The Munsters first aired in September 1964 and the last episode aired in May of 1966. The show was never a big hit, but it has been available for syndication ever since and has since become popular.
The show is a family sitcom with a difference; the family were monsters. Universal was noted for it's monster movies and they just translated those characters into a comic family. Herman is a homage to Universal's Frankenstein's monster.
The Munsters are supposedly a regular, everyday family. They moved from Transylvania decades ago and live in Mockingbird Heights. Herman works in a funeral parlor, Lily is a housewife, grandpa is a mad scientist and Eddie and Marilyn go to school.
Marilyn, who the family calls unfortunate, is the ugly one of the family, looks like a wholesome Marilyn Monroe. She has many dates but they always flee when faced with her family.
The family has 3 pets; a raven that lives in the cuckoo clock, a cat that roars like a lion and Spot, a dragon/dinosaur who lives under the stairs and breathes fire.
CAST
Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster
Yvonne de Carlo as Lily Munster
Al Lewis as Count Dracula, Lily's father
Butch Patrick as Edward Wolfgang Munster, Herman and Lily's son
Beverly Owen and Pat Priest as Marilyn Munster, Lily's niece
This crime series aired on CBS from 1967 to 1975. The first season, Joe Mannix worked for a large detective agency, run by Lou Wickersham. This agency made extensive use of computers and Mannix didn't really fit into this environment.
Joe Mannix was a old school, tough guy PI and starting in the second season, Mannix was in a more appropriate environment, Mannix now worked out of a small ,one-man LA detective agency with his secretary, Peggy Fair, one of the few African Americans with a regular role on a TV series.
Mannix had regular contact with some police officers, who helped or hindered him on his cases.
Mannix was a stoic character who got beat up every other episode. Joe Mannix, while not being a very handsome man, was a ladies man. The show was noted for lots of fights and car chases.
CAST
MIKE CONNORS AS JOE MANNIX
GAIL FISHER AS PEGGY FAIR
ROBERT REED AS ADAM TOBIAS (COP)
ARTHUR MALCOLM AS WARD WOOD (COP)
LARRY LINVILLE AS GEORGE KRAMER (COP)
MARK STEWART AS TOBY FAIR (COP)
JOSEPH CAMPENELLA AS LOU WICKERSHAM (SEASON ONE ONLY)
POOR, POOR PEGGY
Robert Bianco in the Pittsburgh Press newspaper had this to say about Mannix. I loved the "Who will kidnap Peggy this week " series. Why didn't he fire that woman? She was never at work, she was always causing trouble...By the end of the series, when they had run out story ideas, it seemed like someone was kidnapping her every week. That was all she did besides saying, "Here's your phone calls." That seemed to be her job description. Answer the phone and get kidnapped."
I think a more pertinent question, is why didn't she quit? Peggy was kidnapped quite a bit, you would think after the first or even second time she would have handed in her notice. But , no, Peggy stays and just keeps getting kidnapped.
The series originated on CBS radio in the late 1940’s and continued to run through the mid-1950’s. From 1953 to 1956, Our Miss Brooks was also performed on television, with pretty much the same cast.
Eve Arden had a long career in films before the series, mostly in supporting roles. She was also quite popular on the radio, partially due to her great comic timing. But Arden is perhaps best known for Our Miss Brooks.
CAST
Eve Arden as Connie Brooks
Gale Gordon as Osgood Conklin
Robert Rockwell as Phillip Boynton
Richard Crenna as Walter Denton
Connie Brooks was an English teacher at Madison High School. She had a big crush on fellow teacher, Philip Boynton, who was very shy and taught biology. The principal of the school was Osgood P. Conklin, played by Gale Gordon. His character was always flying off the handle, sort of like his future character Mr Mooney on the Lucy Show. One of her students, Walter Denton, was played by Richard Crenna.
In the last season, Madison High was torn down and Miss Brooks went to work at Mrs. Nestor’s Private school. Mr. Conklin and eventually Mr. Boynton both taught at the new school. There was also a new teacher, Gene Talbot, played by Gene Barry, who started to pursue Miss Brooks, but her heart still belonged to Philip Boynton. They never did marry in the series, but in the feature film released that same year, there was finally a marriage.
ATLANTIC INFERNO Jeff leaves Scott in charge and he gets involved in an situation at an oil rig. Later an additional problem from the rig causes more problems.
PATH OF DESTRUCTION A crablogger (atomic powered logger) goes out of control and destroys a town on its way to destroy a dam.
ALIAS MR. HACKENBACKER Brain (Mr. Hackenbacker) invents a plane safety device. While on its maiden flight, the plane is hijacked.
LORD PARKER’S ‘OLIDAY Parker is on vacation at a Mediterranean resort that is soon threatened when a giant solar reflector is dislodged and point straight at the resort.
RICOCHET A rocket damages a orbiting TV station and the crew needs to be evacuated.
GIVE OR TAKE A MILLION 2 crooks committing a robbery at Christmas time end up in a rocket full of toys going to a children’s hospital.
TRAPPED IN THE SKY
Hood, an criminal mastermind plants a bomb aboard the new atomic powered airplane, Fireflash. This leads International Rescue to their first mission, helping the crippled vehicle to land.
THE PERILS OF PENELOPE
Lady Penelope is tried to the railroad tracks by Dr. Godber. The evil scientist is trying to get a secret fuel formula from Penelope’s friend, Sir Jeremy Hodge.
TERROR IN NEW YORK CITY
A TV reporter and cameraman are trapped in an underground river when a building collapses above them.
