A Spooktacular Munsters Deal That's Really Wizard!
Servo | Atlanta, GA USA | 08/25/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"From the windy Mockingbird Heights at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, The Munsters come to send goosebumping, rib-tickling '60s wit and humor to your funny bone with The Munsters - The Complete Series!
Previously released as separate season sets, each with its own history of issues Munsters fans are all too familiar with, The Munsters Complete Series doesn't just simply repackage the episodes but also attempts to do the fans proud by righting the wrongs that haunted the previous sets.
Remember the dual-sided discs? Gone. Remember the flimsy, gimmicky, craptastic "Herman's Head" box you had to fight with to get the discs out of? Gone. Instead you'll find...
For your convenience and viewing pleasure, Universal has repackaged from the Season 1 and Season 2 sets every classic episode from the series (and respective special features) on 12 single-sided DVDs (including two bonus features) all in an exclusive collectible box set with nice package art for hours of eerie Munsters fun, and for a very reasonable price!
Special Features include:
* "America's First Family of Fright"
* "Fred Gwynne: More Than a Munster"
* "Yvonne De Carlo: Guilded Lily"
* "Al Lewis: Forever Grandpa"
* The Munsters Unaired Pilot
* The Munsters "Family Portrait" Episode (Color Version)
(Note: If you own the original separate season sets then you already have The Munsters - Complete Series episodes and special features minus the previously unreleased The Munsters "Family Portrait" episode (color version), and should consider The Munsters - Family Portrait separate single disc release which also features both the color and original B&W version before deciding.)
Bonus Features:
* Munster, Go Home! (1966)
* The Munsters' Revenge (1981)
Season 1:
Munster Masquerade
My Fair Munster
A Walk on the Mild Side
Rock-a-Bye Munster
Pike's Pique
Lo-Cal Munster
Tin Can Man
Herman the Great
Knock Wood, Here Comes Charlie
Autumn Croakus
The Midnight Ride of Herman Munster
The Sleeping Cutie
The Munsters' Family Portrait
Grandpa Leaves Home
Herman's Rival
Grandpa's Call of the Wild
All-Star Munster
If a Martian Answers, Hang Up
Eddie's Nickname
Bats of a Feather
Don't Bank on Herman
Dance With Me, Herman
Follow That Munster
Love Locked Out
Come Back, Little Googie
Far Out Munsters
Munsters on the Move
Movie Star Munster
Herman the Rookie
Country Club Munsters
Love Comes to Mockingbird Heights
Mummy Munster
Lily Munster, Girl Model
Munster the Magnificent
Herman's Happy Valley
Hot Rod Herman
Herman's Raise
Yes, Galen, There Is a Herman (aka My Friend Herman)
Season 2:
Herman's Child Psychology
Herman, the Master Spy
Bronco Bustin' Munster
Herman Munster, Shutter Bug
Herman, Coach of the Year
Happy 100th Anniversary
Operation Herman
Lily's Star Boarder
John Doe Munster
The Man for Marilyn
Herman's Driving Test
Will Success Spoil Herman Munster?
Underground Munster
The Treasure of Mockingbird Heights
Herman's Peace Offensive
Herman Picks a Winner
Just Another Pretty Face
Heap Big Herman
The Most Beautiful Ghoul in the World
Grandpa's Lost Wife
The Fregosi Emerald
Zombo
Cyrano de Munster
The Musician
Prehistoric Munster
A Visit from Johann
Eddie's Brother
Herman the Tire Kicker
A House Divided
Herman's Sorority Caper
Herman's Lawsuit
A Visit from the Teacher
That's a LOT of Munsters!
Great Value!
"
Just In Time For The Halloween Season!
Paul C. Visby | Eagan, MN United States | 10/09/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This is a hard product to review. I love "The Munsters" and cannot say anything bad about the episodes. I have to give this 5-stars for the content: Everything that was on the previous releases - plus the fact that Universal FINALLY put all of this on single-sided discs. But, I have to take points off for Universal NOT fixing problems with the original releases: The discs are exactly the same - menus, content, and "problems"!
