''Monster Squad'' is a

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

produced by D'Angelo-Bullock-Allen Productions that aired Saturday mornings on NBC from September 11, 1976, to September 3, 1977. It is unrelated to the later film of the same name.

Premise

The series stars Fred Grandy (who also starred in '' The Love Boat'' and was later elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

) as Walt, a criminology student working as a night watchman at "Fred's Wax Museum". To pass the time, Walt built a prototype "Crime Computer" hidden in a large stone sarcophagus near an exhibit of legendary monsters. When Walt plugged in his computer, "oscillating vibrations" brought to life the wax statues of Dracula ( Henry Polic II), the Wolfman ( Buck Kartalian) who here was named "Bruce W. Wolf" (with one episode revealing that the "W" stood for "Were"), and the Frankenstein Monster ( Michael Lane) who was referred to as "Frank N. Stein" in the credits. The monsters, wanting to make up for the misdeeds of their pasts, became superhero crimefighters who used their unique abilities to challenge and defeat various

supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are often ...

s. In most episodes, Walt would send the monsters out to investigate crimes and fight the villains while monitoring the activities from the wax museum via the Crime Computer, presumably because his job required him to be at the wax museum at all times. However, Walt would sometimes join the climactic battle with his comrades in some episodes and come to the rescue when needed. Though the Squad are supposed to be wax statues, it often appears that they are something else entirely, as they apparently have all the memories of the monsters they are based on as well as their powers. The gentle giant Frank, for example, possessed superhuman strength and could smash through walls, while the dapper

cloak A cloak is a type of loose garment worn over clothing, mostly but not always as outerwear for outdoor wear, serving the same purpose as an overcoat, protecting the wearer from the weather. It may form part of a uniform. Cloaks have been and ...

-clad and fearsome-fanged Drac could turn into a bat, and the short and furry Bruce was a ferocious fighter who could climb up the sheer sides of buildings Spider-Man-style and had a super-sensitive sense of smell. The Squad had their own customized black Monster Van, and each monster had a "utility belt" with a communicator device used to keep in touch with Walt, who had apparently created them for the monsters to use. Their CB-style codenames were "Chamber of Horrors" (Walt), "Nightflyer" (Drac), "Green Machine" (Frank) and "Furball" (Bruce). The show was comparable to the 1960s ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book '' Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939 ...

'' TV show, not surprising considering that creator Stanley Ralph Ross had been one of the main writers on that series. The villains were often exaggerated camp super-villains much like the ones on ''Batman'' in keeping with the " superhero" tone of the show, and were often played by familiar-faced guest stars of the time, like Alice Ghostley ("

Queen Bee A queen bee is typically an adult, mated female ( gyne) that lives in a colony or hive of honey bees. With fully developed reproductive organs, the queen is usually the mother of most, if not all, of the bees in the beehive. Queens are develope ...

"), Marty Allen (" Lorenzo Musica"), Jonathan Harris ("the

Astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...

"), Julie Newmar (" Ultra Witch"), Avery Schreiber ("the Weatherman") and Vito Scotti (" Albert/Alberta"). In several episodes, a statue of the Invisible Man can be seen in an alcove on the opposite side of the monsters' exhibit. It is never explained why this statue remains unaffected by the Crime Computer's oscillating vibrations.

Cast

Main

* Fred Grandy – Walt * Henry Polic II – Dracula * Buck Kartalian – Bruce W. Wolf * Michael Lane – Frank N. Stein

Recurring

* Mayor Goldwyn: (portrayed by

Edward Andrews Edward Bryan Andrews Jr. (October 9, 1914 – March 8, 1985) was an American stage, film and television actor. Andrews was one of the most recognizable character actors on television and films from the 1950s into the 1980s. His stark white hair ...

) * Officer McMacMac: (portrayed by

Paul Smith Paul Smith or Paul Smith's may refer to: Music * Paul Smith (composer) (1906–1985), American film music composer * Paul Smith (pianist) (1922–2013), Los Angeles jazz pianist * Paul Smith (rock vocalist) (born 1979), vocalist and songwriter of ...

and Richard X. Slattery)

Others

* Jackie Joey: (portrayed by Stanley Ralph Ross) * Chief Running Nose: (portrayed by

Sid Haig Sidney Eddie Mosesian (July 14, 1939 – September 21, 2019), known professionally as Sid Haig, was an American actor, film producer, and musician. He was known for his roles in several of Jack Hill's blaxploitation films from the 1970s, as well ...

) * Mimi Falters: (portrayed by Caren Kaye) * Farmer: (portrayed by

Frank Cady Frank Randolph Cady (September 8, 1915 – June 8, 2012) was an American actor best known for his role as storekeeper Sam Drucker in three American television series during the 1960s – ''Petticoat Junction'', ''Green Acres'', and ' ...

) * Dandy Andy: (portrayed by Johnny Brown) * King Fooey: (portrayed by

Nathan Jung Nathan Jung (November 29, 1946 – April 24, 2021) was an American actor and stuntman. Due to his height, he was usually cast in "heavy" or "enforcer" roles. Career Television Jung played the character of Genghis Khan on '' Star Trek: The Origin ...