EDGE OF IMPACT
The Hood is back and he sabotages another aircraft, causing a crash into a manned relay station. The structure is about to collapse and International Rescue needs to save the 2 station operators.
DAY OF DISASTER
A Martian probe rocket is being taken across a bridge when it causes the bridge to collapse, sending the rocket into the rover. The crash triggers the countdown and the technicians inside the rocket must be rescued before it explodes.
30 MINUTES AFTER NOON
A British secret agent is trapped inside a vault filled with explosives. He needs to be rescued and the explosives prevented from causing a massive explosion.
DESPERATE INTRUDER
Brain and Tin-Tin (family friend of the Tracy’s) go searching for treasure in Lake Anasta. The Hood finds out and tries to get the treasure first.
END OF THE ROAD
International Rescue must save Eddie Houseman from a high ledge. The problem is that Houseman knows the Tracy’s and this might imperil their secret identities.
THE UNINVITED
Thunderbird 1 is conducting a rescue in the Sahara of 2 scientists who stumbled upon an underground race called Zombites.
SUN PROBE
A spaceship is on a mission to collect particles from the sun when it loses control. They have to save it from crashing into the sun.
OPERATION CRASH DIVE
A series of mysterious crashes of Frieflash airplanes leads to International Rescue investigating the situation. They soon find sabotage.
VAULT OF DEATH
A Bank of England employee is trapped in the new vault. Parker is able to save the day.
THE MIGHTY ATOM
The Hood steals a robot mouse and uses it to try and take pictures of International Rescue.
CITY OF FIRE
A fire is out of control in the underground parking of a large mall. A family is trapped and needs rescue.
THE IMPOSTERS
2 men are posing as International Rescue to steal some secret papers. Jeff Tracy doesn’t want to launch any more rescues until their names are cleared, but someone needs help.
THE MAN FROM MI5
Lady Penelope is in France trying to track down some criminals when she is kidnapped and tied up in a boat with a bomb in it.
CRY WOLF
2 boys in Australia are playing International Rescue when they are overheard and International Rescue races to the scene.
DANGER AT OCEAN DEEP
The Tracys try to save the crew of an ocean tanker who are in danger from a possible explosion of the fuel on board.
MOVE AND YOU’RE DEAD
Alan and his grandmother are trapped on a bridge with a bomb that will explode if they move.
THE DUCHESS ASSIGNMENT
A friend of Penelope’s is kidnapped and placed in a house that catches fire.
BRINK OF DISASTER
Jeff, Tin-Tin and Brain are on a monorail that is in danger from a broken section of track.
ATTACK OF THE ALLIGATORS
Some people are trapped in the Amazon by alligators that have grown enormously after drinking water containing a growth drug.
MARTIAN INVASION
2 actors are trapped in a cave during a film shoot. The Hood uses the situation to film International Rescue.
THE CHAM-CHAM
The singing group the Cass Carnaby 5 are suspects in the crash of American rockets.
SECURITY HAZARD
A boy stows away on Thunderbird 2 during a rescue and makes it to the Tracy’s island.
Thunderbirds is a classic children’s science fiction/adventure series. The series created by Gerry Anderson was his most popular. It debuted in 1965 and was the fourth Anderson series that used the Supermarionation process of puppetry. His earlier shows were Supercar, Fireball XL5 and Stingray, they had all been half hour shows but Anderson’s network insisted that the new series be one hour long. The series lasted 2 seasons and is still extremely popular today.
International Rescue is a secret organization started by Jeff Tracy. He is a former astronaut who uses his large fortune to start up IR and his 5 sons do the rescues. The headquarters is at the Tracy private island in the Pacific. Each of the sons has their own rescue vehicle able to go anywhere in or above the world to rescue people in danger.
THUNDERBIRD 1
This plane goes 700 MPH and is based under the pool on the Tracy’s island compound. Scott Tracy, the oldest son, is in charge of this vehicle. Scott is usually in charge of the rescues. THUNDERBIRD 2
This giant freight plane is designed to carry rescue equipment which is organized into different cargo pods that the plane can quickly pick up and move to the rescue area. Virgil Tracy is the pilot. This plane is also based underground on the Tracy’s island. THUNDERBIRD 3
This orange spacecraft is piloted by Alan, who is a little more reckless than his older brothers and the family heartthrob. His craft is also based on the island. It comes out from under the balcony of the family home. THUNDERBIRD 4
An underwater craft, it is in a cargo pod carried to rescues by Thunderbird 2. Gordon pilots the submarine for water rescues. Gordon is the family joker. THUNDERBIRD FIVE
This is a satellite orbiting the Earth. It keeps an eye on the Earth and transmit data back to the island headquarters. John Tracy is the son who is perpetually stuck on the station relaying information on rescues back to his brothers, who do the actual rescuing. Sometimes International Rescue is contacted directly, but usually John is the one who hears a distress call and calls his father for help. He monitors all communications from his station and only occasionally gets back home.
The Tracy family doesn’t work alone. Lady Penelope is in charge of International Rescue’s England base. She drives a pink Rolls Royce equipped with gadgets that James Bond would envy, including a machine gun behind the front grill. Lady Penelope is driven by loyal chauffeur, Parker, who tries to help in the rescues with limited success.
Brain is the resident engineer who designs all the craft, gadgets and rescue equipment that International Rescues uses on their adventures. He is an amiable and eccentric scientist, devoted to Jeff Tracy and his family.