The first season episodes should have been spread out more - disc 6 (originally disc 3B) only has four episodes - the others have six or seven. The colorized version of "Family Portrait" has been added to disc 2 (originally 1B). Be warned! It is not perfect. I originally watched this episode on my TV in the living room and it was awful. It looked as if it was one of the first colorization tests. But I re-watched on my bedroom TV and it was a lot better. I guess it all depends on your TV's settings. The Munsters and their house are actually done well and look as if filmed in color. The problem is with the "human" characters. Their skin tones are off and it looks fakey. If only other studios could do the excellent and realistic job that Paramount did with the "Lucy Goes to Scotland" episode of "I Love Lucy." But it is a pretty good attempt at colorization. It was a treat to see what it might have looked like if filmed in color, but I prefer the look and feel of the B&W version.
The second season episodes still have the crappy Universal logo and music before EVERY episode. And there is no way to skip it. I was praying that the studio would remove this (also, it isn't seen with the first season episodes).
So, 5-stars for putting everything in one package, the episodes themselves, single-sided discs, and the bonus features (including the colorized episode). But I drop the rating to 3-stars for not spreading out the first season episodes, the low sound on a couple of first season episodes that should have been corrected, and the Universal logo w/music before every single second season episode with no way to bypass it. Universal made a good attempt but fumbled by not making all the necessary corrections. But I am still VERY happy to have one of my favorite shows on DVD.
Oh, the single box contains two digi-packs. The first one is Season One with six discs. The second one is Season Two with six discs (four are the episodes, one is the bonus biographies, one is the two movies). Each has the disc breakdowns and the discs overlap - two per page.
Now you make the decision on whether to buy this. If you already own the Season Sets and don't mind the 2-sided discs and have the separate two-movie disc, then I wouldn't buy this. There is nothing different except the colorized episode - which is now available separately. If you would prefer single-sided discs and want everything (which includes the two-movie disc) in one package, than this product is for you. I hope this helps you decide."
This is What You've Been Waiting For
Mark Ebert | Lancaster OH | 08/24/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you're a fan of the Munsters and haven't purchased the Seasons as individual sets, this is what you've been waiting for. This box sets not only includes all 70 originally aired episodes, but comes with every bonus feature available on the original two sets. Additionally, this set contains the motion picture "Munster, Go Home" and the TV special from 1981. "The Munsters: Family Portrait"--sold separately for those fans who did purchase the other sets--is also featured in this collection.
This set features twelve one-sided discs (unlike the two-sided discs from the original individual season sets that some find hard to deal with and annoying).
This set is truly a dream come true for any fan of this unique '60's sitcom. Available October seventh (2008) it should arrive in time to be a wonderful Halloween treat!"
STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR TRUE MUNSTERS FANS
JACK LOBO | Greenwich,CT USA | 11/09/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you're an owner of the previous 2 box sets and the Two Movie Fright Fest, this new package will probably disappoint. Aside from the colorized bonus feature of Family Portrait, which I would classify as acceptable not stellar, is exactly the same thing. The Menu boards are exactly the same. Season 1 has scene select, Season 2 doesn't. Plus every episode of season 2 still has that long get on your nerves UNIVERSAL STUDIOS fanfare. No you can't skip it. It'll just go to the next episode with that same fanfare. The true Munsters fan will quickly cringe at the inferior musical cues substitutes that were not corrected from the previous release. Even the episode Knock Wood, Here Comes Charlie still has a low volume. Very little effort went into correcting the shortcomings of the previous sets. In fact, aside from the convenience of being transferred to single sided discs there was really no effort at all. Universal studios should fire their lawyers. They should have had the courage to say " This is how the show was made. This is how the show is presented on TV and this is how we will present the dvd. We will keep all the original musical cues intact". I guess people with guts are becoming more scarce every day. Really, doesn't Universal have the faith that the profits of a properly made Munsters set would have more than covered the costs of monies owed to other entities that hold the rights to the music. I can understand Disney being difficult to deal with for "Someday My Prince Will Come" because they are a heartless company. But The Standells? Come on now! What possible power could they have that Universal was afraid to use "Just A Little Bit" instead of that sickening music that wasn't the Standells at all, when Eddie played them on the phonograph in the opening of Far Out Munster. Go figure. The final insult, to us the buyers, instead of using the inexpensive yet convenient thin snap covers, they created two triple fold outs that holds 2 discs per side overlapping each other. If you don't own the previous set then I recommend you get this. If you do own the previous set, don't be in too much of a hurry. Why did I give this 4 stars? Because 80% of the set is pretty good. The 20% I gripe about is like a black hole that just sucks the good right into it. I guess even badly released Munsters is better than no Munsters at all."
This is Why DVD Exists!
