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Lily Munster
played by Yvonne DeCarlo
"The Munsters" TV series (1964-1966)
"Munster, Go Home" film (1966)

If someone was to ask me who the funniest member of the regular "Munsters" cast would be, it would be a hard choice between "Lily" and "Herman".  You expect Herman to be funny because he looks so goofy and he's the main character.  Lily is funny because you don't really expect her to be funny...but she is!  Delivery-wise, her lines packed more of a surprise-punch than Herman.  You can always tell when Herman is ready to say something funny, but Lily often catches you by surprise.  Like Marilyn Munster, everything Lily says is so matter-of-fact.  The gag of the show is that everyone in the Munster household thinks she's beautiful, but everyone else she meets thinks she's frightening.  I think Yvonne DeCarlo is still incredibly pretty underneath all that ghoulish make-up.  She was 42 when she started this role and is every bit as lovely as she was in her earlier feature-film days.  I think a lot of her dark features and mannerisms had to inspire Cassandra Peterson's Elvira character, but she took it one step further and made her character much more scant and sexy...like a showgirl.  Lily Munster has a strange kind of sexiness and is still fully dressed!  She often has to stick up for Herman or defend his honor.  Physically, I'd have to say her big, wide eyes add to a lot of her comedy.  Yvonne DeCarlo says more with her facial expressions than the other cast members, although I love them all and think they're all fantastic performers.  All five of them (Herman, Lily, Grandpa, Eddie, and Marilyn) are equally important to the show.  Take a look through the pages of Polar Blair's Den to find fun Munsters facts!