Grandpa is one of the main characters of Mockingbird Lane, the 2012 American television special developed as a dark re-imagining of the 1960s CBS sitcom The Munsters. He is the ancient patriarch of the Munster clan. He is vampire father to Lily and the creator of Herman. He is also the grand-father of lycanthrope Eddie and the regrettably mortal Marilyn. He likes to act like he is the head of the family. He enjoys making wisecracks at Herman's expense. This version of Grandpa is much darker than the character in the original series, exhibiting predatory behavior and a fondness for murder and mind control.
He was portrayed by Eddie Izzard, now Suzy Izzard.
Background[]
Grandpa is a very old-bloodsucker. Whether he is a peer of Dracula and Nosferatu or the inspiration for their legend is yet unknown. He can change his shape from a swarm of rats to a large pink man-bat (a favorite for feeding). He is sensitive to sunlight and requires a proper invitation to enter the homes of mortals. He is a man of science as well, though perhaps not using the same physics fathered by Galileo. He oversees the maintenance of the reanimated corpse(s) that comprise his son-in-law, Herman. For undisclosed reasons he had given up drinking (blood) but has decided to get back on the wagon.
Personality and Appearance[]
Grandpa sees mortals as either food, replacement parts for Herman or blood slaves. He is fond of lustrous gowns and pompadoured hair. The centuries are beginning to show in his wrinkled face.
History[]
After Eddie Munster attacks his "Wildlife Explorers" scout troop in werewolf form, the Munsters decide to move away from the area. Marilyn finds them a house in 1313 Mockingbird Lane and the movers deliver two refrigerated crates to the house, carrying Grandpa and his daughter Lily. As they unload the first crate, the mover drops it on a corner and rats pour out of the box merging into Grandpa. His granddaughter Marilyn comes out and tells Grandpa that he needs to put a robe on. He then watched as Lily transforms into mist and leaves her crate, and then has spiders weave her a dress as his son-in-law Herman comes out to greet the rest of his family.
The next day, Grandpa and the others gather for breakfast and watch as Herman tries to make small talk with his son Eddie. Not buying it, Grandpa assures Eddie that there's nothing wrong with him and he shouldn't talk about that kind of shame. Grandpa and Herman argue who will explain it to Eddie, but are interrupted when the bus arrives.
That night, Eddie mounts a lightning rod on the roof and Grandpa uses the resulting electricity to bring Herman back to life. Grandpa tells his son-in-law that he broke his heart and starts to throw it away, but Herman wants him to put it back in because it's the last part from his original body. Grandpa still wants to tell Eddie the truth, telling Herman that he can't understand because he isn't a Munster by blood.
The next day, Grandpa and Marilyn walk up to the street and Grandpa is unhappy that the neighbors are too close. Marilyn suggests that he use good manners and Grandpa tells her that he's going to make cookie. However, he secretly adds a bit of his blood to each one.
They then go visit the next-door neighbors, Marie and Tim. Marie knows all about the "hobo house" and refuses to let them in. Tim is much happier to see them and eats one of the cookies. He falls under Grandpa's hypnotic spell and he argues about the fact that Marilyn is planning to move in with them despite her "condition." He warns Marilyn that he may start "drinking" again if she stays, but she insists that she belongs with the family. Once they finish, Grandpa takes Tim out of his trance and convinces him to invite them in freely and of his own will.
That night, Grandpa, Eddie, and Herman go to the school meeting for the Wildlife Explorers. As they talked with the pack leader, Scoutmaster Steve, Lily arrives and every male in the crowd stares at her, including Steve. Grandpa notices his reaction and how it makes his heart skip a beat.
The next day, Grandpa and Marilyn take Eddie to a hunting blind in the nearby woods and watch a deer. They start to explain about the circle of life and how everything kills something else to survive. A mountain lion kills the deer and Granpa listens as Marilyn tries to convince Eddie that it was depressed and wanted to die. He isn't very convinced. When Eddie wonders what kills the mountain lion, Grandpa turns into his demon-bat form and kills it, and insists that it's all a part of nature..
When Herman hears about Grandpa's "lesson", he goes out to confront his father-in-law. First he asks why Tim is painting their house, realizing that Grandpa has made him a blood slave. However, Herman would rather talk about Eddie, warning Grandpa that he's a sensitive boy. Eddie and his heart are the only two things that Herman has that he can call his own. Grandpa reminds his son-in-law that his heart will soon give out and that they should use Steven for a replacement since he's attracted to Lily. They're interrupted when an exhausted Tim falls off the ladder and collapses. They call the paramedics and Marie comes over. Grandpa tries to comfort her without much success. The paramedics revive Tim and Grandpa complains that Herman called an ambulance and wasted a perfectly good heart.
That night, Grandpa invites Steve to dinner. After making sure that Steven has no immediate family and no one knows he's there, Grandpa suggests that Steven open his heart to new possibilities. He tells the pack leader that Herman is dying of a heart condition and that he doesn't want to leave Lily and Eddie alone. Steven figures that he's talking about marriage rather than an involuntary heart donation.
At dinner, they talk about the value of family. Steve notices that no one is eating and Eddie tells the pack leader that he's a vegetarian. Grandpa reminds him that the Munsters have always been meat-eaters and tells him to eat his meat before he can have vegetables. Eddie plays with his food and tells Steven that Grandpa ins going to eat him, and Grandpa blows off the accusation. Herman and Lily come back and, overhearing, assure Steven that no one is going to eat him. He decides to make a hasty and Marilyn escorts him to his door while Herman goes to talk with his son and Lily talks to Grandpa. However, Grandpa slips away when no one is looking.
Marilyn gets Steve to the door and tells him to run, with Grandpa is waiting outside in his demon-bat form. As he advances on Steve, the secret passage in the stairway opens behind him. When Marilyn tries to push Steven into running, she accidentally shoves him down the secret passage's stairs, Grandpa is trilled by this and takes Steve's corpse to his lab. When Herman's heart finally gives out and he slides off the roof, Grandpa finds him and takes him to his lab. Later, Herman wakes up and finds himself in the lab lying next to Steve's corpse. Grandpa has transferred Steven's heart to Herman's chest and is sipping the leftover blood, leaving him much younger looking now that he's had a proper meal.