The Munsters is an American sitcom that ran for two seasons and for 70 episodes from 1964 to 1965. In 2004, a short-lived two-episode revival was made but failed to resonate the way the original did. Serving as a companion piece to The Addams Family, The Munsters revolves around a family of harmless monsters trying to navigate ordinary life in America. The half-hour satire pokes fun about both monster movie conventions and the family TV drama popular at the time.
The cast of characters includes the Frankenstein-like Herman Munster (Fred Gwynne), his vampire wife Lily Yvonne De Carlo), aging father (Al Lewis), half-werewolf-half-vampire son Eddie (Butch Patrick), and niece Marilyn (Pat Priest). As the show turns 56 years old this year, here are 10 jokes from The Munsters that have aged rather poorly!
10 Joke About Bloodlust
The Munsters often focused on macabre jokes to exploit the nature of the horror of the characters. While the characters aren't very threatening themselves, much of the conflict in the show revolves around their intense desire to oppress their innate monstrous urges.
In one particular exchange between Herman and Grandpa Munster, the latter enters a room to find his son and asks: "Hmm, what smells so good." In deadpan fashion, Munster dryly retorts "I cut myself shaving."
9 Joke About Poe's The Raven
Lily Munster is one of the biggest jokesters in the entire show, often poking fun at every single member of her family. Even her own child and niece aren't immune from catching humorous barbs from time to time.
In one particular scene, Lily wonders when her son Eddie will stop obsessing over girls in school. Lily asks aloud "when will that silly bird going to get girls off his mind." In one of the pet Raven's recurring retort, the bird utters "Nevermore. Nevermore." The joke refers to Edgar Allen Poe's classic poem, The Raven.
8 Joke About Eddie's Spider
The mordant sense of humor of The Munsters becomes quite predictable after seeing the show a few times. In one joke that can be seen coming a mile away, Lily ribs Eddie on the nature of his new pet spider.
During one episode, Marilyn asks Eddie "oh, what do you have in the jar, Eddie?" Eddie responds "it's my science project for school. It's a Black Widow spider." The answer elicits a quip from Lily, who says "Oh that could be dangerous. You be real careful when you take the spider out of the jar, Eddie, so that nobody hurts it."
7 Joke About Herman's Intellect
Herman Munster is full of dad jokes that age poorly. In one instance, he has the nerve to tell his niece, "Hi Marilyn! Come on in and bring your boyfriend. We'd love to have him for dinner." The inference being they'll literally eat him as a meal.
But the real eye-roller comes when Herman berates his father for being late to the movies. He says "Come on, hurry up Grandpa, we're all set to go to the drive-in. They're having a Porky Pig cartoon and I want to get there for the beginning, so I can follow the plot."
6 Joke About Herman's Appearance
Only the ancient-old and history buffs might catch the reference made to Herman's Frankenstein-monster-like appearance during one episode of The Munsters.
Although the joke is made by all-time great comedian Don Rickles in the guest-starring role as "Doc" Happy Havemeyer, the joke itself is quite dated. At one point, Doc says of Herman's appearance "He looks like a cross between Lil' Abner and Ramses the second." Lil Abner was a comic-strip that launched way back in 1934.
5 Joke From Beyond The Grave
The Munsters often make morbid jokes about their own macabre physical makeup. In one scene in which Herman and Grandpa discuss uncle Charlie Munster (also portrayed by Fred Gwynne), a joke is made at the expense of the family's true nature.
Herman tells Grandpa "Charlie Munster is a con-artist from way back. Why, the doctor who put him back together didn't have an honest bone in his whole laboratory." Grandpa wryly responds by saying "Oh Herman, you're just jealous. Having Charlie in the house is like a breath of fresh earth."
4 Pun About Death
Pithy puns and double-entendres were often featured on the sitcom. During one particular episode, Herman uses a play on words to oblige a point Lily makes regarding Grandpa.
After a family row, Lily says "Last time we had a family spat, he turned himself into a frog and lived under the porch for weeks." Herman replies "Yes, and I've never seen him happier. He could croak every night." Of course, croak doubles for dying and the sound a frog makes.
3 Joke About Beatniks
The beatnik counterculture movement began taking hold in the mid-sixties as the show aired on television. In one low-hanging swipe at the movement, the Munsters make a joke at the expense of their own self-awareness.
Prior to attending an unglamorous gala, Herman says "Lily, I feel terribly conspicuous dressed the way we are for such a shabby place." Without a hint of irony, Lily retorts by saying "well, let's hope it'll be nicer inside and not one of those beatnik joints. If there's anything I can't stand, it's weird people."
2 Joke About Napoleon
Nothing screams a poorly aged joke than one about 17th-century Napoleon. The only thing more dated is a bad sitcom joke about the French military leader.
In one exchange between father and son, Grandpa says "Look, Herman, take my advice: don't try to be noble, just learn to mind your own business. That's just what I've been doing ever since I told that Napolean fellow to take that shortcut through Waterloo." The joke pokes fun at Grandpa's age as well as his inability to give good advice.
1 Joke About The Family Business
The Munsters has no shortage of poorly dated puns and silly turns of phrases. But there's one instance where Herman outdoes his own embarrassing dad jokes with a jibe about the family business.
Upon meeting a stranger for the first time, Herman proclaims "I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Herman Munster and my family is in the Iron and Steel business. My wife irons and my father steals." The homophonic joke is not only unfunny, but it's also quite misogynistic when heard in 2020.
July 08, 2020 at 11:30PM
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