Heh, heh...okay! All right! Enough already! Yes, we're giddy over here. We're getting absolutely swamped here with e-mails tonight, and that nice-looking family (except for the one creepy-looking blonde) who lives at 1313 Mockingbird Lane is the reason.

This highly-desired series is finally coming to DVD, according to a report this afternoon by SciFiWire (a service of The SciFi Channel's website). They say, in a report which also mentions Night Gallery, that Universal Studios Home Video is bringing on the goods in just a few months:

A DVD set of the first season of the classic 1960s monster sitcom The Munsters is headed for DVD on Aug. 24, in time for its 40th anniversary, Universal Home Entertainment announced. The show, starring Fred Gwynne and Yvonne De Carlo, aired from 1964 to '66 on CBS and dealt with a family of wacky monsters and their seemingly normal niece. The DVD set will carry a suggested retail price of $59.98 and includes the previously unaired pilot episode, plus all 38 episodes from show's first season.

While we haven't received any information direct from Universal about this, the folks at SciFiWire are quick to point out that "Universal Home Entertainment is owned by Vivendi Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM." Well, that's true for a short time anyway, while the NBC purchase of Universal from Vivendi is in the process of being finalized, now that the Federal Trade Commission has approved it. ScFiWire's report is fairly detailed, but we'll keep an eye out for any additional info - and the cover art, of course - and bring that to you just as soon as we can. So stay tuned!

Our thanks to everyone who wrote us with a heads-up.

Originally posted by STEVEIGNORANT
The Addams Family IS coming as well.

Originally posted by Hammer99
Great news! Not my favorite season, but I'll still get it cause I want a complete set. Everybody please buy this so that the next season comes out quick!

<small>Originally posted by </small>Mr. Cinema <small>Universal has another chance to screw up the packaging.</small>

In our "cover art" news yesterday for The Munsters - The Complete 1st Season from Universal, we commented on the apparent lack of extras on board the set.

Well, this morning we were looking over the list of releases that Image Entertainment has planned for August, and - lo and behold! - it looks like they are coming out with an independant 2-DVD release which has quite a few "extras" on it for Munsters fans.

Arriving on August 24th (conveniently, the same day as the Universal release of The Complete 1st Season), the Image entry is called The Munsters: America's First Family of Fright, and it also seems to include the unaired pilot episode. Here's how they describe it:

Your favorite TV ghouls have arrived on DVD with this fright-tastic two-disc set!

Disc One features Four Amazing Looks at the Munsters: The Munsters: America's First Family of Fright; Fred Gwynne: More than a Munster; Yvonne DeCarlo: Gilded Lily; Al Lewis: Forever Grandpa.

Disc Two with Hours of Eerie Extras: "My Fair Munster" plus 3 Different Presentations in Black and White and Color; Unaired Main Title Sequence (Pilot Version); CBS Network Promos; The Munsters in Several Vintage TV Special Appearances: "Seven Wonderful Nights" (CBS Special with Buddy Ebsen); "Wayne & Schuster Take an Affectionate Look at the Monsters"; "Marineland Carnival" (CBS Special); "Big G, Little O"; "It's What's Happening, Baby" (with "Murray the K"); "We Don't Knock" (with Lenny Clarke).

Plus: Universal Newsreels; Syndication TV Spots; Munsters Go Home Theatrical Trailer and TV Spots.

$24.99 is the list price for this 2-disc set that runs at 243 minutes. It's in full-frame video mode with sequences appearing in black-and-white where appropriate. Here's a look at the cover art:

(Click here for cover art)

We're not sure what to think about this. As fans of The Munsters, it sure would be sweet to own all this exciting backhistory material about the show. And we can understand that this is coming from a completely different studio, so it is not (and can not be) "free bonus material" that consumers should expect at no extra charge with the main set.

What we mean is, of course we have to pay for this if we want it: Universal and Image are not the same company, and in fact there may still be resentment between these two firms due to a dispute in the past over Universal films that were licensed to Image, and each side felt the other treated them unfairly during the course of the contract (which led to those titles, including Quantum Leap - The Pilot Episode, being taken out-of-print and becoming impossible to find in their Image incarnations).

However...$24.99 SRP? It sounds a bit pricey for "dessert"...especially when we're already planning to spend $59.98 SRP on the same day for the main course! Hopefully, some smart retailer will decide to set up a good combo offer on both of these together. It makes all the sense in the world.


On a separate-but-related note: one online e-tailer is claiming that the out-of-print-on-DVD film Munsters Go Home will be included as an extra in Unversal's Season 1 release. We've looked into this, and while we haven't gotten a response from the studio yet, there is no indication on any of the material Universal's provided to indicate that this is true. Sorry, but we're pretty sure they are mistaken. However, if we find out differently, we'll let you know. But don't get your hopes up!