Only a handful of people are truly aware of the existence of a pilot episode of “The Munsters.” You will find plenty of fascinating facts surrounding the show, and there are plenty of distinctions between the pilot version and the actual show. First off, the pilot version was filmed in color and was never broadcasted on TV.
While the producers of “The Munsters” ultimately opted to film the show in black and white to cut costs, it eventually worked out for the best. Surprisingly, the two characters of Ernest and Lily were portrayed by different actors instead of Fred Gwynne and Yvonne De Carlo, and Lily’s first name was Phoebe in the show’s pilot episode.
Before Fred Gwynne was Herman
During his college days, Fred Gwynne studied at the famed Harvard University and worked as a cartoonist and head of the school’s popular Lampoon at the same time. The Lampoon’s writers and staff had a well-known reputation of being rough and rowdy, which comes to no surprise why Gwynne became the leader of the organization.
The writers of Lampoon later began the National Lampoon, which went on to become among the most recognized comedy magazines. The National Lampoon would soon make its way to various platforms, including stand-up comedies, books, TV shows, records, and even films. Some of the most notable comedians in recent times would walk the same path that Gwynne took.
The Raven
On the show, the raven appeared as a cuckoo bird that resided on the Munster's home clock. It was an allusion to a poem from Edgar Allan Poe wherein a bird would regularly say the word “Nevermore.” The raven was voiced by Mel Blanc, who at the time was among the most celebrated voice actors in the history of the industry, successfully creating almost 500 unique voices for a long list of cartoons and animated movies.
From the hilarious Stone Age world of "The Flintstones" to the futuristic universe of "The Jetsons" and iconic cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny, Mel Blanc always had his hands full while working with "The Munsters" and long after it was concluded. Blanc died in 1989, but his voice continued to resonate in the world from various cartoons like the Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show.
Behind the Munster Characters
Universal Television held full ownership of "The Munsters," which meant that Universal Studios enjoyed the same exclusive rights to the show. During that time, Universal Studios also had ownership rights of many iconic monsters in movies, including "Dracula," "Wolf Man," and "Frankenstein." The management of CBS recognized an advantage that they enjoyed over "The Addams Family," which was the ability to exploit Universal Studios’ monsters without any cost.
With that being said, "The Munsters" always topped "The Addams Family" in viewership numbers since their monster characters were more familiar to the general audience, as opposed to the latter, which had to create their own monsters from scratch.
Not Sure About De Carlo
Upon learning the news that Yvonne De Carlo would take over the role of Lily Munster, both Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis weren’t happy with it at all. The two actors had no clue who De Carlo was as an actress and person except for her status as one of Hollywood’s glamor queens.
Gwynne and Lewis were convinced that De Carlo would not be able to complement their distinct style of acting, which revolved more on comedy as opposed to drama. Additionally, they were troubled with the prospect that the American-Canadian actress might belittle them as she was widely recognized as a movie star during the time. Obviously, all of their worries were put to rest following her inclusion as a staple member of the show’s cast