interview

Munsters Today fan Donald Stephens asks Cousin Frank some questions about why he loves the Munsters, about the site, and what he gets up to in his spare time.

So Frank, when did you first see the show?

I was about nine years old and the show was coming on ITV for the first time. I was already aware of “The Munsters” which was on at teatime on Channel 4, and that’s what I thought the show was… so I wasn’t that bothered to be honest (laughs). It was my best mate who rushed over going on about the show being in colour. I’d taped the show for my Dad and realized watching the tape back it was a different cast and in fact a whole new show! It was fresh and exciting and really appealed to me. We watched the tape repeatedly until the following Saturday when the next episode came on. We were both glued to our seats week in week out! Soon, everyone at school was talking about the show too.

You said you were already “aware” of the original show…

Yeah. I wasn’t a fan. My parents watched the show so I kinda watched it too just because it was in front of me. I was a young kid, and the show was in black and white so it wasn’t that appealing to me at first. The Munsters Today was though, instantly, and out of curiosity I started to watch the original show, and I got into it. I also started getting into the old Addams Family and the old Abbott and Costello movies as well.

So when did you realize you were hooked?

Probably when I started dressing up as Grandpa on school days and messing around with my Dad’s mate’s camcorder (laughs). I would stuff cotton wool behind my ears and put talc on my face to look pail. My parents started to get worried when I was hanging upside down inside my wardrobe and was flapping all over the house with more talc to create smoke from changing into a bat! I was a kid though, and I was obsessed with the show like all my mates. Some of the videos we done were actually quite good for a bunch of kids from Glasgow! I was always sketching the characters as well, and drawing up new adventures for them and new situations. I wished the family lived around the corner from me. I wished I knew them, and I wished I could visit their house. I used to dream of meeting the Munsters and being on all these adventures with them. It probably sounds sad, but it’s true. As a kid they were very real for me. I remember as well I got a birthday card from “Mr and Mrs Herman Munster and family, 1313 Mockingbird Lane, Mockingbird Heights, CA. That was a nice surprise and I still have that. It was of course my Dad, but it made my day.

When did you first decide to set up the MTIA?

A few years ago when I was at college studying media, I was looking up the show on the net on my lunch break and the same old stuff was coming up day after day. It was annoying, I couldn’t find any pictures or interviews or up to date info, so I decided to gather it all myself and get it on the net in one place. I started researching and reading books and gathering all the information I could. Part of the research as well was watching episodes over and over and taking notes.

What is your favourite episode of The Munsters Today?

Oooh. Hard one that... Erm, probably the “Reunion” episode, or “Grandpa The Ripper”. Being honest those are just the first ones that come to mind, but I love all the episodes and I watch them whenever I get the chance to. I’ve never tired of the show.

Who was your favourite character from The Munsters Today?

Don’t make me choose... Erm, I‘d have to say Grandpa, I just thought he was great!

What do you think made the show so popular in Britain as compared to America where it wasn’t as well known?

I think its because people were already aware of The Munsters over there and it was such a popular homegrown show, had been for years. Over here, it was on TV but not a lot of people were die-hard fans like they were in the states. When Munsters Today came along, it was the right time for a UK fan base. I think it also appealed to an audience, a younger audience that the old show didn’t, purely because it was more up to date and cooler, still doing the same gags and with the same characters but in a new way. It just worked. The show was actually quite popular in Germany as well, and still airs over there.

The Munsters Today Information Archives is your project “after dark”, what is your day job?

I work in television and am a film-maker. I am executive producer for my own production company Bad Pony Productions. I also play drums in a band called Stutter Bunny. We used to be called Eric and the Bunny Boilers but changed the name in 2007. I am also a screenwriter and novelist.

Apart from the card Herman and Lily sent you when you were younger, what Munsters’ keepsakes do you have at home?

Well, apart from my episodes of The Munsters Today and obviously my Munsters boxsets and the Munster movies, I have my replica Munster house which I built myself. I also have a copy of the Munsters Today uniared pilot send to me Karen Swerling with the original script, shownotes and costume prints. I also was sent a copy of the original promo by Lloyd Scwartz. I also have official prints and autographs of the MT cast. I also have some framed stills from both shows on my walls.

Have you ever met any of the cast?

Not in person as of yet, but I have spoken to a few of the cast and crew online and on the telephone. I wish I could have met Howard Morton who played Grandpa on The Munsters Today, he seemed like a really great man and was very well respected as an actor and as a comedian. I would also have loved to have met Al Lewis and Fred Gwynne. I really want to meet Lee Meriwether in person, she seems lovely.  I would also like to visit the original house at Universal and the McKees house in Texas. I have plans for a documentary that's currently in pre-production.

Can you tell us more about those plans?

Not at the moment, no lol. 

Where did the term “Cousin Frank” come from?

It was the visitors to my website that gave me that nick name after seeing a picture of me with the family. I liked it!

On a date you have to choose either Hilary Van Dyke or Elaine Hendrix. Who would you go with?

Both of them are great! I'd take them both out for a meal. Actually, I'd invite all the Marilyn's, how cool would that be?