- "Its a boy. He'll arrive at 9:00 tomorrow morning, and his name is Elmer."
- ―Lily Munster
| Rock-a-Bye Munster | |
|---|---|
| |
| Air date | October 15th, 1964 |
| Writers | Joe Connelly Bob Mosher |
| Director | Norman Abbott |
| Producers | Joe Connelly Bob Mosher |
| Starring | Fred Gwynne Yvonne De Carlo Al Lewis Beverley Owen Butch Patrick |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous A Walk on the Mild Side |
Next Pike's Pique |
Synopsis[]
Act One[]
Herman and Grandpa are down in the dungeon watching television. The TV is in bad shape however, so Grandpa had it upgraded with spare radar parts. This only makes the reception even worse and Herman grows frustrated. He pounds the top of the television with his fist, activating some of the radar pieces. Instead of watching a program, they instead see other rooms in the household. First they take a peek at Eddie who is trying to capture Nevermore, the Cuckoo Clock bird so he can feed it to Kitty. They change the channel and see Marilyn and Lily in the kitchen. The two are talking about some big secret involving a child, but Lily makes a point of not saying anything to Herman. Herman believes that Lily is pregnant again and doesn't want to tell him. Despite this, his eyes gleam at the thought of having another child. He turns to Grandpa and asks, "Do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?", to which Grandpa replies, "Probably".
Act Two[]
In the kitchen, Marilyn and Lily continue to prepare food and speak further about the expectant child. The child they are referring to is actually a boy that Marilyn has been babysitting. She has agreed to let him stay at the house with her for a week. Lily wants to break the news gently to Herman, mostly because his birthday is coming up soon, and she doesn't want to upset him.
After dinner, Herman and Lily sit out on the balcony. Herman tries to pry Lily's "secret" out of her, but being that she is not pregnant as Herman believes, she doesn't get the gist of his inquiry. Lily gets up to leave and drops a business card onto the floor. Herman finds it and learns that it belongs to Doctor Dudley, their family physician. Doctor Dudley is the father of the child that Marilyn is babysitting, but this only serves to fuel Herman's belief that Lily is pregnant.
Come 4:00 am, Herman and Grandpa decide to pay Doctor Dudley a visit. Neither of them realize that this is an inadequate time to make a social call. Doctor Dudley awakens, but cannot find his glasses and is practically blind. He answers the door, but the sight of Herman and Grandpa doesn't phase him much. Herman asks him if Lily and he are expecting a child. Dudley tells him yes, asserting that all of the proper arrangements have been made. Although clearly misinterpreting the doctor's comment, Herman leaves contented.
Back at the Munster home, Marilyn and Lily talk about what they should get Herman for his birthday. Lily decides to buy him a new car and goes down to Diamond Jim's Used Cars. Diamond Jim shows her several different vehicles, but there are two in particular that captures Lily's eye; a roadster and a hearse. She asks Jim about making some special modifications.
A few days later, Herman and Grandpa walk into the house and overhear Lily on the telephone. They think she is talking to Doctor Dudley about the baby, but she is actually talking to Diamond Jim about Herman's new car. A bemused look crosses Herman's face when he hears Lily mention a 30-day guarantee and a trade-in offer if he is unsatisfied.
Act Three[]
The next morning, Herman decides to make breakfast. He takes special care to see that Lily doesn't exert herself in any way. He hoists her up in one arm and places her in her chair. He then punches a hole through the glass window, grabs a fistful of crab grass and makes a bouquet out of it. Grandpa and Eddie come down and Herman fixes them pancakes.
Later, Herman brings Lily a plate of strawberries and pickles. He plays a lullaby for her on the pipe organ. Lily decides that it is time to tell him about Marilyn's new babysitting arrangement. Herman cuts her off before she can truly explain anything, saying that he knew about Eddie's new "playmate" the entire time. Lily is glad to see that he is receptive to the idea. Herman asks her when the child is due, and she tells him that he will arrive at 9:00 am the following morning, and that his name is Elmer.
Lily meets Elmer
The next morning, Marilyn drops little Elmer Dudley off at the Munsters' house. Lily greets him and introduces him to Eddie. Marilyn gives the boys a box of toys and they run off into the other room. Herman comes down and asks about the new boy. Lily tells him that he's in the other room playing with Eddie. Believing the child to be an infant, Herman doesn't understand why Lily is not attending to him. Lily shoos Herman away and tells him to go introduce himself.
Eddie and Elmer are playing with the toys, one of which is a remote-controlled Frankenstein doll. Elmer activates the doll and it begins walking across the room. As Herman enters, he sees the mini-Frankenstein and mistakenly believes it to be his new son. Herman lovingly cradles the toy until Eddie walks over to introduce him to Elmer. Herman is stricken to see the young boy and faints.
Act Four[]
When Herman awakens, Lily explains everything to him. Herman now understands the truth and knows that Lily is not pregnant. She then decides to present him with his birthday present. Marilyn and Lily walk Herman outside and Grandpa pulls up to the curb with their new customized hearse-roadster. Herman loves it and they all decide to go for a ride. Elmer and Eddie poke their heads out the front door and Elmer says, "You know, Eddie. You've got the neatest family in the whole world".
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 |
|---|---|
| Sid Melton | Diamond Jim |
| Marilynn Lovell | Mrs. Dudley |
| Peter Robbins | Elmer Dudley |
| Paul Lynde | Edward R. Dudley |
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.
- Grandpa's pet bat is named Igor in this episode.
- First appearance of Kitty.
- This episodes makes reference to the 1945 film The Body Snatcher.
Bloopers[]
- In the final scene where Lily is singing "He's a Jolly Good Fellow", her lip movements are not synchronized with the audio track.
Quotes[]
- Herman Munster: Getting a car like this... finding out that little Elmer is not our child... makes this the happiest birthday I've ever had.
See also[]
External Links[]
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