- "You can't be too careful these days. There's a lot of strange people in this world."
- ―Herman Munster
| "Munster Masquerade" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Air date | September 24th, 1964 |
| Writers | Joe Connelly Bob Mosher |
| Director | Lawrence Dobkin |
| Producers | Joe Connelly Bob Mosher Irving Paley |
| Starring | Fred Gwynne Yvonne De Carlo Al Lewis Beverley Owen Butch Patrick |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous — |
Next My Fair Munster |
"Munster Masquerade" is the first episode of season one of The Munsters and was directed by Lawrence Dobkin. It first aired on CBS on September 24th, 1964. In the episode, the parents of Marilyn's new boyfriend invite her family to a masquerade party. Not understanding that they don't really need to wear costumes, the Munsters labor to find the perfect outfit for the festivities.
Synopsis[]
Act 1[]
Marilyn and her boyfriend Tom Daly are standing outside her home at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. She wants Tom to come inside to meet her aunt and uncle, but Tom would rather spend more quality time with Marilyn. Tom invites Marilyn and her family to attend a masquerade party that his family is throwing. Marilyn accepts, but warns Tom that her aunt and uncle are very old fashioned. From inside the house, Herman Munster watches the two of them through a window. He pulls away from the curtain and tells his wife, Lily, about Marilyn and her new boyfriend.
Marilyn goes inside and invites her parents to Tom's party. The Munsters are a little uncomfortable with the notion, but agree to go. Marilyn kisses them good night and begins walking up the stairs for bed. She stops to remind them that this is going to be a masquerade party. Herman and Lily look at each other bemused.
Act 2[]
At the Daly household, Tom's mother Agnes Daly is unsure whether it is such a good idea to invite Marilyn's aunt and uncle. Having never met them before, she is unsure of what to expect. Tom assures her that everything is going to be fine. He talks with his father, Albert Daly, and thanks him for inviting the Munsters. He thinks that this will be a great opportunity for him to prove himself to Marilyn's family.
Back at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, Herman and Lily Munster are still unsure about the entire affair. Grandpa is extremely upset that he wasn't invited and is determined to go regardless, even if he has to use his powers to transform into chopped liver and appear on a plate of hors d'oeuvres. In an effort to appease her father, Lily telephones Mrs. Daly and asks if her grandfather can attend as well.
Herman emerges dressed in his masquerade costume. He is wearing a suit of armor and is meant to be King Arthur. Lily appears from around the corner dressed as Little Bo Peep. Herman is startled to see his wife dressed in such a terrifying costume.
Tom Daly arrives in the house dressed as the pilgrim John Alden. Marilyn greets him dressed as Alden's wife, Priscilla. She introduces Tom to her aunt and uncle, but as they are in costume, he does not yet realize how strange they really are. While Lily addresses Tom near the front door, Herman stomps on the floor to alert Grandpa. Grandpa is downstairs in his laboratory preparing his costume. He puts together a formula intended to reflect the image of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde, but the formula fails.
Meanwhile, Mister and Mrs. Daly prepare for the party. Agnes warns her husband from the other room that he should avoid doing anything that might offend Marilyn’s aunt and uncle. Albert steps out wearing his costume – the Frankenstein Monster. He promises that everything will be perfect.
Act 3[]
Mrs. Morton comes over to babysit Herman and Lily's young son, Eddie. While there, she meets Grandpa Munster, who comes up out of the basement dressed like Napoleon Bonaparte. Herman and Lily bid Mrs. Morton good night and leave for the party.
The Munsters arrive at the Daly residence and are greeted by Agnes Daly. Grandpa goes to kiss her hand, but Herman claps across the shoulder when he realizes that he is preparing to bite her.
At the Munster house, Mrs. Morton stumbles across a black cat who growls at her. The cat's growl is similar to the roar of a lion. She then hears a strange buzzing coming from the foyer. She finds an intercom system and Eddie's voice comes over the static. He requests permission to skip his bath because they are all out of scalding hot water. Morton allows it and tells Eddie to get ready for bed.
At the party, everybody is dancing and having a good time. Grandpa tries to help Herman sip a drink through the clumsy armor, but he gets distracted and accidentally spills it down the armor. Marilyn approaches him and asks Grandpa to dance with Mrs. Daly. He doesn't want to, but ultimately agrees.
