Ian Glaubinger - The Munsters

2011.11.05 Wild Pig Comic Con, Somerset, NJ

I had obtained a halloween day cancel, October 31, 1997, on this cover from the Munster Branch of the Hammond, Indiana post office. I knew Ian would be perfect to provide the artwork on this cover...

Munster, Indiana was settled by Jacob Munster, of Dutch decent, who opened a general store with a post office located within. By 1907 Munster was incorporated into a town, with 76 residents voting yes, 28 voting no...

The Munsters were a 1964 television sitcom featuring a family of monsters. Herman Munster the was Frankenstein-styled head of the house. His wife Lilly (Dracula's daughter) actually ran the house. Their son Eddie, a wolf-boy, Lily's father Grandpa (Dracula) and their pretty niece Marilyn, the mis-fit of the group. The show was originally suggested by animator Bob Clampett as a cartoon series in the 1940s to Universal Studios...

In the 1960s writers Chris Hayward and Allan Burns submitted a similar idea, which was further developed by Norm Liebman and Ed Haas. The show premiered September 24, 1964...

On another channel The Addams Family was premiering on September 18, 1964, bringing to life the characters cartoonist Charles Addams had brought to life in single panel cartoons which ran in The New Yorker magazine from 1938 until Addams' death in 1988.

The Addams' are not evil, they just share macabre interests. Gomez and Morticia remain ever passionate, their children Pugsley (originally Pubert) and Wednesday, who find their classmates to be repulsive. Uncle Fester (Charles Addams' alter-ego), Grandmama and Lurch their butler andThing. In the TV series Fester was Morticia's Uncle, while in the movies he was Gomez's brother. Originally in Addams' cartoons the characters did not have names, these were created for the TV series...

As a fan of the Addams' Family I was surprised, around 1986, to discover that Charles Addams was still drawing for the New Yorker. In 1988 wrote to him and received this wonderful drawing of Uncle Fester. Addams' death a short time later came as a shock to me, as I had just re-discovered his work in the New Yorker. Fortunately several books have been published and the release of the first movie brought about additional publications of Addams' work.

2011.11.12 Lunt Fontanne Theatre, NYC... Went to see the Addams Family play on Broadway with my family as an early Christmas present. It was great!

In an effort to aid Broadway Cares-Equity Fights Aids, the cast was selling cast signed programs as a fund-raising event after the show. Autographs of the stars Roger Rees and Brooke Shields are located under the Playbill title. The cast also auctioned the ring Brooke Shields was wearing during the performance for $1,000.00, which surprised both the cast and the audience!