Tim Janson | Michigan | 01/28/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Over forty years after it went off the air, The Munsters remains an American institution. It's an iconic TV show that has never been out of syndication in over forty years and continues strong in the U.S. and around the world. This 12 disc boxed set presents the entire Munsters series in all of its hip, monster mash glory. While running only two season, the Munsters had 70 episodes. In today's TV world where the norm is 20 or 22 episodes, that's really like three and a half seasons. In addition to all the episodes you get so much more. The set includes the two feature films made with the original cast (mostly): 1966's "Munster, Go Home!" and 1981's "The Munster's Revenge". There are also several documentaries as well.
The Munsters worked because at its heart it was the All-American sitcom...they just happened to be monsters. They faced the same situations that all families face...issues at home, in school, and on the job; relationships with neighbors and family members, etc... The series featured numerous guest-stars who were well known TV personalities of the period including: Paul Lynde, Harvey Korman, Don Rickles, Dom DeLuise, John Carradine, and Frank Gorshin.
Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Al Lewis as Grandpa had previously worked together on another hit sitcom, "Car 54 Where are You?" Their chemistry was perfect from the opening episode as they sometimes fought, and sometimes schemed together, but were always a hilarious pair. Yvonne DeCarlo as Lily frequently found herself having to play referee in their squabbles. The series began with Beverly Owen playing niece Marilyn. When a homesick Owen wanted to go back to New York, Pat Priest replaced her in episode #14 for the rest of the show's run.
The series kicked off with "Munster Masquerade" on September 24, 1966. The Munsters are invited to a costume party. Herman dresses as King Arthur in a full suit of armor and wins first place because he was "Wearing a mask under another mask".
One of the frequent themes of the show was Herman and or Grandpa scheming to make money or Herman becoming famous. In "Herman the Great" Herman takes to the ring to become a professional wrestler; "In All-Star Munster" Herman visits Marilyn's college and is mistaken as the school's basketball star; "Herman The Rookie" finds Herman trying out for the Los Angeles Dodgers and smacking homeruns further than anyone has seen. Dodgers manager leo Durocher guest-stars; and Herman becomes an unwitting pop star in "Will Success Spoil Herman Munster."
While you can certainly see that the plots became tired towards the end of the series, the show was still performing well but the decision was made to cancel the show anyway. Still, the Munsters had one more trick up their sleeve. "Munsters Go Home" was shot after the show ended. The theatrical film was released on July 15, 1966. The Munsters learn they have inherited an English estate known as Munster Hall. This does not set well with some of the other stuffy English relatives and they try to scare the Munsters off once they get there and even plot to kill Herman. A highlight of the movie is Herman racing the famous "Dragula" dragster, one of the two famous custom cars from the show along with the Munster Koach". Two things about the film, first, it gave audiences the chance to see the Munsters in color for the first time. Second, the lack of a laugh track really hurts the feel of the film compared to the TV show. Debbie Watson replaced Pat Priest in the role of Marilyn for this film.
Gwynne, Lewis, and DeCarlo would reprise their roles for the 1981 made-for-tv movie, "The Munsters Revenge". While not very good, it did give fans a chance to see the stars one more time in their familiar make-up.
The Munsters is one of the most enduring shows in the history of television. It wasn't the highest rated show and it certainly was not a long-running show, but it's influence can still be seen all over today with various merchandising. A fantastic TV show and a first-rate DVD set!
EXTRAS:
Unaired TV pilot: The 14 minute pilot episode featured a very different looking Munsters family. Joan Marshall played "Pheobe" Munster, Herman's wife and her look was almost identical to Morticia Addams. Happy Derman played a truly maniacal Eddie Munster, who hissed and growled throughout. Thankfully he was replaced!
The set comes with four documentaries. The documentaries are not new. They were originally produced for the A&E Channel's biography series back in 2000, and 2002. They include:
"America's First Family of Fright"
"Fred Gwynne: More than a Munster"
"Yvonne DeCarlo: Gilded Lily"
"Al Lews: Forever Grandpa"
Each documentary runs approximately 45 minutes and if you haven't seen them on A&E previously they are all outstanding, especially "America's First Family of Fright". This documentary covers the entire history of the show. The Munsters were literally everywhere in the mid-1960s and had their images on model kits, toys, lunch boxes, and more. You get to see rare footage of the cast in full make-up doing publicity appearances at Marine Land and at a Thanksgiving Parade. Great Stuff!