Prior to becoming a political activist, Al Lewis pursued a different path – food. Lewis started a restaurant called Grampa’s Bella Gente in Greenwich Village in 1987, which served Italian dishes for a total of six years until 1993. Grampa’s Bella Gente drew in a flock of customers, the majority of whom were real fans of “The Munsters.”
Fans of the show would gather around on the Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village with the hopes of seeing Al Lewis in person, even just for a glimpse. Fred Gwynne supported his Munsters’ co-star and friend in real life on his new project and even volunteered to draw the logo of his restaurant. Gwynne eventually came up with a drawing that featured Lewis’s side profile wearing his iconic Grandpa costume.
Herman and Grandpa Were Already Familiar
Before they landed two of the show’s major roles, Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis co-starred together in the American sitcom "Car 54, Where are You?," which aired on NBC from 1961 to 1963. The chemistry that Gwynne and Lewis built during their previous work on that show was truly evident later on the set of "The Munsters."
In 1962, "Car 54, Where are You?" was awarded an Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy and received a nomination for Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Comedy and at the same time an Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy. Both Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis were instrumental to the show’s success.
Fred Gwynne's Diverse Characters
Frederick Hubbard Gwynne, or Fred Gwynne as he is widely known on TV, was a prominent American actor, artist, and author during the 60s. Gwynne was widely acclaimed for his performances in "Car 54, Where Are You?" and, of course, Herman Munster in "The Munsters."
The famous 1960’s sitcom actor was also merited for three different roles throughout the complete 70 episodes of "The Munsters." Together with his title role as Herman Munster, Gwynne also depicted Herman’s twin brother, Charlie, as well as a scorned creation of Doctor Frankenstein called Johann. The choice certainly highlighted Fred Gwynne’s exceptional skills in acting.
Herman and Lily Shared a Bed
Apparently, the Cleavers didn’t like what they saw! The odd Frankenstein and vampire couple, Herman and Lily Munster, were making monster love on a common bed. The pairing was among the original TV couples to portray where their romance brewed, triggering protests from general viewers as a result. Those kinky monsters just couldn’t help themselves!
But even though the scene was still widely recognized as somewhat of a taboo in the country during the time, it still sparked a big controversy as the characters of Herman and Lily Munster were not actually human beings. This opened up the debate on whether or not it was acceptable for cartoon or non-human characters to share a bed on TV.
The Herman Munster Costume
During his stint with The Munsters as Herman Munster, Fred Gwynne grew accustomed to wearing hair and makeup for long durations as required by the role. The costume he wore, though, was extremely hot and almost overheated his body and famously melted all his makeup.
It even got to the point that, while on set, an assistant would utilize an air compressor so cool air would flow inside his costume and give the actor a bit of relief from the scorching heat. But despite the help of an air compressor, the temperature was still severe. Undoubtedly, Fred Gwynne had to endure a lot so Herman Munster can come to life and bring joy to our TV screens.