| "Herman the Great" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Air date | November 12th, 1964 |
| Writers | Joe Connelly |
| Director | Earl Bellamy |
| Producers | Joe Connelly Bob Mosher Irving Paley |
| Starring | Fred Gwynne Yvonne De Carlo Al Lewis Beverley Owen Butch Patrick |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "Tin Can Man" |
Next "Knock Wood, Here Comes Charlie" |
"Herman the Great" is the eighth episode of season one of the family comedy series The Munsters. The episode was directed by Earl Bellamy and written by Joe Connelly. It first aired on CBS on November 12th, 1964. In this episode, Herman Munster takes on a second job as a professional wrestler in order to earn a little extra money for Eddie's college fund.
Synopsis[]
Herman Munster impresses Eddie's friend Wilbur by twisting a heavy steel rod into a knot. Wilbur brings it home to his father, Duke Ramsey, who is equally impressed. Duke is a professional wrestling promoter, and he gets the idea in his head of bringing someone of Herman's obvious strength onto his roster. He telephones Herman and offers him a job, telling him that he will pay him up to $200-$300 a week to wrestle professionally. Herman is nervous about what his friends and family might think, but Ramsey tells him that he will have him wear a hood and bill him as "The Masked Marvel". Having already had a lengthy discussion with Lily about saving money for Eddie's college fund, Herman agrees to take the job. However, he doesn't want anyone else to know what he is actually doing.
Herman begins training in Grandpa's laboratory. The sound of him punching the weight bag causes the entire house to shake. Grandpa goes downstairs and finagles Herman into telling him the truth about his new job.
Herman makes his first public appearance as The Masked Marvel. Whenever he gets into the ring however, his opponent gives him a sob story about how much he needs the money from a victory in order to help out some impoverished family relation. Being a good guy at heart, Herman cannot bring himself to harm the man's career, so he lets him win the match. This pattern continues with each successive opponent, who all in turn, play to Herman's sympathies, thus manipulating him into letting them beat him.
At home, Grandpa puts on the TV set and the whole family sit down to watch wrestling. Only Grandpa knows that The Masked Marvel is actually Herman. Lily, Eddie and Marilyn immediately take a disliking to the masked athlete, calling him a bully and an oaf.
Herman's losing streak begins to cost him his reputation with Duke Ramsey. In order to drive up the spectacle, he puts together an exhibition bout in which any amateur from the audience will be awarded fifty dollars for every minute they can remain in the ring with The Masked Marvel. An unscrupulous promoter named Hansen convinces a suspended wrestler named "Strangler" Murphy to enter the contest as an amateur under an assumed name. Hansen guarantees him a win by pledging to drug Herman's drinking water with sleeping pills.
Although groggy, Herman makes a strong showing during the match, but Murphy still maintains an edge over him. Grandpa is present at the arena this time and is sitting next to Hansen. Hansen lets it slip that Murphy is a ringer, so Grandpa does a little "hocus pocus" to turn the tables on him, allowing Herman to win the match. Back at home, Lily, Eddie and Marilyn watch the match. When they see Grandpa on-camera, they realize that The Masked Marvel is actually Herman.
Suddenly, a fire breaks out in the back of the arena. Duke Ramsey tells Herman that he needs him to help clear the room. Herman removes his mask and begins making a request of the audience. Seeing his true face terrorizes them and the entire arena empties within seconds. In recognition of his good deed, Herman is given a $1,000 cash reward. He puts it directly towards Eddie's college fund, but promises his family that he is now through with wrestling.
Cast[]
Principal Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Fred Gwynne | Herman Munster |
| Yvonne De Carlo | Lily Munster |
| Al Lewis | Grandpa Munster |
| Beverley Owen | Marilyn Munster |
| Butch Patrick | Eddie Munster |
Guest Stars[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| John Hubbard | Duke Ramsey |
| Joseph Mell | Mister Hansen |
| Johnny Silver | Jerry |
| Count Billy Varga | "Strangler" Murphy |
| Jimmy Lennon | Ring announcer |
| Tiger Joe Marsh | The referee |
| Matt Murphy | "Killer" Conklin |
| The Great John L. | "Genghis" Cohen |
| Gene LeBell | "Tarzan" McGirk |
| Jay York | "Crusher" Kowalski |
| Teddy Eccles | Wilbur Ramsey |
Notes & Trivia[]
- This episode has been made available on The Munsters: The Complete First Season DVD as well as The Munsters: The Complete Series DVD collection.
- This episode has one of the largest guest-star casts on the entire series.
- This is the only episode of The Munsters to feature Eddie Munster's friend, Wilbur Ramsey.
- "Strangler" Murphy also goes by the alias John Smith in this episode.
See also[]
External Links[]
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