Herman Munster's Speech Of Tolerance And Humanity Moves Twitter Users
When people discuss the great humanitarians of the 20th century, Herman Munster’s name rarely comes up.
However, that may change thanks to a 1965 clip from the classic sitcom “The Munsters” that went viral on Thursday.
The clip features Munster, played by Fred Gwynne, explaining to his son, Eddie, why character and heart matter more than physical appearance:
“The lesson I want you to learn is: It doesn’t matter what you look like. You can be 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. But what does matter is the size of your heart and the strength of your character.”
Herman Munster’s words of wisdom in 1965.
Still no lies told... pic.twitter.com/EdAJ0BhrZI— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) June 4, 2020
The clip has been posted before but was especially poignant now amid anti-racism protests across America sparked by the unrelenting deaths of Black people at the hands of police or racist vigilantes.
Many Twitter users appreciated Munster’s simple message.
What he said. pic.twitter.com/g5NLmXsnvj
— Scratchstakes (@scratchstakes) June 4, 2020
When I got up this morning, I was prepared to expect almost anything.
I did not expect to get that ‘tearing up’ flow over a Munsters clip.
Thanks a lot Rex.— reluctantprophet (@reluctantproph2) June 4, 2020
Dang those Hollywood elites and their messages of unity.
— Deus Rock (@deus_rock) June 4, 2020
Bravo, Herman, old man! Capital sentiments!
That's the kind of clear thinking we NEED in this country! pic.twitter.com/Pn0Y7fb712— Eric Janssen (@EricJanssen001) June 4, 2020
What baffles me is that this was brought up in 1960s and shit is still the same. Disgusting.
— Ernest (Ern) D’Youville (@DK4balls) June 4, 2020
Some people couldn’t help but compare Herman Munster’s unifying message to the ones coming from the White House.
With Herman Munster trending ...
The First Family. pic.twitter.com/tp3Nv325hj— The '60s at 60 (@the_60s_at_60) June 4, 2020
See @realDonaldTrump, it’s not that hard! If a 1960’s fictional character based off of Frankenstein can do it, so can you !!
— DJ (@mrgumpshood) June 4, 2020
Actor Butch Patrick, who played Eddie Munster in the black-and-white sitcom that ran from 1964 to 1966, isn’t surprised the clip has gone viral. He told HuffPost it’s popped up over the years.
Patrick, now 66, has vivid memories of the episode, “Eddie’s Nickname,” since the plot concerned him growing a full beard and having to deal with prejudice.
“I had to have a full beard for three days when I was 10,” he said, adding that the scene with Gwynne was just before the makeup artist dissolved his cotton-candy beard.
He said that while Herman Munster said the lines, they weren’t a stretch for Gwynne, whom he called a “renaissance man” who stood for human rights.
″‘The Munsters’ was a soft social statement show,” Patrick said. “No one wanted to live next door to them. It was kind of sneaky social commentary.”
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.