This is the last of the “Funny Draculas” to be featured on the Count-Down. We’ve had a few earlier in the Top 31, and several in the Honorable Mentions. And out of all the Funny Draculas out there, he’s one of the most classic and iconic. When I think of Funny Draculas, the first three I think of are The Count, Count Chocula, and this fellow. And since the latter two aren’t TECHNICALLY Dracula, this is the only one that can count highly on the list. I am, of course, referring to Sam Dracula (yes, they give his name as Sam in this version), better known as Grandpa, from The Munsters.
The Munsters was a 1960s sitcom released as a direct response to the success of The Addams Family; the two are often compared and contrasted with each other, given the similarity of their subject matter and sense of humor. Between the two, I do prefer The Addams Family, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the Munsters. The show focused on a family of characters inspired by the classic Universal Monsters: among them was Herman Munster, the patriarch of the family (and one of apparently several Frankenstein Monsters), his son Eddie (a young werewolf; his Uncle Lester was the actual Wolfman himself), his wife Lily (Dracula’s daughter), Grandpa, of course…and Marilyn, the “Ugly Duckling” of the family – a beautiful young girl who vaguely resembled Marilyn Monroe. While she looked the most normal, her personality and senses of taste and so on were identical to the rest of her family.
The show primarily centered on the antics between Herman and Grandpa, with Lily often acting as the peacemaker between the two (although, naturally, Eddie and especially Marilyn had subplots and focal episodes of their own). Al Lewis – who had worked with Herman’s performer, Fred Gwynne, on the show “Car 54, Where Are You?” – was cast to play the geriatric Dracula. Lewis’ makeup and costume are obviously meant to evoke the iconography of Bela Lugosi’s famous 1930s portrayal, and he does have many of Dracula’s classic traits beyond that: his advancing age (which is pretty old, even by vampire standards) has not mellowed his literal taste for blood, though he apparently mostly gets it via visits to the blood bank. (Har Har.) He can still turn into a bat, a wolf, mist, and pretty much anything else he wants. However, he doesn’t seem to have any allergies to the daylight (although he DOES still prefer to do things at night), and things like crosses, Holy Water, and the like I don’t think ever get brought up, let alone do we know if they have any effect.
Lewis’ comedic character may have had some superficial similarities, but the actual portrayal was entirely his own. Owing to the style of the series, Lewis speaks with a distinct Brooklynese dialect, and has a personality that is both jovial and snarky: he will insult you to your face and laugh good-naturedly immediately after. He likes practical jokes, and is more of a mad scientist than a typical vampire: always tinkering with new inventions or brewing strange concoctions in his underground laboratory, usually with some sort of nutty get-rich-quick-scheme in mind. Occasionally cantankerous, but always loveable, he was one of the most important and fun characters in the show, and his fast-talking, quick-with-a-comeback persona left one with a snicker every time. In many ways, I think he might have been my favorite character in the series…and given how iconic the Munsters remain for many, even nowadays, I’d say he’s earned his place easily in my Top 15.
