Put on a Happy Face: Looking Back at Retro TV & Movie Halloween Costumes

 

by Michael Lyons

When it once came to Halloween costumes, they were known as "The Big Three." Ben Cooper, Collegeville, and Halco were three companies that, in the 60s,70s, and 80s, mass produced most of the Halloween masks and costumes worn by the majority of kids who were out trick-or-treating.

Many of these were inspired by hit TV shows, movies, and cartoon characters of the time, fueling the pop-culture zeitgeist.

Anyone of a certain generation remembers them - on store shelves in decorated boxes with a see-through "window" on top that provided a glimpse of the mask, leading the child pondering the costume to wonder what the rest of the mysteriously hidden outfit looked like.

And what it would look like beyond the mask wasn't the rest of the character's body, but instead (and oddly), it usually featured a scene from the movie or TV show, along with the logo, across the chest. The "body" was also a hospital gown-like garment with ties on the back. As comedian Jerry Seinfeld pointedly observed in his stand-up act, when he went dressed as Superman one Halloween that he felt like he was wearing Superman's pajamas.

He also joked that the mask was held on by two staples and a flimsy rubber-band that would break by the time one got to the first house.

Oh yes, all of that was true of the costumes from "The Big Three," but...weren't they wonderful? Looking back, in our age of sophisticated costumes available at our neighborhood Party City store, it's so quaint and comforting to think about the Halloween memories these simply designed costumes provided so many.

And, because they were so popular, almost every TV show and movie inspired a costumes, which made for some interesting choices for kids on Halloween night...very interesting.

What follows is a gallery of photos of just some of the many of these pop culture icons of yesteryear who inspired these Halloween costumes (and thank you to the many eBay sellers who provided some of the pictures!)

Bullwinkle, a prime-time animated star of the 60s

had his own costume from Ben Cooper. But he seems a

little blue here, particularly in his face, which was brown on the show.

Another prime-time animated star of the 60s, Fred 

Flintstone, also had a Ben Cooper costume, allowing kids to have five o'clock

shadow before they even got out of grammar school.

What kid wouldn't want to dress as Granny

From The Beverly Hillbillies?!...

...or Captain Merrill Stubing

from The Love Boat?!...

...or Laverne & Shirley?!...

...or Farrah Fawcett?!...

..or Morgan Freeman from

The Electric Company?!

Maybe you'd like to go as the giant, killer shark from Jaws?...

...or the giant killer ape from 1976's King Kong?

Fell in love with Star Wars during the summer of '77?

You could go as Darth Vader, just don't look for a replica of

his cape and costume - you get a picture

of Darth splashed across your chest!

You didn't just get a whip and fedora to dress like

Indiana Jones, you got his entire face, too!

Check out this ad from 1955

for Disney costumes ($1.98!!!).

And, yes, that's Lady and the Tramp!

Or this ad from 1989 (yes, that's Robocop!).

Thanks to Dinosaur Dracula for posting this,

and they are discussing this ad on their latest 

"Purple Stuff" podcast episode. Listen here: Purple Stuff

Just of the few of the many, random memories of when pop culture collided with Halloween. Reflections of a time when Halloween seemed (and was maybe) just a tad more innocent - when kids welcomed pennies and popcorn balls alongside their bite-size chocolate bars.

A time when dressing up as a favorite TV or movie character for Halloween came right out of a box. Thank you, "Big Three," for the memories.

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

Want more of my articles, podcasts and books? Head over to Words From Lyons !

Freaks and Geeks: The 60th Anniversary of "The Munsters" & "The Addams Family"

 

by Michael Lyons

Two families arrived on the scene into the reserved television line-ups of the early sixties, where Leave it to Beaver and The Donna Reed Show reigned supreme. They both brought ghoulish delight, dark comedy, and year-round Halloween vibes and emerged as iconic television sitcoms.

Hard as it is to believe, but in a creepy, competing move, The Munsters and The Addams Family both debuted sixty years ago this fall.

The Addams Family was inspired by a popular cartoon by artist Charles Addams, while The Munsters was developed by the team that had given us Rocky & Bullwinkle. Both were seen as an antidote for the more sweet-natured, family-friendly fare that was such a part of television at the time.

The Munsters aired on CBS, and The Addams Family on ABC. While it may seem more of a coincidence that both similar series debuted the same year, there's no clear evidence as to which was developed first, and both seem to have been initiated at their respective networks around the same time.

The Munsters told the tale of the titular family who lived at 1313 Mockingbird Lane - father and husband, Herman (Fred Gwynn), wife and mom, Lily (Yvonne DeCarlo), Grandpa (Al Lewis), their son, Eddie (Butch Patrick) and "normal" niece Marilyn (Beverly Owen, in the first season, and then Pat Priest, in the later seasons).

The Addams Family was Gomez (John Adams), Morticia (Carolyn Jones), Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan), Lurch, the groaning butler (Ted Cassidy), Grandmama (Blossom Rock), daughter Wednesday (Lisa Loring), son Pugsley (Ken Weatherwax) and Thing, their "handy" helper.

The two shows were part of a "fantasy sitcoms" trend that aired throughout the 60s. These included Bewitched, Gilligan's Island, and My Favorite Martian. Like The Munsters and The Addams Family, these series provided a respite from turbulent times happening in the world.

Both shows also contained ghoulishly funny and iconic moments, such as Addams Family's Cousin It, who was nothing but hair, and The Munsters' pet spot, the fire-breathing dragon who lived under their stairs.

Of course, there were those iconic, earworm theme songs - The Munsters groovy, Beach Boys-Like take on classic horror movie music and The Addams Family "da-da-da-dum, snap! snap!"

In their own comedic ways, both shows also made statements about acceptance of others who may be different. This was summed up by a heartfelt speech Herman provided to Eddie in one episode:

"The lesson I want you to learn is it doesn't matter what you look like. If you're tall or short; or fat or thin; or ugly or handsome - like your father - or you can be black, or yellow, or white. It doesn't matter. What does matter is the size of your heart and the strength of your character."

After each series went off the air, they returned and continued in different ways. The Munsters had a 1966 full-length feature, Munster, Go Home, and would later return, with a new cast, in The Munsters Today, a 1988 series revival. There was also Mockingbird Lane, a 2012 short-lived revival of the series, and director Rob Zombie's 2022 big-screen version of the film.

The Addams Family, on the other hand, has seemingly had an endless run of re-boots and remakes: there was Hanna-Barbera's 1973 Saturday morning animated series, a 1977 Halloween reunion movie, 1991 and 1993's popular films, animated features in 2019 and 2022, and, most recently, 2022's popular Netflix series, Wednesday.

However, it's both original competing series that hold a "creepy and kooky" place in the hearts of many. And, with The Munsters and The Addams Family both celebrating 60 years, why choose? Binge them both this spooky season.

Top: the author and his wife, Michelle, with Butch Patrick

who played Eddie on The Munsters. Bottom: The author and

his wife, Michelle, with Christina Ricci, who played

Wednesday in The Addams Family movies.

 Looking for more pf my articles, podcasts and books? Head over to Words From Lyons