terrible make-up on the actors. I am glad that they decided to film this show in black-n-white, even though color was becoming more available to everyone. The black-n-white format just gave it a certain charm and atmosphere...they have tried several times to redo and renew this show, but nothing will ever beat the original...or what I thought was the original.
Yeaaah, just way too Morticia. And fortunately we were spared Happy Derman.
Que versión tan más sosa de éste intro.
@MrFortuBass How do you know?
This is a note I find for how much time they put into it. Back then the idea of spending a ton for a 30 minute TV show was apart of there problem. They had problems including most of the caste, and well they had the right guy, for Herman but wasn't looking convincing. Said and done it took them 6 hours to get there Herman ready. LOL
1:09 Herman's has that incredible hulk look going on.
Joan Marshall looks way sexier and classy here than the one they finally chose. I wouldn't have cared if she looked like Morticia Addams.
She didn't fit as the rick of tge family as Yvonne DeCarlo did.
Music is like the Jetsons
1:32. She’s like “yup still got it…”
where's the whole episode?
I second just about everyone else's comments about Joan Marshall, and would add another objection: She looks too young. According to the IMDb, Joan Marshall was in her early 30s when she did this pilot; Yvonne De Carlo was about 40 and much more convincing as a mother figure. Here, Marshall looks about the same age as Beverly Owen (which was in the fact the case). Yes, I know they're supposed to be aunt and niece, but still...
Yvonne De Carlo was 8 months older than Al Lewis... and yet they played father and daughter in the show.
I want hair like Phoebe's.
Agreed!
@DoctorPorkenfries Most people maybe 90 some % of the original audience were more than thrilled by the blue color of the Mumster.
So Al Lewis and Fred Gwynne are the only ones that made the cut. Good thing, the others sucked
Beverley Owen made the cut, but had to leave later due to personal issues.
Btw I’m five years late sorry.
So was Beverly owen
Beverly Owen was kept on but she was replaced around season 2.
They let her out of her contract midway thru the first season so she could go back to N.Y. to get married.
thank god they improved it
When me and my brother first watched this we were confused
spelling Beverley Owen's name wrong with different font than the rest. I would really like to know the reason. maybe it was so rushed.
Maybe cause she is the "normal" one in the family.
It's 'Owen'... not Owens... the spelling was correct.
@@Ducati_Dude no I mean they spelled Beverley as Beverly
@@Joel-vx7hz Hmmmm... I missed that. Yup, major boo-boo for sure.
@@Ducati_Dude plus the different font...lol
Why did they change it to Black and White?
To save money, it would have cost $10,000 per episode if they kept using colour
lauraq05 yeah
Very few shows were in color at this time.
I don't like Joan Marshall, I like Yvonne Dicarlo, I can't believe they replaced lily with phoebe, I like lily better
You got it backwards they replaced phoebe with lilly this was the pilot episode before the series was official
Backwards dude, Phoebe/ Joan Marshall was the first pilot and they scrapped her when the producers felt she resembled Morticia Addams too much, so they scrapped her and hired Yvonne De Carlo who came in as Lily Munster from the 2nd Pilot to the end of the series. Was a good move in my opinion too, even at 42 when she took the Lily role Yvonne De Carlo was a way more attractive woman then Joan Marshall.
They should have here also put Joan in the white-dress outfit that Lilly usually wears- - just to see! That might have MAYBE made a difference in the Morticia resemblance. Just say'n.
@Wade I hate the adams family! They killed off my favourite character just so they could save their precious Morticia Adams, fearing that she might descend from the show so they choose Phoebe instead.
*slams desk super hard*
*desk rattles*
@@NickMcRyan they just didn't scrap her, they liquidate her from the show so she wouldn't get paid and it all goes to morticia addams.......
*throws glass bottle on basement floor*
*glass bottle shatters*
Thank god they put Yvonne in. Joan doesn't look like a mother , Yvonne does 3
This is weird on so many levels, most notably the different actors. Although, Joan Marshall in this role is like my ideal look in a woman. But the color vs black and white, the weird makeup for Herman, and him laying one on Phoebe would have made for a much different show. I like the more innocent approach they took with it.
It's possible for a aunt to be younger than a neice but then they would have to constantly explain it so to avoid that an older aunt made more sense.
Al Lewis and Fred Gwynne made the same appearance in the other years
i saw ths for the first time when i brough the first season of the munster if i didn buy it then i wouldn have knw about ths pilot plus after the shot they replaced eddie and lily a
When did this attempt to come out if somebody can’t remember please let me know because I don’t even know these actors but it looks pretty recent
This was the pilot to the original show that premiered in 1964. It is definitely not recent. 3 of those actors played in the actual show. You have obviously never seen the Munsters. I think the color threw you.
Yah when I'm e and my brother watched this last year when I got the series we were like what is this
I actually like this music more than the actual theme. Is it original? I'd love to have a version without the laugh track.
That music was from a Doris Day movie just reuse this pilot only .
I wanna meet blow fire monster monster under stairs again! When on air at Japan he called“Godzilla”
I wanna meet monster under steer again! when on air at Japan he named “Godzilla”
Spot would flame torch your ass.
It HAPPY DERMAN NOT PERMAN
I can see why it was unaired
It would have never aired as is ' it was only 15 minutes and had music that came from a movie. The pilot for Big Bang Theory never aired either because of the changes made in the characters .
What's with the goofy laugh track in the intro? Bad idea.
Damn....Happy Derman was pretty damn terrible!
Not necessarily the greatest, but it was kinda cute in a way. Guess it did not work too well with the test market, so they went with the one we're all familiar with today.
John Kerry as Herman
Gorgeous lady as well
Interesting, but I never want to see that again.
@kitpenguin8 If you look at the entire clip you'll see Bevery Owen still has the "mop" hairdo w.w.w.ruclips.net/video/j9cZGWV7B-k/видео.html .
Joanne, in my opinion, looked way hotter than Yyvonne, but she looks identical to Morticia Addams. Yyvone made the Lily character her own, and with the makeup and bubbly personality, there is a stark difference between her and the more calm Morticia.
Oh my god, what did they do to Eddie? His original actor looked HORRIBLE!
The original actor played toward a werewolf personality and not as an ordinary boy. Bad choice there .
Oh wait, I found it.
Well, they have originality for one thing.
I actually like this one alot better. It's so different it almost seems fake. There's just kind of something unsettling about it. Phoebe's mannerisms. The slowness of pace. Al Lewis's clumsy, creepy movement. Eddie Munster's acting choice. Herman's initial somberness. A lot of the camera work and angles, the fact that it is in color, and definitely the music. Something very eerie about it indeed
The other (final) Munsters Intro was the funniest, this one made me bored
Phoebe looks like Moon Zombie
I like Lily more than Phoebe because Phoebe is more of a forfeit version of Morticia Addams
That's why they didn't use her.
Phoebe was HOT!!!
the show would have been better off if it had stayed in color
Joan Marshall was 32 years old at the time. Beverley Owen was 26. Yet they're here playing mother and daughter. Awkward.
If I was Herman, I would have kept Phoebe on. If you know what.. Phoebe could and very well be Morticia's twin. Good clip.
Phoebe (Lily) looks like she's going to rub one out at the end.