) * Store Manager: (portrayed by Patrick Campbell) * Newscaster: (portrayed by Mike Lawrence) * Dr. Fishline: (portrayed by

John Alvin John Henry Alvin (November 24, 1948 – February 6, 2008) was an American cinematic artist and painter who illustrated many movie posters. Alvin created posters and key art for more than 135 films, beginning with the poster for Mel Brooks' ' ...

)

Villains

: (portrayed by Alice Ghostley) – A

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...

-themed villainess who controls a swarm of killer bees **

Spelling Bee A spelling bee is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell a broad selection of words, usually with a varying degree of difficulty. To compete, contestants must memorize the spellings of words as written in dictionaries, and recite ...

and

Bumble Bee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera ...

: (portrayed by

Hamilton Camp Hamilton Camp (Born Robin S. Camp, 30 October 1934 – 2 October 2005) was a London-born actor and singer, who relocated to the United States with his family when he was a young child. He became an American folk singer during he 1960s, and ev ...

and Al Mancini) – Queen Bee's henchmen * Mr. Mephisto: (portrayed by

Barry Dennen Barry Dennen (February 22, 1938 – September 26, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and writer. He played Pontius Pilate on the original recording and later in the film of ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. Life and career Dennen was born in Chicag ...

) – Creator of life-sized living

dolls A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...

Baby Doll ''Baby Doll'' is a 1956 American dramatic black comedy film directed by Elia Kazan, and starring Carroll Baker, Karl Malden, and Eli Wallach. It was produced by Kazan and Tennessee Williams, and adapted by Williams from his own one-act play '' ...

and Arlene Doll: (portrayed by Cathy Worthington and Mindi Miller) – Mr. Mephisto's

hypnotic Hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), or soporific drugs, commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of (and umbrella term for) psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep (or surgical anesthesiaWhen used in anesthesia ...

-eyed henchwomen * The Tickler: (portrayed by

Ivor Francis Ivor Francis (October 26, 1918 – October 22, 1986) was a Canadian-American character actor and acting teacher. He is the father of television soap opera actress Genie Francis. Life and career Francis was born in Toronto and began his acting ...

) – Sad-faced

clown A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

/criminal mastermind ** Twitter and Snicker: (portrayed by Al Stellone and Doug Stevenson) – The Tickler's henchmen * The Ringmaster: (portrayed by

Billy Curtis Billy Curtis (born Luigi Curto; June 27, 1909 – November 9, 1988) was an American film and television actor with dwarfism, who had a 50-year career in the entertainment industry. Career The bulk of his work was in the western and science ficti ...

) – Diminutive

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and uni ...

owner who holds an audience of children hostage as revenge against those who made fun of his size ** Sam Strongman and Bonnie Bon: (portrayed by H.B. Haggerty and Simone Griffeth) – The Ringmaster's henchmen * Lorenzo Musica: (portrayed by

Marty Allen Morton David Alpern (March 23, 1922 – February 12, 2018), better known as Marty Allen, was an American comedian, actor, and philanthropist. He worked as a comedy headliner in nightclubs, as a dramatic actor in television roles, and was once ca ...

) – A failed musician who robs a

telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other purportedly worthy cause. Most telethons ...

so he can pay people to attend his concert ** Andante and Allegro: (portrayed by Tom Sherohman and Michael McManus) – Lorenzo Musica's henchmen * No Face: (portrayed by

and

, although his actual voice was supplied by an uncredited third actor) – A literally faceless master of disguise ** Pillage and Plunder: (portrayed by

Timothy Scott Tim Scott (born 1965) is a United States Senator from the state of South Carolina. Tim or Timothy Scott may also refer to: Sports * Tim Scott (American football) (born 1993), American football safety * Tim Scott (baseball) (born 1966), American pi ...

and

David Proval David Aaron Proval (born May 20, 1942) is an American actor, known for his roles as Tony DeVienazo in the Martin Scorsese film ''Mean Streets'' (1973), Snooze in ''The Shawshank Redemption'' (1994), Siegfried in '' Four Rooms'' (1995) and as Ri ...

) – No Face's henchmen * The Astrologer: (portrayed by Jonathan Harris) – A TV prognosticator planning to use an

atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

to make his prediction of an

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

come true **

Castor and Pollux Castor; grc, Κάστωρ, Kástōr, beaver. and Pollux. (or Polydeukes). are twin half-brothers in Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri.; grc, Διόσκουροι, Dióskouroi, sons of Zeus, links=no, from ''Dîos'' (' ...

: (portrayed by

Sandy McPeak Sandy McPeak (February 21, 1936 – December 31, 1997) was an American actor best known for such films and television series as '' Winnetka Road'', '' L.A. Law'', ''Centennial'', ''Ode to Billy Joe'', '' Patton'', '' The Osterman Weekend'', ''Kel ...

and

James Gammon James Richard Gammon (April 20, 1940 – July 16, 2010) was an American actor, known for playing grizzled "good ol' boy" types in numerous films and television series. Gammon portrayed Lou Brown, the manager in the movies '' Major League'' and ' ...

