What are you watching?

[Murfreesboro]

I have those, too, and enjoy them both. Love and Monsters is a post-apocalyptic comedy rather than a supernatural comedy.

[Pumpkin_Head]

The original "Munster's" was a horror comedy that came out in the early 60s. It featured Herman Munster, who was created by Frankenstein, Lily Munster, Dracula's daughter, and Grandpa Dracula
, who was always working in his dungeon lab. There was also Eddy Munster, the boy with fangs, and his favorite stuffed toy "Wolf Wolf" Spot the dragon who lived under the main stair case that opened up like a car hood, and last but by no means least, Marilyn Munster the only "normal" one in the entire family.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

Oh, I remember the Munsters well. You can still catch that show on the tv channels that show stuff from decades past.

I guess Love and Monsters is more of a sci-fi film. The monsters have been created by atomic fallout. In that respect it is like the old Japanese horror films from the '50s and early '60s, but it is beautifully made and, as I said, has a lot of heart in addition to being funny.

[Pumpkin_Head]

I'll have to check "Monsters" out some time. As for "The Munsters," I do plan to have those episodes on DVD.

Right now, I'm taking a break, and listening to Toto I V on the stereo.

Mike

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

I grew up watching The Munsters and Addams Family even though they came out almost 20 years before I born. Both shows were great and I still can't decide which one I like more, as both had a great cast and funny stories that made moments that you still remember. There's just something about the classic shows from back then that still resonates today, shows like The Munsters, Addams Family, I Love Lucy, Gilligan's Island, and Bewitched are classics that will always be around.

I will admit that I think the women from The Munsters were very attractive, as I had a crush on both Lily and Marilyn. Yvonne DeCarlo was a beautiful woman, and she had some great roles in her career. Pat Priest who played Marilyn was a knock out, she was very pretty, the sort of 1960's sweet girl next door pretty, and it was funny how the rest of the family pitied her for her 'plain' looks, but that's one of the reasons the show was good, their way of life seemed unusual and creepy to others but it was normal for them.

[Pumpkin_Head]

I had a crush on Morticia from "The Adams Family." She was quite a beautiful woman in her own right, and I agree about Marilyn Munster. She was a sweet looking girl, too.

I think one of my personal fav episodes of "The Munsters" was when a con man sold them an old western ghost town as a 'vacation property,' and they all loved it.

The Munsters family car was another classic in it's own right.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

Did either of you catch the colorized Dick Van Dyke show on CBS prime time last night? What a blast from the past that was. I was a little girl when that show premiered, like first grade maybe, and it always reminds me of the "Camelot" years. My parents did not vote for JFK, but there was something precious about American society or popular culture that seemed to break when he was assassinated. The DVD show has always epitomized that for me. It was a youthful, sophisticated, hopeful energy that was ruined somehow.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

I actually did watch the Dick Van Dyke special last night, the "Baby Fat" episode was one of the most memorable for me and I'm glad they chose it, the other episode was good too. I thought it was a great way to introduce a new generation to another classic, though I'm not a fan of coloring classics, even when I was a teen in the 90's I didn't like it when Turner Classics colored their movies.

Yes Mike, without a doubt Morticia was a beauty as well.

That was a great episode, I think it was called "Herman's Happy Valley". I have the series on DVD and it included the unaired pilot called "My Fair Munster". It was only about 15 mins and was filmed in color, and there were different actors playing Lily and Eddie. I think you can find it on youtube.

The Munsters car was called The Munster Koach, and there was another car called The Dragula that Grandpa created for Herman to drag race. Both cars were built by George Barris, he also built other famous cars like the 60's Batmobile, the Black Beauty from Green Hornet, and K.I.T.T from Knight Rider.

The only new movie I watched recently was Army of the Dead on Netflix, it was another typical modern zombie movie that looked like it had good plot at the start but it got weak as the movie went on, and it's unnecessarily long at over 2hrs. so unless you're the type of person that will watch every zombie movie I just suggest you avoid it.

[Pumpkin_Head]

I was never a huge fan of the Dick Van Dyke show, as most tv 'sit coms' were not my 'thing.' There were a few I like, such as "The Munsters' and "The Adams Family." I also did enjoy a few main streamers like "All in the Family," "Sanford & Son" "Alf" and "Facts of Life, but for the most part, 'sit coms' weren't my thing.


George Barris did design a lot of neat cars for television and the movies, but I never knew he designed the Munster Coach or the Dragula. I remember that episode, too. Herman lost the 'coach' in a drag race, so Grandpa won it back in the "Dragula."

As for today's movies, I have to say that I am quite disappointed in a lot of them. The zombie thing has been litterally done to death. It's become a standing joke of the genre any more, much like Disco did back in the late 70s. And if it isn't zombies, then they under expose the film so the film is so dark you can't see anything, so low audio that you can't hear anything, and the story lines moves at a BORING snail's pace that causes me to loose interest. A few movies would actually be good if they didn't contaminate them with all the 'new fangled' methods that make movies un watchable.

But sometimes they get it spot on. Id o like all the "American Horror Story" seasons, and I also like the series based on "The Haunting of Hill House." Poltergeist was also pretty good.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

I love Sean (sp?) Of the Dead. Zombie comedy is more my thing. There is also a very funny Halloween episode of Community on that theme, but I forget the season.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

I think it's spelled Shaun, it must be the British way. Speaking of British zombie comedy, you might like the show Zomboat. It reminded me of Shaun of the Dead, there were only 6 episodes, there was supposed to be another season but the pandemic happened. I think you can find it on Hulu. Another zombie comedy I also like is the Zombieland movies, I definitely recommend them.

Mike, I could not agree more with your opinion on the current state of movies. It's also nice to know that someone else appreciates "Alf".

I've heard good things about American Horror Story but haven't had the opportunity to watch it yet, I'll have to check it out.

[Pumpkin_Head]

American Horror Story is probably one of the most unique anthology series, that ties a lot of the same characters together in an interesting and original way. Usually I prefer to watch movies and tv shows through my good stereo system and projector, but if you can fi nd A H S online I would recommend you at least check out Season 1. Jessica Lang puts on MASTERFUL performances all through out the series, but the 1st 2nd, and 3rd seasons were her best IMHO.

Mike

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

I just watched the first season of AHS and it was great. I thought it was a very interesting story, the characters were intriguing and you always stayed involved in the story, and wanted to know where it would go. If the first season was that good, I'm sure the rest of the seasons will be as well, and it looks like there's still 8 seasons to go. You were right about Mrs. Lange as well, she's always been a incredible actress but she really shined here.

We have the internet hooked up to our TV in the living room so anything we can find online we can watch there, and it's a 60 inch screen so we don't have to strain to watch anything. I honestly don't know how kids today watch movies on their phone.

[Murfreesboro]

My daughter is wanting us to watch this series together, but we don't have that set-up. For us, it's crouching over an iPad.

[Pumpkin_Head]

Anything smaller then my computer screen and forget it. I usually use a LCD projector to watch DVDs, but occasionally I use a portable DVD with a 12 inch screen. I don't have any way to set up the internet to my projector, and it looks like I may have to upgrade to a more expensive computer if I want to do that. Than I have to run a cable from that computer to my regular system and it will involve some 'elbow grease.
I'm sure it will be worth it, however. There are a lot of tv shows that are not available on DVD or Blue Ray, and would love to watch them on my large screen and hear the sound through my good stereo system. The speakers that came with my present computer couldn't hold a candle to my 2 year old nephew's 'Winnie the Pooh' iPad.

Mike