Rural Missouri - October 2017 - 20

EDDIE

MUNSTER

by Heather Berry | hberry@ruralmissouri.coop

photo courtesy Butch Patrick

Meet Butch Patrick:Television's most
loveable werewolf child from the '60s

fat or thin or ugly or handsome,
like your father, or you can be
black or yellow or white. What
arely can anyone say they've acted in a haunted house and now live in one,
does matter is the size of your
but one Macon resident can.
heart and the strength of your
"I wasn't aware of the house being haunted until after I bought it," says
character."
Butch Patrick. "But my sister told me she and Grandma always knew it
When "The Munsters" ended,
was haunted."
Butch continued to do projects.
Butch may look familiar to those who watched him play the werewolf son,
In hindsight, he does recall an
"Eddie," on "The Munsters," television's loveable family of ghouls. It only ran
offer he wished he'd taken.
two seasons on CBS, but is viewed by generation after generation in re-runs.
"I was on a photo shoot for
"This was my grandmother's house," Butch says, looking around the 1875
a teen magazine, and when the
Victorian home he and his wife, Leila, call home. He lived there during the
photographer was done he said,
eighth grade when "The Munsters" ended. "Even after my grandmother passed
'Oh, George Lucas would like to
away, I'd return to Macon and drive by the house. Years later, I heard someone
talk to you,'" Butch recalls.
wanted to clear the lot to build duplexes, so I knew I had to buy it."
The photographer said the
Butch, whose given name is Patrick Lilley, says his career truly came by hapﬁlmmaker had a movie for
penstance. His little sister was on a photo shoot, but the photographer had a
Butch to consider. Soon the two
few frames left on the roll and asked their mother for permission to snap a few
were on the beach talking. One
photos of 7-year-old Butch for his Hollywood studio window. Two producers
of the ﬁrst things George said
walked by, asked how to contact the kid in the photo and the rest is history.
was, "I've gotta tell you up front,
"That was my ﬁrst movie call and I got a main part in the movie 'Two Little
you'll have to cut your hair,"
Bears,' " recalls the 64-year-old. The stage name "Butch Patrick" was created
noting Butch's long locks.
from his nickname and real name by his mother, Patti, and agent Mary Grady,
Butch said he wouldn't cut
and he's gone by the name since.
his hair, but the ﬁlmmaker perWhile shooting that movie, Butch landed a recurring role on the soap opera
sisted. "Can I at least tell you
"General Hospital," then the series, "The Real McCoys." By the time he got the
about the movie?" he asked.
part of Eddie Munster - the curious Beaver Cleaver-like werewolf boy with a
"The movie was 'American
major widow's peak - he had 15 acting credits. Not bad for an 11 year old.
Butch Patrick enjoys meeting with his fans at festivals,
Grafﬁti'," says Butch, shaking
"I could have worked more, but I still enjoyed being a regular kid. I played a conventions and car shows around the world.
his head, "The role I turned
lot of baseball and basketball," says Butch. "My mom would drive by the court
and say, 'Hey, there's an interview' and I'd say 'No,' and keep on playing. I down was Curt, the part Richard Dreyfus played."
Butch says when the Vietnam War came along a bum knee kept him from
worked enough to satisfy me."
Butch chose to end his acting career after appearing in 55 television shows going immediately. He was never called to serve. Butch admits there were rough
patches after that where he fought battles with drugs, alcohol and prostate canand movies, most of which came during a 13-year span as a
cer, but he overcame each struggle.
kid. While he had many great roles, it was Eddie Munster
that led him to the life he now enjoys.
Residuals weren't paid to actors until 1974, but Butch says he was paid
Ask Butch what his favorite memories of working on "The
well as a young actor. He eventually had tribute Munster Koach and DraguMunsters" are and his answers may surprise you.
la hot rods built to share with fans at events. Appearance fees and sales
Macon
of Munster merchandise are main sources of income these days.
"I actually always wanted to be a racecar driver, so any time
an episode had something to do with the Munster Koach or DraHalloween is a busy time of year for Butch - especially if anyone
gula hot rods, I loved it," he says. "I also enjoyed the free time I
wants to be married by a Munster - because he's also an ordained
minister. While Butch doesn't play a lot of baseball these days, he
had at Universal Studios, because I could explore all the other
does have a great swing with bats - the ﬂying kind.
ﬁlm stages. And hanging out in the laboratory where the makeup
"Besides living in a haunted house, we have bats," says Butch.
people made masks and fake heads was pretty amazing, too."
"When I see one ﬂying around, I usually say, "Hey Grandpa.' "
Butch says he feels "The Munsters" re-runs still have a great viewing audience because the show, while humorous in nature, offered storylines
Visit www.munsters.com to purchase Munster merchwandise, check Butch's
that often had moral lessons.
One of the more memorable lessons Herman Munster gave his son was about event schedule or to contact him. His Ofﬁcial Munsters Fan Group Facebook page
acceptance: "It doesn't matter what you look like. You can be tall or short or can be found at http://alturl.com/ouvkr.

RURAL MISSOURI | OCTOBER 2017

http://www.munsters.com http://www.alturl.com/ouvkr

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - October 2017