Herman meanwhile, introduces himself to Albert Daly, but doesn’t yet realize that Albert is wearing a Frankenstein costume. He tells him that it's a shame that he couldn't get a costume for his own masquerade party. Not realizing that Herman meant nothing by it, Albert grows greatly offended by the comment.
Back at the Munster house, Mrs. Morton dozes off, but abruptly awakens when she hears a wolf howling. She calls out to Eddie who confesses that it was he who was making the howling noises. Morton turns about and sees the giant shadow of Eddie's pet, Spot, ascending the staircase.
At the party, Grandpa does his best to get in good with Mrs. Daly. They stop near one of the food tables and Agnes offers him something to eat. Grandpa dips a spoon into a lit sterno and begins eating. Not wishing to appear rude, he takes a spoonful of the burning substance and puts it onto Agnes' plate.
Afterward, Mrs. Daly holds a contest in which she offers a giant bottle of wine for whomever is voted to have the best costume of the evening. The guests all vote in unison for Herman's King Arthur costume and ask him to remove the helmet so that they can see what he looks like. Herman is grateful to win the contest and removes his helmet. The other guests, unaware of his natural appearance, mistakenly believe that he is wearing a second mask beneath the helmet. They all begin to applaud and Herman smiles. He does not seem to understand their comments. Lily understands however and is greatly offended. She grabs Herman and Grandpa and tells them that they are leaving. She explains to Herman that they were insulting him. Herman looks into a mirror, but still doesn’t get the insult. The mirror cracks when he stares into it.
Act 4[]
The Munsters return home. They greet Mrs. Morton who tells them that Eddie was perfectly behaved. "In fact", she states, "If it weren't for his howling, I wouldn’t even have known he was in the house". Lily doesn't quite understand why Morton should find such behavior peculiar, but lets it alone.
Tom brings Marilyn home. Marilyn is still deeply upset, but won’t tell Tom what it was that has made her so angry. He follows her inside the house and Marilyn tells him that she is going to put on some coffee. After she walks off, Tom meets Herman and Lily and sees them out of costume for the first time. The shock of seeing them is so great that it makes his hair stand on it. Tom flees from the house in terror. Marilyn laments the fact that she has once again scared off another boyfriend.
Cast[]
Principal Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Fred Gwynne | Herman Munster |
| Yvonne De Carlo | Lily Munster |
| Al Lewis | Grandpa |
| Beverley Owen | Marilyn Munster |
| Butch Patrick | Eddie Munster |
Guest Stars[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Linden Chiles | Tom Daly |
| Mabel Albertson | Agnes Daly |
| Frank Wilcox | Albert Daly |
| Lurene Tuttle | Mrs. Morton |
| Walter Woolf King | George Washington |
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.
- Premiere episode; first appearance of all characters.
- Mel Blanc, best known for providing the voice for the Loony Toons character Bugs Bunny, also provides the voice for the raven, Nevermore.
Quotes[]
- Lily Munster: It's amazing how some boys will overlook a girl's appearance.
....
- Herman Munster: You can't be too careful these days. There's a lot of strange people in this world.
....
- Herman Munster: If there's anything that disturbs me, Lily, it's the idea of grown people like us dressing up in costume and looking ridiculous.
....
- Herman Munster: It's not as if someone just dug us up yesterday.
,....
- Grandpa: If I don't get to go, I’ll sit here and hold my breath 'till the color comes back in my cheeks!
....
- Eddie Munster: Ooh, look at the neat lightning. I sure hope it hits our house!
....
- Herman Munster: I'm every inch a gentleman... in fact, several gentlemen.
....
- Grandpa: You remind me of one of my wives. I had a hundred and sixty-seven of them. Of course, they're all dead now.
....
- Lily Munster: What did she mean by "Eddie's peculiar habit"? Don't all children howl when the moon comes up?
See also[]
External Links[]
- "Munster Masquerade" at IMDB
- "Munster Masquerade" at the TV IV
- "Munster Masquerade" at TV.com guide
- "Munster Masquerade" at TV Rage.com
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