MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SCREENING SERIES, THE:
MONSTER IN THE BOX: HORROR ON TELEVISION, PACKAGE
3: DIE LAUGHING
Summary
The horror genre has been a shadowy feature of the
television landscape since the earliest days of the
medium. Functioning both as escapist fantasy and dark
mirror of our shared anxieties and taboos, horror enjoys
a perennial relevance and unique malleability that
encompass a myriad of styles and attitudes, from the
frothy creepiness of "The Munsters" to the sophisticated
deconstructions of adolescence found on "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer." This series examines horror on
television over five decades of programming, celebrating
the diversity and vitality of the genre. As this
package, "Die Laughing," illustrates, horror and humor
have been effectively mixed ever since Abbott and
Costello met Frankenstein. Sixties television -- rife
with domesticated witches and genies, campy caped
crusaders, and haunted cars -- introduced the horror
situation comedy with the macabre hijinks of "The
Munsters" and "The Addams Family." And in the nineties,
the slyly subversive animated comedies "The Simpsons"
and "South Park" took aim at the convention of "very
special" holiday episodes with their gleefully gruesome
Halloween offerings.
The Munsters: "Munster Masquerade"
In the premiere episode, the monstrous yet friendly
Munsters attempt to interact with "normal" people when
attending a masquerade ball, which they inadvertantly
disrupt with their unearthly manner. The Munsters'
struggle to exist in our world would time and again meet
with comically poignant defeat -- in marked contrast to
the similarly bizarre Addams family, who proudly
flaunted their eccentricities before the nonplussed
"straights." (1964; 25 minutes)
The Addams Family: "Halloween, Addams Style"
The Addams clan rallies to restore WednesdayÕs faith in
witches after a thoughtless remark causes her to doubt
their existence. Morticia hits upon an obvious
solution: holding a cozy seance to contact the spirit
of a departed conjurer. Includes commercials. (1965; 30
minutes)
South Park: "Pink Eye"
An attack of flesh-eating zombies on Halloween is
mistaken for a conjunctivitis epidemic in this typically
twisted outing. ItÕs up to Chef and the operators of a
Worcestershire sauce hotline to save the day. On the
plus side: Kenny dies early on, but it doesnÕt take.
(1997; 25 minutes) This program contains adult
language and material.
The Simpsons: "Halloween Special V: Treehouse of Horror
V"
The Simpsons pay tribute to Halloween with breezy takes
on infanticide, the perils of time travel, and
cannibalism in this installment of their annual salutes
to all things grim and gory. (1994; 25 minutes)
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1999
- RUNNING TIME: 1:40:27
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:61067
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "The Munsters":
- Joe Connelly … Producer
- Bob Mosher … Producer
- Irving Paley … Production (Misc.), Production Executive
- Lawrence Dobkin … Director
- Norm Liebman … Developed by
- Ed Haas … Developed by
- Al Burns … From a format by
- Chris Hawyard … From a format by
- Joe Connelly … Writer
- Bob Mosher … Writer
- Jack Marshall … Music by
- Stanley Wilson … Music (Misc. Credits), Music Supervisor
- Yvonne DeCarlo … Cast, Lily Munster
- Al Lewis … Cast, Grandpa Munster
- Beverley Owen … Cast, Marilyn
- Butch Patrick … Cast, Edward Wolfgang "Eddie" Munster
- Fred Gwynne … Cast, Herman Munster
- Linden Chiles … Cast, Tom Daly
- Mabel Albertson … Cast, Agnes Daly
- Frank Wilxom … Cast, Albert Daly
- Lurene Tuttle … Cast, Mrs. Morton
- Walter Woolf King … Cast, George Washington
- Nina Roman … Cast, the Harem Girl
- Paul Bradley … Cast, the 1st Guest
- Berniece Dalton … Cast, the 2nd Guest
- Roy Darmour … Cast, the 3rd Guest
- For "The Addams Family":
- David Levy … Executive Producer
- Nat Perrin … Producer
- Herbert W. Browar … Associate Producer
- Sidney Lanfield … Director
- Hannibal Coons … Writer
- Harry Winkler … Writer
- Charles Addams … Based on characters created by
- John Astin … Cast, Gomez Addams
- Carolyn Jones … Cast, Morticia Addams
- Lisa Loring … Cast, Wednesday Addams
- Jackie Coogan … Cast, Uncle Fester
- Blossom Rock … Cast, Grandmama
- Ted Cassidy … Cast, Lurch
- Yvonne Peattie … Cast
- Bob Jellison … Cast
- Don McArt … Cast
- For "South Park":
- Trey Parker … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Matt Stone … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Deborah Liebling … Executive Producer
- Anne Garefino … Supervising Producer
- Jennifer Howell … Associate Producer
- Eric Stough … Direction (Misc.), Animation Director
- Brion, Chris "Crispy" … Animation
- Martin Cendreda … Animation
- Warren Fuller … Animation
- Angi Glenn … Animation
- Toni Nugnes … Animation
- Carlos Palazio … Animation
- Jackie Watson … Animation
- Amy Winfrey … Animation
- Brian Graden … Developed by
- Philip Stark … Writer
- Andrew Borakove … Writer
- David Goodman … Writer
- Dave Polsky … Writer
- Dan Sterling … Writer
- Carol Watson … Writer
- Adam Berry … Music by
- Bruce Howell … Music by, Additional music by, Performer, Additional music performed by
- Trey Parker … Music by, Additional music by, Performer, Additional music performed by
- Primus … Theme Music by
- Isaac Hayes … Cast, Chef, Voice
- Shannen Cassidy … Cast, Voice
- Trey Parker … Cast, Voice
- Matt Stone … Cast, Voice
- For "The Simpsons"
- Matt Groening … Executive Producer, Created/Developed by
- James L. Brooks … Executive Producer, Developed by
- Sam Simon … Executive Producer, Developed by
- David Mirkin … Executive Producer
- Bill Oakley … Supervising Producer
- Josh Weinstein … Supervising Producer
- David Sacks … Supervising Producer
- Greg Daniels … Producer, Writer
- Jonathan Collier … Producer
- Mike Scully … Producer
- Joseph A. Boucher … Producer
- J. Michael Mendel … Producer
- Richard Raynis … Producer
- David Silverman … Producer
- Richard Sakai … Producer
- Colin A.B.V. Lewis … Associate Producer
- Bill Schultz … Production (Misc.), Animation
- Michael Wolf … Production (Misc.), Animation
- Jim Reardon … Director
- Dan McGrath … Writer
- Bob Kushell … Writer
- David Cohen … Writer
- Alf Clausen … Music by
- Danny Elfman … Theme Music by
- James Earl Jones … Special Guest, Voice
- Dan Castellaneta … Cast, Homer Simpson, Voice
- Julie Kavner … Cast, Marge Simpson, Voice
- Nancy Cartwright … Cast, Bart Simpson, Voice
- Yeardley Smith … Cast, Lisa Simpson, Voice
- Hank Azaria … Cast, Voice
- Harry Shearer … Cast, Voice
- Marcia Wallace … Cast, Voice
- Doris Grau … Cast, Voice
- Pamela Hayden … Cast, Voice
- Ron Taylor … Cast, Voice