) – The Astrologer's henchmen * Ultra Witch: (portrayed by Julie Newmar) – A sexy sorceress who has made all the world's

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulati ...

turn sour ** Toil and Trouble: (portrayed by

Richard Bakalyan Richard Bakalyan (January 29, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor who started his career playing juvenile delinquents in his first several films. Early life Richard Bakalyan was born on January 29, 1931, in Watertown, Massachuset ...

and Joe E. Tata) – Ultra Witch's henchmen * The Wizard: (portrayed by Arthur Malet) – A

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...

-like magician miniaturizing monuments ** Mumbo and Jumbo: (portrayed by Victor Paul and Mickey Morton) – The Wizard's henchmen * The Skull: (portrayed by Geoffrey Lewis) – A sinister scientist who revives a

mummy A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay fu ...

as the first step in his plan to create an army of the evil dead ** Blue Tooth and

The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places *Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States * Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in Pa ...

: (portrayed by Peter Zapp and Pete Kellett) – The Skull's henchmen * The Weatherman: (portrayed by Avery Schreiber) – A would-be dictator causing

blizzards A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is ...

in July **

Phoebe Snow Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub; July 17, 1950 – April 26, 2011) was an American roots music singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her hit 1974 and 1975 songs " San Francisco Bay Blues", " Poetry Man", "Harpo's Blues", and her credited ...

and

David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ...

: (portrayed by

Cheryl Miller Cheryl D. Miller (born January 3, 1964) is an American former basketball player. She was formerly a sideline reporter for NBA games on TNT Sports and also works for NBA TV as a reporter and analyst, having worked previously as a sportscaster ...

and Owen Orr) – The Weatherman's henchmen * Lawrence of Moravia: (portrayed by

Joseph Mascolo Joseph Peter Mascolo (March 13, 1929 – December 8, 2016) was an American musician and dramatic actor. During his long career, he acted in numerous motion pictures and television series. He played villain Stefano DiMera on NBC's soap opera ''Da ...

) –

Arabian The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...

billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least 1,000,000,000, one billion (1,000,000,000, i.e., a thousand million) units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. The ...

who steals for fun rather than profit ** Fouad and Abdul: (portrayed by Winston Roberts and Joe Tornatore) – Lawrence of Moravia's henchmen ** Night Watchman: (portrayed by

Whitney Rydbeck Whitney Rydbeck (born March 13, 1945) is an American actor. Rydbeck has had a prolific career as a TV and film actor, having appeared in over fifty different television and motion picture titles. Some of his notable TV series performances have b ...

) – Lawrence of Moravia's henchman * Albert/Alberta: (portrayed by Vito Scotti) – A

sideshow In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair, or other such attraction. Types There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions: *The Ten-in-One offers a program of ten s ...

-style half-and-half

hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have ...

using a

laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The firs ...

to melt the

polar icecap A polar ice cap or polar cap is a high-latitude region of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite that is covered in ice. There are no requirements with respect to size or composition for a body of ice to be termed a polar ice cap, nor a ...

** Half-Wit and Half-Nelson: (portrayed by Raymond Singer and Phil Diskin) – Albert/Alberta's henchmen

Episodes

Home video

''Monster Squad: The Complete Series'' was released in Region 1 on June 23, 2009, by Virgil Films and Entertainment. The Region 2 release followed on August 3, 2009, by Fabulous Films.

In popular culture

A later, unrelated animated television series by

Hanna-Barbera Productions Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to ...

called ''

Drak Pack ''Drak Pack'' is a 1980 animated television series about the classic Universal Monsters villains fighting for good. It aired in the United States on CBS Saturday Morning from September 6 to December 20, 1980. It was produced by the Australian d ...

'' had a similar premise, as did the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

characters the

Creature Commandos The Creature Commandos are a fictional DC Comics team of military superhumans originally set in World War II. The original team was introduced in '' Weird War Tales'' #93 (November 1980), created by J. M. DeMatteis and Pat Broderick. The team ...

, although they fought

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

rather that super-criminals. In ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013 and is based on the DC Comics fictional superhero team. The series was announced f ...

'' episode 8, "Monster Squad", the Titans want to be the scariest trick-or-treaters in town, so Raven casts a spell to turn them into real monsters.

References

* Jones, Stephen, ed. ''The Illustrated Werewolf Movie Guide''. London: Titan Books, 1996, p. 137. *

External links

*
''Monster Squad'' – Pilot episode in-depth review with screenshots

TV Shows on DVD news
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monster Squad, The NBC original programming 1976 American television series debuts 1977 American television series endings 1970s American children's television series 1970s American horror television series Vampires in television Television about werewolves American children's horror television series Works based on Frankenstein Batman (TV series)