New TV Trend: Situation Comedy-Horror Shows

July 14, 1964 - The situation comedy-horror show apparently will set the trend this fall in competing with television’s more traditional situation comedies.

Two tongue-in-cheek monster serials, “The Munsters” and “The Addams Family,” and one comedy about witchcraft, “Bewitched,” will be given their debuts in September. In “The Living Doll,” Julie Newmar will portray a robot designed by a diabolical scientist.

The executive producer of “The Munsters” said today that the horror shows were probably going to become the new vogue. “Horror films have enjoyed a big success in movies,” Joseph Connelly said, “and I think they’ll go on TV.”

The characters in “The Munsters” include Dracula, Dracula’s daughter, Frankenstein, and his beautiful niece. “They are contemporary people — good people,” Mr. Connelly added. “Their problem is the way they look.”

“The Munsters” will be carried by CBS. One of the little Munsters, who disapproves of Thanksgiving dinner rituals, asks, “Whoever thought of sitting around and eating a dead bird?”

ABC will produce “Bewitched” and “The Addams Family.” Carolyn Jones will play Morticia Addams, the ashen-faced heroine.

“Ours really isn’t a horror show,” executive producer David Levy insisted. “Our people are — well, bizarre. We aren’t giving the Addams house an excessively cobwebby look. The atmosphere is pleasant. We are reaching for an audience of children and adults.” The characters are based on the cartoon figures of Charles Addams.

In “Bewitched,” Elizabeth Montgomery will play a housewife who is a witch — in the literal sense. Her husband is an ordinary mortal.

“We see it as a very human comedy about a marriage,” executive producer Harry Ackerman reported. “Except in this marriage, the poor wife is trying to kick the witching habit.”

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