General Information

Director: Ezra Stone

Writer: Douglas Tibbles

Cast: Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, Pat Priest, Butch Patrick, David Macklin, Ken Osmond, Vicki Fee, Bonnie Franklin, Vicki Draves, Hedy Scott, Mike Ross, William Fawcett, Frank Gardner, and Michael Blodgett

Composer: Jack Marshall

Air Date: 4/14/1966

Overview

While viewing The Beast That Ate Lower New Jersey at a drive-in movie theater, Herman develops an extreme case of the hiccups. In order to cure his son-in-law, Grandpa places Herman under a hypnotic spell—with a humorous outcome.

For employing the initiation ceremony trope in a hilariously kooky setting, this episode should be praised by sitcom enthusiasts. Especially memorable are the sorority hijinks of Herman, whose idiotic attempts to evade detection (e.g. disguising himself as a coat rack) will prompt “howling” laughter from the audience.

Pros

Spending the night in the Munster home, fraternity initiates Phil (David Macklin) and John (Ken Osmond, known for playing Eddie Haskell in Leave It to Beaver) encounter a variety of ghoulish and morbid spectacles (e.g. a sleeping Grandpa suspended from the ceiling) that resemble crude wax dummies. Believing that a prank has been played upon them, both young men decide to steal one of the so-called dummies (i.e. Herman, now unconscious as a result of Grandpa’s Transylvanian brain freezer) and plant him in a girl’s closet at the Alpha Kappa Sorority house—an amusing scenario that allows two ordinary, unassuming people to come face-to-face with Herman, Grandpa, Lily, and Spot the Dragon without running away in a panic.

Cons

Though quite amusing, Herman’s close calls at the sorority house become slightly repetitious over time.

Analysis

Despite being a spiteful, grumpy old man, Grandpa goes out of his way to rescue Herman from an embarrassing situation—yet another testament to the undying loyalty shared by members of the Munster family.

Concluding Comments

“Herman’s Sorority Caper” is a clever and delightful episode of The Munsters. Worth praising in particular are the antics of John, whose many similarities to Eddie Haskell will not go unrecognized by fans of Leave It to Beaver (another series produced by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher).

Overall Quality: 8/10

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